Roscoe Tanner vs Vitas Gerulaitis in a five-set thriller! | US Open 1979 Semifinal

No. 5 seed Roscoe Tanner locks horns with No. 4 seed Vitas Gerulaitis in the semifinals of the US Open 1979.
Tanner swept aside No. 1 seed Bjorn Borg in the quarterfinals and will be looking to make light work of his fellow American in the semifinals. While Gerulaitis arrives having only dropped one set in the competition so far.
Who will emerge victorious and advance to their first US Open final in this thrilling battle?
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[@mikekim5135]

Just want to thank the USTA for uploading these older matches. These are such wonderful time capsules of how tennis was played in prior eras. It captures an important time in the sport that ushered in new technologies in rackets. But it also memorializes a time before it was customary to make an apologetic gesture after a net cord winner. You can still do clearly see the immense level of skill involved to pull off what these guys were doing on the tennis court - especially, for me at least, the crispness with which these guys hit their volleys and the constant eagerness to move forward in the court whenever the opportunity presented itself. Thank you, USTA, for these very high quality uploads!

[@opencurtin]

The technique of these two gents is beautiful to watch .

[@gheffz]

Agree! Tis rather 'pure' and clean.

[@Shakermaker78]

Thanks for posting this. I was 1 year old when this match was played... so wouldn't remember it if it was on TV at the time in (West)Germany...That was the transition period from wood rackets to modern rackets. Nowadays players rally a lot. This was the time of proper "Serve and Volley" style, where the racket technology wasn't that far that you'll only see aces and return faults like later in the 90s... So here you'd had some moderate serves, returns coming back and then it was a question of making the point in the 3rd or 4th shot... either a good passing shot or a well placed volley, very attractive to watch!

[@wreckanchor]

Tanner was known for his serve, but his ground strokes were very good as well. His passing shots landing deep and just inside the baseline were real good here.

[@JD-jc8gp]

Thank you so much for the 1970s matches. I really appreciate these!!!

[@jameshartford3464]

Tanners volliies are outstanding!! Especially the backhand volley. Sharp!!

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

and handling low balls and getting them over the net

[@jameshartford3464]

@@user-jv9qz2bu1r exactly!!

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

@@jameshartford3464 Tanner impressed me ..... and so did Vitas, i always thought Vitas was a track star holding a racket, this is one of his best career matches

[@LordStanley94]

@James Hartford incredible volleying by Roscoe. Some of the low balls on the backhand he picked up--incredible. What cost him the match in my view was the second point in the third set breaker-the one he let go and landed just inside the baseline. He was there. Tony Trabert was spot on-you have to play those. He won the next point and would have been up 3-0. Great match. Vitas was lightning quick. I think the two quickest players were Chang and Johan Kriek.

[@jameshartford3464]

@@LordStanley94 Every shot Tanner hits is with purpose. Ground strokes, vollies, all compact, but strong and stinging.

[@jamesmackinnon7727]

Gerulaitus was involved in some great matches against the likes of Borg, McEnroe and Lendl. He was so smooth, not to mention a great guy! He lost to Connors 16 times in a row, finally beat him and told the press conference “nobody beats Vitas 17 times in a row!” 😅 RIP, Vitas.

[@alberts2208]

Vitas never beat Borg but Borg later acknowledged that vitas beats him many times in practice matches. Borg felt vitas just got nervous in their matches.

[@thomashumphrey7395]

At this time these two players were at the peak of their careers and very evenly matched.

[@markscott6102]

Love the variety of camera angles they use at the US Open. The court level view is great.Thanks for posting.

[@sarahtullamore1574]

Ah! Bring back this kind of tennis please! So fed up of baseline rallies that go on for hours just for one point!

[@Werewolf0216]

For real...seems they don't even try on the baseline either...if the ball lands a little too far they don't run and stretch for them like you see here with Vitas and Roscoe...they just stand there and watch it bounce by. Basically all they do is stand there and see if they can get a shot that the other person is too lazy to go for.

[@kingtrawal]

uh no. dont' be ridiculous. this is horrible. embrace change... it's the only fucking thing that's constant and predictable.

