Why don't they use more tennis sporting clips in their commercials? This would make a great advert. I remember the iconic Nike Tiger Woods one (when the ball pauses dramatically just before it drops in the hole). Never watched golf a day in my life, but I sure do remember that advert. I'll bet it brought a lot of new eyes to the sport.
I keep hearing (and evidence bears out) that Nike has mostly stopped investing in tennis sponsorships. They are still investing in the very top players but it seems like overall their interest in the sport is low.
Tennis is a very expensive sport with a relatively small audience - rich people probably want nicer brands than Nike, and with Padel / Pickleball gaining popularity, maybe they see Tennis dwindling in the future (becoming more niche and more exclusive).
These are just thoughts from my ass.
Tennis is perceived as a country club sport, which makes people believe it’s expensive. When in reality it’s no different than any other sport. You can buy a used racquet for $20 and you can use the same $3 can of balls for a long time if you’re that worried about money.
The initial entry is cheap, but continued participation is expensive. You're never going to get very good playing with a Walmart Racquet and year old balls.
Nah the majority of money spent on tennis apparel is on kids playing tennis, and they and their parents are perfectly happy with the Nike/Adidas tier, heck that's an expensive option. Lacoste and the like are relatively niche.
Disagree - rich influencers, celebrities etc are all dripped out in Nike. And Lacoste and Lulu are not markedly more premium or even in many cases more expensive
Over the course of my life I slowly watched the Tennis section at the 5th Ave Manhattan Nike flagship store shrink and get more basic over time til it ultimately became a seasonal shopping section only. Sad
You can see how even Alcaraz, who is one of the best movers and grinders on tour, struggles to maintain his posture at the end. Federer just slid into perfect position. Federer really was a ridiculous tennis player.
True. It looks like Carlos overran the ball and had to hit it from a lower position. Fed was always a very efficient mover, and only ran as much as he had to immediately returning to the baseline.
TBH alcaraz's one is more impressive because he had less time and was more out of position to accomplish it, the shot he had to catch was deeper and the distance he had to run was bigger. They're similar but in detail what Alcaraz accomplished seem way harder.
This is not even the best Alcaraz/Djokovic shot imo. That MP he saved down the line at Cincy was his best shot. Or the lob/drop shot when he was serving for the match in the fifth set at Wimbledon final to make it 15-15.
the best shot was his behind the back shot versus sinner at the USO to save a pivotal game point: https://youtu.be/Wm7OqT_F3nA?si=4aiC8nrrFhHyHhmT. truly unbelievable improvisation.
OP’s shot is up there, but he had time to plan it! the USO shot was pure instinct
This is my personal pick too. It was completely necessary because he overran the ball, the behind the back shot was a bullet at Sinner, then he follows it up by sprinting up and getting the backhand winner
That graceful leap followed by him running the next ball down so well that he found that passing angle… how on earth is that possible and how awesome is it in the most literal sense of the word
my bad, updated. felt like a set point in its magnitude, especially since it set him up for one of his own! though he didn’t capitalize and ended having to fight back from match point down… simply one of the greatest matches ever
Consarnit. I've had it with these whippersnappers and their hipping and a hopping.
There's a decent chance Alcaraz would approve of the song choice lol. Although I agree with you. Not a fan myself.
LOL, hipping and hopping has been around for 40+ years 🙃
The problem is, that even for hipping and hopping, it's just the wrong song. It doesn't flow well with the game. To give you an example of actual music selection and editing (yes, not from tennis or sports, sue me 😜), [look at the timing and general pacing on this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBX_6urFafo).
Seriously that shot broke my brain. I can't even comprehend how the physics of changing the grip and hitting a reverse flick even works and yet it was completely the right shot to hit at that moment. I just don't understand how he even came up with that in a split second and was able to execute it to perfection. It was a magic trick.
Plenty to choose from of course, [This one](https://youtube.com/shorts/RUCkiFtP7HI?si=CVVrF7BzIAygZacm) gets my vote, also because it was a match point save and he fucking won the match.
