I wont reply to something thats 3 years old but to say that Edberg's volleys only came close to Sampras is bs
Sampras was a far more complete player, with one of the best serves ever. But in terms of pure volleying, both Edberg and Mac were better. In terms of S&V then there are whole load of other factors, but even there Edberg had ridiculously good approach and net coverage. Theres a reason why Edberg and Mac were ranked 1 in doubles.
But anyway, love Pete. At his peak best player ever imo.
Sampras was one of the best volley player in the world, among with Rafter, Edberg, Becker, Stich. He served the second serve like the first serve and had extremly good halfvolleys and smahes. he played the legendary chip and charge like Edberg and Becker. He is a legend and no one can reach him. He was than in a time where a lot of the greatest players ever played like Edberg, Becker, Agassi, Stich, Courier....
yeah you can bitch all day. your lucky all the Racquet specs nowadays help even the worst players. I bet you cant even pull a tennis game using 85" headsize.
Well yes, rating have improved quite a bit since their rivalry matured. But I think this has less to do with their playing styles and more to do with the fact that it's a great rivalry.
I don't think the average casual fan has enough knowledge to understand or care about playing styles, anyway.
Also, the smash Sampras hit, is a difficult one for sure, but not for pros. It is a routine shot for them. Even I can hit it. I just can't hit it as hard as a regular smash (and not even close to what the pros do because of their height). It's all about good, quick footwork. Good timing helps too. But most people (I thing even on the pro level) just get that ball in and look for a second smash or putaway volley. Sampras did very well to finish the point right away with a smash from back there.
Then how come I have never seen Agassi, Roddick, Nalbandian, Hewitt, Rafter or a host of others hit a backing away overhead like that? Only Federer has hit an overhead that good as consistently as Sampras could. And Fed can't do the jumping overhead as well as Sampras could.
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For one, why are you listing 4 people who are almost strictly baseline players? Because of that, if they ever do get a smash, it'll be a weak, short defensive lob (very easy to finish), a defensive lob that goes long, a topspin lob that goes long, or a topspin lob that goes in. They NEVER get the deep defensive lob, but if they did, even they could finish the ball off. Hell, EVEN I CAN DO IT! And I'm not fucking kidding, it's not that hard with proper footwork, and pros have excellent footwork!
Agreed. That's because Sampras was an athlete and a half. Federer is amazing, but Sampras was more of an athlete. By athlete, I meant he knows how to control his body works naturally. I think that's why so many people couldn't see how much effort it took to do what Pete does and mislabeled him as "boring". Pete was such an athlete that he made the moves seem simple, but unfortunately to the untrained eye, simlistic. That's the biggest joke of all sports. Sampras was Willie Mays of tennis.
Totally agree with you on this...Sampras was pure athleticism...I often used to say he was almost like poetry in motion...he was beautiful to watch his movements so smooth and he was so quick around the court! Miss the serve and volley style and it used to make me so mad when they labelled him "boring" he wasn't he was of his generation the genius of his craft!
Well I think we can all agree the overhead running backwards and over to the backhand side is not an easy shot. As a matter of fact, if not done right, it can leave the player totally open for attack.
But I don't even think Federer can hit that shot as well as Sampras. Sometimes Federer would take a couple of smashes, maybe even 3. With Sampras, it was good night Irenne on the first smash every time-the ball never comes back.
Well this is absolutely amazing SV and smash combo. In this match Pete produced multiple similar volleys on second serve too. Under pressure or not. No one can match him. He denied best returner ever like pro denies a rookie.
It was a great volley, as to be expected from Sampras. But there are those who have volleys that are also great. Some of my favorites being Federer, McEnroe, and Edberg. If you say Federer and McEnroe don't have great volleys, you are crazy, because with Federer's racket setup he's got to have a lot of skill not to pop those balls up long all the time when they come low. Same for McEnroe, but he has the best hands at the net ever.