[@Parramatta84]

Fully agreed how elegant was tennis back then.

[@kingtrawal]

@@mikhaelgrigoryev5638 people were saying the exact same things in the 90s when the game was basically one serve and one for hand. So grow a brain and stop crying.

[@dks13827]

Bud Collins said the super racquets badly hurt men's tennis. So true. I cannot watch what I once loved.

[@abradfordajb]

Thanks for posting this. If Tanner's personal life hadn't been such a wreck, i think he would have been one of the greats in the game.

[@trents3515]

Andrew Bradford: this is my first time watching Tanner. the ball really jumps off his racquet, even the kind they used back then! i can see that.

[@rjamesyork]

I don’t believe Tanner was an athlete comparable to McEnroe, Borg or Connors. Besides, weren’t most of his personal issues after he retired? His legal troubles certainly were.

[@robertjones8598]

The year Tanner had a perm. Took him to the Wimbledon final. Good stuff here. The production, use of different cameras at the right times, seems far superior to what we see today.

[@beorlingo]

A perm??? 😂

[@swalterstennis]

My Harry Hopman/Saddlebrook International Head Pro boas Tommy Thompson was Vitas’ traveling coach and I got to shuttle Vitas around Florida a couple times. I drove him over to meet Bjorn Borg at Disneyworld, and I got to briefly meet Bjorn. Vitas was really cool. He tipped me $26 too! I talked with him a little bit I was pretty nervous in the van driving him. Sad he died so young. And Tommy just passed last year too. Great times at Saddlebrook.

[@dudefromtx1404]

I played tennis with R. Tanners' racquet choice too, and so did half our high school team. I had mine strung with PDP Durochrome rough gut and also Gamma synthetic. Thanks for uploading this outstanding tennis match.

[@zokkostenniszone3282]

Thanks for this USTA, very good quality for 1979. Tanner was an underrated player, if his average serve was 115-120, imagine what it would be today.

[@huzcer]

10 years after he retired in 1995 he was serving 130 with modern tech at a master's tournament apparently. was up there with the of-the-time ATP biggest serving pros. Only 6 foot also.

[@joemarshall4226]

@@huzcer When he was 40, playing on the senior tour, he hit the fastest serve of the year at 140 mph....faster than any ATP player....their fastest was 138 mph. The guns were slower then. His fastest serve was measured at 153mph.

[@huzcer]

@@joemarshall4226 that 153 is only "reportedly".

[@joemarshall4226]

@@huzcer All serves are "reportedly"

[@joemarshall4226]

He did it in the finals of a tournament in Palm Springs

[@zjelkof]

Just love watching matches like this one! 115 - 120mph from old technology racquets - amazing!

[@hunkgolden5726]

115mph slice serve in this match. Scoe’s flat serve when he wanted, pushing 150mph+

[@BORGCONNORS]

Thank you very much for posting this video. In 1979 Vitas & Roscoe were both at their peak finishing the year at number 4 and 5. I do hope to see more matches like Borg Tanner 1979-80-81 or Borg Gerulaitis 1978 semi Us Open or Vitas vs Lendl 4th round at Us Open 1981. Also the quality is great , thank you again!

[@gordonipock9385]

I was much impressed with the level of play from both players, especially Tanner. I always thought of him as a man with a big serve. Didn't realize there was so much more to his game: excellent ground strokes and volleys and a good athlete. This looks more like text-book tennis from that time. We have to remember that Connors, Borg and McEnroe all had highly unorthodox shots and games for their time.

[@manueldi928]

Good to see both of them winning respective Australian Opens!

[@balat77]

OMG..What an artist Tanner was😇😎not to take away anything from Gerulaitis! Miss the artistry.

[@DanHunterSportsWriter]

Roscoe is using a comparatively large framed racket for that time, and it's really helping his volleying. Vitas is still using what looks like a Wilson Jack Kramer. Note Tanner's short ball toss. Considering he's just 6', his serve is phenomenal.

[@c.d.macaulay66]

That’s the Head Red Head. It was about as long as wood racquets but with a slightly wider strike zone. Yes, Vitas is using the Kramer autograph. A very popular racquet back then.