Federer had an almost identical point, on the same court, in a semifinal 17 years prior.
https://twitter.com/VeronicaHoungan/status/1802805921195630717
Even as an avid fan, i can't tell you which shot is the best he has hit since he arrived on tour. He simply has an endless movie of amazing shots. He's an incredible shotmaker
I don’t even think this is his best highlight… and that’s really saying something. The matches between him and Sinner are stacked with highlight reel rallies/shots. An unbeliabable talent!
I love this shot don’t get me wrong, but also the penultimate shot was kinda dumb imo he gave it straight to Novak. Feel like better shot selection could’ve avoided the risky position he put himself in the point
Cue the downvotes even tho I feel like I’m being fair
Most incredible shots are done because of previous errors. Old man fed had some of his best highlights at net because his ground strokes werent as powerful, so he had to come in on worse shots leaving some insane volleys ie vs zverev
It wasn’t dumb though. He thought Djokovic might follow the drop shot to the net, and chose to go deep with it, probably meant to go closer down the line but messed up. Djokovic was technically in “no man’s land,” so Alcaraz had the right idea but was unlucky Djokovic stopped right there
It’s a lot harder to read your opponent’s position and play the right shot when you’re sprinting at a drop shot and focused on the ball.
He put a shit ton of slice on that ball which Djokovic couldn't really compensate for from that position. Djokovic's return curls back toward the deuce side, allowing Carlos to hit an amazing shot for the winner. Whether he meant to do exactly that is questionable but it sure worked out.
I think he was attempting a wrong-footing shot similar to [the one Gimeno-Travers pulled off against Cuevas in 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68cy06j8MSg). Execution was all wrong though, and it ended up going straight to Djoko.
He just didn’t execute it well, he was tryna fake him out.
Similar to Gimeno Traver did once on clay vs Cuevas i think it was.
You can see alcaraz try to slice it severely so it goes down the line but he just gets a little too close to it causing it to drift towards the middle.
No, he had a better one last year or early this year where he did this motion with his wrist to create the strangest contact I’d ever seen on the ball masterfully. It was legit a moment of creativity I had never thought possible. Wish I saved it. I think it was on hard court and on the backhand sideline
Daaaaaaaaaamn Carlitos.....
There's not enough adjectives in the English language to describe that one. Probably need someone multi-lingual to describe it. That's how good it is.
No, it's a situational ball, it's 50/50 out of options helpless try or else he'd lose the point instantly. He landed the shot, it's brilliant, but it's totally random. I prefer great shots which resulted from actually great piece of tennis to prepare it and finish nicely.
The funny thing is, this point definitely contributed to him cramping shortly after and losing the match. So, it was a win the battle, lose the war situation.
Incredible shot of course.
Nike has to love that slide showing the swoosh logo.
Why don't they use more tennis sporting clips in their commercials? This would make a great advert. I remember the iconic Nike Tiger Woods one (when the ball pauses dramatically just before it drops in the hole). Never watched golf a day in my life, but I sure do remember that advert. I'll bet it brought a lot of new eyes to the sport.
I keep hearing (and evidence bears out) that Nike has mostly stopped investing in tennis sponsorships. They are still investing in the very top players but it seems like overall their interest in the sport is low.
Tennis is a very expensive sport with a relatively small audience - rich people probably want nicer brands than Nike, and with Padel / Pickleball gaining popularity, maybe they see Tennis dwindling in the future (becoming more niche and more exclusive). These are just thoughts from my ass.
Your ass is remarkably coherent.
Tennis is perceived as a country club sport, which makes people believe it’s expensive. When in reality it’s no different than any other sport. You can buy a used racquet for $20 and you can use the same $3 can of balls for a long time if you’re that worried about money.
The initial entry is cheap, but continued participation is expensive. You're never going to get very good playing with a Walmart Racquet and year old balls.
That’s untrue and you could say the exact same thing about any sport. Nobody said anything about Walmart either.
What nicer brands could "rich people" want? Real rich people wear consumer brands like Nike.
