Fanzone

With the introduction of Hawk Eye technology I have often considered whether there were any disadvantages to its use. With tennis severely lacking characters in the game today, it made me question whether we have now seen then end to players like John McEnroe and the more recent Jeff Tarango. Some of the best moments in

Tennis is ultimately defined by records, titles and classic rivalries. Over the years there have been some exciting duals between the likes of Bjorg, McEnroe and Connors and the more recent rivalry between Pete Samprass and crowd favourite Andre Agassi. For me Roger Federer is on the way to being the greatest player of them all. The only thing

the game's history have been as a result of players ongoing duals with the umpires and venting their frustrations on court. It can be argued that the new technology helps to reduce the pressure on the umpires. However, if they have made a decision which is later corrected by Hawk Eye, it could have the reverse affect by leading umpires unwilling to make key decisions at crucial stages of the match for fear of being over-ruled. Roger Federer for one was clearly not impressed and even requested the umpire to turn-off Hawk Eye for the remainder of the match. On the flip side the crowd love it and it brings a new dimension to the game as the suspense builds in anticipation of Hawk Eye's decision.

currently holding him back is winning Roland Garros, but every year he seems to be getting closer and I believe it is a question of when, rather than if. The rivalry developing between Roger and Rafa is fascinating, especially with the Spaniard appearing to close the gap on grass last year at Wimbledon. The fact Federer has been so dominant is a large reason why no rivalries have been allowed to develop in recent years. I believe this will certainly change with the emergence of young new talent coming through such as Murray, Gasquet and Tsonga. At the Australian Open this year, Djokovic firmly established himself as one of the new superstars of tennis. The ease with which he dispatched Federer shows he has the game and ability to handle the pressure to mount further Grand Slam titles. His stock is continuing to rise and it will be interesting to see how the rest of his season develops. However, with Federer only two grand slams from equalling Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slams I think a man with a motive can be very dangerous. With the Olympics in Beijing this Summer it is disappointing to think that Federer's chance of a Golden Slam could well be gone. There may come a final chance in 2012 with the Olympics held in London, when Federer will be 30. This will undoubtedly draw the world's top player but may come to late in his career. Andre Agassi has said Federer is the greatest player he has ever played against and even Sampras said there are things he can do that he simply couldnt. Federer unlike many players before him doesn't appear to have a weakness and has a massive choice of shots at his disposal which could hurt a player from any part of the court. He is seemingly breaking records all the time and having equalled Bjorn Borg's record of five consecutive Wimbledon's he is firmly establishing himself as a living legend. I think the coming years will be telling in how long he can stay at the top and how much he can break his own record for number of titles and Grand Slams. I hope he goes on to win Roland Garros, but Rafa Nadal himself is possibly the greatest clay courter the game has since in its history.

As good as digital television may be I find it increasingly difficult to follow the yellow balls on the grass courts in the beaming sunshine so would back any calls for changes to be made. Other sports have gone down this path and have attracted a whole new audience to the sport. In football an orange ball is used in games where there is snow

and not only do I think it would help people like me to follow rallies more closley but it would be a great way to get young people into the game. Maybe the International Tennis Federation could explore the idea and experiment at some of the Tour events next year. The game continues to evolve and this is a change I would like to see. It would be great to see a fluorescent orange or red ball used, especially on the grass court surfaces which appear to endure most of the problem. Wimbledon in particular can be very hard to watch at times and while they are steeped in tradition, Hawk Eye was introduced and improved the game for spectators and I really believe this is something which can help the game going forward.