This was so fantastic to watch and a joy to behold. Dan Maskell only saying something OCCASIONALLY unlike the persistant rabbiting on about total irrelevances which today's commentators are completely obsessed with doing. The silence when watching the ralies, and beyond, was just beautiful.
Greatest win of her career. At the time, Chrissie wasn’t popular at Wimbledon. She was known as the Ice Maiden. It should be noted that, on match point, she decided that her own shot was out, and notice how she ruffles Virginia’s hair as they shake hands at the net. Sheer class in defeat.
no use of the towel after every single point, no 20, 30 seconds between points, no carrying their entire life in a bag onto the court, no bathroom breaks of 10 minutes when they just happen to be losing, no constant looking at their coaches and friends when they are losing or think their playing badly, and on and on.. and of course these players WERE giving it their all physically as well...
tom schmitz these players were not playing nearly as physical as they play today. This is basically the equivalent of club tennis. They look like rookies compared to the players of today.
I still remember watching this live, that balmy summer evening in London when "Our Ginny" finally made it to the final. The air was crackling, and the rest of course, is history.....
When Virginia Wade was at her best she was a superb player, and played the kind of all-court, attacking tennis that's nowhere to be seen now in the age of one-dimensional, baseline grinders.
It could be that they're hitting the ball almost as hard as players do today, but the wooden racquets and old-fashioned strings slow it down a lot. Also some points are pretty fast: for example at 1:42:12.
Classy in defeat, that's the signature sign of Evert. She even pats Ginny on the head at the net. When Evert revenged the loss a year later in the exact same round, Ginny didn't show even half the classiness Evert shows here.
At the time in 77 - this was a major upset on paper. Chris was had won 2 of the last 3 Wimbledon's and would win her 3rd straight US Open title 2 months later. But Wade had the crowd behind her and and really wanted this title. Chris looked out of sorts to me.
I always knew Wade had the game to win here. Watched her struggle in previous years, mostly with her nerves. This was a brand new Virginia - cool, calm, collected. Played with purpose.
@@tomloft2000 Ironically Wade did not lose to Evert at Wimbledon until 78, the year after this. This was their first ever meeting at Wimbledon. And of course 78 and beyond Wade was never going to be winning Wimbledon anyway, too old.
@@hardsam68 Yes and I question if she would have won if she played one. She was not as sharp in the finals vs Stove as her semi final win over Evert, or most of her matcheas at this Wimbledon. I think she really felt the pressure. Finals pressure is something else, and while Wade did win 2 other slam finals, including a US Open final over King, a Wimbledon final is also another pressure altogether for her. I think she was probably lucky she did not play Evert, Goolagong, or even maybe an aging./back from retirement King or young Navratilova in the actual finals, despite beating Evert in the semis.
It was the 100th anniversary of Wimbledon, and Virginia, at 32, had still never won that event. Along with the symbolism, she knew that it was now or never.
that's because these commentators are ACTUAL TENNIS EXPERTS AND HISTORIANS not the loud mouth constant talking thinking it's about them commentators on u.s. tennis... these commentators both british know when to talk when not to, can actually analyze the game and know it's the match isn't about them... most of the time i actually turn down the volume when i match a match on u.s. tv..
Topspin defensive forehand from Wade, who knew?! Was only 14 at the time and didn't even know topspin existed. Great match and happy memories from a bygone era.
This match must have stung a lot. Evert closed out the next 16 matches of their rivalry with a loss of three sets. I miss hearing Wade do commentary, always classy and insightful.
seto749 I can see why Chris is still annoyed. She’s way to calm,she’s not up for this match . Winning the second set came from pride . At 2-1 in third Chris really went through the motions . I really think Chris thought that once she wo the second set Wade would fall apart and decided just to be a retriever instead of being a creater. Wades play shocked her and instead of being on fire she slept waiting for Virginia to fold . Weaseling deserves this win. Evert had won everything in 77 except this match . I believe this loss spooked evert into believing centre court was not her court. She lost the next 3 finals and made the same mistake 78- waiting for martina to fold . In 79 she was in fear of Martina and was down 5-2 in both sets ( pride kicked in but at 4-5 serving in both sets played 2 lousy points to lose both sets . In 80 she ran into an inspired artist in Evonne . Had evert up 2-1 not miss that forehand up the line for a pass in that second set tie breAk she would’ve had a strong chance to win . After losing that point in the tiebreak she made a slew of errors. She had beaten Martina in the semi finals and was so relieved that I don’t think she had enough nervous energy to get up for this match against the player that she had such a winning record against I think she just took her for granted. A rookie mistake. Ever rarely ever need these kind of mistakes in her career there were just a few isolated momentsMoments in her career where she was human l.
