Tennis towel service

Bclgrh · Improver

Tennis towel service

indiana · Tennis legend

Indeed, "outdated nonsense". Look after your own ruddy towels !

Helen40 · Grand Slam Champion

I think it's the lesser of two evils. If the players had to walk to the back of the court every time they wanted their towels it would take ages.

Bclgrh · Improver

Or they could just wear sweat bands and get on with the game.

wolf · Tennis legend

Then they should use a bloody sweatband. It's hardly a necessary item, tennis players went decades without using one.

indiana · Tennis legend

Yes, when I went with "old fashioned nonsense", indeed it's over prevalence seems relatively recent. I could have gone with either of the first two options, but it is not needed.

Seems more habit than anything with the "here, minor dogsbody person, towel !"

I didn't notice the 10K players take too long at all towelling themselves, with some taking a towel to the back of the court and some not even bothering.

Bclgrh · Improver

I agree I think the whole towel business slows the game down.
I didn't even think of losing it completely but why not

indiana · Tennis legend

Admittedly sweating was not likely to be a major problem in Edinburgh ! But, still...

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Is this part of a study/dissertation or something?

I've voted 'it's OK, I don't mind'. I don't really care but I definitely don't see it as an 'ugly side' to tennis (lots of more important ones than that!).

I think it's probably quicker having the ball kids run the towel over than the player having to go and pick it up from the back of the court each time. At football, there are people to throw a new ball (or the old ball) to the guy for the throw-in when the other ball goes off too far.

And I know lots of kids who've been selected to be ball kids at the French Open and have enjoyed the 'towel part', I don't see it as demeaning - yes, the players could get their own towels, but they could get their own balls, and keep their own score. and string their own rackets . . . I know the kids don't get paid but they don't get paid for doing the balls either - voluntary work is not a sin, I don't see them as being exploited.
So, fine,, change it if you want, I wouldn't cry over 'lost traditions', but I don't really see any problem.

The Optimist · ATP qualifying

CD, your post sums up my views entirely. Know quite a number of youngsters who have been ball kids in this country. Towel-duty is seen as a privileged position - gets them up close and personal with their heroes. However, it seems there are different approaches by the players to obtaining the towel. Some point and gesture extravagantly as and when they want the towel, others speak to the towel monitor at the start of the match and ask them to approach with the towel after every point and say what gesture (raised hand, shake of head or such like) if they do not require it. Apparently method 2 goes down best with the kids!!

Bclgrh · Improver

For me personally as I watch tennis every day it's annoying seeing a player ask for their towel after every point.
It's like Indie and Wolf said just get on and play the game.
Also there are some really grumpy players on the tour that throw towels and gesture in an annoying way like pointing a finger.

I would just like to see the game flow more and see less toweling, 25 sec pauses between each serve, bouncing balls, pulling shorts and ruffling hair.
Pat Cash sums it up
Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said he sees a need to speed up matches if players are deliberately delaying play, and that the tennis-watching public either in the stands on TV have the most to gain.

"I think they need to enforce them (the rules)," Cash said Friday. "As much as we like Novak (Djokovic) bouncing balls between points, I think the fans just want to see some tennis."
www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2013/01/11/time-limit-between-tennis-points-under-new-scrutiny/1825959/

EddietheEagle · County player

John Llloyd wore his towel down his pants and had it literally to hand. I blame Rusedski for starting all the towel nonsense. Now it's an excuse for breaking a server's rhythm. If you tape a two hour match then edit it down to active play, the match only lasts like fifteen minutes. Towels and other tricks like changeover drinks during tiebreaks slow it all down and worse, it all gets copied lower down the reaches of the game. Trouble is, a toothless ITF couldn't do anything about it even if they were minded to. The power in pro tennis largely lies with the player unions these days.