What do u mean with his racket set up? his racket is great, its extremley stable its the best racket you can use against power hitters too it just doesnt move, and gives unparalleled feel. The amount of spin u can add with current strings is also amazing.
I think hes talking about Federer's string tension. Its strung loose at 50-55 and even lower sometimes and has a lot more power than the likes of Sampras who strung his racquet at 75. McEnroe also used a low tension.
He maens that Fed has a very low tension racquet, meaning of course the ball tends to fly long. Edberg is probably the best volleyer, followed by Pete and then Mac & Fed.
No u guys dont get it, Federers racket is made for touch, the string set up i mean, he has the same set up as Mark woodforde, doubles players use that set up alot because its meant to give u the best feel for the ball, hewitt has the exact same set up but his is at a higher tension, its DEFINATLEY not to be used for Baseliners UNLESS u have it at a very low tension because it is made ONLY for touch, thats why federer doesnt pop up the ball every time he volleys. I know his 1 of his stringers
The problem is, the lower you're racket tension, the less the control you have, the string set up, the material, balance etc are different things entirely. Lower Tension = Less Control & More Power.... which is why Fed's accuracy amazes us all.
maybe he worked at it with a very high tension racquet for most of his childhood so he gained that accuracy and then he gradually shifted into a more powerful raquet tension...thats what im doing...also, i play with baseball bats so my hand eye coordination gets better :-)
We know what his racket is made for, it's the current version of the ProStaff. But his setup is more for baseliners (more spin). And his hands are why he doesn't pop the ball up. Look at McEnroe. But Sampras' racket is much better for Volleying. However, with practice it's not hard to be a good volleyer with Federer's racket. I'm just saying, it takes more skill than Sampras', where you touch the ball and it's a great volley.
The only player who came close to Petes volleys (not SV) is Edberg. Rafter comes 3. Then Becker and Mcenroe. Pat didn't possess great serve and only Stefan´s second serve was amazing. Pete had by far best SV. Becker didn't have as great volleys as Edberg, or finesse as Mcenroe, but had an awesome serve. Some of them had only finesse, some of them only power, but Sampras had everything.
I wont reply to something thats 3 years old but to say that Edberg's volleys only came close to Sampras is bs
Sampras was a far more complete player, with one of the best serves ever. But in terms of pure volleying, both Edberg and Mac were better. In terms of S&V then there are whole load of other factors, but even there Edberg had ridiculously good approach and net coverage. Theres a reason why Edberg and Mac were ranked 1 in doubles.
But anyway, love Pete. At his peak best player ever imo.
alin1975 5 months ago
sampras v agassi 20-14
galloppa82 8 months ago
great point but i have seen him perform even more difficult shots.
but nonetheless the point is still great and is indeed a very difficult couple shots that required an immense amount of skill.
vaulcan 2 years ago
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Omg 0:52
Aditya094 2 years ago
sorry not on the video =\
aznking01010 1 year ago
Sampras was one of the best volley player in the world, among with Rafter, Edberg, Becker, Stich. He served the second serve like the first serve and had extremly good halfvolleys and smahes. he played the legendary chip and charge like Edberg and Becker. He is a legend and no one can reach him. He was than in a time where a lot of the greatest players ever played like Edberg, Becker, Agassi, Stich, Courier....
come on Pete!!
stevenfromstol 2 years ago 5
Very good desciption. It always looked so "easy" when Pete made those very difficult shots. Just look at his half-volleys in his games. Just sick!
fullbatterie 2 years ago 3
miguelucho20008 2 years ago
yeah you can bitch all day. your lucky all the Racquet specs nowadays help even the worst players. I bet you cant even pull a tennis game using 85" headsize.
supertrex2 2 years ago
Yeah, sure.
Still -it was zzz zzz zzz zzz...
Go check TV ratings.
miguelucho20008 2 years ago
Um, what? Ratings have actually dropped in many countries. Look at the US, for example.
And here in Australia we don't even get free-to-air coverage of the RO and USO anymore.
