Biggest Mistake Ever?! ATP Pro vs Amateur Player Tennis Match

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Top Tennis Training - Pro Tennis Lessons

2 жыл бұрын

ATP Pro vs Amateur Player Tennis Match. Can a pro tennis player beat an amateur using a wooden racket? We decided to find out! Alex Slabinsky from Top Tennis Training dug up an old wooden tennis racket from the John McEnroe era and challenged comedian Josh Berry to a match. Was this a great challenge or a huge miscalculation? Download our free improvement guides: www.top-tennis-training.com/f...
Alex was a former ATP player ranked 266 in the world and British No.4. Josh is a club player with a 10.2 rating (lowest possible) and plays tennis as a hobby. We organised this day with our friends at All Things Tennis- a shop for the best rackets and tennis equipment.
Let us know in the comments under the video what you think of the match and of course subscribe to our channel!
#tennis #tennismatch #atp

Пікірлер: 126

@TopTennisTrainingOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

Improve your tennis with our free technique guides: www.top-tennis-training.com/free-guide/

@Harderanger 2 жыл бұрын

Love Josh randomly popping up! Still remember his awesome impressions when he was younger.

@kakashihatake1029 2 жыл бұрын

Oh shit it's that Josh. I knew he was familiar

@-Munditimum- 2 жыл бұрын

Super gutsy move Alex, and incredibly entertaining. I began my tennis journey with a wooden racquet. I would never dare to play today's modern strokes with it. Thank you for sharing this and hope you're doing well with your conditioning to return to the ATP. Cheers! MM

@cristianconstantinescu7264 2 жыл бұрын

He's hit the best two serves of his life :)))) LOOOL Hilarious guys! Loved it

@carlbenz9807 2 жыл бұрын

Tennis with a wooden racket is an entire different sport imho - if you watch old videos like McEnroe vs Borg, even on sand it was way more serve and volley, sometimes edging very close to Badminton with the ball not bouncing to the ground for a couple of rounds. Nowadays... how often do you see 2 players standing face 2 face close to the net? This is why I highly appreciate this video for comparison

@dbeaton1111 2 жыл бұрын

Fun match! Poor Alex. Based on the Dunlop spray pattern on the strings, that wooden racquet almost certainly had the original off-the-shelf consumer nylon, which didn't stretch and lasted forever inside a racquet, but had basically no grip. Good serving by Josh, though.

@steveferguson8047 2 жыл бұрын

What a riot. Thanks guys, very fun to watch! Cheers

@almacnamara2000 2 жыл бұрын

Funniest tennis video I've seen.. I would have cracked up with your man bombing second serves n making them😂😂

@Giul_i0 2 жыл бұрын

Nice to see josh and you guys do a collaboration. Love his impressions!

@hansolsson3409 2 жыл бұрын

My money was on Alex winning, but Josh has a very good serve! Great video!

@online9191 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Alex, I really enjoyed watching it.

@enricopascucci4802 2 жыл бұрын

At the beginning of the video I thought Alex is going to win. Likely that if he had 'tuned' in advance his shots to the 'old age' racket (especially the serve return) the result would have been different. Josh has served very well through the match, anyway.

@abiriax 2 жыл бұрын

When did you guys start filming in Windsor? Great content by the way

@joeyslats31 2 жыл бұрын

Just puts into perspective how good pro's back in the day were, hitting/returning big serves and topspin...

@Dman9fp 2 жыл бұрын

& with meh natural gut strings. Not unusual for rackets back then to weigh around 1 lb with weight in the head too I've heard

@jeffvanderwerf3391 Жыл бұрын

They were raised on wooden racquets, so they optimized their game according to their tools. If wooden racquets were still used today, pros would be just as good with wooden racquets.

@billionairelivesmatter 2 жыл бұрын

I’ve played with a wooden racket (racquet) and the smaller face does make the return and ground strokes in general much more difficult- plus I suck. I don’t know how Borg did it.

@callummurphy4671 2 жыл бұрын

Remember back when borg was playing he wasn't at a disadvantage due to the fact his opponents were using wooden racquets aswell

@billionairelivesmatter 2 жыл бұрын

@@callummurphy4671 I’m just saying his ground strokes were so good and he was much better from the baseline than others. He made a comeback in the 90s and opted to use a wooden racket.

@krishnar3493 2 жыл бұрын

Entertaining. Thank you, guys.

@justbecausedrums97 2 жыл бұрын

Josh can play! Looks painful with those wooden racquets.

