Tennis’s surprising evolution
The traditional serve-and-volley game has gone as better training, new playing styles and fresh faces have brought a welcome unpredictability back to tennis
By Roger Federer
Though I say it myself, it was actually an incredible achievement for me to reach the top position in the INDESIT Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) rankings. That is a fact, not some idle boast. The fact is that the current playing level in men’s tennis has never been as competitive as it is today. On any given day, a player in the top 100 can beat a player in the top 20. A defending champion can lose in the first round of a tournament anywhere. With so much variety and talent out there, it’s difficult for one player to dominate on all or different surfaces. That was not the case when Björn Borg dominated the game.
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