Chris Evert d. Helena Sukova - 1984 Virginia Slims Champs QF

[@2Majesties]

Notice Evert's brilliant use of the lob. All players take note.

[@OCRATHLETE]

Always enjoyed evert vs sukova. Such contrast. Both are brilliant players

[@lenwelch2195]

They were pounding that ball with 80's graphite rackets - incredible ace and placement

[@SDSFG45]

to me, Sukova's game, mirrored Lendl's...I gotta think he was one of her influences. I LOVED to watch her play...and but for the "Big Two", her grand slam singles career alone, would have won her some grand slams. But everytime it looked like she would get past the quarters or semis, there was Chris or Martina, to shut the door. And still, she was one of the great players of her era.

[@N0vakDj]

The clip worked for me the whole way. Might need to try again. Chris looks really sharp in this match.

[@zeddeka]

All credit to Chris for being able to use that Wilson pro staff. It was a really difficult racquet to use - feeling much more like an old racquet than today's technology. It was pretty heavy with a small head by today's standards, requiring excellent timing.

[@vught2011]

Indeed I agree. But the contrast is not only in velocity: also variety, strokes, tactic are completely different Sukova's serve and volley and Evert passing shots show how you can play tennis with different style. Currently the game is flattened to a harder and harder hitting balls

[@kcallen70]

Miss seeing tennis played at Madison Square Garden!

[@lenwelch2195]

I love how Chris lobs the tallest woman on the tour - making her feel foolish- stops her from crowding the net .

[@fjosephgonzales6870]

Love me some Steve Flink; now there's a tennis intellectual!

[@vosharap]

Great match from Evert

[@jokerwildest]

I don't think serve and volley would have help .. she praticed it, but it was her inclination to come forward. Changing her racket and getting into the gym before 1984 would have changed the rivalry for sure.. she waited too long to do both !

[@BTURNER1961]

I checked Evert's h to h against players who were tall (5 '9 inches or more) s/volleyers like Helena during Evert's prime ( defined as the time between her slams June 1974 RG- June 1986 RG) I checked Margaret Court 5'9, Betty Stove 5'11, Pam 6'0 , Helena Sukova 6'2, and Claudia Kohde Kilch 6'2. (Martina and Hana were an inch shorter, wade was 5'7. Graf was 5'9 but she did not charge in) There is not a single recorded loss in those parameters. Its just a tough match up. Chris returned that big heavy first serve very well, and she knew how to exploit players who did not change directions well in the back court. Its not that there were never losses, but none of them came during her prime. Sukova got her first months after Evert's last major. Shriver had to wait until 1987 for her very first win. Court got her last in 1973, and Betty and Claudia never won at all. On the other hand, Martina had two losses against Claudia, three against Shriver and three against Sukova between July 1978 and July 1990.

[@zeddeka]

I think Chris's game was so much better geared to deal with net rushers than Martina's was. Chris had better returns and passing shots. Martina's backhand could break down if it was put under pressure from the net and her forehand could go haywire under pressure. Jo Durie was another tall woman who charged the bet back then, and while she never beat either Chris or Martina, she did take Martina to three sets on a number of occasions, including 6-4 in the third set of their 1983 Australian open quarter final when Martina was at her peak. By contrast, Jo never won a set from Chris and lost one match 6-0, 6-0 to Chris.

[@RedTopBear]

Chris played Barbara Potter in the semis - a good serve/volley player who gave Chris trouble sometimes.

[@johnblacklovesmar]

It worked for me. Thx

[@BTURNER1961]

She did it as a doubles player on both first and second serves. It might have been a nice surprise tactic in singles, but it really would not have done much more. Her serve wasn't that potent, and there is something to be said for the absolute certainty of mind in Evert, at one end of the spectrum, and Edberg at the other. I think she missed the boat by not attacking the weak second serve of opponents and coming in. Her return was a strength but she satisfied herself with 'safe' and deep.

[@circuitdesign]

Well, it's quite a stark contrast to today's game, don't you think?

[@johnblacklovesmar]

For me at least at the 8:30 mark the clip stops. Thanks for posting.

