Whats the Best Grand Slam ?

Drew · Dec 13, 2005

Whats the Best Grand Slam ?

kundalini · Specialist Reporter + Intermediate Club Player

I like Roland Garros best then Wimbledon. US Open and Australian don't really appeal.

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

A no brainer. Has to be Wimbledon and Wimbledon alone by a long shot. Then being over here I love the US Open although I don't think there should be a final set tie breaker. Then the French and finally the Aussie Open which up until 15 or so years ago many of the top stars would skip and for good reason, the season is too long right?

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

For me it has to be Wimbers, although probably for all the wrong reasons. It is the only one I have ever seen much of, as I am restricted to terrestrial TV; but I have been watching it for 50 years on TV, this year live for the first time, and I actually like all the tradition - even the stuffiness! Next I like RG, then the US Open. I prefer the hard courts to clay but find the brashness of the US not to my taste - all that loud music between games, just like ice hockey! I had better start to like it though, as Andy seems to do well over there. Oz - frankly I don't know, I have never seen any of it!

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

Madeline wrote:

For me it has to be Wimbers, although probably for all the wrong reasons. It is the only one I have ever seen much of, as I am restricted to terrestrial TV; but I have been watching it for 50 years on TV, this year live for the first time, and I actually like all the tradition - even the stuffiness! Next I like RG, then the US Open. I prefer the hard courts to clay but find the brashness of the US not to my taste - all that loud music between games, just like ice hockey! I had better start to like it though, as Andy seems to do well over there. Oz - frankly I don't know, I have never seen any of it!

What brashness? lol Also, what is wrong with hockey? I love hockey my fav sport. My son is quite good at it too, although he plays tennis too, but for 6 months of the year the tennis courts are covered in snow and ice so he plays hockey.

stagger · Club Coach

For me, Wimbledon is the worst of the lot. Too many suffocating rules, regulations and dress codes, ****e weather virtually every year (ive been to days where it has been rained of completley and spent too much money on overpriced food and drink because there is bugger-all else to do), a reserved passionless crowd (unless the 'henmaniacs' are watching their boy, and dont even get me started on those psuedo-fans), over-inflated ticket prices and annoying irritating commentator drivel from the likes of barret, macmillan, castle et al (thanks god for macenroe).
On the other hand, the US open is always buzzing and the atmosphere seems to be great...as it does at the French where you can smoke in the stands and the cameramen like to show cleavage shots of chicks in the crowd.
As for the tennis, some of the greatest matches in history seem to have occured at the non-wimbledon slams.
I'd say, at a push, the US open is the best, followed by the French, the Ozzie and then, some distance below, wombledon.

Madeline · Admin:Moderator + Tennis Legend

Montana Doug wrote:

What brashness? lol Also, what is wrong with hockey? I love hockey my fav sport. My son is quite good at it too, although he plays tennis too, but for 6 months of the year the tennis courts are covered in snow and ice so he plays hockey.

Nothing at all wrong with ice hockey - I used to watch it myself in my youth, and even followed the local team to some away matches. Not as a groupie I hasten to add, I went along with my husband. Loud music goes with hockey, but being a traditionalist I don't like it in tennis, that's all!

By the way Doug, are you an ex-pat Brit, or American?

Sheddie · administrator

For me Wimbledon is the best Grand Slam as I don't have Sky or Eurosport so it's the only one I can watch regularly. I also get to see many Brits who I've never seen play before eg: this year - Josh Goodall. There's also the added excitement of a Brit getting to the latter stages which never happens at any of the other Grand Slams. I'm not too keen on the all-white rule but I suppose you have to respect Wimbledon traditions. Commentators at Wimbledon are really great, my brother recorded some Sky coverage of the US Open for me and the commentary was nothing like as good. McEnroe is magnificent and I like all of the commentators apart from Boris Becker and Jimmy Connors. Connors is a fantastic pundit but he really irritated me all through Wimbledon by going "mmm" after every winner in matches. Becker's accent really irritates me for some reason. He sounds like he's struggling to get the words out and doesn't appear to speak English very naturally. Also, all through that fantastic semi-final between Roddick and Johansson this year he kept going on and on about the "ladies final" - he seemed obsessed with it.

Montana Doug · Futures qualifying

I am American, but with strong English roots. My grandmother was killed in WWII in Crawley. I hope I spelt that right, near Gatwich airport. My mom tells me her name is on a memorial there, I think it is inside the local CofE Church but not sure. Could find out....but I am American, just moved to Montana from SoCal.

I got into British tennis watching Tim Henman who is my fav player by far. I get tired of hearing every Wimbledon about how long it has been since a Brit won it all. I also love Johnny Mac and so hearing his interest and obvious respect for Tim and Andy draws me to support them even more.

I follow British soccer too, esp England and Chelsea. I love the way the game is played over there.

And as for hockey, I was teasing a little. I love the game, while in Cali I would take my family to see the LA Kings two or three times a year. He in Bozeman, Montana we have great opportunities to play sports, but not much hope of seeing any kind of pro sport apart from winter sports such as skiing. Great skiing here, and very cheap too. So that is me.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Reports today that the Aussie Open on Melbourne is just about bankrupt

But some think that the CEO is just grandstanding, to get bailouts from the govt

Anyway,....

www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/tennis-australia-boss-says-australian-open-is-severely-cash-strapped/news-story/db01e6813d81ff97da9dfc541fd232a2

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11583759/Australian-Open-future-doubt-Tennis-Australia-shift-event-Sydney-CHINA-Tiley.html

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Coup Droit wrote:
Reports today that the Aussie Open on Melbourne is just about bankrupt

But some think that the CEO is just grandstanding, to get bailouts from the govt

Anyway,....

www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/tennis-australia-boss-says-australian-open-is-severely-cash-strapped/news-story/db01e6813d81ff97da9dfc541fd232a2

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11583759/Australian-Open-future-doubt-Tennis-Australia-shift-event-Sydney-CHINA-Tiley.html

Interesting - Tiley of course could be part of the problem in this!

also, i presume the 4 slams are owned in terms of naming rights / designation rights by the ITF? Whatever the Aussies decide to do, ultimately doesnt the itf determine what and what isnt a slam? No idea how that works but presumed there is a license type relationship in essence?

christ · Futures qualifying

Wimbledon. Tennis was designed to be played on grass.

christ · Futures qualifying

(... although I had assumed that this poll was closed 15 years ago or so)

emmsie69 · ATP level

I know that the Masters events are expanding but I hadn't heard that the GS were moving to a 3 week tournament.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

christ wrote:
(... although I had assumed that this poll was closed 15 years ago or so)

Yeah biggrin

I used this thread as the search function is so weird on this site and this is what came up to post about the Aussie open

But then decided to vote anyway - what's 15 years between friends????

And also voted for Wimbly - how can you not?

And then thought that all this needs is Jon to get his cheerleading hat on and they'll be people voting into the earl hours biggrin