@@lenwelch2195 That's an interesting theory. Then again, Ms Wade had such history of fizzing out in winnable quarters and semis (especially 1974) that it would seem to be the book play. Allowing for the difference in sports, Ms Evert makes me think of Mr Nicklaus, with his buckets of seconds and thirds to go along with his major wins. Having always been in the semis or better at majors may have been making the last two rounds a little trickier for her by the late seventies. Some year on Middle Sunday, perhaps, there ought to be a four-way conversation with Chrissie, Martina, Rafa and Roger, comparing and contrasting their times and matches. Just how they'd compare Steffi to Novak would be fascinating in and of itself.
This is the first time I’ve watched the match beginning to end and I have to say that wade outplayed evert period. ChriS was up 40-15 countless times but wade fought back with winners and bold shot making. I’ve never seen wade play so well a shock sure for evert at the time. ChriS walked on the court as if she believed wade would just hand her the match with tons of errors. Evert had had the ordeal of playing Austin for first time and then beat king for first time on grass 6-1,6-2. ChriS was flat here but that was because wade pinned her into three corners making every swipe at the
"believed Wade would just hand her the math with tons of errors". Well considering that is what Wade normally did when she played Court, King, Goolagong, or Evert, that made total sense to expect.
cory major I see your point but we all know and have experienced any one on any given day can play great or really lousy . Even I read tennis magazine that year and the article talked about Virginia practicing hard with anew routine and was getting fit as determined . Cardinal sin in tennis is to underestimate your opponent. Chris made that mistake against Evonne in 80 W final after beating Martina. Evonne had beaten Austin in sf ( the very player that sent Chris on a sabbatical for 4 months , So Chris should’ve been ready to play an energized final . Instead the Lloyds were up late the night before celebrating her win over Martina . Evonne had a habit of reaching finals because she wanted to play the next match but once in a final she usually didn’t want it as badly as king , Evert . Not until theW final of 84 did Chris play her best at W .
irrelevant 'facts' that she had an 'ordeal' about beating Austin and King, really desperately clasping at straws Len, if anything she needed the exercise, not good using cyrptic language to try and disguise the fact your seem to be so annoyed that Virginia won
I finally got to see this match !! Stove beat Martina in the quarters. and Barker, Stove was so underrated but Wade was able to take her down in the final. Stove beat Martina in her prime a few years later at Eastbourne too so she was no slouch, Evert played well but Wade had the game better suited for grass , Her volleys were amazing!!.
Chris has said if there's one match she would like to have back, it was this one, and I would agree. Along with Wimbledon 80 against Goolagong. If Chris had one these two Wimbledon's, and the three French Open's that she skipped for world team tennis, she should have in the neighborhood of 23 to 25 majors. No doubt about that.
the visual quality of the Wimbledon matches (even from the 70s) is so much better than other broadcasts! are the other networks like CBS or NBC holding superior broadcasts in a vault somewhere? whatever, i'm really enjoying seeing these matches again, including many foreign-language matches that i've never seen before.
One of the reasons was we used 625 lines of resolution as well as the PAL colour system which produced more natural colours than NTSC (never twice the same colour ! ) that the Americans used.
Time was running out for Virginia and she knew it. Got fit and some coaching to be in the best shape for Wimbledon. This was by far one of the -best matches on the tournament. Overall Chris's record against Virginia was miles better, but on a few occasions she did manage a win. On grass Chris needed to be at her best, but this time Virginia's determination got her the win. In some respects it was similar to 1969 were Anne Jones beat Margaret Court and then BJK to win. Anne and Virginia had hit the big 30's so time wasn't on their side.
