The'80s were a great decade for tennis. A long decade that saw the face of the sport change.
I'd like to take a trip down memory lane by writing about my favorite five'80s tennis players. These all come down to my personal preferences and they're not based on merit. Nonetheless, I'll be curious to see how these compare with yours.
The early'80s were dominated by Bjorn Borg before his early retirement. At the top of his game, he was undoubtedly the best in the world and one of the best to ever play the sport.
Next on my list is Stefan Edberg, whose career began in the'80s and lasted into the'90s. The Swedish net player was one of the best volleyers in the history of the sport, and one of the last pure volleyers as well.
Boris Becker. Ah, the jump serve. Becker popularized this method of serving in the'80s, and just about everyone I knew tried to emulate it in their own way. Becker was a true warrior on the tennis court, and I'm a big fan of what he did for the sport.
Ivan Lendl was one of the steadiest players to ever play the sport. His career was a storied won, with a handful of grand slam wins and even more tournament victories. Lendl's baseline play was downright scary.
1. John McEnroe. What can you say about Mac? His charisma, his hustle, and everything else that he did on the court is legendary. To see him as a commentator through his retirement is simply a delight. I was shocked to see how well he plays when I saw him play at a senior tour event.
There are many more classic'80s tennis players than the ones mentioned here. Guys like Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi (though he was more'90s), Jimmy Connors, and many others rounded out a classic decade of tennis and brought just as much enjoyment to the sport. - 29967
I'd like to take a trip down memory lane by writing about my favorite five'80s tennis players. These all come down to my personal preferences and they're not based on merit. Nonetheless, I'll be curious to see how these compare with yours.
The early'80s were dominated by Bjorn Borg before his early retirement. At the top of his game, he was undoubtedly the best in the world and one of the best to ever play the sport.
Next on my list is Stefan Edberg, whose career began in the'80s and lasted into the'90s. The Swedish net player was one of the best volleyers in the history of the sport, and one of the last pure volleyers as well.
Boris Becker. Ah, the jump serve. Becker popularized this method of serving in the'80s, and just about everyone I knew tried to emulate it in their own way. Becker was a true warrior on the tennis court, and I'm a big fan of what he did for the sport.
Ivan Lendl was one of the steadiest players to ever play the sport. His career was a storied won, with a handful of grand slam wins and even more tournament victories. Lendl's baseline play was downright scary.
1. John McEnroe. What can you say about Mac? His charisma, his hustle, and everything else that he did on the court is legendary. To see him as a commentator through his retirement is simply a delight. I was shocked to see how well he plays when I saw him play at a senior tour event.
There are many more classic'80s tennis players than the ones mentioned here. Guys like Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi (though he was more'90s), Jimmy Connors, and many others rounded out a classic decade of tennis and brought just as much enjoyment to the sport. - 29967