@thierryrobart2575 2 жыл бұрын

Amusing show - Needless to say that Johnny Mac would smoke Josh 💥today with the very same frame and so should you Alex if you gave yourself just a little more time to get the proper feeling!😄

@anthonycimino2535 Жыл бұрын

It's amazing how much a racket can affect play.

@K4R3N 2 жыл бұрын

"Nah I don't wanna shake his hand." -Alex 🏆

@xkapoor1724 11 ай бұрын

Both looked like Rookies to me

@lebeautennis 2 жыл бұрын

Good fun lads. :)

@paulhowsurridge2391 2 жыл бұрын

Very amusing. great commentary

@ridinrancher9443 2 жыл бұрын

I practice with an old T2000 to maintain fundamentals If you miss hit with the older rackets the ball goes nowhere. When you play with a regular racket you are more consistent.

@shouryanadda9604 2 жыл бұрын

7:35 lol that point I felt it too😂😂😭😭, BTW it’s just a wooden racket lol plus a hard surface it was really gonna take a lot to win,u tried ur best👍👍

@jul9830 2 жыл бұрын

Well, it's fait to say that he lost the point because of his position, way to close to the ball there.

@peterguerreri7143 2 жыл бұрын

Tie break is a lottery... Josh threw the dice on those 2nd serves and got lucky! Be interesting if they played a set!

@robertaugustynowicz3841 2 жыл бұрын

The opponent was playing well , managed to win despite I think three unforced errors and one serve double fault. Still , I feel Alex could do better with more practice with that racket.

@LegolasD 2 жыл бұрын

is that a Dunlop cx 200+ racket?

@jugvara 2 жыл бұрын

Best tennis video ever!

@rikmcdik6662 2 жыл бұрын

I guarantee the return of serve would be impossible with a wooden racket compared to modern for most people

@jamesscholtz9525 2 жыл бұрын

I grew up playing with a wood racket. Slice is the way to go. Alex didn't get many return of serves back. That was the key. USTA rating is based on skill level. UTP and new WTR ratings r based on competition so there is no conversion or comparison. I'd like to see both players play old style with wood rackets. At my Chicago club we had a wood racket tournament. Great fun. Thanks for the video. JS

@18ipi 2 жыл бұрын

10.2? No way, this guy plays way better 😂

@gravinboginagis6568 2 жыл бұрын

Check him out he’s an amazing impressionist. He does all the tennis player

@richardgong5271 2 жыл бұрын

@@gravinboginagis6568 this guys is at best UTR low 7. His technique is actually quite poor.

@gravinboginagis6568 2 жыл бұрын

@@richardgong5271 I know lol, why are you telling me this? I said he was a very good impressionist

@t-bone7988 2 жыл бұрын

Oh damn didn't know Josh Berry played

@KingCast65 2 жыл бұрын

No top strokes of the BH with the Maxply???

@slipperyblueclay2521 2 жыл бұрын

Josh needs to take on McEnroe playing with a Dunlop Fort.

@matthew4506 2 жыл бұрын

He'd get smoked.

@imopman 2 жыл бұрын

playing with a totally different type of racket might actually be harder for a seasoned pro since they are fighting all the training and muscle memory they have built up.

@peterk3474 Жыл бұрын

The comedian is the pro, the pro is the comedian.

@TopTennisTrainingOfficial 11 ай бұрын

See myself as abit of both really 😎

@joburton1629 2 жыл бұрын

That was to funny 😆

@ChaCha765-SY 2 жыл бұрын

Omg what’s the head size of the wooden racquet 70 😗

@ml_gamer8344 2 жыл бұрын

@22niloc 2 жыл бұрын

That's a wooden raquette.

@futarydary 2 жыл бұрын

That's a capitan obvious comment.

@TopTennisTrainingOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

Yep…thought I could do it! 🤦‍♂️

@abdsalamelkhamlichi6677 2 жыл бұрын

They are playing Tennis 🥎

@adamromero 2 жыл бұрын

@@abdsalamelkhamlichi6677 with tennis balls! 😀

@timleelim9930 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, from a real tree. Don't know if it had guts from real sheep, though.

@joselitoaquino3207 2 жыл бұрын

Big disadvantage to Alex using a wooden racket with a very small head size no built in technology just pure talent..

@winteralfs Жыл бұрын

what is a 10.2?

@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Жыл бұрын

Complete beginner

@tomr6955 2 жыл бұрын

A good tradesman never blames his tools. I don't know any good tradesmen though

@sportscastercanada 2 жыл бұрын

That wooden racket looks like an oversized spoon. 😅

@getsmart795 2 жыл бұрын

I think Alex went into the match with his focus on the wooden racket instead of his tennis game.He also let a little negativity creep into his head which is a recipe to lose. Minus those 2 factors = a win for Alex.

