Does a player have to be tall to hit the heights of the game? Or can being shorter be utilised tactically?
Height can play an important role in tennis. Extra height can give a player more power on their serve and extra arm span for sharp angled shots. At the same time, it can also hamper their footwork and agility. This is where being shorter can come in handy. To test this theory, we looked in the Wimbledon archives for the tallest and shortest players.
First up, the ladies!
In joint position at 6 foot 2.5 inches are Lindsey Davenport and Elena Bovina. For Davenport, her height certainly served as an advantage with regards to her powerful two handed backhand and serve. Throughout her professional career, Davenport won three Grand Slam singles titles, three Grand Slam doubles titles and an Olympic gold medal for the singles event. Today, she can be seen coaching the WTA ranked No.17 American player Madison Keys. The long legged Russian Bovina has won three career singles titles and five career doubles titles. She famously won the 2004 Australian Open doubles title with Nenad Zimonjic and reached a career high world No.14 in 2005.
On the other end of the spectrum sits the Guyanese-British player Gem Hoahing. At 4 foot 9.5 inches, she is by far the shortest world class female player of her generation. Hoahing competed at Wimbledon from 1937 to 1961 – reaching as far as the quarter-finals in the Ladies’ Doubles Championship. Although she never won a Grand Slam or major title, she did make an impression on the tennis court – particularly at Wimbledon. In 1949 she beat the American Gussie Moran in the third round. With her powerful ground stroke and quick footedness, Hoahing defeated the U.S No.4 6-2 7-5 6-3. The match was later described as a ‘perfect display of defensive tennis’.
Secondly, the gentlemen!
The title of tallest male goes to the Croatian Ivo Karlovic at 6 foot 11 inches. Perhaps as a result of his height, Karlovic is able to deliver a high speed serve with unique trajectory and accuracy. He is currently the ATP world No.22, and is considered to have one of the most powerful serves on the tour. He has so far won six singles career titles and reached a Wimbledon high of the quarter-finals in 2009. Within touching distance of Karlovic’s height is John Isner at 6 foot 10 inches.
Finally, to the shortest male competitor at Wimbledon, Felicisimo Ampon from the Philippines at 4 foot 11 inches. Considered to be one of the greatest Filipino tennis players of all time, Ampon won a host of tournaments in the 1930s-1960s, including the Far Eastern Games and Pan American Games. He also helped the Philippines win the Eastern Zone of the Davis Cup in 1957, 1958, 1960 and 1964. At Wimbledon, he reached a singles and doubles high of the third round. However, he did become the first and only Filipino player to win the Wimbledon Plate Championship in 1948 – a previous competitive trophy (1896-1981) for those who have an early exit from The Championships in the first, second or third round.
You could say that their height is irrelevant, what do you think?
