However, Becker was actually a Pure Power Player: his forehand was overwhelming, his backhand quite effective and he covered the net extremely well. In essence, his game was designed to hit winners, and he could do so with each shot.
Becker went on to win two more Wimbledons, plus a single U.S. Open and two Australian Opens, reaching the No. 1 ranking in 1991. By that year, other PPPs like Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic, Richard Krajicek, and guy named Sampras (more on him later) were making themselves known.
The PPPs, joined in the mid-1990s by Mark Philippoussis and Greg Rusedski, shared the big serving, penetrating ground strokes and net-attacking style that Becker had popularized. It’s true that some, particularly Rusedski, were far weaker on the backhand wing than the forehand. Others, Ivanisevic in particular, used their unbelievable serving to mask only-adequate volleys, but they affected other players in much the same way.
Throughout the decade, the PPPs were able to blast ace after ace by baseliners and pure serve-and-volleyers (who possessed greater speed and touch at net, but less potent serves and groundstrokes). Their opponents were forced to play solid tennis with few unforced errors and hope that the PPP on the other side of the net couldn’t string-together four big service returns in a single game.
While watching a PPP square off with a great baseliner made for an interesting contrast, matches featuring two of them simultaneously were often considered yawners, as points rarely lasted longer than four strokes. Many pundits feared that the PPPs would one day dominate the sport, making the game virtually unwatchable.
This never came to pass. Stich, Krajicek and eventually Ivanisevic captured only one Wimbledon apiece. Becker, who won five major titles by age 23, only added one more after that. Rusedski reached one major final and Philippoussis two, and in each case they were thoroughly outclassed by more complete players (the serving-and-volleying Patrick Rafter twice, and the indefinable style of Roger Federer once).
While these players could overpower nearly anyone, only Becker and Sampras managed to develop the hearts and minds of champions in the process. The others were prone to misfiring on big occasions and not finding ways to win when on days when they didn’t have their A games.
Also, the sheer size and aggressive style of these players made them injury-prone. Stich, Krajicek, Philippoussis (apparently) and, later, Joachim Johansson had their careers ended by chronic health problems. Players like Ivanisevic and Todd Martin (who didn’t serve as big as the others, but returned serve much better) had huge gaps in their playing exploits due to injuries.
Also, with the exception of Sampras, none of them were great move
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