TWKang 2 years ago 2
RG*
TWKang 2 years ago
Fortunately the Rafa vs Roger thing has helped tennis an awful lot.
The last AO final, for instance. One of the few that actually had some interest in the past 10 years or so.
miguelucho20008 2 years ago
Comment removed
TWKang 2 years ago
Comment removed
TWKang 2 years ago
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Well yes, rating have improved quite a bit since their rivalry matured. But I think this has less to do with their playing styles and more to do with the fact that it's a great rivalry.
I don't think the average casual fan has enough knowledge to understand or care about playing styles, anyway.
TWKang 2 years ago
Oops, my internet connection was messing up and I thought my comments hadn't been posted properly. -.-
TWKang 2 years ago
85" rackets are hard as hell to use if you're not used to it. It's like directly sweet spotting it every time
NonDairyYogurt 2 years ago
Nice!
Zozim57 2 years ago
Ok, the smash is beautiful. But Edberg did not need smash because when he hit a backhand volley, there was not a smach behind.
I will post some edberg's backhand volleys to prove that.
hugotom1 3 years ago
i agree, the serve was great, the volley was great, and the overhead was incredible.
Stratocasterinferno 3 years ago 2
Also, the smash Sampras hit, is a difficult one for sure, but not for pros. It is a routine shot for them. Even I can hit it. I just can't hit it as hard as a regular smash (and not even close to what the pros do because of their height). It's all about good, quick footwork. Good timing helps too. But most people (I thing even on the pro level) just get that ball in and look for a second smash or putaway volley. Sampras did very well to finish the point right away with a smash from back there.
Oreoclan 3 years ago
"It is a routine shot for them"
Then how come I have never seen Agassi, Roddick, Nalbandian, Hewitt, Rafter or a host of others hit a backing away overhead like that? Only Federer has hit an overhead that good as consistently as Sampras could. And Fed can't do the jumping overhead as well as Sampras could.
Samprasisthebest 3 years ago 2
I know the reason...no one ever comes to net!!! It's "see who can have a 90 shot rally and play for 8 hours" baseline play.
utvolsfan1985 3 years ago 2
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For one, why are you listing 4 people who are almost strictly baseline players? Because of that, if they ever do get a smash, it'll be a weak, short defensive lob (very easy to finish), a defensive lob that goes long, a topspin lob that goes long, or a topspin lob that goes in. They NEVER get the deep defensive lob, but if they did, even they could finish the ball off. Hell, EVEN I CAN DO IT! And I'm not fucking kidding, it's not that hard with proper footwork, and pros have excellent footwork!
Oreoclan 3 years ago
With all respect to you sir, I don't feel that Roddick could have executed that smash as well as Sampras did.
Samprasisthebest 3 years ago 13
@Samprasisthebest
i think he could of hit it better
chrisplayaa 9 months ago
Agreed. That's because Sampras was an athlete and a half. Federer is amazing, but Sampras was more of an athlete. By athlete, I meant he knows how to control his body works naturally. I think that's why so many people couldn't see how much effort it took to do what Pete does and mislabeled him as "boring". Pete was such an athlete that he made the moves seem simple, but unfortunately to the untrained eye, simlistic. That's the biggest joke of all sports. Sampras was Willie Mays of tennis.
miltyu97 3 years ago
Totally agree with you on this...Sampras was pure athleticism...I often used to say he was almost like poetry in motion...he was beautiful to watch his movements so smooth and he was so quick around the court! Miss the serve and volley style and it used to make me so mad when they labelled him "boring" he wasn't he was of his generation the genius of his craft!
pps1fan 2 years ago 3
Well I think we can all agree the overhead running backwards and over to the backhand side is not an easy shot. As a matter of fact, if not done right, it can leave the player totally open for attack.
But I don't even think Federer can hit that shot as well as Sampras. Sometimes Federer would take a couple of smashes, maybe even 3. With Sampras, it was good night Irenne on the first smash every time-the ball never comes back.
miltyu97 2 years ago 5
Poor Andre, he worked so hard that year, he hardly deserved to play Pete in his best form.
