Thoughts about Tennis Tradition...

[don_budge]

Well...enough said.

[don_budge]

"Thoughts about Tennis Tradition..." over 13,000 views. The conversation was not restricted to tennis. There was a poster who apparently objected to my writing about other things other than tennis but it seems that the post has since been deleted. Oh well...you can't please everybody.

I started this thread on May 20, 2011. I was fairly new to the forum and I wasn't greeted by exactly open arms either. I may have ruffled a few feathers. Afterall...tradition is a bad words nowadays. Even referring to trying to resurrect a certain country to a former status is taboo in many places. Not sure about the forum these days. I am very careful to not actually spell it out. I have two strikes you know. I'm walking on egg shells.

The tennis these days? Terribly boring. The forum these days? Well...there is the Big Three. The ATP Finals thread got 45 posts and all by the Big Three. Well, well...you can't please everyone. You can't point out the obvious either. Not with two strikes. I threw a soft ball at a poster. Then I was muzzled. Jannik Sinner is as boring as it gets. He tested positive twice for a banned substance...it was more or less swept under the rug. Christmas approaching on the radar screen. Even that tradition is slowly being eradicated. Tennis metaphoring life. What a great thread this was. Thirteen years..13,000 views. Three a day? That's quite a few. I haven't really written much the past couple of years. Ever since Roger left the stadium. It was a great run. Sort of nostalgic now.

I returned to the little tennis club in Skultorp, Sweden the other day. The guys were going to play a match and invited me to come and watch. It turned out that it was cancelled. The other team didn't show. So the four guys were practicing. They greeted me with a sort of an awestruck look. Almost exaggerated respect. I have come to expect that from them. Great kids. No longer kids though. Two of them have taken over much of the training hours at the club. I couldn't be prouder. Happy too. To think I did all that. Not in a shy way either.

[don_budge]

"Thoughts about Tennis Tradition..." over 13,000 views. The conversation was not restricted to tennis. There was a poster who apparently objected to my writing about other things other than tennis but it seems that the post has since been deleted. Oh well...you can't please everybody.

I started this thread on May 20, 2011. I was fairly new to the forum and I wasn't greeted by exactly open arms either. I may have ruffled a few feathers. Afterall...tradition is a bad words nowadays. Even referring to trying to resurrect a certain country to a former status is taboo in many places. Not sure about the forum these days. I am very careful to not actually spell it out. I have two strikes you know. I'm walking on egg shells.

The tennis these days? Terribly boring. The forum these days? Well...there is the Big Three. The ATP Finals thread got 45 posts and all by the Big Three. Well, well...you can't please everyone. You can't point out the obvious either. Not with two strikes. I threw a soft ball at a poster. Then I was muzzled. Jannik Sinner is as boring as it gets. He tested positive twice for a banned substance...it was more or less swept under the rug. Christmas approaching on the radar screen. Even that tradition is slowly being eradicated. Tennis metaphoring life. What a great thread this was. Thirteen years..13,000 views. Three a day? That's quite a few. I haven't really written much the past couple of years. Ever since Roger left the stadium. It was a great run. Sort of nostalgic now.

I returned to the little tennis club in Skultorp, Sweden the other day. The guys were going to play a match and invited me to come and watch. It turned out that it was cancelled. The other team didn't show. So the four guys were practicing. They greeted me with a sort of an awestruck look. Almost exaggerated respect. I have come to expect that from them. Great kids. No longer kids though. Two of them have taken over much of the training hours at the club. I couldn't be prouder. Happy too. To think I did all that. Not in a shy way either.

