Tennis’ ultimate showman supports Gulbis ‘boring’ remarks

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  • Ernests Gulbis created quite the buzz on Thursday in Paris and it wasn’t because of his entertaining match against Gael Monfils, but because of an interview that was printed in L’Equipe with some intriguing quotes from the talented Latvian.

    Never one to hold back in interviews, Gulbis told the French daily that while he respected the top-four very much, he thinks Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray are all boring.

    Gulbis says the ATP is sorely lacking in character and that press conferences should be more exciting citing the trash talk between boxers as an example.

    I bumped into French-Iranian legend Mansour Bahrami outside Philippe Chatrier Stadium and got his thoughts on the subject.

    Bahrami is famous for his incredibly entertaining tennis and if you have never had the privilege of catching one or two of his trick shots, then I suggest you get on YouTube immediately and check him out. The man certainly knows how to deliver a show on a tennis court.

    The 57-year-old, who became a household name on the seniors tour after he retired, tells me he “absolutely agrees” with Gulbis and says the sport has become too professional.

    “Yes absolutely I agree,” says Bahrami. “One of the reasons is because there is so much money in the game and it’s becoming too professional. 30 or 20 years ago you had players like John McEnroe, Ilie Nastase, Yannick Noah…

    “When I played, I didn’t play to become rich, to win money; because there was no money.

    “So I just played tennis because I loved the game. But today if you are 12, 13 years old and you are talented, you are surrounded by professionals, everybody wants to get something.”

    While I agree that in terms of character, tennis is nowhere near how it used to be in the era of McEnroe and co, it’s hard to see one of the top players achieving what they’ve been achieving while goofing around.

    Of the top-four, Djokovic seems to be the one with the most obvious sense of humour, but while some think it’s all an act and others find it genuine, Djokovic does not go crazy or crack a joke while he is playing a serious match.

    He can leave that to the likes of Gael Monfils and Ernests Gulbis, who were smiling and joking during their four-set clash yesterday, with Monfils even taking videos of the crowd with his phone while his opponent was off on a toilet break.

    But that could be one of the reasons why Monfils and Gulbis are Slam-less and Federer and Co are not. The top-four are indeed extremely professional and have a level of focus that is unmatched on tour.

    But the question remains, is this the kind of tennis that will attract the masses, or just the pure fans of the sport, who can still revel in the beauty of a one-handed backhand, or a perfectly-timed drop shot?

    READ MORE:

    INTERVIEW: Reformed Gulbis aims to follow Djokovic's path to success

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