CAMELOT FANTASIES

John McEnroe makes controversial call for doubles tennis to be ditched from the major tournaments




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10498835/John-McEnroe-makes-controversial-call-for-doubles-tennis-to-be-ditched-from-the-major-tournaments.html





Doubles tennis must be in a bad way if John McEnroe, whose alliance with Peter Fleming brought him four Wimbledon titles, is calling for it to be scrapped from major tournaments.


Having flown into London this week for the Statoil Masters - an annual veterans’ event staged at the Royal Albert Hall - McEnroe was in feisty form on Thursday as he questioned what the team format is bringing to professional tennis.


“Why we are even playing doubles at this point is a mystery to me,” said McEnroe. “I love doubles but I don’t even recognise what this is. If there was a volleying contest from the service line, most of these guys couldn’t . . .” He stopped and sighed. “They play an inch from the net. It is like wham, bam, thank you ma’am.


“If you cut out doubles and gave that money to singles players ranked between 200 and 1,000, maybe that would do something for the game. Then some other guy who never really had the chance to play ends up becoming No 100 in the world instead of quitting when he’s No 400.


“Most doubles players, I hate to say, are the slow guys who were not quick enough to play singles.” The most successful male Americans of the moment - financially at any rate - are the Floridian twins Bob and Mike Bryan, whose 344 consecutive weeks at the top of the rankings is a record for any pairing.

John McEnroe makes controversial call for doubles tennis to be ditched from the major tournaments




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10498835/John-McEnroe-makes-controversial-call-for-doubles-tennis-to-be-ditched-from-the-major-tournaments.html





Doubles tennis must be in a bad way if John McEnroe, whose alliance with Peter Fleming brought him four Wimbledon titles, is calling for it to be scrapped from major tournaments.


Having flown into London this week for the Statoil Masters - an annual veterans’ event staged at the Royal Albert Hall - McEnroe was in feisty form on Thursday as he questioned what the team format is bringing to professional tennis.


“Why we are even playing doubles at this point is a mystery to me,” said McEnroe. “I love doubles but I don’t even recognise what this is. If there was a volleying contest from the service line, most of these guys couldn’t . . .” He stopped and sighed. “They play an inch from the net. It is like wham, bam, thank you ma’am.


“If you cut out doubles and gave that money to singles players ranked between 200 and 1,000, maybe that would do something for the game. Then some other guy who never really had the chance to play ends up becoming No 100 in the world instead of quitting when he’s No 400.


“Most doubles players, I hate to say, are the slow guys who were not quick enough to play singles.” The most successful male Americans of the moment - financially at any rate - are the Floridian twins Bob and Mike Bryan, whose 344 consecutive weeks at the top of the rankings is a record for any pairing.

That's weird, considering how much he played doubles. Unfortunately, John's ideas usually gain steam and come to fruition.

Quote from: Clay Death on December 05, 2013, 10:08:43 pm

John McEnroe makes controversial call for doubles tennis to be ditched from the major tournaments




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10498835/John-McEnroe-makes-controversial-call-for-doubles-tennis-to-be-ditched-from-the-major-tournaments.html





Doubles tennis must be in a bad way if John McEnroe, whose alliance with Peter Fleming brought him four Wimbledon titles, is calling for it to be scrapped from major tournaments.


Having flown into London this week for the Statoil Masters - an annual veterans’ event staged at the Royal Albert Hall - McEnroe was in feisty form on Thursday as he questioned what the team format is bringing to professional tennis.


“Why we are even playing doubles at this point is a mystery to me,” said McEnroe. “I love doubles but I don’t even recognise what this is. If there was a volleying contest from the service line, most of these guys couldn’t . . .” He stopped and sighed. “They play an inch from the net. It is like wham, bam, thank you ma’am.


“If you cut out doubles and gave that money to singles players ranked between 200 and 1,000, maybe that would do something for the game. Then some other guy who never really had the chance to play ends up becoming No 100 in the world instead of quitting when he’s No 400.


“Most doubles players, I hate to say, are the slow guys who were not quick enough to play singles.” The most successful male Americans of the moment - financially at any rate - are the Floridian twins Bob and Mike Bryan, whose 344 consecutive weeks at the top of the rankings is a record for any pairing.

That's weird, considering how much he played doubles. Unfortunately, John's ideas usually gain steam and come to fruition.

johnny mac is just looking for attention.

doubles is a very vital part of this sport and always has been. it can never be scratched.

John McEnroe Rips Doubles, Says He’ll Take Federer/Nadal Over The Bryans Any Day!



by Tom Gainey | December 8th, 2013
 
Speaking at the Statoil Masters earlier this week, outspoken legend John McEnroe ripped into the current state of doubles on the tennis circuit, calling for the discipline to be abolished!

“Why we are even playing doubles at this point is a mystery to me,” McEnroe told the Telegraph. “I love doubles but I don’t even recognise what this is. … They play an inch from the net. It is like wham, bam, thank you ma’am.

“If you cut out doubles and gave that money to singles players ranked between 200 and 1,000, maybe that would do something for the game. Then some other guy who never really had the chance to play ends up becoming No 100 in the world instead of quitting when he’s No 400.

“Most doubles players, I hate to say, are the slow guys who were not quick enough to play singles.”

As the moment few top singles players enter doubles tournaments and among the final 16 men (8 teams) to qualify for the London ATP Finals event last month, only the Bryans, Leander Paes, Radek Stepanek and Fernando Verdasco were among the faces an average fan would recognize.

And even the Bryans, one of the all-times greats, were in McEnroe’s crosshairs.

“What do you think they are playing doubles for? I like them and single-handledly they’ve tried to keep doubles going. There is something cool to watch these twins.

“But sometimes I hear people saying they are the greatest doubles players of all time. I’m like ‘Excuse me?’ If you put Federer and Nadal together, I am taking them.”