Nadal for me.

ROSAMUND wrote:

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There's only 2 male players who've won all 4 majors in the same year  i.e. Budge and Laver and you've got them in the same group.

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 Thats the way the cookie  crumbles! Luck of the draw I am afraid - I dont meddle, just see what comes out using the chosen method!

 

Glad Rafa is doing well in the group though. My 3rd and 4th rated are Lendl and Budge here, I hope Budge gets a vote or two

brittak wrote:

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I actually think Laver but I voted Budge in this group as he might need a bit of help (sorry Jon - I know you said not to vote tactically!)

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 I think there has been a fair bit of tactical voting in this, I dont mind really, I just hope that the winners  are truly the players  the  Board feels are genuinely the greatest of all time!

This was interesting from Jack Kramer in his autobiography in 1979

Author
In his 1979 autobiography, The Game: My 40 Years in Tennis, Kramer calls Helen Wills Moody the best women's tennis player that he ever saw. "She was the champion of the world, when I was 15 and played her. she won Seven Forest Hills and Eight Wimbledons.... I beat her, but Helen played a very good game."[28]

Kramer ranked the best possessors of tennis shots as of 1979:[28]

First Serve: Ellsworth Vines had the finest serve, along with Pancho Gonzales
Second Serve: John Newcombe by far
Backhand: Donald Budge, Frank Kovacs, and Ken Rosewall were the best
Return of Serve: Don Budge the best
Forehand Volley: Wilmer Allison and Budge Patty.
Backhand Volley: Close among Don Budge, Frank Sedgman, and Ken Rosewall, with Sedgman having the edge
Overhead: Ted Schroeder, the best
Lob: Bobby Riggs, of course
Half-Volley: Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosewall
Forehand: Pancho Segura and Ellsworth Vines
Kramer's serve and forehand were equal to the best players in the game, but he would not talk about his own strokes.

Wills Moody of course wasnt in our ladies event, sadly, as she never actually got to World Number One

In the mens, he doesnt give Rod Laver any credit at all, it seems, Don Budge though does ok

about 5 hours left, standings are:

Laver 10
Nadal 6
Budge 2
Lendl and Nastase 1 each

about 2 hours left, standings are:

Laver 10
Nadal 6
Nastase 3

and then

Budge 2
Lendl 1