[@tomloft2000]

@@c.d.macaulay66 i think that's a PDP model Tanner is using,which was basically a knockoff of the Head model.

[@erikshen1107]

THE RACQUET IS CALLED A P.D.P PROFESSIONAL MADE IN CRANBURY NEW JERSEY NOT A HEAD REDHEAD

[@rsworden]

Tanner is using a pdp open. The red head aluminum racket was called the professional. Having played with both once upon a time, I liked the pdp open better but they were harder to find. Also, both rackets would have been about 60 sq inches in head size.

[@erikshen1107]

PDP FIBERSTAFF AND FIBERGRAPH TOO!!! Couldn't serve like the man from lookout mountain Tennessee but I HAD THE PERM!!! It looks like he wasn't serving cannons and bombs!!!

[@drewhendley]

The golden years 🎾

[@armandbenaroche8171]

Beautiful and élégant players..

[@TLDel]

I can remember watching some of this match in my living room. I was about to start my junior year of high school. In a way, tennis was better then. I got my picture taken with Tanner two years earlier at Forrest Hills. It's nice to have in our family archives. May Vitas rest in peace.

[@frankcarbo6622]

Gorgeous and so special for the tennis lover. Thank you, USTA, but can you imagine how much you would honor this two greats with a posting of the whole match? All court variety and skill in the golden age... and Vitas (miss him so) at his best...OhMy...

[@martydav9475]

Yes absolutely, attacking all-court tennis with so much variety. This is so much better to watch than today's largely one-dimensional, baseline power game: "Modern tennis is essentially throwing rocks at each other" - Pete Sampras

[@frankcarbo6622]

@@martydav9475 Yes, totally agree. Great quotation from Pete - have not heard that before. I especially liked how Vitas used his speed as a weapon - enjoy the game.

[@alanchong7513]

Thanks for uploading this! Finding this is like the holy grail!! Very rare find!

[@ajaykumara7158]

Fantastic players!

[@bruceschaffer101]

Terrific highlights of a great match. Thanks for posting!

[@cervantes1168]

Tanner's fire power on service was unreal! He could serve at 135 mph (220 km/h) which was unmatched for the time, with a 70's metal racket! Imagine what speed would be his serves if he had used today's rackets...

[@jeanfourcade]

Tanner's serve was a rarity, both in execution and efficiency. He's not using the classic high toss / descending shot, which proposes a ball travelling in the opposite direction of the racket (a negative energy), hence requiring a wider swing and more vertical power from the legs. He's using a "sling serve" technique which is not so much a low toss as an "ascending" contact, a ball hit while travelling TOWARDS the intended direction of the shot (accumulated energy), combined with a lightning-fast arm acceleration. Watch how, while his arm approaches full speed, he hits a ball tossed slightly forwards and still climbing, though not quite at its apex. Then the full speed of the racket's head is reached while going "through" the ball. That's how he generated so much speed. Extraordinary coordination. Pecci, Leconte, and more famously Ivanisevic, successfully adopted this technic. Cordially, Jean.

[@beorlingo]

Thank you, Jean!

[@cldavis33]

Never seen Tanner before, what gorgeous weapon of a back hand ---- and hit with what looks like a toy racket or maybe ping pong paddle. His timing is beautiful.

[@RafaelSale]

Love watching these older matches from the 70s and 80's. It was much better time of tennis. Better shot selection, better touch, volleys were crisp, serve & volley were beginning to dominate the game because the courts were faster.

[@jackkitchen737]

These two each played a great tournament. And together, a superb match.

[@peterbedford2610]

That Tanner toss!

[@michelromero1412]

Thank you for posting this video. Somehow i never manage to see this match and believe it wasn't ever showed.

[@skylaxx]

Love both of these guys. Beautiful and strategic tennis.

[@peterbrown6434]

Brilliant Footage,Massive Thanks!

[@pierredaher9590]

Real Tennis elegance style class attitude beauty it s magnificent to see a simple delight! many thanks.

[@jreaccessories9481]

You watch past greats like these ; using old equipment and a fraction of the player back up that today’s top players have ; it’s refreshing to think they were still soooooo good in all areas of the game. I’ve no doubt each of them would match up very well against our current top players ! Awesome 👏

[@gilly4881]

Vitas was so quick on the court. Great match this, thank you for sharing.

