How does one judge a Tennis player?
At the Australian open currently going on, in between and at the end of a match, statistics on Aces, double faults, Winners, Unforced errors, Break points, Net points etc enable us to judge the performance of a player in a match. When Federer had lost his No 1 position to Nadal for sometime, I read somewhere that statistics do not reveal the whole truth and judged on parameters or grace and style, Federer was still no 1 which he reclaimed eventually.
I wonder how a club level player is judged. There is nobody to monitor statistics like Aces, Winners, unforced errors etc. In clubs, many people tend to slice all the time especially on the backhand as they cannot hit a proper flat/top spin shot. Some people even slice continuously on the forehand. In my view, it is easier to control the ball while slicing (than hitting a firm top spin or a flat shot) which means better consistency and placement. Though some people may say that one should play what one is confortable with, , slicing rallies are not exactly pleasing to watch. I wonder how many people would watch if professionals slice all the time. From the way professionals play, it is evident that slicing is more an exception than rule in Tennis. In this forum, in the context of comparison between a double handed and single handed backhand, it is mentioned somewhere that a person with a double handed backhand would have to play with one hand while slicing which should be attempted only when the ball is short or wide(in other words, if the ball is out of reach). Should that not be a general rule and apply to the forehand as well? Even in Table Tennis(Ping pong), people with shots would be preferred to people who can chop endlessly?
I learnt from someone that winning is the most important thing but aesthetics also matter or how one plays is as important as winning. If among two equally good club level players(results wise) , if one slices all the time and the other hits proper top spin/flat shots, who would be the better player? Who would be chosen for an inter club tournament?
Any comments?