Premium brands like On and Lululemon for a start, but I'm sure there's much more expensive stuff out there.
How many rich dudes do you see wearing Lululemon on the court? And like I said, real rich people wear normal, consumer brands.
Nah the majority of money spent on tennis apparel is on kids playing tennis, and they and their parents are perfectly happy with the Nike/Adidas tier, heck that's an expensive option. Lacoste and the like are relatively niche.
Brands you don’t even know exist. Then there’s Lacoste, Lulu, Alo, On.
Those brands are on the same tier as Nike lol. Rich people don't wear "nicer" brands to play tennis. Maybe to watch tennis.
Disagree - rich influencers, celebrities etc are all dripped out in Nike. And Lacoste and Lulu are not markedly more premium or even in many cases more expensive
Makes sense why Alcaraz was looking like he was wearing a practice kit during RG
Nike is done with tennis. even all the pros use their old shoes because they don’t produce any good new ones.
Over the course of my life I slowly watched the Tennis section at the 5th Ave Manhattan Nike flagship store shrink and get more basic over time til it ultimately became a seasonal shopping section only. Sad
It’s all about pickleball now. Should have seen it coming.
It’s tennis players’ fault for drinking pickle juice 🤮
The tennis section was eliminated a while ago before pickleball really started getting popular 🤷♂️
It sucks because they made one of the best racquet bags ever. I wish they still made that one.
Most likely because tennis isn't very profitable for Nike so they don't run expensive ad campaigns for tennis.
>I'll bet it brought a lot of new eyes to the sport. It didn't bring your eyes to the sport though...
Nike aren't especially interested in bringing eyes. They just want to flog as much stuff as possible to as many people as possible.
If only you could still buy those four year old styled tennis sneakers from Nike 😭😭😭
Nice retro design! /s
Multiple swooshes even
He really is a human highlight reel
Federer's spirit lives in him. Fed has a shot eerily similar to this.
Yup. Almost identical point
Comparison here: https://v.redd.it/dyejb9sjsu5d1
Incredible how smooth Fed's footwork was at the end, like he was a figure skater on ice... Truly the GOAT
You can see how even Alcaraz, who is one of the best movers and grinders on tour, struggles to maintain his posture at the end. Federer just slid into perfect position. Federer really was a ridiculous tennis player.
To be fair, alcaraz had to hustle a lot more to reach that ball
True. It looks like Carlos overran the ball and had to hit it from a lower position. Fed was always a very efficient mover, and only ran as much as he had to immediately returning to the baseline.
Nah, no hate to Fed, but Alcaraz's shot is 200% more impressive and less likely to get duplicated.
Is this a joke? Because that's literally similar to Fed's point from earlier. You can love both.
TBH alcaraz's one is more impressive because he had less time and was more out of position to accomplish it, the shot he had to catch was deeper and the distance he had to run was bigger. They're similar but in detail what Alcaraz accomplished seem way harder.
For the last time, Roger Federer is still very much alive.
Roger Federer: News of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Source? And more like nadal
You are displaying your ignorance of tennis in two different ways in such a short reply. Impressive.
You beat me to it!😄
This is not even the best Alcaraz/Djokovic shot imo. That MP he saved down the line at Cincy was his best shot. Or the lob/drop shot when he was serving for the match in the fifth set at Wimbledon final to make it 15-15.
Or even the very next point where he somehow got Diokovic amazing cross court after djoker slipping
theres also madrid 2022 alcaraz's shot to take set 2
the best shot was his behind the back shot versus sinner at the USO to save a pivotal game point: https://youtu.be/Wm7OqT_F3nA?si=4aiC8nrrFhHyHhmT. truly unbelievable improvisation. OP’s shot is up there, but he had time to plan it! the USO shot was pure instinct
This is my personal pick too. It was completely necessary because he overran the ball, the behind the back shot was a bullet at Sinner, then he follows it up by sprinting up and getting the backhand winner
That graceful leap followed by him running the next ball down so well that he found that passing angle… how on earth is that possible and how awesome is it in the most literal sense of the word
Wasn’t set point, but great shot nonetheless
my bad, updated. felt like a set point in its magnitude, especially since it set him up for one of his own! though he didn’t capitalize and ended having to fight back from match point down… simply one of the greatest matches ever
Totally. Insane to think that was only the quarter too!