[@Reslo]

I played with the white PDP fiberglass racket for a few year in the late 70’s. Those things were awesome. I kept them strung with Goldtwist strings. Great combo.

[@doutrea.e.992]

Thanks for that match! Please 1979 QF Tanner-Borg or 1981 QF Borg-Tanner! Please!!! ;-)

[@JD-jc8gp]

These would be amazing. Co-signed.

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Borg Tanner quart de finale 1980 aussi..

[@doutrea.e.992]

@@leliondescavernes1747 Yes! I forget that one! Five sets thriller!

[@leliondescavernes1747]

@@doutrea.e.992 oui Tanner mène 4 à 2 dans la 4ème manche,après avoir mené 2 sets à 1

[@romania4712]

Great selection. Wonderful tennis.

[@rrfamig]

This was a great match. Vitas came back from 2 sets down He also beat lendl in a 5 setter There were some classic matches at the open that i wish would get posted Anyway thanks for this one

[@iliastsouktakos604]

I miss all these beautiful volleys nowadays

[@jl3322]

Loving Serve and Volley Tennis!!!!!

[@ZainaDancer]

Ah, tennis in the 1970s! Enjoying this and many other videos of tennis matches from the 1970s, but I have to add here I honestly don't think I remember Roscoe Tanner with a perm! He always had stick-straight hair and it was great looking! Always a great player and fun to watch. Thank you for uploading this for us to see.💜🎾

[@careersmart4382]

Tanner actually has some modern strokes such as his backhand and he would play well in any era.

[@martydav9475]

And combined with attacking tennis too - such a contrast to today's baseline tennis. This is so much more interesting to watch, with much more variety to it.

[@evertvdb000]

Thx for uploading this HQ footage

[@brassenature8863]

2 joueurs vraiment talentueux, Je regrette cette époque du tennis, le jeu était beaucoup plus intéressant et les styles bien plus variés.

[@jean-paulxavier2906]

Vitas carburait à la coke

[@leliondescavernes1747]

@@jean-paulxavier2906 oui c'était de notoriété publique

[@jean-paulxavier2906]

@@leliondescavernes1747 tout à fait et d'ailleurs je l'avais croisé dans les travées de roland garros en 1984, aux bras d'une magifique créature à hauts talons

[@leliondescavernes1747]

@@jean-paulxavier2906 ah oui mdrrrr ?? Je comprends mieux pourquoi vitas n'avait pas fait long feux lors de ce Roland garros 84

[@martinkristensen8398]

I hope one day we'll see the full match

[@eastfiftyseven]

The old racquets made the game more interesting..more finesse and varied shotmaking.

[@kennethbrady]

Agreed!!

[@haytanina]

Totally true, since 2000,the game became some kind boring. Anyway, there is still some game keeping it interesting. I talk about Roger game. I wonder if it is due to the racquets, the ball or anything else (physical condition is now a must have)

[@ronj9448]

McEnroe says his serve is faster now with a modern racquet vs his wooden Maxply days. But you can't blame it all on the racquets. Ivan Lendl introduced specialized training and adding strength. So I would argue that a combo of changes turned the game into something different at the pro level.

[@kingtrawal]

uh no. dont' be ridiculous. this is horrible. embrace change... it's the only fucking thing that's constant and predictable.

[@mauziki]

@@kingtrawal But it needn't always be for the better.

[@stephenmauriellomortgage]

Tanner played Borg 5 sets that year in the Wimbledon Final. He was playing some great tennis that summer. I believe he beat Borg in the Quarters of that tournament.

[@vectorthurm]

If you can see it Tanner has a corkscrew twist serve. Very simple, low ball toss and even though he doesn’t bend his knees very much he is getting a ton of power from the ground. He’s like a Kung fu master🤣

[@davewalkeden6932]

Similar to Ivanisevic. Roscoe hit his serve harder than most in the seventies.....

[@ksagstertohi6156]

They both knew something about how to serve that others were not privy to.

