Head: Billie Jean King

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Best Tennis ShotsYears ago, pondering who was the smartest player in tennis, the answers seemed simple: Bjorn Borg and Chris Evert.  After all, they won the most, so logic dictated each was surely the smartest – as obvious as the kid with the best grades being the smartest in the class.

But more recently, I’ve come to see this topic more broadly. To be sure, Borg and Evert were possessed abundant qualities of self-knowledge, rarely if ever attempting shots they didn’t own.

But perhaps a great tennis mind stretches further, pushing the boundaries of skill by creating game plans, making adjustments and grasping the emotional and tactical flow of a match just enough to alter it subtly. 

John McEnroe and Martina Hingis possessed savant-like court management skills. It’s easy to let McEnroe’s breathtaking drop volleys and acute angles cloud the fact that his tennis game was based on logic and skill at never overplaying a shot and delicately probing for weaknesses.  In an era of ascending Big Babe tennis, Hingis too reminded us of tennis’ chess-like qualities. 

Sadly, though, as each of these players aged, neither was able to adjust as well to upgrades in power.  After all, implementing a tactic also requires enough fitness and strength to execute it with frequency.

So here’s my choice for the keenest mind in tennis history: Billie Jean King. 

Over the long haul, well aware of what she could and couldn’t do, able to preside over the court like a field marshal, King understood everything from the mental to the tactical, from managing her energy between points to grasping what would unravel an opponent – and was capable of that special quality champions possess, the ability to surprise. 

One of her trademark phrases is that “the ball tells me what to do with it.”  But only if you’re paying as much attention as possible.

 

Final Pick: Billie Jean  King

MENTAL STRENGTH

Shortlist: Chris  Evert, Billie Jean  King, Tracy  Austin, Steffi  Graf, Monica  Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Maureen  Connolly, Helen Wills  Moody, Serena Williams, Justine  Henin, Maria  Sharapova, Bjorn  Borg, Pete  Sampras, Roger  Federer, Rafael Nadal, Jimmy  Connors, Guillermo  Vilas, Rod  Laver, Ken  Rosewall, Pancho  Gonzalez, Ivan Lendl, Don  Budge, Bill  Tilden

Today's Best: Roger  Federer, Rafael  Nadal, Novak  Djokovic, Lleyton  Hewitt, Andy  Roddick, Justine  Henin, Serena  Williams, Maria  Sharapova

TACTICAL ABILITY

Shortlist: Martina  Hingis, Billie Jean King, Martina  Navratilova, Roger  Federer, John  McEnroe, Mats  Wilander, Ivan  Lendl, Brad  Gilbert, Andre  Agassi, Arthur Ashe, John  Newcombe, Ken  Rosewall, Bobby  Riggs, Jack  Kramer, Rene Lacoste, Bill  Tilden

Today's Best: Roger  Federer, Andy  Murray, David  Nalbandian, Justine  Henin, Anna  Chakvetadze, Daniela  Hantuchova


 

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