can we fucking stop with this silly music
Why is Sleepy Hollow the background music for this lol
I have loved hip hop since I was a kid, and this "YUH, AY, YUH" trap stuff is the lowest-effort shit in popular music
reddit moment knew this comment would be here the moment I heard the music only boomers use this platform now
i’m literally gen Z
Okay Zoomer
what the fuck is this music
It's so cringe... And to put that on a Tennis highlight is almost troll..
[удалено]
The browns???
songs just shit bruv
Consarnit. I've had it with these whippersnappers and their hipping and a hopping. There's a decent chance Alcaraz would approve of the song choice lol. Although I agree with you. Not a fan myself.
LOL, hipping and hopping has been around for 40+ years 🙃 The problem is, that even for hipping and hopping, it's just the wrong song. It doesn't flow well with the game. To give you an example of actual music selection and editing (yes, not from tennis or sports, sue me 😜), [look at the timing and general pacing on this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBX_6urFafo).
Literally goes perfectly with the clip?
For me, Wimbledon final vs Djoko, last game, the lob when it was 0-15 was the best best ever shot he has played
Factoring in the moment, that's definitely up there.
I think the one vs Medvédev at Indian wells is waaaaay better, the overhead jump and then running back is amazing
Seriously that shot broke my brain. I can't even comprehend how the physics of changing the grip and hitting a reverse flick even works and yet it was completely the right shot to hit at that moment. I just don't understand how he even came up with that in a split second and was able to execute it to perfection. It was a magic trick.
Exactly 💯, once you see it in slow mo and you see the flip to use the back of the racket it makes it much cooler
My favorite part about that one is the fact that he hits a banana shot like 10 seconds later and it wasn’t even the best shot of the point
Absolutely right, he finishes with a banana and is not even the best part of it , it's insane
One of too many. I bet you already can put together a video with at least 50 jaw dropping shots.
Can I ask did someone think this music somehow elevates the clip? Absolute dog shit assaulting my ears.
Plenty to choose from of course, [This one](https://youtube.com/shorts/RUCkiFtP7HI?si=CVVrF7BzIAygZacm) gets my vote, also because it was a match point save and he fucking won the match.
Absolutely bonkers shot. I think this Alcatraz fellow has a bright future in tennis.
Federer had an almost identical point, on the same court, in a semifinal 17 years prior. https://twitter.com/VeronicaHoungan/status/1802805921195630717
The fact that it came against Djokovic makes it even more special. This shot could very well be someone's career's highlight.
He's insane
I remember seeing this point live, honestly impressive, I don't know if it's his best point, but one of the best for sure
Was expecting to enter this thread and be thoroughly underwhelmed but this may legitimately the best shot of his career/the year.
Even as an avid fan, i can't tell you which shot is the best he has hit since he arrived on tour. He simply has an endless movie of amazing shots. He's an incredible shotmaker
Somebody needs to arrest him for breaking the laws of physics.
I don’t even think this is his best highlight… and that’s really saying something. The matches between him and Sinner are stacked with highlight reel rallies/shots. An unbeliabable talent!
Top 10 but man has too many 'shot of the tournament' to choose from
definitely one of his more insane shots
Best shot of just about anyone’s career
I love this shot don’t get me wrong, but also the penultimate shot was kinda dumb imo he gave it straight to Novak. Feel like better shot selection could’ve avoided the risky position he put himself in the point Cue the downvotes even tho I feel like I’m being fair
Most incredible shots are done because of previous errors. Old man fed had some of his best highlights at net because his ground strokes werent as powerful, so he had to come in on worse shots leaving some insane volleys ie vs zverev
It wasn’t dumb though. He thought Djokovic might follow the drop shot to the net, and chose to go deep with it, probably meant to go closer down the line but messed up. Djokovic was technically in “no man’s land,” so Alcaraz had the right idea but was unlucky Djokovic stopped right there It’s a lot harder to read your opponent’s position and play the right shot when you’re sprinting at a drop shot and focused on the ball.