@MVM_21 3 ай бұрын

Вітання із Житомира! 👍👍👍Сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів сім слів

@circuitdesign 2 жыл бұрын

Josh said he was a 10.2. Not sure what rating system that is. Can someone convert that to a USTA rating for me? In USTA rating terms, he looks like a strong 4.0 or possibly a 4.5 to me.

@info781 2 жыл бұрын

Is it UTR?

@gravinboginagis6568 2 жыл бұрын

No it’s LTA. It pretty much means he hasn’t got a rating. U start off as a 10.2, then 10.1,9.2,9.1,8.2,8.1 all the down to 1.1. Andy Murray is a 1.1 but there’s many 1.1s. Not a very good system

@Laura-lv1ke 2 жыл бұрын

it's the LTA rating system, tho it's being replaced with the ITF world tennis number now & you can't actually get issued a rating anymore if you don't already have one. 10.2 is the lowest rating, your starting point. But this guy is not playing at a 10.2 level. For context, I've got like a 3.8 UTR & I would be very dissapointed if I lost more than 2 games in a match against a 10.2 in competition. I normally bagel them.

@davidevans1611 2 жыл бұрын

It's probably similar to a NTRP 2.5.

@gravinboginagis6568 2 жыл бұрын

@@info781 I have a 10 Utr and I’m a 3.1

@BenjiCh 11 ай бұрын

So you tell me, today's amateurs could compete with former pros just by changing the racquet?

@Jkan2001 2 жыл бұрын

That amateur is a pretty high level player still probably 4.5-5.0 in usta ntrp or utr 8ish

@stevel.2759 2 жыл бұрын

Equipment and strings were the difference. And luck hitting all 1st serves through out TB.

@smftrsddvjiou6443 10 ай бұрын

This match was a big argument bringing back small head sizes. Modern tennis is without skill.

@damonwilson4153 2 жыл бұрын

Not acceptable to disrupt the server between serves down 7-3.

@shaunacole1 2 жыл бұрын

Would help if you concentrated between points rather than give a running commentary

@Better_Call_Raul 2 жыл бұрын

07:20 "7-8. I am actually gonna lose this. " Negative self-talk. Self fulfilling prophecy. 😟

@mikyp9417 Жыл бұрын

What kind of pro he is, he can't hit proper forehand

@TopTennisTrainingOfficial Жыл бұрын

A 200 ATP pro who has wins over top 100 pros…

@mu11ian 2 жыл бұрын

HAHAHA that's very funny!

@ianmayhew7325 2 жыл бұрын

Pro should be giving the amateur some credit for the quality of his serving rather than moaning about it or turning his back between 1st and 2nd serves (not really on for me). Thought he served really well and showed some guts to keep going for them. Having said that, think the pro would've won in a full set (ie with more time to adapt to the wooden racquet)

@gravinboginagis6568 2 жыл бұрын

It was meant to be funny lol, josh berry is an amazing impressionist. Check him out

@MrBolaextra 2 жыл бұрын

This is for those who say the racket doesn't matter ;)

@TopTennisTrainingOfficial 2 жыл бұрын

🤣

@Hurry19671 2 жыл бұрын

Wow! good match even with wooden racket! but I still wonder: 》 have you strung your wooden racket before the match? (after 40 years the string might be dead😂)

@tinycuisine6544 2 жыл бұрын

This could have been great without all the talking

@p.s4677 2 жыл бұрын

I would have won with the wooden racket.

@nobogiedr 2 жыл бұрын

Josh already won tie break at 7. Unless playing to 10

@chriswilson7413 2 жыл бұрын

Says at 0:14 it’s to 10

@szaboaki5850 2 жыл бұрын

Rafe Hubris can serve🏆

@DNA2000-8bit 2 жыл бұрын

Here's the bad news for that "pro." He would have beaten you straight up with any racquets. He made some lucky cracks on the serve, but you weren't going to do anything with them regardless. Take your medicine. ;)

@chriswilson7413 2 жыл бұрын

Often an amateur will stitch up a professional

@user-lr7gi7mh7f 2 жыл бұрын

My money is not on me

@dewijones92 2 жыл бұрын

love it

@jc238 2 жыл бұрын

Bjorn Borg not…

@arfatkhan8723 2 жыл бұрын

Sorry but how the hell are you a 10.2?

