So....whatever happened to the Great Australian Tennis Player?

[J0E]

With a population of just 11 million, they once ruled Professional and Amateur Tennis.



The names are legenday....Ken Rosewell, Sedgeman and of course, the Great One of Tennis...Rod Laver.



Those handful seemed to win the majority of Grand Slams back in the 50s and 60s.



But after they retired, left the tennis scene, the Aussies hardly have won anythin'.



Currently their top mens single player is ranked 22nd on the ATP.



Even frosty Canada with its 8 mos winters, has a no. 6/8 ranking with Milos Raonic.



So what happened?!



Did the rest of the world get better of did the Aussies fall behind? Or is a bit of both?

Can the Aussies make a comeback...ever? Or is their past greatness destined to be a footnote in the sports hsitory book?



Discuss.

[Bricktop]

Tennis is a boring, silly game played by robotic spoilt brats who are paid FAR more than they are worth.



So, who gives a fuck. Frankly, I'm pleased Australians aren't that interested in tennis any more.



By the way, our last number 1 ranked player was Leyton Hewitt (who perfectly fits the character described above). When did a Canadian hold the number 1 position?

[cc]

When did a Canadian hold the number 1 position?

.or? .. AKA Joe?  



... you there?

[J0E]

By the way, our last number 1 ranked player was Leyton Hewitt (who perfectly fits the character described above). When did a Canadian hold the number 1 position?

Actually, with respect to Hewitt, I don't think he's overpaid.

Over the course of his career, he's won some of the Grand Slam events.

That's fairly impressive. If he generates revenue at the gates, wins his tournaments then he's hearned his keep.



Plus as a player who's ranked about the 100th best in the world today, he doesn't make more thanhe should, about $100-200,000 per year. He's won about $20 million in his career. That isn't too much when some professional ice  hockey players make 5 times as much in the same period, and they don't win anything, not even a pennant, a scoring championship or the Cup. They're just duds. One such player is Zach Parise of the Minnesota Wild. He hasn't won a scoring title and his team has never won the Cup nor does it appear that a championship is on the horizon. Parise will make as much as Hewitt has in just 2 seasons despite being an underperformer, achiever. At least Hewitt earns his keep. He only makes money when he wins, which is the model preofessional hockey and other sports should adopt.

[kiebers]

When did a Canadian hold the number 1 position?

.or? .. AKA Joe?  



... you there?

You know better than to ask a direct question. But I do know you didn't expect a direct answer. Oh I know lets talk about hockey.....

[J0E]

When did a Canadian hold the number 1 position?

.or? .. AKA Joe?  



... you there?

You know better than to ask a direct question. But I do know you didn't expect a direct answer. Oh I know lets talk about hockey.....

Well Kahbuzz, with respect to tennis, the Americans aren't doin' so great anymore either.

I suppose the title of the thread could be, "Whatever happened to the great US tennis player?"

There used to be tons of them. Jimmy Connors, John MacEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agazzi.



But not anymore. Best US man isn't very high up there, not even that many in the top 100.



http://espn.go.com/tennis/rankings">http://espn.go.com/tennis/rankings



Perhaps the major problem is income disparity in America, the widening gap between rich and poor.

Not enough encouragement or funding of poor kids to play the sport or any other sport for that matter.

Low fitness levels. Some of Americas best tennis players came from poor or disadvataged backgrounds - Arthur Ashe, the Williams sisters.





Mind you, we have the same problem in Canada to some extent. Sport used to be the way out of poverty, but now to play it, its become the domain of rich mans kids or the well-to-do. But in the end, everyone suffers with a mentality like that, because the talent pool in any sport becomes less.

[kiebers]

ac_toofunny  ac_lmfao  ac_lmfao  ac_lmfao  ac_lmfao

[J0E]

When did a Canadian hold the number 1 position?

.or? .. AKA Joe?  



... you there?

With respect to Canada, it has never been a powerhouse where Tennis is concerned.



