{"id":785072,"date":"2026-09-28T08:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T08:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/785072\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T08:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T08:02:14","slug":"inside-view-rod-laver-talks-racquets-henman-and-rafter-talk-tennis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/785072\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside View: Rod Laver talks racquets, Henman and Rafter talk tennis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brothers Andy and Jamie Murray took to the Laver Cup black court with a handful of Rod Laver\u2019s 1960s Dunlop Maxply racquets. It was an eye-opening experience, so Andy sat down with Laver during Laver Cup London 2026 to get a bit more insight.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was amazing how much we had to adjust the technique,\u201d Andy Murray told Laver. \u201cYou had to have huge forearms, didn\u2019t you?\u201d<\/p>\n

Laver confirmed that his arm grew tired because the racquets weighed over 400 grams (in comparison, Carlos Alcaraz plays with a 310-gram racquet) were so heavy. Laver also said you had to time the ball perfectly, otherwise \u201cit\u2019s not going anywhere.\u201d Laver said he was still putting topspin on the ball, but using a completely different technique than players\u00a0 today.<\/p>\n

\u201cMe and my brother looked like we were playing in slow motion,\u201d Andy Murray said.<\/p>\n

The two chatted about the change from the 1960s to now, discussing how players are \u201cspoiled\u201d with six new racquet frames every few months and constant restringing. Laver said he had three frames he used for years. \u201cThey seemed to work quite well for you,\u201d Murray said, referring to Laver winning the calendar-year grand slam in 1962 and 1969. \u201cYou did quite well with them.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the racquets became larger, they also got lighter. \u201cIt\u2019s changed a lot,\u201d Murray said. \u201cWe need to remember that. It\u2019s fascinating just to understand how you had to use the equipment you had. It\u2019s tough to play with. You have to hit a lot flatter, more accurate, more precise. I like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two also chatted about how in the 1960s, only two or three balls were in play on the court (the modern game uses six balls at one time). Murray asked what happened if someone framed a ball outside the stadium. Laver had a quick response: \u201cYou go get it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pat Rafter Chats Generational Team World with Andy Roddick<\/p>\n

\"\"Team World vice-captain Patrick Rafter enters The O2 for Laver Cup London 2026.<\/p>\n

If the Laver Cup had existed during Team World vice- captain Pat Rafter\u2019s generation, Team World might have impressed. \u201cWe would have had a pretty strong team,\u201d Rafter told Andy Roddick during Saturday\u2019s Served podcast. \u201cPete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Lleyton [Hewitt] and myself and Guga [Gustavo Kuerten].\u201d<\/p>\n

Roddick then joked they wouldn\u2019t have been as good when Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic showed up. \u201cThat\u2019s your generation, not mine,\u201d Rafter retorted. \u201cHaving those guys on the bench, it would have been interesting to see how I adapted to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rafter said as a coach that he\u2019s always interested to see how players respond to the team atmosphere and is careful to not add to the pressure already in place. \u201cWhen you are playing for your teammates, it is so much different than playing for yourself,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As a self-proclaimed \u201cover-thinker\u201d who said it was both a strength on the court and a weakness that at times paralyzed him, he didn\u2019t want to add too much to Team World players but still knows certain patterns and nuggets need pointing out. It\u2019s a delicate balance, but one he manages the better he gets to know each player.<\/p>\n

Tim Henman Marvels at Alcaraz\u2019s Energy, Noah\u2019s Emotional Understanding
\n\"\"Team Europe vice-captain Tim Henman provides some stress relief for captain Yannick Noah during Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s nail-biting match against Taylor Fritz on Saturday night.<\/p>\n

Two things stood out to Team Europe vice-captain Tim Henman during his time in San Francisco last year. They are the same two things that stand out in London: Carlos Alcaraz\u2019s infectious personality and Yannick Noah\u2019s impressive emotional intelligence.<\/p>\n

\u201cYannick has been absolutely incredible, going back to San Francisco,\u201d Henman said about the Team Europe captain. \u201cHis IQ and his EQ, his emotional intelligence, the way he dealt with players, different nationalities and personalities, he was incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to Andy Roddick on Sunday\u2019s Served podcast, broadcast from the Laver Cup Fan Zone outside The O2 in London, Henman said it\u2019s tricky to get to know new players in just three days, especially young stars such as Rafa Jodar, with whom you don\u2019t have a prior relationship. \u201cYou do have to choose your moments,\u201d Henman said. \u201cI think you would border on the side of a little less than a little more. It is far easier to upset a player with too much information than upset a player with too little information. That is where Yannick has been amazing. His emotional intelligence has been amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether on or off the court, Henman said Alcaraz provides leadership for the team. \u201cThe time I spent with Alcaraz on the practice court, in the gym, having dinner, his energy, his aura, his enthusiasm, I was completely blown away,\u201d Henman said.<\/p>\n

When asked who provides the leadership on court, Henman mentioned Casper Ruud\u2019s experience and willingness to be \u201cbrave\u201d and give his advice, and \u00a0\u201cAlcaraz for his personality.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brothers Andy and Jamie Murray took to the Laver Cup black court with a handful of Rod Laver\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":785073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[189295,257197,101,118,25561,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-785072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-patrick-rafter","tag-rod-laver","tag-sports","tag-tennis","tag-tim-henman","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=785072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/785072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/785073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=785072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=785072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=785072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}