Greatest Players of All Time - according to Tennis Abstract

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

RE: Greatest Players of All Time - according to Tennis Abstract

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

No. 32 is Boris Becker. He was my no.31.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

GAMEOVER wrote:
No. 32 is Boris Becker. He was my no.31.

Oh well done - he was my 43 so still top 50 but a little further away.

id literally checked 5 mins ago ! Do you somehow get notifications when the new ones are up?!

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/10/15/the-tennis-128-no-32-boris-becker/

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Great write up on Boris , Jeff.

Re Agassi and Becker, did they fall out personally? Was it linked to Steffi in some way - I was never sure if Boris and Steffi were enemies or ambivalent to each other ?

jsackmann · Social player

Thanks!

Pretty sure it wasn't related to Steffi -- it was 1992 or '93, if not earlier. Agassi's book has a couple of pages about it. Becker said some negative things about Agassi in the press (I'm not sure exactly what; I couldn't find the quotes). Brad Gilbert didn't like Becker much, either, and it sounds like Gilbert used Becker's comments as a way to motivate Agassi.

... just discovered that I copied out a few paragraphs from the book in my notes. From *Open*:

Brad has never cared for Becker. Brad has always called him B. B. Socrates, because he thinks Becker tries to come off as an intellectual, when hes just an overgrown farmboy. But Brad is now so incensed that he cant sit still in our booth at the Tombs.

Andre, he says, it is so f****** on. Mark my words. Were going to run into this motherf***** again. Were going to run into him at the U.S. Open. And until then, were going to prepare, train, plot revenge.

I read Beckers quotes again. I cant believe it. I knew the guy didnt like me, but this. I look down and find that Im clenching and unclenching my fist.

Brad says, Do you hear? I want you to takethisf*****OUT.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

jsackmann wrote:
Thanks!

Pretty sure it wasn't related to Steffi -- it was 1992 or '93, if not earlier. Agassi's book has a couple of pages about it. Becker said some negative things about Agassi in the press (I'm not sure exactly what; I couldn't find the quotes). Brad Gilbert didn't like Becker much, either, and it sounds like Gilbert used Becker's comments as a way to motivate Agassi.

... just discovered that I copied out a few paragraphs from the book in my notes. From *Open*:

Brad has never cared for Becker. Brad has always called him B. B. Socrates, because he thinks Becker tries to come off as an intellectual, when hes just an overgrown farmboy. But Brad is now so incensed that he cant sit still in our booth at the Tombs.

Andre, he says, it is so f****** on. Mark my words. Were going to run into this motherf***** again. Were going to run into him at the U.S. Open. And until then, were going to prepare, train, plot revenge.

I read Beckers quotes again. I cant believe it. I knew the guy didnt like me, but this. I look down and find that Im clenching and unclenching my fist.

Brad says, Do you hear? I want you to takethisf*****OUT.

Great motivational approach from Gilbert! I read Open at the time it came out and must go and read it again! Thanks

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

JonH comes home wrote:
GAMEOVER wrote:
No. 32 is Boris Becker. He was my no.31.
Oh well done - he was my 43 so still top 50 but a little further away.

id literally checked 5 mins ago ! Do you somehow get notifications when the new ones are up?!

The answer is no, I was going out and before I did just checked on the last biography i.e Justine Henin and on the left hand side saw No. 32 Boris Becker

jsackmann · Social player

>Notifications

It is possible to subscribe to the blog by email and get new posts in your email inbox. There should be a "Subscribe by Email" thing in the sidebar with a box to enter your email. But ... it's not showing up for me in Chrome (maybe an adblocker is blocking it?) ... so I added it to the bottom of the Becker post, and will probably include it at the bottom of other posts as well.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

jsackmann wrote:
>Notifications

It is possible to subscribe to the blog by email and get new posts in your email inbox. There should be a "Subscribe by Email" thing in the sidebar with a box to enter your email. But ... it's not showing up for me in Chrome (maybe an adblocker is blocking it?) ... so I added it to the bottom of the Becker post, and will probably include it at the bottom of other posts as well.

Thanks Jeff - Ill take a look!

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

jsackmann wrote:
>Notifications

It is possible to subscribe to the blog by email and get new posts in your email inbox. There should be a "Subscribe by Email" thing in the sidebar with a box to enter your email. But ... it's not showing up for me in Chrome (maybe an adblocker is blocking it?) ... so I added it to the bottom of the Becker post, and will probably include it at the bottom of other posts as well.

I have be able to subscribe ok.

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

GAMEOVER wrote:
jsackmann wrote:
>Notifications

It is possible to subscribe to the blog by email and get new posts in your email inbox. There should be a "Subscribe by Email" thing in the sidebar with a box to enter your email. But ... it's not showing up for me in Chrome (maybe an adblocker is blocking it?) ... so I added it to the bottom of the Becker post, and will probably include it at the bottom of other posts as well.
I have be able to subscribe ok.

Ditto

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

Number 31 is Gabi Sabatini

Now she wasnt on my list - she was one of my favourite players and I still love her to this date. But I never thought she was in the top 50 of all time !

JonH comes home · Tennis legend

www.tennisabstract.com/blog/2022/10/18/the-tennis-128-no-31-gabriela-sabatini/

I remember seeing Gabi and Steffi play as a pair together at Wimbledon, Im guessing it would have been 86 or so, not sure , maybe later. I fell in love with both that day (I was a teenager) but at the time remember Gabi being slightly more moody in her personality . But nowadays she seems like a very warm , lovely , and still very beautiful woman. But I never realised her ELO reached the heights of over 2400 and had really looked at just the 3 slams in placing her outside my top 50.

Memories though !

GAMEOVER · Satellite level

I did have Gabi on my list at no. 37. Since her name had not appeared until now I began to wonder if she had not made the top 128. She was certainly Argentinas' greatest ever female player and had chances to win Wimbledon in 1991.