Samprasisthebest 4 years ago
Well this is absolutely amazing SV and smash combo. In this match Pete produced multiple similar volleys on second serve too. Under pressure or not. No one can match him. He denied best returner ever like pro denies a rookie.
cammpinno 4 years ago 2
Agassi had no chance.
dbffrost 4 years ago
It was a great volley, as to be expected from Sampras. But there are those who have volleys that are also great. Some of my favorites being Federer, McEnroe, and Edberg. If you say Federer and McEnroe don't have great volleys, you are crazy, because with Federer's racket setup he's got to have a lot of skill not to pop those balls up long all the time when they come low. Same for McEnroe, but he has the best hands at the net ever.
Oreoclan 4 years ago
What do u mean with his racket set up? his racket is great, its extremley stable its the best racket you can use against power hitters too it just doesnt move, and gives unparalleled feel. The amount of spin u can add with current strings is also amazing.
quiet1234 4 years ago
Federer probably has a easier racket set-up than all of those other players..
iamdre17 4 years ago 2
I think hes talking about Federer's string tension. Its strung loose at 50-55 and even lower sometimes and has a lot more power than the likes of Sampras who strung his racquet at 75. McEnroe also used a low tension.
splendid1000 4 years ago
He maens that Fed has a very low tension racquet, meaning of course the ball tends to fly long. Edberg is probably the best volleyer, followed by Pete and then Mac & Fed.
CleckleysProof 4 years ago
No u guys dont get it, Federers racket is made for touch, the string set up i mean, he has the same set up as Mark woodforde, doubles players use that set up alot because its meant to give u the best feel for the ball, hewitt has the exact same set up but his is at a higher tension, its DEFINATLEY not to be used for Baseliners UNLESS u have it at a very low tension because it is made ONLY for touch, thats why federer doesnt pop up the ball every time he volleys. I know his 1 of his stringers
quiet1234 3 years ago
The problem is, the lower you're racket tension, the less the control you have, the string set up, the material, balance etc are different things entirely. Lower Tension = Less Control & More Power.... which is why Fed's accuracy amazes us all.
CleckleysProof 3 years ago
maybe he worked at it with a very high tension racquet for most of his childhood so he gained that accuracy and then he gradually shifted into a more powerful raquet tension...thats what im doing...also, i play with baseball bats so my hand eye coordination gets better :-)
rockerduff1231 3 years ago
Its possible, but I donn't think he did.
CleckleysProof 3 years ago
We know what his racket is made for, it's the current version of the ProStaff. But his setup is more for baseliners (more spin). And his hands are why he doesn't pop the ball up. Look at McEnroe. But Sampras' racket is much better for Volleying. However, with practice it's not hard to be a good volleyer with Federer's racket. I'm just saying, it takes more skill than Sampras', where you touch the ball and it's a great volley.
Oreoclan 3 years ago
The only player who came close to Petes volleys (not SV) is Edberg. Rafter comes 3. Then Becker and Mcenroe. Pat didn't possess great serve and only Stefan´s second serve was amazing. Pete had by far best SV. Becker didn't have as great volleys as Edberg, or finesse as Mcenroe, but had an awesome serve. Some of them had only finesse, some of them only power, but Sampras had everything.
cammpinno 4 years ago 10
yeah. my top threee volleyers ever are: Edberg, McEnroe and Pete and then Becker and Rafter.
juandi2570 3 years ago
I would include all those players in my top five, but with a slightly different order: Mcenroe, Edberg, Pete, Rafter, Becker.
Samprasisthebest 3 years ago
agreed.
juandi2570 3 years ago
@cammpinno You forgot about Henman. He had excellent touch on his volleys just not as heavy a serve as some of the other guys.
Mzee1084 9 months ago
too good.
iamdre17 4 years ago
nice point
TennisMasta44 4 years ago