It appears that one of the very top leading ladies in Women's tennis has been suspended for suspected drug infractions. Is there a double standard here? Let me tell you something...there is. There always is. It all depends on who you know or how much you have. It's largely political and therefore forbidden to discuss. So I won't. Not at all. Politics are expressly forbidden to discuss here on the. forum. Except they are related to tennis in this case. So it might not be forbidden. The discussion is so limited these days it is hard to tell if it is voluntary or something else. Sinner seems to have skated any penalty. Even though...oh well. This is how these things go. Innocent until proven guilty. Or hearsay, rumors and innuendo. Backstabbing. It's all in the game. Did you know that William Tilden II wrote a book called "It's All in the Game". I did. I have it on my shelf here in Sweden. Brought it from America. The land of the free and the brave. It's a decent book. Of interest to true tennis connoisseurs. Probably of little or no interest to modern day tennis aficionados. But a true student of the game would find it fascinating...as I do.

[don_budge]

2025 Australian Open...ATP 2000...Melbourne, Australia

I'll keep this brief...so as to not disturb the regularly programmed forum narrative. I watched bits a pieces of a number of matches. Just abysmally boring. Let's not mince words. The one shining star of the tournament was courtesy of Novak Djokovic...who as I predicted is relevant until he is not. His take down of "Kid" Alcarez was just textbook. No muss...no fuss. The downside to this is that the most interesting player in the bloated draw remains to be the 37 year old mega champion. It wasn't Zverev that took Novak down...it is good old Father Time. He's catching up. But to the credit of Novak...his faith is keeping him in the game. His signal to heaven after every single match win is a give away. The man believes.

I watched bits and pieces of Madison Keyes in the final too. This is a wonderful story. For her to win her first Grand Slam title at this point in her career is a wonderful testimony to her and her supporting crew. I absolutely loved the fact that after she blistered yet another forehand winner on match point she collected herself and went directly to the net. She didn't drop prostrate on the court like every single drama queen including the men do nowadays. Give her a hug...a hearty congratulatory hug. Amazing!

Personally...I am hanging in there. Yesterday I did 350 pushups...7 sets of 70. Thirty then twenty after a brief rest and then twenty more after a set of 140 "flutters". Just trying to hang around. Stay in shape. On the mental health side of things, I stopped logging onto my computer five days before Christmas and once I made it that far I stopped completely. Now just minimal logins to do financial, incidental shopping and emails. Most done by phone. I have divorced reality...the new virtual morality. Do I feel better? It's a long, long story. Biblically speaking.

By the way...Donald Trump is the President of the United States. May God Bless America! Have you heard?

[neilchok]

Agree with Madison Keyes winning! Awesome win, and do agree on her professionalism. If you ever get a chance check out freedom.to, awesome internet blocker. It links to all your devices, and adds a lock mode, which you can't get out of. Have to call vendor. You can setup different schedules throughout the day. I am about a million times more productive and significantly happier. Working harder, and have more energy. Took more vacations and have been going to the beach rather than going on a YouTube rabbit hole.

Had to block a lot of tennis websites, was watching too much

Agree with you biblically, maybe not though on the president part

[don_budge]

Agree with you biblically, maybe not though on the president part

You know neilchok...I've never been a big "agree or disagree" type of guy. I am more just put your best foot forwards and state your case as intelligently as you can. Eloquence is optional. You don't agree that Donald Trump is president or you don't like him? That's fine. Express yourself. Thanks very much Sir, by the way, for your reply.

I believe we could have a very lively and entertaining conversation. Just not here. This site censors and I don't believe that it is all that clear what is acceptable and what is not. It's a slippery slope once you go down the road of censorship. Of course it is a tennis website and tennis will be the main focus. But any discerning human being understands that politics, art, engineering, philosophy are all peripheral subjects seperated by mere degrees...from tennis. For example...Russian tennis players are not allowed to be represented by their flag at ATP events. That is a fact and that is political and tennis as well. Plus there is a very, very big story behind the entire fiasco. But it is not allowed to be discussed. Don't members have the option to read or not? This forum is in danger and it is currently fizzling compared to the discussions that were had here in the last fifteen years or so I have been a member of this website.