That they have anyone at all in the top 100 is nothing short of a miracle.



A man in 6th spot, a woman also in 6th spot on the ATP rankings



It's a place where there's winter 8 to 9 months of the year.



People don't traditionally expect them to be up there.



Australia on the other hand, has eternal summer.



So Canada has no reason to feel ashamed its performance on the pro tour.



It has never been a 'Tennis Nation',



Anyone ranking as high as Ranoic or Eugenie Bouchard is merely a plus.

[Romero]

There are always ups and downs in the international world of sports. Canada's tennis star Eugenie Bouchard is having a tough time right now. It's pretty silly to make fun of a sport powerhouse for not having the very best players at this very moment. It's like making fun of the Canadian national hockey team for not winning gold every single year.

[J0E]

Tennis is a boring, silly game played by robotic spoilt brats who are paid FAR more than they are worth.



So, who gives a fuck. Frankly, I'm pleased Australians aren't that interested in tennis any more.

Anyways, I don't know why you're so down on the game of tennis. It put Australia on the map.



Better ta be known for producing great tennis stars as opposed to mass murderers, horrible dictators or terrorists, eh? Ie - Hitler, Osama bin Laden, etc.



Actually, I've met a number of individuals from various cultures who are ashamed of their heritage and embarassed to talk about it, especially the less flatering aspects. Australia is one of the few nations I know of which doesn't carry that kind of baggage.



Personally, I'd be rather proud if Canada had a sports figure like Rod Laver. He and his fellow countrymen reflect well on their nation and give it a good name.

[cc]

How plastic you are  ffs. Sports heros are merely  a bunch of overpaid bozos with attitudes .. totally useless and have nothing whatsoever to do with what a country is and or perceived to be



Well, apart from individuals, the stupid and grossly violent exhibit of hockey itself is not seen as making us look good. Much  of the world  .. and not just the elitist types see it for what it is and judge us accordingly

[Romero]

Australia and Australians put Australia on the map!



Geez, Joe. Australia's a lot more than a tennis star in the friggin' 1960s. The Melbourne Cricket Ground alone has a capacity of over 100,000, and couldn't care less about what you think about current tennis rankings. Australia especially for its population has always been a sports powerhouse.

[Romero]

Well, apart from individuals, the stupid and grossly violent exhibit of hockey itself is not seen as making us look good. Much  of the world  .. and not just the elitist types see it for what it is and judge us accordingly

Hey! Hockey isn't grossly violent when you look past the high sticks to the teeth, slamming into the boards and bench-clearing brawls. It's a game of skill. Art on ice.

[cc]

lol



Even beyond that, my main problem with most team sports is that in most there is a strong objective to "take out" the ones who will hurt you on the scoreboard.



Anyhow, now that we pay them 100+ times what they are worth, often many times CEO pay, it is all a farce that I cannot take seriously.



I do get a kick out of the "income equality" hypocrites in their jerseys and ringing bells for multi millionaires. I do admit that I  so love to watch hypocrites twist themselves into pretzels attempting to justify supporting zillionaires

[J0E]

Australia and Australians put Australia on the map!



Geez, Joe. Australia's a lot more than a tennis star in the friggin' 1960s. The Melbourne Cricket Ground alone has a capacity of over 100,000, and couldn't care less about what you think about current tennis rankings. Australia especially for its population has always been a sports powerhouse.

Still, Laver's achievements are nothing short of remarkable, Romero.



I guess you weren't around when Laver the Great was playin'.



Holy schmokes, he won everything in sight. The Grand Slam 2 times.

He was to Tennis like Pele was to soccer or Bobby Orr/Wayne Gretzky were to ice hockey. He was that good. Every tennis fan the world over idolized the guy. Go figger of the millions of people playing the sport at the time, he was the undisputed #1.



The sports historians say he coulda done that 3 or 4 more times, but was barred for 7 years from those tournaments because he turned pro. For a period, only amateurs could compete in those tournaments. Only later were the rules changed so that pros could compete in them.