Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Sports
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-27-2012, 10:48 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles County, CA
29,094 posts, read 25,999,446 times
Reputation: 6128

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueDay1 View Post
Well, how was he going to win if the last past decade was dominated by Federer and Nadal and recent year or two by Djokovic.
He should work on becoming better then those players.

I stopped following tennis in the late 90's. My favorite players were Jennifer Capriati and Pete Sampras. Now I will only tune occasionally in to watch Venus or Serena play. For the men's side I know Andy Roddick is pretty good and I think there is some guy named Murray(can't remember his first name). The United States used to be the country with the deepest talent but no more.

Seems like it is a given that one of the Williams sisters will win Wimbledon each year - and that is great. The men's side is weak - and American's don't want to see some Swiss or Spanish guy winning - they want to see an American win.

They also want to see an American win with flair like Jimmy Connors or John McEnroe. Just hitting a ball across a net isn't exciting enough for many Americans - but if the players break some rackets and scream at the umpires - that is entertainment!

Last edited by Harrier; 05-28-2012 at 12:14 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-27-2012, 11:31 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles County, CA
29,094 posts, read 25,999,446 times
Reputation: 6128
Quote:
Originally Posted by robertpolyglot View Post
. Essentially, it's because you can't "back slap" while playing.
Or drink beer.

Lot's of golf courses have liquor licenses and enclosed spaces. Most tennis courts are open(albeit with a chain link fence) and are generally considered "in public" which makes drinking in between games or sets a "no-no".
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 04:16 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,420,229 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by BlueDay1 View Post
Probably because you're too old for it now.
Bet more baby boomers or older play tennis than any other age group.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 04:19 AM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
27,798 posts, read 32,420,229 times
Reputation: 14611
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harrier View Post
He should work on becoming better then those players.

I stopped following tennis in the late 90's. My favorite players were Jennifer Capriati and Pete Sampras. Now I will only tune occasionally in to watch Venus or Serena play. For the men's side I know Andy Roddick is pretty good and I think there is some guy named Murray(can't remember his first name). The United States used to be the country with the deepest talent but no more.

Seems like it is a given that one of the Williams sisters will win Wimbledon each year - and that is great. The men's side is weak - and American's don't want to see some Swiss or Spanish guy winning - they want to see an American win.

They also want to see an American win with flair like Jimmy Connors or John McEnroe. Just hitting a ball across a net isn't exciting enough for many Americans - but if the players break some rackets and scream at the umpires - that is entertainment!
I'm like you. I only watch Wimbledon semis/finals, US Open, and maybe the French Open finals.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Las Vegas
5,864 posts, read 4,977,592 times
Reputation: 4207
I love tennis. I don't know if any sport can match the drama of tennis when it's being played by two top players, think of the Rafa/Fed Wimbledon final a few years back. My wife and I play on occasion as well. However, it has always been a niche sport and it always will be. It's just like golf or NASCAR. Sure golf was really popular when Tiger was dominant but it's not as popular anymore. Tennis is a country club sport and will never be a #1 or #2 in America. But I don't care about that, I love tennis and will keep watching.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 07:07 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles County, CA
29,094 posts, read 25,999,446 times
Reputation: 6128
Well Andy Roddick lost in the first round of the French Open. No need to watch anymore until the women's semis when either Serena or Venus is eliminated - and then watch the other Williams sister destroy whatever no-name lady plays her in the final.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 09:24 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles County, CA
29,094 posts, read 25,999,446 times
Reputation: 6128
Here is another reason tennis is not popular - no American can watch it regularly except on TV. I counted 9 WTA tournaments in the the United States for the 2012 season and 12 ATP tournaments.
Tennis - ATP World Tour - 2012 Calendar
WTA | 2012 WTA Tournament Calendar

The Grand Slams have the glamour and receive the hype - and it is rare that a television in an American public establishment won't be showing the finals for Wimbledon, French, and U.S. Open(sorry Australians - but I just havn't seen your tournament get much attention) unless something really big is happening simultaneously. Are the smaller tournamemts even televised? Maybe if people knew that they were they would tune in - but it is much more satisfying to see a game in person - and only diehard fans will travel a long ways to watch tennis.

Get some consistent American winners in the men's game to complement Venus and Serena, put more tournaments in the United States, and promote the television broadcasts of both WTA and ATP - and American interest in tennis will return.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 09:34 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas
5,864 posts, read 4,977,592 times
Reputation: 4207
Quote:
Originally Posted by Harrier View Post
Well Andy Roddick lost in the first round of the French Open. No need to watch anymore until the women's semis when either Serena or Venus is eliminated - and then watch the other Williams sister destroy whatever no-name lady plays her in the final.
I don't understand this mentality. Why is it that Americans can only watch something if there is an American in the event? My favorite athlete, Roger Federer, isn't an American. I will watch all the tennis I can because I want to see a high level of play regardless of the nation the athletes come from. In international competitions I will cheer for Americans but I won't cease watching just because America may have been eliminated.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 09:36 PM
 
Location: Las Vegas
5,864 posts, read 4,977,592 times
Reputation: 4207
For Americans that will only watch Americans, John Isner is ranked #10 and could do reasonably well at Roland Garros and beyond.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2012, 09:51 PM
 
48,502 posts, read 96,823,165 times
Reputation: 18304
Tennis is popular in America;just not as popular as say Golf as individual sport. Golf just maybe the most popular of any sport worldwide. I use to play but a shoulder injury prevents it now. But I have knoiwn fellow workers to take lessons and take it up just because its the networking sport of business.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Sports
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top