The quality of this video is amazing! That NOT UP call early in the 3rd set was interesting. Today's player's would have NEVER admitted, like Evert did, that the ball bounced twice. I'm not sure why Evert just didn't give the point up, though, if she knew it bounced twice.
I had forgotten how beautiful virginia was! A true beauty in the raw state! What a look! his game appears to be that of a beginner ... it's curious and so effective !!!
Ginny picked up on t.he fact that Chris’s backhand cross court pass was off and hit 2,3 to forehand and then approached the net on Chris’s backhand. Usually that’s the favorite passing side Evert loved to pass the net rushers. Everts feel and mobility was below her standard while Virginia played best quality match of her career.
VW had the most natural service motion of anyone I've watched. Aesthetically pleasing and effective. I admire her fidelity to Dunlop through the decades.
@@franciscodeoliveira7935 I was thinking more about her game than her looks :-0 Virginia played an all court game with a topspin forehand and a Dunlop racquet. Amelie also won her slams with Dunlop before switching to Head later in her career.
VW's movement kind of reminds me of Roger Federer (on slice return for instance)... great match AND great video quality It's funny how players kept two balls in their hand for the serve... unimaginable nowadays
Ginny served really well and looked confident. And she could play all the shots - especially heavily sliced backhand which kept low. She deserved this win and it also showed she thought about the points and could be the best. She was a top 10 player for quite a long time - people forget that because she continued to play for a long time. Our best player until Emma
I so enjoyed watching this match. Chris Evert fan but loved seeing Virginia win Wimbledon. Would love to see Wimbledon match of Tracy Austin vs King - when King won if anyone has it.
In her book, Chris says post-match press conference, the relentless questioning about her performance finally took its toll. Afterwards she excused herself to a stairwell to cry her eyes out. The pressures during the Fortnight from the build up of the Austin match to playing well below par against Wade all came crashing down. After crying to let out the steam, a custodian in the stairwell witnessed her at her most vulnerable. Chris admitted she also let the overly partisan crowd get to her. She was human, but people weren't sympathetic.
Considering it's a British crowd I think they were relatively fair actually - I disagree with Evert here. Whenever Chris plays a great point the crowds supports her. She just didn't hit many outstanding shots. She certainly got more support than Djokovic gets when playing Federer at Wimbledon or the US Open.
@@johndillani5552 Wimbledon crowds usually try to support both players if they're playing good tennis, even today. I was there on Centre Court last year and that was still the case, although the crowds are a lot more noisy these days, which I don't like much.
Boggles my mind how they can upload GOOD quality footage from 1977, but the 2005 final is grainy and just altogether not perfect. What's your excuse Wimbledon?
Can tell t.hat Chris isn’t even warmed up walking to the court after 4-1 she didn’t know it was her serve. She doesn’t seem to want to run, she not worked up a sweat even.
The picture quality is so good you'd be able to recognise individual people in the crowd behind the players. Also, it's interesting how the umpire doesn't call "time" during the breaks. The players just sort of guess when it's 2 minutes themselves. Another thing is there seems to be a lot of standing room for spectators, which doesn't exist now.
@@user-xg7vl7qu5h a Evert one, even she lost, is better than no at all, given they mostly shown current players or someone well known to causal tennis fans
Virginia played a fantastic match. She looked very concentrated and didn't let the occasional "bad play" stop her. Her movement was exceptional. A deserved victory. (She also won the US Open in 1968).
Obviously the standard and pace of the game has moved on immeasurably since those days but it was still really entertaining to watch nevertheless and considering the film is nearly fifty years old the picture quality is amazing, I almost felt like I was back in 1977 sat in front of my TV set.
I love the Becker v Agassi 1995 semi (not the 1992 one currently shown). That moment at 4-1 down when an ageing Becker looks depressed and beaten. he then comes out and breaks Agassi from the back, raising his hands and goes on to win the match mainly from the back of the court. A real gladiator 'win the crowd' moment from Boris !
Chris never wore gold again. Lol Virginia plays so well here, never seen her so focused. She deserved to win for sure. Happy that she was able to ignore the evert aura after losing the second set.
