It was so refreshing to see a real serve and volleyer make his way deep into a Grand Slam as Michael Llodra did before losing his third-round match on Sunday. I regret it, but it's unfortunately an endangered species nowadays. That kind of player is a victim of the way the surfaces have been slowed, as well as the balls. As the young players are identifying themselves with the big stars of their days, they're developping a similar game style. The kids don't want to play this way and this disappoints me. Yannick Noah, Pat Cash, Patrick Rafter and Stefan Edberg's era is gone for good. Under those circumstances, what Michaël Llodra achieved in New York gives me, personally, a huge satisfaction.
In the past decade, the ATP has become a "let's get the game slower" strategy. Though rackets have improved speed, the surfaces and balls dictate more the speed of the game. Wimbledon is surely the best example of the game changing to accomodate slowdowns. Grass, so fast back in the old days, has
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