Vijay probably had the best grass court game amongst the players of his time. Despite his height his good serve did not destroy opponents, he never outran opponents.(he never went past round 3 at the French) ..he at times outwitted very good players- Borg at the 1973 US Open whem he beat after being two sets to love down, Martin Jaite in 1987, Rod Laver two years running at the US Open....taught hard lessons to several top players in Davis Cup including Mats Wilander...but yet found it difficult to advance past the quarters at grand slams in singles...rarely played the Australian Open....those days many a top player skipped the Aussie Open....players like Johan Kriek,Vilas, who were hopeless on grass(those days Australian Open was played on grass) pocketed Australian Opens
Vijay reminds one of Indian speedster Javagal Srinath...unfulfilled potential ...and like Srinath lacked supreme fitness which is a pre requisite for a champion...may be a lesson for youngsters that time and tide wait for none....
Anand has gone mad! Beating Borg or McEnroe once or twice does not mean he is better than them! McEnroe is said to be the last classic player after World War II!
RE:Vijay
by ssbmat on Sep 28, 2007 07:34 AM
All this nostalgic talk is utter bullcrap in the face of a Roddick serve(140 mph) or the explosive Federer forehand which is not just powerful, but also gives spin. People should concede the fact that the players today are infinitely better athletes than the McEnroes and Connors. They just have to. I think Federer's game is just breathtaking NOT for the power, but the precision and shot making ability, now that doesnt change from generation or from technology. It is all about fine-tuning technique. Federer or Djokovic would have whupped the a@# of any of the players of the past-not because of power, because of their sheer athletic ability.
Most of you are jumping your guns. Listen to the wise and analyse correctly please - they know more about the subject than you do. Anand knows his brother better than all of us anyway and even given some brotherly love, he too is a professional who would not let that colour his assessment any bit. What he said is "...or even better than Borg and Connors" it was part of a wider answer to a question in an even wider interview about Vijay. When you read the whole thing it brings out Vijay's strengths as well as weaknesses in a very balanced manner. So do not insult yourselves with your stupid comments about one of India's Tennis legends and a perfect gentleman who has done India proud for his achievements not just on the court but off it as well.
Of course, fools are entitled to shout their mouths off in our democracy so go ahead and exhibit your ignorance for all you want - just realise that beyond a point, you are totally ignored as irrelevant. Any true follower of the game and its Indian context will agree wholeheartedly with what Anand says above.
RE:RE:Evaluate his comments in the right perspective please
by Hiren Bhavsar on Sep 26, 2007 10:30 AM
hahahahaha
clap clap..bhashan khatam hua... dude..no one is saying he was a bad player.. dont u try to justify this article..i m not against the interview..i m against the way it is published..to show off by rediff..look at the title..media is creating this drama..i am against that..and if u think anand amritraj had noting to do with media attention etc then be fooled by it.. btw i know more about tennis then u would probly know about cricket