J. D. Vance...the current Vice President of the United States of America ruffled the feathers of the biggest peacocks in Europe the other day by stating the obvious...as follows:

He further urged European Union leaders to “embrace what your people tell you,” even when it is “surprising” and they do not agree.
READ MORE: Vance compares EU politicians to Soviet leaders
“If you’re running in fear of your own voters, there is nothing America can do for you, nor, for that matter, is there anything that you can do for the American people who elected me and elected President Trump,” Vance stated.

The old paradigm of censorship is collapsing. The truth will be very hard to swallow since it has been banned from the conversation for so long. Perhaps a lot of chaos will ensue.

As I predicted all along the tennis world is on life support ever since Roger left the stadium. It limped along with Novak but it appears that he is limping towards the exit now. What is left does not resemble to what I grew up to know as tennis. It is a controlled narrative.

Ironically...tennisplayer.net still has a foothold in the reality of the matter. Still connected to the "Classic Game" that once was the prevailing story.

[don_budge]

Interestingly...this thread is entitled "Thoughts about Tennis Tradition...". Note the three dots. Symbolizing a connecting bridge. Of thought. Of causal relationships between tradtion and what is modern. Now post modern. But since the birth of this thread nearly every single tennis tradition has been eliminated, banned, relegated to the dumpster...simply old news. A real shame. From the white clothes, wooden racquets, white balls to this. Well...you don't have to look very far to understand that tennis does indeed metaphor life. Tennis being God's gift to mankind in terms of recreation. Tennis and golf. Both steeped in a worldwide, earthly tradition. That is a philosophical thought as well as a political one. Lurking beneath the surface are thoughts regarding art and engineering. Yeah...thoughts about tennis tradition. Who would have ever thought?

[neilchok]

I agree with you on russia not getting to put their flag. I think Russia was a major contributor to the end of world war 2, and have influenced world culture in a very positive way. In my opinions leaders don't represent the people of a country always. As an American, we have done some very questionable things, including the war on Iraq. Not sure why this resulted in more outrage from the world community. I sent you a private message if you ever want to discuss the other issues.

[don_budge]

The real impact on Humans by Artificial Intelligence. I made up a word...virtual morality. You've heard of virtual reality. Virtual morality occurs when "God is Dead" and the computer becomes the deity. It's happening. This is what all of this modern thinking is about...virtual morality. Rewriting human values and existence with the cold, clinical morality of a hard drive.

This is the reality on the ground...as they say. Just take a look around you. People walking around with their heads stuck in their phones. I took a train to Gothenburg recently and everyone on that train was hooked into a gizmo. Sometimes two. Me? None. I've been on this divorce myself from the new reality kick.

But tennis certainly does metaphor life. More and more every single traditional aspect of tennis has been erradicated from the game. Compared to the game in 1968...when the game coincidentally went "open" and I first picked up a racquet. Let's call it for what it is...a FUBAR. Fucked up beyond all recognition. Well...it has hit the bottom of the barrel. The number one player in the world is not only the most boring one dimensional player ever, he is also a convicted drug cheat.

More and more the game is referenced to in terms of digital means. Stats galore. Cyclops...or rather Hawk Eye. The entire shebang. It is what it is...the game is a progressive game in terms of modern political speak. A rather interpretation of progressive below. Censorship is in vogue. Even soft censorship. Old school announcers rolling over to the Modern game like the old one never existed. The occasional oblique reference. Yeah...give me McEnroe and Borg anytime. Like magicians compared to the new nonsense.

The modern game of tennis is the result of progressive intervention. You can see the same in society today. Tennis metaphoring life...again.

Virtual reality. Virtual morality. Where does it end?

