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Why is it that tennis majors are usually more exciting than golf majors?


nevets88
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Granted, there have been some lopsided finals in tennis, but for awhile now, tennis majors are more compelling than golf majors and I love and play golf and haven't touched a tennis racquet in decades.

Steve

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It's faster then watching the grass grow. The players look and move like athletes. Nobodies waddling around staring at the ground before tapping a ball a few feet.

My favorite: The girls sweat and grunt when slamming the ball.

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Funny comparison. Is the rugby WC more exciting than a golf major? Depends who you are, I know what I get more excited about at least. And I found at least the last major quite compelling!

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Tennis grand slams are very boring in the first week. It's like golf, usually sunday is exciting in golf and the semis and finals are exciting in tennis.

p.s. I can't belive Federer lost this match today Unreal forehand return by djoker at matchpoint

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Because you're a closet tennis fan more than you are an "out" golf fan? ;-)

I disagree. I think tennis majors tend to be boring. Very little serve and volley. Lots of baseline, baseline, baseline, baseline play.

And a tennis major's final match is often not nearly as compelling. If one guy's having a bad day it is a terrible thing to watch. In a golf major, very rarely does someone run away with it (and when they do, like Tiger or Rory, it's thrilling to watch, unlike a 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 men's final).

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I found the 2011 Masters thrilling, but the US Open and British Open were a snooze. The US had no drama - zero- and Royal St Georges looked like an endless loop played over a 4 hole cow pasture. The PGA Championship was pretty good, but only the last hour of it.  Tennis has some dull moments, but over the course of 2 weeks there are always some compelling matches. The commentary is much better and they're played on 3 totally different surfaces which means different players excel. And most important - both genders are playing at the same time which means ALL the best players are there.

Still, I'd say they're both a hit for me. I try to catch all the majors in both sports.

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I think the one thing that mens tennis has right now that golf doesn't have is a couple of legitimate superstars that you know are going to be there almost every time. For me though, that makes the early rounds wholly unappealing. It's a year-to-year, month-to-month thing though. I haven't watched the tennis majors in their entirety this year, but the 2011 Masters was the best of all of them. The British might have been the worst.

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tennis majors only feel MORE exciting than golf because its a back and forth sport between two competitors.  I think its pretty boring save for that rare point that happens sometimes.  The only reason to watch the women play is because of their looks :D

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The top stars in tennis always make the semis and go head to head and play in the final for the title.

Partly this is because the top seeds get weaker opponents on their way through the draw.

When the top players have a chance to win, this makes the tournament feel more relevant as it contributes to their legend.  And we know more about them to begin with, so it matters more than having a new person/stranger win.

Usually a major win by a low ranked player feels irrelevant - maybe a fun story but these are dime a dozen.  There are players like Yang, Micheel, Immelman, Beem, and Steve Jones who have won majors, and while it's nice for them, and they certainly earned their victories, it can make the tournament feel illegitimate when the best players don't win.  As if it were a crapshoot and anyone could have.  Hate to say it but that's just my opinion.

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Are they.?  I find Tennis incredibly boring to watch, no matter who's playing. For the casual golf fan though I suppose a tournament can be tedious enough at times. Just down to the pace of the game, there's not much that can be done about that.

A great shot is when you go for it and pull it off. A smart shot is when you don't have the guts to try it. ~ Phil Mickelson.

 
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It's better on TV. More visually appealing athletes, wearing less clothes, playing a faster paced sport that requires less attention span.

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Originally Posted by uttexas

It's better on TV. More visually appealing athletes, wearing less clothes, playing a faster paced sport that requires less attention span.


They tend to show more emotion, too.

If you don't "get" golf, it's friggin' boring, and even if you "get" it it's often boring.

If I could change one thing about golf's history to make it more appealing I would have never allowed sports psychologists to "exist," ever. They've turned everyone into slow-playing robots.

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Definitely agree on the slow pace of play and general lack of physically displayed emotion on the professional golf tours. Considering the accepted rules of golf etiquette, it's difficult in golf to be outwardly expressive. Lots of golfers, especially the professionals demand pin drop silence and perfect stillness from the time they address the ball to finish position. This is, in part, why the Ryder and Solheim Cups are compelling to watch. There is more leeway in regards to fellow players and competitors shouting, yelling, and highfiving and fistpumping.

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Yeah, I agree that tennis can be boring and that the back and forth baseline rallies can be sleep inducing but tennis also has the advantage of maybe 4-5 guys who are so much better than the rest and are usually there in the weekend.  Golf is a crapshoot who is leading in the weekend.

I'm not a big Tiger Woods fan, personality wise, but he sure makes things interesting when he plays.

The other thing about tennis is fewer ads and "timed" ads, the changeover break is 2 minutes, so you know exactly when to switch back - golf, breaks are longer and random length. The ads in golf for the smaller events and the final major is too much.

Like golf, tennis has slowed down too, the court is slower, and like iacas said, serve and volleying has almost disappeared, technology has really allowed players to punish someone coming to the net.

I dunno, I just feel like most of the golf majors this year, last year, other than this years' Masters, could have more punch.

Steve

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Says who?  I cant even watch more than 5 minutes of tennis because its so boring.

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Originally Posted by TitleistWI

Says who?  I cant even watch more than 5 minutes of tennis because its so boring.



lol I agree with this for sure. I can't even watch the ESPN highlights of Tennis. I'll change the channel as soon as the word is mentioned.

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Another thing that makes tennis (grand slams) interesting are the rivaleries between the top stars. There is no such thing as Nadal - Federer - Djokovic in golf. Every match between them is an instant classic, and at almost every grand slam they face each other at some point in the championship.

I can't understand how a sports fan doesn't like stuff like this:

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If you don't "get" golf, it's friggin' boring

I think that's very, very true. My wife thought golf was boring before I came along and got her to play a little bit of it. She doesn't watch a lot, but she'll watch a couple rounds a year with me out of legitimate interest. She said the difference was after she'd actually played a round and was able to see what it was the pros were doing, what it looked like from their perspective, and how hard it really was. For example, if you've never tried to a simple 20 yard pitch, you have no appreciation when you see someone leave it 3 feet from the pin. Can't say I've ever seen someone watch golf who hadn't also played a reasonable bit of it, even if it were only 5 or 6 rounds total.

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