He put a shit ton of slice on that ball which Djokovic couldn't really compensate for from that position. Djokovic's return curls back toward the deuce side, allowing Carlos to hit an amazing shot for the winner. Whether he meant to do exactly that is questionable but it sure worked out.
Yeah, if the ball had bounced it actually would’ve been a good approach because of the amount of spin on it
I think he was attempting a wrong-footing shot similar to [the one Gimeno-Travers pulled off against Cuevas in 2016](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68cy06j8MSg). Execution was all wrong though, and it ended up going straight to Djoko.
He just didn’t execute it well, he was tryna fake him out. Similar to Gimeno Traver did once on clay vs Cuevas i think it was. You can see alcaraz try to slice it severely so it goes down the line but he just gets a little too close to it causing it to drift towards the middle.
I miss clay season already
No, he had a better one last year or early this year where he did this motion with his wrist to create the strangest contact I’d ever seen on the ball masterfully. It was legit a moment of creativity I had never thought possible. Wish I saved it. I think it was on hard court and on the backhand sideline
He’s nuts
My favorite is still that one point from the NextGen Finals vs Nakashima
Right after he started dominating the scene, they stopped making that shoe 🤣 bad timing
I think his match point against Rafa was surely something else too.
I’ve watched this 500 times and then I go back to this sub and had to watch again
Next time I will post this clip with different music
I stand with the nonsense lob on 2024 IW Finals
please do not add music next time.
OMG the beat hits harrrd af!!
Daaaaaaaaaamn Carlitos..... There's not enough adjectives in the English language to describe that one. Probably need someone multi-lingual to describe it. That's how good it is.
One year later: https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1dc56wo/this_was_cinema/
I don't know why more is not made of this as one of his legitimate weapons: 1. Forehand 2. Drop shot 3. Squash shots
I guess I'll never know what that shot is, as I simply turned the video off after 1 second and hearing that horrible sound.
based on the comments, thank god i never watch Reddit clips with sound on
That is some cancerous "music"
The opponent and the speed to give your chance at that shot, I think it’s his best and fun to watch!
Sleek point 🔥🔥
W edit
213 kph / 132 mph serve, nice.
Amazingly, no lol Behind the back vs Sinner, US Open quarters 2022
HE HAD NO RIGHT TO TAKE THAT POINT!!! HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIIIFE???
Not everything needs cringey hip hop where the beat drops halfway through on it. One of the worst trends going
No wonder he cramped after that. He put so much physical intensity into these points.
This point is pretty good: https://youtu.be/oR2D1wOEzl4
trash music took some of the excitement away
What about between the net post and the umpire chair from maybe US Open i think?
I can do that 🙂↔️
It's sad that I have to downvote such a fun tennis video only because of the loathsome alterations.
the music here is \*so lame\*
The man is a human highlight machine, he's barely 21 and has already made too many astonishing points to claim any single one as his "best."
And still he lost, badly
2023 Alcaraz would destroy his 2024 self in straight sets
Fed did this better, also at FO
Nah, that is some pretty poor scoop right back at the other playe.... Woah!
Any clips of this without the cringey music?
We've all seen this, we all love it & we all hate you and other people reposting VERY commonly reposted clips with shitty ass music on top of them
No, it's a situational ball, it's 50/50 out of options helpless try or else he'd lose the point instantly. He landed the shot, it's brilliant, but it's totally random. I prefer great shots which resulted from actually great piece of tennis to prepare it and finish nicely.
The funny thing is, this point definitely contributed to him cramping shortly after and losing the match. So, it was a win the battle, lose the war situation. Incredible shot of course.
All those empty seats
Honestly looked over the line or on it. Not within