[@jeanfourcade]

Not so much a low toss as an "ascending" contact combined with a lightning-fast arm acceleration. Watch how, while his arm approaches full speed, he hits a ball that is still climbing, not quite at its apex. Then the full speed of the racket is reached while going through the ball. That's how he generated so much speed. Same power generation as for groudstrokes, hit early or late after the bounce. Nonetheless, it requires an extraordinary coordination. Leconte and more famously Ivanisevic successfully adopted this technic, as opposed to the classic high toss / descending shot.

[@antaniserse]

@@jeanfourcade Together with Leconte and Ivanisevic, another player of that era that used a similar service motion was Diego Nargiso... interestingly, all of them are left handed, like Tanner

[@joemarshall4226]

@@davewalkeden6932 He had by far the fasteset...one was measured at 153 mph

[@brentdingwall8509]

These guys had much better skills than the guys of today For Tanner the perm made all the difference

[@capricornmagic63]

The best era of mens pro tennis was between 1978 - 1984. The clothes were better, the personalities were more diverse, the game in many ways required more skill and precision. 1984 onwards was when the boring baseline game started to take root. It wasn't inferior by any means but I prefer this brand of tennis

[@y11971alex]

What about before 1978?

[@Werewolf0216]

I think the baseline game is inferior...seems they just try to get a shot that the other player is too lazy to try for because they'd have to run and reach to hit it.

[@mattstyles1244]

The clothes were better? Not judging by these 2 outfits they wern't!

[@SyncopateTheShot]

5:47 is a return right out of the Laver playbook. Laver might have chipped it if pulled out wide farther, but the acute angle on the return is similar.

[@purveyoroffinefoodslaszlo9955]

Vitas outplays him, but regardless of Tanner's serve, never realized how athletic he was, powerful, quick on his feet, great hands, great angles on his volleys, some just outright, insane passing shots. This is an impressive victory from Vitas.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@ purveyoroffinefoods lazlo. Roscoe Tanner did not have "great hands" at the net. He was not a John McEnroe who definitely had great hands at the net! He wasn't an Edberg, Becker or Sampras on the volley at the net! Tanner was a good, but definitely not a great, volleyer and his physical fitness condition was horrible as evidenced by his being winded numerous times in his 1979 Wimbledon and U.S. Open matches against Borg!

[@MrVoodemar]

nice, it's a pity you haven't uploaded it full

[@philippeyared2050]

What a gem!

[@LinusFeynstein]

Vitas successfully combined his hair color with the color of his shirt and pants. And vice versa.

[@phelpsmarc]

I wish they'd put 1980 SF Bjorn Borg v. Johan Kriek.

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Oui ça a dû être un très beau match...johan kriek menait 6/4 6/4!!!!!

[@vectorthurm]

If he could serve 120 mph with that stick imagine what he would do with a modern racquet?

[@blake7871]

Yeah, and the radar guns were slower than they are now. He was probably between 120-125.

[@abradfordajb]

Tanner's racket was an aluminum frame. I played with that racket for a time. It was light & powerful but really stiff. I didn't like it.

[@sanjaygandhi7962]

What brand and model frame did Tanner use?

[@minisurfbanana]

Like the big boys 130 140 150

[@swalterstennis]

PDP Professional. It’s so small!

[@MikeHammerForEver]

Two very curious things: Gerulaitis held two balls when first serving (other players did too), so if the serve was in, played the whole point with a ball in his left hand. Also, when the ball hit the net and helped to win the point, the player didn't apologize for that in those days.

[@vinceventura2393]

Or speckle their faces with the towel after every single point..

[@clint1285]

I hold 2 balls also to save time

[@greg-warsaw4708]

Holding a ball while playing could only last until double-handed backhand began to prevail (which was about that time). By the way, great filming quality: shot >40 years ago and you can actually see the ball flying and more details, unlike many other videos from that period.

[@alberts2208]

I guess the 2 hander ended that 2 ball in the hand 1st serve toss.

[@TheMrBennito]

7:43 wicked 1st serve, ace. I was a Roscoe fan, and watching this match now at the age of 67, I understand why :)

[@Elishe750]

Fantastic tennis. I miss you Vilas Gerulaitis !

