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Few remember it today, yet there was a period of players during the Ken Rosewall-Rod Laver period of the sixties and seventies that the lob and the drop shot were what made tennis exciting and fun. Ilie Nastase, a Romanian player of that time was adept at the drop shot and lob. Kurt Streeter of the NYT looks at the game of Spanish player Alcaraz and his frequent use of drop shots even from a distance that are taking tennis back to that era. In the woman's game Tunisian player Jabeur is also known for the drop shot. Marshmallows is a.k.a. for drop shots.

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Kelly Corrigan says goodbye to Novak Djokoivc, Serbian tennis player as he makes it to what may be his last Wimbledon tennis final against Jannik Sinner. Djokovic at 38 is still in the sport when others Federer of Switzerland have quit. Federer quit at 41 years in 2022. Nadal quit in 2024 at the age of 38. 

This ends a period of tennis where the game shifted from the period of Rosewall, Laver and Nastase with a mix of shots to being played almost completely from the baseline. Lobs and drop shots were rare in the games played by Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. A new generation of players brings fun back into tennis with a mix of shot with Italians Jannik Sinner, Cibolli at the forefront.

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The most elegant shot in tennis aside from the lob and the drop shot is the one handed back hand. At one time this was the only way tne back hand was played. Lorenzo Musetti and a Swiss youngster Henry Bernet are some of the best single hand backhanders today. Italian Musetti meets another Italian Jannik Sinner in the quarterfinals of the US Open.

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What this tennis report is not saying is that only a generation ago the drop shot was standard and a key part of the game. The base line hitters era is now gone as player after player from Europe is shifting to the way tennis was always played with a great mix of shots. This drop shot or the related shot the lob was normal when Ile Nastase, Newcombe, Rosewall and Laver played in the 1970's and 1980's, games this reviewer watched late into the night at tennis tournaments in the US and Canada. It was because of the range of strokes that tennis was fun to watch and became popular at the time. The reason is that drop shots, lobs, take skills, timing, mixing shots with speed and with touches, and requiring a keen sense of the flow.

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American tennis player Doris Hart from the University of Miami once played three Wimbledon finals in one day because of rain delays, winning all, in 1951. She made up for lack of speed on the court because of leg and knee issues with finesse, using drop shots and a strong serve with an all court game to win. Her story is unique because she spent many years as a child recovering from a bone infection, called osteomyelitis. At one point a specialist even suggested amputation because of the infection. She recovered and went on to win titles in Australia in 1949, France 1950 and 1952, Wimbledon 1951, and the U.S. 1954 and 1955. Her view of today's tennis game is that not much strategy is brought into the game compared to an earlier period, making it less fun to watch. Her story of recovery and persistence is similiar to the story of Glenn Cunningham, one of America's fastest runners, who broke the world record in the 1500 metres at the 1936 Olympics, and became the fastest miler in the world in 1938. Cunningham from the University of Kansas had leg issues because of burns suffered when he was 8 years old from a fire. Doctors recommended amputation at one point for the infection. Doris Hart says in her autobiography, "Tennis with Hart," never to let despondency take over, to respond with faith, courage and patience....

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Mullaly's experience at Ford, its culture, changes he has made and the gradual improvements that are taking place and showing up in better quality cars, cars for a global market with all global product capabilities focussed on developing top rated cars and all energies focussed on fewer car brands, the Ford and Lincoln brands. But as results improve the test will be how well Ford can withstand the difficult conditions ahead as consumption is sure to decline, and sales of cars drop with it as carmakers go through 2008 and 2009. The decision to focus on profitability was a critical choice made by Mulally and shows his instincts are right to let Ford's market share drop to its natural level and cut production to cut inventories and let ford scale down into a smaller but profitable and reilient company. The other was to focus on global cars and global product capabilities under Dennis Kuzak. And the third move to get marketing right with Jim Farley taken by Mullaly from Toyota's marketing organization. And the focus would be only on the Ford brand and logo, so Mulally will close Mercury models and sell the premium luxury brands except Volvo with the sale to Tata Motors. The market and stock price is responding and Ford has already shown a profit of $750 million in the second quarter of 2007 by being able to sustain higher prices with fewer cars to sell. The Fiesta compact goes on sale in the US in 2010 and this with the redesigned Focus and other models will show how far Ford can go. The risk is now more in the economy as BW estiimates show a $3 trillion overhang of overspending that occurred over the last decade that will have to be worked down by US consumers and so one can expect a continued and protracted decline in sales not just for Ford but for all manufacturers in the USA market....