No looking to the box, just taking responsibility for one's game. I also thought it interesting how photographers were allowed to come on the sidelines right after the match.
Most players from that era with wood racquets came under the ball on the forehand. In contrast, Wade had an extremely modern looking topspin forehand and semi open stance with a wood racquet.
She sure did! I was a linesman for one of her matches almost 10 years later, after she switched to graphite. She had a much improved forehand (topspin for passing shots) and serve. She hit the ball a ton!
My immediate reaction: "slow motion", compared to today's game. Also noticed: V. Wade holding 2 balls while tossing one for the first serve!! No one does this anymore...
It's slow motion cause these ladies were playing with 2 lb wooden racquets and gut strings. today's players are pampered. the racquet used today generates more power while the poly strings produce the heavy spin.
Wade probably playing the best match of her life, but really strange, flat performance by Evert. She seemed be very lethargic through most of the match.
from what i have read, the toll of being the overwhelming favorite to win the title, the fact that she had to encounter her clone Austin for the first time and all the media hype about that, then having to playing King and beat her for the first time on grass ever, then playing a opponent she had a huge winning head to head record over that being Wade, all combined to have her mentally spent and flat? That is what Evert supposedly has gone on record stating. Of course we all think it would have should have made her even more eager and match tough, surely evert had to know if she had beaten wade, she would OF COURSE have beaten either of the other 2 semifinalists that being Stove and Barker... so one would think it would have made her even more hungry for title #3?..guess this truly shows how mental a game like tennis can be and in regards to evert and her great mental ability is human sometimes too...
She bull-dozed King in the prior round. I mean, she literally, stomped her - on grass. Evert was definitely mentally flat in this match. Wade took advantage.
Evert wrote in her book she was emotionally spent by the time this match began. The Austin and King matches took their toll. I know it sounds like an excuse, but Evert is a player wired by her mental toughness. She said after this loss she was in a blue funk and didn't leave her hotel room for days.
Chris just wasn't there mentally that day. Ginny played great, but a focused Chris should've taken this match. I believe I read that after this match, Chris didn't leave her hotel room for three days and ate junk food from room service the entire time.
I’m noting that women in tennis prior to the 90’s were killer players with natural bodies, normal arms, etc and yet they (shocker!) excelled ... now they all look like truck drivers. No mystery there.
Samir D artificially evolved, as a result of doping. My dear dad, rest his soul, was a coach in AZ, USA. He was able to pinpoint the exact summer when they suddenly showed up with different bodies, dramatically altered eating habits, and radically improved athletic abilities, from the previous summer. That’s why the game has evolved the way it has, with respect. I think it’s sad. I know I’m in the minority but there it is. Oh well.
@@ns2110theonly Remember when the drug testers unexpectedly knocked on Serena Williams' door and she fled in panic to her "panic room" and wouldn't come out to be tested?
@@db200508 I'd rather watch the beautiful, attacking all-court tennis of Virginia Wade over today's one-dimensional, grinding, baseline bores anyday of the week.
Anyone can elaborate on Virgina's forehand grip? For a player who won the US championships in 1968 and Australian championships in 1972, she seems to be using a grip more associated with today's tennis than decades ago with a wood racquet. A semi western grip? She is coming over the ball with topspin, as opposed to getting under it like Evert. I hardly see any players back then hit inside out forehands like at 1:14:19
Chris Evert said recently that if she had the chance to play any match again from her entire career, it would be this one. I think even now, she's still very disappointed by her performance in this match and really felt she should have won it.