"The Devils"...Fyodor Dostoyevsky 1871

"I have already hinted that all sorts of low-class individuals had made an appearance among us. In troubled times of uncertainty or transition all sorts of low individuals appear everywhere. I am not talking about the so-called "progressives", who are always in a greater hurry than everyone else (that is their chief concern) and whose aims, though mostly absurd, are more or less definite. No, I am speaking only of the rabble. This rabble, which you will find in any society, usually rises to the surface in every period of transition, and is not only without any aim, but also without an inkling of an idea, merely expressing with all its strength unrest and impatience.. And yet this rabble without realizing it itself, almost always finds itself under the command of the small crowd of "progressives", who act with a definite aim, and it is they who direct this scum where they like, provided they themselves are not composed of utter idiots, which, however happens, too." Fyodor Dostoyevsky…”The Devils”, Part III Chapter 1

[doctorhl]

Does anyone remember when it was not polite for the crowd to cheer for an unforced error? Is it possible for a pro game to be played with the players calling their own lines?? The humble nod of respect for a good shot has been replaced by the philistine "fist pump".

[neilchok]

yeah I think what makes tennis unique is the sportsmanship. The fact that men and women play in the same venue at the same time. Men and women actually play in events together, and the matches are entertaining. And they have the boys and girls tournaments as well at the same venue. I feel tennis is at such a higher level of respect and spirit. I actually think that the X-games for skateboarding also shows that type of sportsmanship.

I think in my opinion other sports should try to become more like tennis. Tennis is a sport that players don't try to injure each other purposely. It is extremely athletically demanding, you have to be very talented as well. Some people say it is the hardest sport to play.

I think these new players are super insecure and trying to make them fit with other sports. I remember Nick making the comment I am trying to mix basketball with tennis. Why??? The NBA sucks now, and ratings are down, and the players don't even want to play. With tennis for the most part, you know most players are going to give a 100% even if it is an ATP250 or a GrandSlam. The NFL is a sport now about Taylor Swift and making money, and making sure certain teams make it to the playoffs.

To me what makes tennis fun is when you have a good tennis match between two players going at it. Tennis is fun for the sport, not the drama and free agency outside the sport.

[don_budge]

Does anyone remember when it was not polite for the crowd to cheer for an unforced error? Is it possible for a pro game to be played with the players calling their own lines?? The humble nod of respect for a good shot has been replaced by the philistine "fist pump".

The fist pumps are sickening. From Jannik Sinner's little lame fist swish...to Carlos Alcaraz beckoning and begging the crowd to acknowledge something that is part of his job. Real ham. Real hot dogs. Humility is no longer a word applicable to professional sports and tennis no exception. Particularly among the younger players. Djokovic will occasionally be demonstrative but he is many times doing it for effect. He plays the crowd like a real maestro. They are often hostile and he is a master of using this hostility to his advantage. An old ploy of Ille Nastase and John McEnroe. A bit more subtle in the Djokovic theater of acting.

[don_budge]

Killing the Blues...Remembering John Yandell

Ahh...feeling blue. Remembering John. His love of tennis. His love of music. His talent for combining the two. You learn something of a person from their taste in music. His masterpiece music/tennis video...Roger Federer, Forehand Not Gone. Music by Robert Plant and Alison Krause. The youtube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YVRxAX6fwg

Killing the Blues...Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQG1hmP4VM0

KILLING THE BLUES
Leaves were falling, just like embers,
In colors red and gold, they set us on fire
Burning just like moonbeams in our eyes

Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues

Now I'm guilty of something
I hope you never do
Because there is nothing
Any sadder than losing yourself in love.

Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues

And then you've ask me... just to leave you
To set out on my own
And get what I needed.
You want me to find what I've already had

Somebody said they saw me, swinging the world by the tail
Bouncing over a white cloud, killing the blues

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/music_videos/federer_fh_not_gone/index_small.html

[don_budge]

Roger Federer...Forehand Not Gone

Forever grateful for this video. For the song. Gone...Gone...Gone. Some sunny day, baby. When everything seems okay, baby. Then they're gone. Really gone.

https://www.tennisplayer.net/members/music_videos/federer_fh_not_gone/index_small.html

Gone Gone Gone...Robert Plant

Some sunny day-hay baby
When everything seems okay, baby
You'll wake up and find out you're alone
Cause Ill be gone
Gone, gone, gone really gone
Gone, ga-gone, cause you done me wrong

Everyone that you meet baby
As you walk down the street baby
Will ask you why you're walkin' all alone
Why you're on your own
Just say I'm gone
Gone, gone, gone
Gone, ga-gone, cause you done me wrong

If you change your way baby
You might get me to stay baby
Ya better hurry up if ya don't wanna be alone
Or Ill be gone
Gone, gone, gone
Really gone
Gone, Ga-gone
Cause you done me wrong

I've lost another. This time I had the time to say good-bye. It helps a little. Still...the emptiness. It's humbling.

[don_budge]

John's Legacy: Visual Tennis

Great article and wonderful tribute to John Yandell. I remember when I first joined TennisPlayer.net there was a fellow named Geoff Williams who was advocating John for the Tennis Hall of Fame. Being new to the site I thought it was just some yokel sucking up to the owner for brownie points. That was some fifteen years ago.

Visual Tennis and "The Winning Edge" certainly are important landmarks in John's career. Those videos of John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl turn out to be sheer genius in retrospect. I believe those videos were actually done in 1984. Ah...the Orwellian year. Coincidentally the same year that tennis entered its own Orwellian phase and McEnroe and Lendl certainly captured the essence of this in their rivalry. Somehow John was at the exact precise point in time and space to have the wherewithal to produce such a masterpiece. Somehow John's legacy in in the remarkable timing of his work and the inflection point in history that tennis was precariously balancing on. How many times have I written on this forum about the 1984 U. S. Open and made the statement that this was the first time in tennis history where all four men's semifinalist's used oversized graphite racquets? The two finalists at that seismic event? None other than the two stars of John's epic "The Winning Edge"...John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. I was there on the scene at Flushing Meadows. I saw every match that magic Saturday that Bud Collins claimed was the greatest day in tennis ever. He may have been right in more ways than one. He was speaking of the level of tennis but he never mentioned once the crossing of the rubicon into "Modern Tennis" as exemplified by the equipment.

If this website in its totality is not the legacy of John Yandell then I am missing something. John and I are the same age. We were brought up at a magical time in the tennis world and obviously tennis had a great impact on both of our lives...as it did millions of others. John was about fourteen years old when the game went open. That is...when professional's were allowed to play in the Grand Slam events in 1968. The game virtually exploded into the public domain from that point forwards. John was old enough to have been schooled in the traditional school of tennis, The white clothes. The white balls. Tennis etiquette. Most importantly...wooden racquets. John cut his teeth on classic tennis. He was on the edge. When it tipped...he was there to capitalize on the fallout. He was a bridge between the classic era and the ensuing make believe tennis. But he captured it. With his video. With his analysis. With his attitude. Hall of Fame material? Yes...why not?

May God bless John. He was an important man in my life these past fifteen years. He knew what I was talking about in the romance of the old game. He never once criticized me for this thread and the commentary in it. I put my heart and soul into this forum and John knew it. He even appreciated it. He gave me VIP status here. Behind the scenes. John pretty much left the forum alone. He left it up to the members to pretty much breath life into it. Every once in a while he would step in to mediate. He was the Boss. A good one and a fair one. A couple of years ago we lost Roger Federer on the playing field. Roger...being the last remaining link. Between the classic era and the modern era. The Living Proof in the don_budge paradigm for teaching tennis. John felt the same way. I believe he agreed with me that the game was in trouble when Roger left. At least in for some big changes. They are coming too.

Wonderful article and a great tribute to John. His passing really hit me. It still effects me. The website will be an interesting thing to watch without his influence. They say nobody is irreplaceable. John just might set the record straight on that. We will have to wait and see.