Tennis Improvement Memo 551. Diversity is Melting Away from Tennis—In an Era of Standardization, Does Your Heart Still Race?

Fast grass, slow clay, strokes and volleys alike, the 'chemical reaction' of different qualities clashing on the same court. That is now being lost to the slowdown known as the world standard. In an era of uniformity, does your heart still race? Isn't there more drama in diverse individuals than in leveling everything out? With that thought in mind, I am re-examining the essence of tennis diversity and improvement.

▶Who decided on the 'world standard'?

That is why I asked.

Who decided that slow hard courts should be the world standard?

It is a topic from a little while ago, but it is said that slow hard courts in Paris caused controversy.

Of course, I do not mean to say that 'being slow is bad'.

Comedian and Akutagawa Prize-winning author Naoki Matayoshi once said that an elephant's trunk is not a binary of 'whether long is good or bad,' but rather 'the strength to acknowledge all individuality' (related article: Bonus: The song of individuality taught by 'Zou-san').

Yes, individuality.

In other words, I am in a position where I feel a sense of loneliness regarding the trend that accelerates a uniform slowdown which could rob tennis of its diversity.

▶The miracle of two weapons coexisting

I said that tennis is interesting because it has both strokes and volleys.

It might sound like a matter of course, but as I have illustrated, having both is 'surprisingly rare' (related article: What does tennis have that badminton and table tennis don't?).

That is why tennis offers a way for people of all ages and genders to compete on the same court.

I have talked before about how this leads to lifelong sports and, by extension, dementia prevention (related article: Thinking keeps people from becoming senile (Why tennis is good for dementia prevention)).

▶'Anything goes' created the drama

Also, I have repeatedly pointed out that while tennis has strict rules regarding gear (even dress codes), it is interesting because anything goes when it comes to court surfaces, whether it be clay, grass, concrete, or carpet.

If all four Grand Slam tournaments were played on Plexicushion, there surely would have been no drama to color history.

The playing styles that followed were also diverse.

▶What made tennis vibrant was the 'clash of differences'

Many people who know the old days might look back on the era of Björn Borg with his topspin, Jimmy Connors with his flat shots, and John McEnroe with his serve-and-volley as more enjoyable than today.

Is that simply because we are indulging in nostalgia?

No, that dynamism was, a 'chemical reaction' triggered by the intersection of heterogeneous courts and heterogeneous playing styles was it not?

Are you serious that Wimbledon grass is as slow as clay?

The actor Ken Ishiguro, who served as the '2008 Wimbledon Tennis Special Navigator,' demonstrated the joy of how old grass was slipperier and how a cord ball would shake the net posts supported by loose foundations.

▶ The coming era where individuality melts away

Among the Yahoo comments gathered on the aforementioned article, there were opinions such as 'It's like a Kintaro candy'.

I would like to quote and introduce a few of them.

▶ Does standardization rob tennis of its 'human touch'?

As Martina Hingis points out, tennis is becoming increasingly standardized.

Just as Roger Federer was initially concerned about the introduction of the challenge system, the human touch is also fading (related article: 'A Battle Without Honor or Humanity Cherishing the 'Human Touch' of Federer and Hawk-Eye?').

While leaving line calls to Hawk-Eye may be acceptable from the perspective of ensuring fairness, if surfaces become standardized, the diversity of tennis will surely be lost.

▶ In a patterned world, does your heart race?

'Close-up Gendai' featured 'Physical AI' for humanoid robots.

It is said that they automatically learn the skill to no longer spill tea from the failure (experience) of having spilled it.

The movement is just like a living creature.

Since announcer Maho Kuwako is with NHK, she asked, "Will that small robot also become a reality?" but in short, she says a "Doraemon"-like existence will appear around 2030.

If the diversity of human touch is lost and even court surfaces become standardized, it is not much different from watching a patterned game between pre-programmed robots.

That, too, is somehow lonely...

▶Humans who make mistakes are more interesting than perfection

It is said that a "Humanoid Robot Sports Tournament" is actually being held in China.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKsT7kXCDeI

A festival of robots that move exactly as programmed.

I am not saying that is bad.

Certainly, a world where robots are active looks novel.

Comical and fresh.

But isn't the reason "Dai Pinch Zukan" (The Great Pinch Encyclopedia) is interesting because humans are not perfect and make mistakes? (Related article: ""Dai Pinch Zukan" that accepts 'failure' with playfulness").

▶In the shadow of convenience, the master and guest roles eventually reverse

Do robots have a "heart (mentality)"?

Humans who think they are controlling AI might eventually be controlled by AI, you know.

Relying on ChatGPT for guidelines on speech and conduct is certainly convenient, but I think that is what that (domination) means.

▶Diversity is the root of tennis

Once again, tennis is a sport of diversity, including play styles, court surfaces, and races.

It is enjoyed all over the world with relatively little bias.

In the first place, the origins of grip names like Eastern and Continental were also derived from the "local characteristics" of each country (Related article: "Which is better, Eastern grip or Western grip? ").

Standardization can lead to leveling down.

Is there a trend toward a "universal Western" grip for everyone?

Are serve-and-volleyers already an endangered species!?

Would it be an exaggeration to say that eventually, even the "volley shot" itself might be excluded from tennis?

▶We don't need standards. But there are "criteria"

Is it right or wrong to establish a "world standard"?

Even though this is a "Tennis Improvement Memo," what does this topic have to do with improvement?

If I dare to connect them, even if there is no "standard" in tennis, there are absolute, unshakable "criteria."

Certainly, if you play using that, tennis might become too easy.

Because the superiority of groundstrokes would stand out even more.

That is precisely why, moving forward from there, players can enter a stage where they also polish their volleys.

Also, an era of healthy competition will begin where opponents try to counter with volleys as well.

▶How do you get to an even higher stage?

If you want to raise your level, raise the level of those around you.

By doing so, all kinds of positive (and powerful) influences, including verbal and non-verbal communication, will unconsciously reach you from the surrounding environment (Related article: "Communicating without speaking—the essence of interaction").

That was the reason why prestigious academies are prestigious, even without secret training and doing things that seem ordinary (Related article: "There is no 'special training' at prestigious academies").

If you do that, evolutionarily speaking, where "adaptation" occurs, both you and the people around you will end up growing rapidly.

Instant Tennis Improvement Tips TENNIS ZERO
(Tennis Zero)
https://note.com/tenniszero

For free email consultations, inquiries, feedback, or concerns,
click here
tenniszero.note@gmail.com

Tennis Zero Representative
Mukei Yoshida