During the first few decades of the Open Era most players had a productive career of ten years, perhaps twelve if they were really good, and they were out of the game by 30 or 32. Then came Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and their generation. These three were all competitive into their late thirties. Same has been true for Murray, Gasquet, Wawrinka and others. But all of these players seem to hit a competitive wall at age 38. I think its the tournament format for tennis that finally does them in. If they only had to play one match and could come in rested and prepared I think Federer and company could have played at the highest level until age forty, but when you have to win five, six or seven matches in a row to win the tournament fatigue hits the older players much more than the younger ones. It takes the body longer to recover from physical stress as we age. Gasquet won his last ATP title at age 37. At 38 he has struggled to win more than one or two successive matches, even at the Challenger level, although he did recently win a Challenger event. Djokovic won three majors at age 36 and made all four finals. A year later at 37 he has won no majors, although still having good results by any standards. I predict he will hit the 38 wall next year and probably will not win any ATP tournament, even at the 260 level. Both Federer and Nadal went from being dominant forces to being almost out of the game between ages 36 and 38. The game is a lot more physical now than it was in the early 1970's, and the talent is a lot deeper now, too. So Rosewall's longevity was exceptional in his day, and now most top players can achieve it. Federer, Gasquet, Nadal, Djokovic and company all had careers at the ATP level for 20 or more years, turning pro as young as sixteen and playing for over twenty years.
Who is on the call of this match? I believe they are pretty famous, and I swear Liev Schrieber is doing an "impression" of him when he does Hard Knocks. EDIT: Wait, is this Vin Scully on the call?
Back when tennis was a joy to watch and was really something to look forward to even 40 years later. This was the absolute best era. The Big 3... Borg-Connors-McEnroe with the contrasting styles and personalities. Nothing was like it..
This was a big upset in the tennis world. I remember watching the match. Connors lost both Wimbledon and the US Open in ‘75. Having won them the previous year.
Nastase never won Wimbledon but he sure came close in '72, winning a couple sets off of Stan Smith in Stan's only Wimbledon singles win. Nastase was also in the finals against Bjorn Borg in 1976, Borg's 1st of 5 straight Wimbledon wins. Nastase wins the US Open weeks after this 1972 Wimbledon, back when the Open was still played on grass, over Ashe in another long match.
Vilas was a great player but his Australian Open titles were a joke, in those days this tournament was not better than a ATP 250 in relation to the caliber of the players in the draw
Vilas was a great player but his Australian Open titles were a joke, in those days this tournament was not better than a ATP 250 in relation to the caliber of the players in the draw
No carrying your towel over to the side of the court after each interchange and no 30 seconds in between every single point to go use said towel like in todays game. The pace of play matters and thats why watching a mens 5 set match in todays grand slams feels like watching a whole netflix series in one afternoon. Its grueling.
Something about 70s tennis era amazes me . More personality is visible in every player. Sponsors and rules were there but not influenced them to become machines like modern Ones . A litlle bit of rock and roll era and i love it
What's interesting to me is how did Rosewall get by Newcombe in the semis to get to Connors? Newcombe was still extremely viable at that time and would have given Connors a better match. Best evidence of this was proven in 1975 when Newcombe beat Connors in the 1975 Australian Open final. When Connors was young at the peak of his powers if his opponent didn't have a strong serve the match was going to be over quickly. Newcombe not only had a great serve but he was a great tactician. But Rosewall deserves all of the credit for getting to this final which worked out well for Connors.
@@stefanopgr Terrific shot, just the right amount of pace and spin, landing in a perfect spot on grass. Can't make this up. Instant classic match. See the 1971 quarter at Wimbledon, between Rosewall and Richey? Another long 5 setter for the ages.
Since the 50s, few sports have changed as radically as tennis and basketball. American baseball and football are up there too, but not nearly as much variance.
Interesting. Mind me asking how old you are? These are two of the Giants of the game, that made the sport what it is today. I'd love to know what is more "exciting" in today's tennis? Tennis was waaaay more popular world wide in the 70s, 80s & 90s, into the 2000s. It's dying today. Crowds are thin even at the major tournaments, and the game is dying at the grass-roots level. Not many people play today. You're in the massive minority thinking tennis is better now than it was in decades past. The facts prove otherwise.
Ne-a Năstase. În 72 ? 25000 $. Erau bani greii. Oameni buni. Pe 2500 luai mașina nouă. În America. Eu am venit 10 ani mai tirziu în America. Începutul degradarii usurel. Acum în 2024. E nenorocire. Oricum. Să fii sănătos ne-a illie. Ai pus România pe hartă
Thanks to the catchy phrase, grand Slam, the meaning is changed so when you see Rod Laver won two grand slams the reality was, he won all four majors in a calendar year, TWICE! The only GOAT!!!!
12:10 This is such an unexpected moment there for modern tennis fans. Not only do they have no bench to sit on, others have already commented about that. But look how they basically hang out together during the change over, shoulder to shoulder basically. I mean that must have led to some funny or potentially tense moments at times. I wonder if they ever chit-chat or trash talk. It would be unimaginable nowadays.