[@annetteelliott1494]

My, my, how tennis has changed......

[@vgr112261]

Could you imagine Tanner serving with today’s frames and strings?

[@laceytanner8667]

at 70, he's still big ballin

[@davidchang4559]

So marvelous!!

[@matthewstylianou8363]

Classic match!

[@handeyecoordinationskills]

Tennis was fantastic in the olden days when the rackets were very basic, it brought out the true talent of a player , technology of racket and players over 6foot 5 can be winning tournaments with average ability, I don't watch mens anymore, womens is more real and entertaining

[@handeyecoordinationskills]

@Nikhil Joshi yea I agree, it's just hammering ground strokes which is fine but monotonous to view, as u say I'd love to see more serve and volley

[@JD-jc8gp]

IMO, women's tennis was at its best in the 80s and 90s. Today not good.

[@handeyecoordinationskills]

@@JD-jc8gp I agree it was actually very good in the 80s and 90s too but it still is good I think but not as good as you say for sure back then

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Tanner aurait dû jouer sa volée de revers, au lieu de penser, à tord,que le passing de Gerulaitis sortirait,au tie break du 3ème set...il avait de bonnes chances de gagner le point, le tie break,et de boucler le match en 3 sets...cette défaite en 5 sets contre Vitas, plongera Roscoe Tanner dans une déprime qui durera un an, car il chuttera au classement atp en 1980,pour perdre 9 places...

[@capricornmagic63]

If you can bear the screeching :-))

[@urban-goupil-71]

beautiful !

[@alainzanotti877]

Deux grands champions qui nous manquent !!!

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Oh oui...ils volleyaient à la perfection tout les deux..

[@jean-paulxavier2906]

tout à fait , Tanner a été le premier à servir des premières balles à plus de 200 km/h

[@leliondescavernes1747]

@@jean-paulxavier2906 j'aurais préféré que Roscoe l'emporte sur Vitas, pourtant j'ai toujours aimé Gerulaitis

[@jean-paulxavier2906]

@@leliondescavernes1747 Vitas un as !

[@leliondescavernes1747]

@@jean-paulxavier2906 oh oui...il aurait dû remporter le masters 81 contre Lendl

[@bobbydazzler5961]

Those PDP racquets Tanner used were powerful frames!

[@anemicroyalty8764]

Roscoe’s game looked so ahead of it’s time. A shame he was a psycho.

[@SuperHammaren]

He played a lot like Kevin Curren I would say. Short motion bomber serves. Slightly better volley though.

[@intlvoiceofreason9239]

Is he still in jail?

[@anemicroyalty8764]

@@intlvoiceofreason9239 I don’t know, info might be scarce.

[@dansmith9724]

@@intlvoiceofreason9239 what did he go to jail for?

[@intlvoiceofreason9239]

@@dansmith9724 I’m not entirely sure, I seem to remember something about a weird divorce and missing child support payments...

[@danielhkhk7283]

End of the match: short handshake, no endless hugging like today, great.

[@michelromero1412]

i wonder if they disliked each other, you mentionned the short and cold handshake but also during the match, in one point, Vitas 'ball hits the top of the net to make an unexpected winner. He does'nt raise the hand as most do to express apologies for the luck...

[@dthorne4602]

Thats because in those days you were allowed to be happy when a shot bounced your way. Now everybody is a victim, they need an apology.

[@Octave31]

Pure class ! We should have limited power of racquets to keep tennis art alive.

[@terencewinters2154]

Tanner had an explosive left handed serve and volley game vitas trained by an Austrailian hopman ( like mcenroe ) had more good varied situational strokes and coverage of ground than tanner except the backhand but when he was on it vitas ruled.

[@kazitude1]

Great tennis, great fundamentals, quick pace, excellent net play and ground strokes, fabulous footwork, ALL with subpar rackets Just imagine what these 2 would be like with today's rackets

[@onnyparun3244]

Two of my favorite players. Tanner: all or nothing, Gerulaitis: fast legs and a fighter heart.

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Hello onny, vous aviez affronté Vilas à Roland Garros 1978

[@vitasgerulaitis5413]

I Miss you so much Vitas ❤️❤️❤️

[@stevearnott7753]

Outstanding tennis and flawless hair…both men!