Evert lost 4 games up 40-15. She missed that first backhand pass, a regular winner on any other day. I think evert look the court too relaxed thinking she’d never lose to Virginia and having Barker or Stove in the final. Wade played so well without the regular two unforced errors when playing Chris per game. Evert hit very short thinking Wade couldn’t hurt her. Losing her serve then that very long game with 6 break points , evert hit 4 out of the six break points making loose errors. Evert go5 her unforced errors down in the second but in the first set chris lobbed poorly on almost every backhand. Rare to see her best stroke desert her. Building that lead in first set won this match for wade, she figured if she was ever going to beat evert here it was this day. She trained hard for 6 months and was in the right frame of mind but if one told her she’d win 6-2 in 38 minutes when the third game ( only game that would’ve put Evert in a winning mode ) ate away from Everts confidence and her backhand deserted her. Wades excellent play completely threw Evert who didn’t come in this match prepared fora fight. She certainly didn’t focus on the lengh5 of her ball. Evert won the second set due to Wade realizing she had a chance to win. In third set the crowd spurred Wade on . Evert wasn’t used to crowd applauding even Evets errors, during bicentennial Wimbledon celebration of 100 year old tournament. She beat Tracy for first time which wore on her nerves then beat King in one of her best quality matches of the year, any year. I feel she had this win in her mind before she took the court overconfident. 8n third set a no call of a double bounce left Evert the one telling the umpire as Wade came to net pleading with Evert to give the point away. It was the umpires call and he never made one. After this Chris checked out. I hear she destroyed her hotel room not leaving so depressed. When lookin* back one can see the far reaching effect losing this match had on Evett. She won the open so many times pissed about barely losing some finals. The 75 Sf up 3-0 40-15 when connors showed up in friends box with Susan George when previous night they called their relationship captured. Connors lost to Ashe fittingly so the arrogant jerk. Chris heard about the match on the plane hea back to the states. After Chris had that lead over king she won 6 points 😢feeling about grass with its low bounces are away from her confidence, only it upset her so. The 78,7’,80 f8nal were three of the worst finals Evert ever played especially the 79 final when once again she wasn’t warmed up missing routine backhands. People expected her to win since she beat Martina at Eastborne 13-11 in third set. Then she beat Austin in Bergen the tournament before open in her Worst final ever hitting off her back foot, believing Tracy would be nervous. Why ? Austin brok hey stReak in may 79. Playing steady just gave Tracy the perfect ball in her strike zone and lo 4 more times before she took a break and refund her love for the game.She figured out if Tracy was in position she could any where on the court so she became unpredictable and killed Austin 4-0 down to 4-6,6-1,6-1, and Tracy never threatened Chris in year end rankings. . If Tracy had reached her seeding she would’ve played Austin not shrivershriver on grass had weapons just like king did in 82 ( if Austin had won she would’ve played and been clocked by Evert who by 82 could play well on grass. . Tracy lost to Hana at French and open by similar scores. Once again if she had won would’ve played Evert. On grass Tracy was a fish out of water. Even if Chris was at 80 percent ( she’s to percent here) Wade would’ve won , she played her finest tennis here. I’m I was shocked at the time and had to wait until last year to see it. . Now it explains why Chris didn’t feel center court was her court. and this loss affected Chris through 82. By then Martina was unbeatable. Every shot on grass highlighted Navratilova style of play. Evert played a fine W final 84,85.. everts Sf losses to Martina 87,88 contained Everts more all court game and wise shot selection for grass. . As Martina shined in grass Evert beat top form Martina 85,86 French. Evert won 4/5 x they played on clay 85-88. For a 94.8 percent won lost record. . 1973-1981 Chris lost 2 clay court matches out of 189 matches. She lost only 22x mostly toward end of her career after 32-35. She retired one month shy of her 35 bday playing Fed cup winning all 5 matches. Virginia is too great a player to have won W once , and Evonne just twice. Evert had the bad lunch at W playing opponents when they played their finest match against her. . Only final Chris won when her opponent was at her zenith was 76 W. The 74,81 were gifts. Hana couldn’t hit side of a barn she was too nervous in 81. I wonder if this match had it been the final she would’ve played as well.. she lost opening set to Stove . Evert would’ve gotten her had this been a final. . Kudos to Wade. . She won the first open Us open. In in 68 vs king in straight sets. Wade didn’t make Sf at open after winning it in sixty-eight.
This was so fantastic to watch and a joy to behold. Dan Maskell only saying something OCCASIONALLY unlike the persistant rabbiting on about total irrelevances which today's commentators are completely obsessed with doing. The silence when watching the ralies, and beyond, was just beautiful.
John Mcenroe, take note.
And Andrew Castle to name but two.....
the absolute worst of all time had to be big mouth Bud Collins who never shut up during points
Always preferred BBC commentary. It’s the absolute best.