@t-bone7988 2 жыл бұрын

His UTR is 7 not 10.2 lol

@richardgong5271 2 жыл бұрын

You are dead right. His technique is at best a UTR 7.

@t-bone7988 2 жыл бұрын

@@richardgong5271 from kooroora?

@FunDuude 2 жыл бұрын

I always maintained that if the big 3 in tennis used wood rackets, they wouldn't anywhere close to 20 Grand slams. McEnroe and Borg to Wood rackets as far as they can go, as close to perfection as can be achieved.

@DNA2000-8bit 2 жыл бұрын

I agree. And I lament that the pro tour essentially placed little to no restriction on racket construction/materials as we headed into the 1980s, because tennis was dying and the brands needed to sell rackets that created easy power for weekenders. It killed the sport and everything since then is people hitting deep on late shots without actually earning that point construction and court position. It barely pays to put someone out of position these days because the racket bails them out of trouble, not skill.

@FunDuude 2 жыл бұрын

@@DNA2000-8bit ....NO doubt. Even Nadal's uncle Tony admitted that Rafa learned to hit the ball "|ate" because when he was younger he wasn't strong enough and the racket was too heavy, so he "altered" the anatomy of the forehand stroke to suit himself. The rest is history. I've been saying for years, that 150 to 200 yrs from now the Rackets won't have strings, but little "laser" like force fields or Energy "strings." LOL.

@DNA2000-8bit 2 жыл бұрын

@@FunDuude All facts. The entire prevelance of the semi-western forehand on tour is so players can hit powerful bailout late shots of the FH side and split grip two-handers on the BH side. That's why everyone is drop shotting like crazy now. Because going toe to toe from the baseline takes too much energy and leaves you vulnerable. Unless you're Carlos or Rafa and you're addicting to running. Those dudes are just built different.

@FunDuude 2 жыл бұрын

@@DNA2000-8bit Yeah, those guys are animals. LOL. But I do love the drop shot, I think it's an "Intelligent" shot and requires much skill. But to each their own. I started out as a Serve and volleyer, but then moved to Europe where they play on Red clay, so I became an avid baseliner. I hate grass though, Needless to say Wimbledon is not in the top 3 of my favorite GS tournaments.

@jeffvanderwerf3391 Жыл бұрын

How do you make that assessment? The big three weren't raised with wooden racquets, so there is no way to know how their games would have progressed had they used wooden racquets from the start.

@miguelrc3234 2 жыл бұрын

Tooo much bla bla bla my dog can better catch the balls

@markmilligan7827 2 жыл бұрын

Alex deserved to lose, for his behaviour. Long chats between points OK, but not between 1st and 2nd serves! Josh could have returned the favour, on the 1st ‘match’ point, but played honourably.

@normanbowers5669 2 жыл бұрын

I don't think Alex's racket itself had anything to do with the outcome. Josh Berry just served lights out. Alex wouldn't have gotten those returns in no matter what racket he was using. If you hit it off the edge of the frame with a wood racket you would still hit the frame with a newer racket (unless maybe it is a Big Bubba). Some nice low sliced approaches from Alex. If he got familiar with the racket he would have realized he could have played his normal game with a bit less aggressive topspin. He would have gotten a better feel and control of his volleys, also. I don't know how to help with the opponent banging aces or serves at the body that Alex couldn't get out of the way of.

@chriswilson7413 2 жыл бұрын

Bread and butter returns those with Alex’s usual racket

@normanbowers5669 2 жыл бұрын

@@chriswilson7413 No, if he can't get out of the way and is hitting it on the throat of the racket, a 1/2" radius larger racket head is not going to help. His problem was that he underestimated his opponent's two first serves (maybe Josh missed them intentionally in practice?) and was trying to be way too aggressive because he wasn't familiar with the racket. If he had just an hour or so with the racket Alex would have realized what he could and couldn't do hitting with the racket and played closer to his normal game.

@aznpokering4184 2 жыл бұрын

@@normanbowers5669 Dude you've gotta be trolling. Alex is a former professional he is able to return 115+ mph flat serves from professionals. You think he could not return an amateur serve going straight down the middle if he was using a modern racket? Stop being delusional

@normanbowers5669 2 жыл бұрын

@@aznpokering4184 For decades, professional players had no problem returning 115+ mph serves with wooden rackets (that's not very fast, 140's is fast and many of them were returned). You have no idea of what you are talking about, or even what you were seeing on the video.

@aznpokering4184 2 жыл бұрын

@@normanbowers5669 Lmao people were not serving 140 mph with wooden rackets are u kidding? You're clueless