While tennis professionals keep getting taller, Diego Schwartzman shows why his 1.70 meters doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. The Argentine is the best return player on the tour. Today he meets Dominic Thiem.
Paris / Vienna. Tennis, a sport for giants? The professionals in the current top ten of the world rankings are on average 1.90 meters tall. World class players keep getting bigger, this trend is undisputed. Rod Laver was 1.73 m, Jimmy Connors 1.77 m, Björn Borg and John McEnroe 1.80 m. In the 1990s, Andre Agassi (1.80 m) and Pete Sampras (1.85 m) dominated.
David Ferrer (1.75 m) once said that players under 1.80 m will disappear at all.
One reason is obvious: it is easier to hit an ace than to win a rally with 20 strokes. In addition, strings, balls and rubbers mean more topspin and a higher jump – an advantage for larger players.
