large flat paddle... leisurely thrown ball... hold on there!

Obviously few Americans have stood in the way of one of those deliveries or perhaps slow-motion action replays are to blame for the misconception. The balls travel at well over100mph and while the total surface area of the 'paddle' must be a couple of times that of baseball, the fact that the ball hits the ground before getting to the player introduces a huge amount of variability. It has been said that the difference is between 'difficult to hit' and 'difficult to hit well'. I am not going to mention that the players do not wear gloves or have to stand on mounds or resort to fighting. Nor remind our readers that the players do not get the opportunity to practice in the bullpen nor are they allowed to miss the ball a couple of times before it counts. And, our women play the same game as our men - no 'soft' ball for them!

Perhaps the concern is that the game is a gentlemanly sport, an olympic event, played by royalty, or that it is popular as an international sport (Not Red Sox Nation vs Yankee Nation). Perhaps the American people to not realise that many Americans travel to watch overseas games and indeed, the US has recently produced (or imported) some very good players.

God Save Tennis