I’m turning 60 in a week and have thought about getting back on the tennis court. I used to play college tennis but haven’t played in decades. I certainly remember the hard work it took to stay at a good level. Glad to see such a nice level of play from these guys…really inspiring.
What an amazing game for both players at age 60! Mark is playing very consistant overall with various tactics and skills. Eric is good too with powerful serve for either first or second. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for posting. I like watching high level senior games. Real classic! I can tell Vines is a high level player from just looking at the way he hit those BH slices (particularly on the hard serve returns). His one handed BH and FH drives are text book (70’s -> 80’s) like. Love it.
Vines footwork is simply amazing. He may not have explosive foot speed at 60, but his footwork is literally textbook. Always on balance and in rhythm. Pretty amazing to see someone his age move like that.
Oh, I agree on this match. Unfortunately, there is no fence on the south side of this particular "show court" at the World Tennis Club, only on the corner and on the north side of the court. When I film from the North side, it's looking south into the sun and the glare is bad. It was a tough match to film. :( But glad you enjoy the amateur tennis!!
When Friedman tried to hit out, he gave Vines a lot of trouble and made a lot of winners, but he made a couple too many unforced errors. Then he tried to just get the ball back, but that played to Vine's strength. If Friedman can get his forehand under control, he'd be tough to beat.
Good question! There wasn't a fence on the south end of the court and the glare in January makes any film from the north end of the court unusable. So, this particular court had a fence in the Southwest corner.....best I could do at the time.
You can really see why Vines is #1 in US and World. He moves well, passes well and has great feel at the net. Friedman is a good player but just made too many errors
Vines has a graceful slice back hand. Works well especially with players who make force errors. It's unusual to see someone without a drive back and get so far.
Yes, Friedman makes too many seemingly "unforced" mistakes, probably because he has to play a little above his capability to keep up with Vines. Against other players, where he wins the points by putting pressure on them, he won't make as many mistakes. He didn't get to the finals without playing some excellent tennis, that's for sure.
Yep, and he's a great teaching pro too! I've taken three lessons from him over at the World Tennis Club in Naples and he has great insights, probably because he still competes, unlike a lot of teaching pros who haven't competed in years.