[@ralphbourgeois5875]

It is intersting to hear Carillo same Sukova didnt often serve and volley. While she had a fairly solid ground game and a big forehand, unlike say Shriver, you would think with her big serve she would serve and volley more. Why do you think she didnt do that more often chrisevertdotnet?

[@zeddeka]

Perhaps she was less willing to do it against Chris, who had good returns. Against Martina Navratilova, Helena served and volleyed all the time to take the net away from Martina.

[@rogueleader1988]

Helena is one of my all time favorite players along with Claudia kohde kilsch

[@horkymin]

She should have learnt how to serve and volley in the 70's when she was so dominating, that was the time to experiment. And she should have changed to graphite racket much earlier, she would have given Martina a much tougher time.

[@JSmith-zr2ve]

horkymin I think she did just fine.

[@circuitdesign]

Check out the serve on set point at 4:15. I don't think it is much faster than 50mph.

[@tomschmitz261]

evert was still getting used to her new graphite racket as you can see more than usual she is hitting too short, although more powerful/harder... in the finals losing to martina you can really see this....

[@neilmodino9284]

theres more variety and contrast of style before than todays tennis. what can you learn from,hitting the ball hard you are more prone to injury. its boring no angles no variety of spins and no excitement. . yes it has evolved but its for the worse.

[@kljMN2]

I feel bad for players like Sukova and MJ Fernandez who reached more than one Slam final but weren't able to breakthrough...

[@FlabbyTitmuss]

@@rolandgreen7484 Agreed. I was astonished Fernandez achieved what she did...for me she was a huge overachiever. Sukova was a lot more dangerous but her groundstrokes weren't great technically and she was in a tough era as you say.

[@jordanaus75]

There never seemed to be the great hunger to be the best in Sukova. She just drifted along with her talent. But if she had had the tenacity of Seles or Sanchez to train & succeed then she would had been consistent top 3 player and had a few slams under her belt.

[@shihlin1]

@@rolandgreen7484 Yeah but don't forget at the 93 French Open final, MJ Fernandez was leading Graf in the final set and had a shot winning the title. But nerves and inexperience took over and she gave away the lead and lost to Graf in 3 sets. Mary Jo had a real shot winning the French Open and pulling off a huge upset. She was the sensation of the tournament and took out four seeded players ahead of her.

[@franciscodeoliveira7935]

Shihlin1: MJ Fernández took out only two seeded players ahead of her( Sabatini and Sánchez-Vicario).

[@karrtt1234]

When Sukova beat Chris at the US Open, Chris had a bad knee which limited her playing schedule greatly... after that match she was off tour for 6 months.

[@shihlin1]

Evert was also in the midst of getting ready for divorce from hubby John Lloyd. They made the announcement a few weeks after the tournament ended. Going into the tournament, Chris knew she wouldn't do well bc of off-court distractions.

[@kljMN2]

I'm kind of surprised that Chris was able to stay near the top so long with that wood racquet. Why did she take so long to switch?

[@lkfrostad]

I ask the same question over and over

[@tomschmitz261]

@@lkfrostad i guess she figured that she was still beating everyone else at the time and also there is the stubbornness of a top athlete who doesn't want to change....

[@shihlin1]

Being 6‘2", Sukova should have Serena's serve, serving bombs and aces, but she doesn't. Most of the times, her serves are returnable. Being so tall, she also should have developed better footwork. If you look at her at the net, most of the times she's standing there flat-footed getting past by Evert left and right. Sukova should have fired her coach and gotten a better one. Then maybe she would have won at least one grand slam title.

[@vught2011]

So, what?

[@shihlin1]

It's too bad Helena Sukova never really developed a solid net game. With her reach and height, she could've been a big threat. This match shows Sukova heads to the net, but seems slow to react to passing shots and lobs. She was a slow mover on the baseline as well, so a quicker net game could've really helped her game. It would take Sukova anther two years before she finally defeats Evert at the U.S. Open in 1986 in the semifinals.

[@zeddeka]

She "never" really developed a solid net game?? How do you explain her doubles titles then? She was a very fine net player. Clearly, Helena was nervous in this match. Chris was the best passing shot and lob player of her generation. Helena obviously very wary of those shots.

[@neilmodino9284]

to each its own todays game are boring they all hit hard whats all in there.