[@jeffreymacintyre2711]

I switched to the Head Pro after seeing Roscoe use it in 1979. As a 14 yr old that year I ended up winning some local jr tournaments and was #2 HS Varsity as a freshman

[@siggemannen1]

What happened later?

[@PatrizioCancedda-hr4dj]

Quando il tennis era un piacere da vedere,oggi sembra di assistere ad un incontro di pugilato

[@anthonymartin777]

much nicer and entertaining than nowadays tennis

[@cybernetennis]

Tanner looks like a 70's Courier.

[@fafalolo77]

love those handshakes...

[@markurbancowboy]

Nice way to keep the points short and not wear your body out (serve and volley). Now the guys sit on the baseline and hit 20 or more shots per point.

[@minisurfbanana]

Cause now days you get passed every time...everybody has huge forehands and backhands!

[@markurbancowboy]

@@minisurfbanana Coming in after a good serve is still not the norm; players choose to stay back because they don't like to serve and volley anymore.

[@minisurfbanana]

@@markurbancowboy cause the will lose more points than win! Pass pass pass!!! All day!

[@markurbancowboy]

@@minisurfbanana I disagree there. When you come to the net, you put more pressure on an opponent because they know they have to pass you and that can create more errors on their part. The reality is the majority of players these days are baseline players because they feel more comfortable doing that.

[@Mark-sj3xb]

Serve and Volley is a near impossible style to successfully employ with todays equipment. Think about it. If you are serving consistently 120-130 mph, a returnable ball will be coming back at you before you are even two steps toward the net. You just can’t do it anymore.

[@ppidal]

Never see Tanner before, very good player..

[@scott1564]

I vaguely remember watching this match and later wondered why Gerulaitis didn't get to more slam semis/finals. Anyway, I used the same racket Tanner is playing with here a few years later. It was hard to control ground strokes with (for me, anyway) but I've never had a racket I could serve better with. The other thing about watching this is to see how the game has changed so much. A level 5 power/hard hitting player today couldn't beat these guys (then) but would sure cause them a LOT of trouble. Especially on serves.

[@tubopezzato]

So beautiful, so beautiful !

[@gordonipock6404]

Great tennis. And I miss Tony Trabert's commentary.

[@ozielesquivel]

excelente tenis muy clásico, a una mano el rebes de cada uno.

[@PaulyinParis619]

Imagine they go with simple graphite racquets like 80’s tech…tennis would be more creative

[@michaeldowd5545]

I love net play. Wooden rackets should be complusory

[@PUMABASRHIN]

c'est incroyable que roscoe a perdu ce match , vraiment incroyable !!!! jamais de la vie il doit perdre !!!!!!

[@leliondescavernes1747]

Normalement Tanner doit battre Gerulaitis en 3 sets,après avoir battu Borg au tour précédent...

[@ajwasp3642]

That's how I learned to play. That raquet of Roscoe's was the new tech. Lots of power, mediocre control.

[@preciousjey]

Kind of craving a Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle on a Meatless Friday. Weirdo. Hehe.

[@angelorosati7232]

Tennis sublime

[@keneblana]

Finally...Vitas wins one of these YT matches!

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

3:26 such great view

[@sanjaygandhi7962]

John McEnroe won $39,000 as the champion of the 1979 US Open.

[@uncletony6210]

that was 40 bazillion dollars in today's money.

[@tomloft2000]

$39,000 to the average 20 year old was (is) a fortune.

[@TheTopspin77]

In 1979 the average new car was about $6,000 dollars and gas was $0.88 cents a gallon. $39,000 was a lot of money back then.

[@sanjaygandhi7962]

@@TheTopspin77 adjusted for inflation, $39,000 in 1979 would be worth around $200,000 today. What did the first round loser get in 1979? $1,000? That's not enough.

[@TheTopspin77]

@@sanjaygandhi7962 You have to remember that this is 1979 and the US Open did not generate as much money as it does now. By the mid 1980s the prize money grew substantially. Ivan Lendl made a lot more when he won from 1985-1987.

[@fabiodondi6359]

What a class