Big Men and Women (Now) Play Tennis
The four semifinalists at the ATP Tour’s Legg Mason Classic in Washington, DC may have been the tallest bunch of players ever in the semis of a pro tennis tournament. Andy Roddick at 6 feet 2 inches was the shortest of the lot while Croatian, Ivo Karlovic, was the tallest at 6 feet 10 inches. The other two semifinalists, the super-talented Frenchman, Gael Monfils, who is 6 feet 4 inches and American newcomer, John Isner, who
almost reaches the sky as well, standing in at 6 feet 9 inches! In the past, very tall kids were discouraged from playing tennis and mostly focused on basketball. It was thought that being very tall was a disadvantage in tennis because extremely tall players couldn’t move well enough to compete in tennis. However, as it seems that the average height of tennis players (and I don’t have any hard data to support this assumption!) is rising, it’s become clear that big men can be quite successful on the tennis court. Mark Philippoussis and Mario Ancic, both 6 feet 5 inches tall, have shown over the past several years that talented tall men can compete at the very top of men’s tennis. In the women’s game, Lindsay Davenport used to be one of the only tall players, but Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams are both at least 6 feet tall. As training and conditioning has advanced, tall players are moving better than in the past. At the same time, having a very powerful serve can be a huge asset in tennis and lead to shorter points and less running. Not to mention the difference in the amount of court covered by the long strides of Karlovic compared to the fast feet of the talented, yet diminutive Belgian, Olivier Rochus. In the end, it’s still all about execution and confidence and playing the big points well. That’s what makes players look 10 feet tall across the net…
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