😊
Greatest win of her career.
At the time, Chrissie wasn’t popular at Wimbledon. She was known as the Ice Maiden. It should be noted that, on match point, she decided that her own shot was out, and notice how she ruffles Virginia’s hair as they shake hands at the net.
Sheer class in defeat.
@@martinpascoe5904 disappointment experienced alone shows respect to all those who cared to watch the match.
Not really she hated losing, that’s on record, she just wanted to look good in front of the Wimbledon crowd
@@lenwelch2195 whatever Len
no she just like her hair thats all
New balls please!
Chris looks phenomenal here. What a babe.
22 years old.
OMG FINALLY! Ive been waiting YEARS AND YEARS to see this!!!! and the QUALITY of the video!
Virginia wade is now an Excellent Commentator!!!❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
no grunting, no scream... sah, what a pleasure !!
Men grunt just as much as the women.
no use of the towel after every single point, no 20, 30 seconds between points, no carrying their entire life in a bag onto the court, no bathroom breaks of 10 minutes when they just happen to be losing, no constant looking at their coaches and friends when they are losing or think their playing badly, and on and on.. and of course these players WERE giving it their all physically as well...
tom schmitz these players were not playing nearly as physical as they play today. This is basically the equivalent of club tennis. They look like rookies compared to the players of today.
@@db200508 Except they were better to watch than today's one-dimensional baseline grinders.
@@tomschmitz5745 true! But they also play with 10% speed and power than today. So slow! no offense!
Let's not forget the wonderful Dan Maskell-wish he was commentating today such reticence and not continuous chat!!
sedekiman r Oh I say, what a peach of a comment!
lol loudmouth bud collins never shuts up aboit Chris Evert
Loose Women now and that’s just the men
I still remember watching this live, that balmy summer evening in London when "Our Ginny" finally made it to the final. The air was crackling, and the rest of course, is history.....
Wednesday 29th June 1977 according to BBC Genome.
@@ajs41 Sounds about right. Back in those days the Women's final was played on the Friday.
@@ajs41 really cold June contrasting with 76 but the last couple of days were summery
Impeccable quality !
When Virginia Wade was at her best she was a superb player, and played the kind of all-court, attacking tennis that's nowhere to be seen now in the age of one-dimensional, baseline grinders.
Thanks. Evert said this is one loss that still bothers her to this day. Cheers.
It's so cute how they tap the ball, and no screaming😊
It could be that they're hitting the ball almost as hard as players do today, but the wooden racquets and old-fashioned strings slow it down a lot. Also some points are pretty fast: for example at 1:42:12.
small wooden racquets - much more difficult to belt the ball like they do now
Excellent match by both players! Love both these great champions! Excellent win here for Ginny!
Classy in defeat, that's the signature sign of Evert. She even pats Ginny on the head at the net.
When Evert revenged the loss a year later in the exact same round, Ginny didn't show even half the classiness Evert shows here.
Another interesting archive match. Wimbledon channel are having a good week :-)
My parents flew to London for this match. They met Virginia Wade there. And, of course, ate the strawberries.
At the time in 77 - this was a major upset on paper. Chris was had won 2 of the last 3 Wimbledon's and would win her 3rd straight US Open title 2 months later. But Wade had the crowd behind her and and really wanted this title. Chris looked out of sorts to me.
Wade had one hell of a serve on her.
I know and those were wooden racquets.
So nice to see this match in full. Virginia really played well that day and fully deserved to win the match. Loved watching this.
I always knew Wade had the game to win here. Watched her struggle in previous years, mostly with her nerves. This was a brand new Virginia - cool, calm, collected. Played with purpose.
And a brand new, sassy, classy hairstyle too. She looked great.
she had the same problem a lot of other players had.people named King,Court,Goolagong and...Evert.
@@tomloft2000 Ironically Wade did not lose to Evert at Wimbledon until 78, the year after this. This was their first ever meeting at Wimbledon. And of course 78 and beyond Wade was never going to be winning Wimbledon anyway, too old.
@@grantgoffin4774 she also avoided a big name player in the finals
@@hardsam68 Yes and I question if she would have won if she played one. She was not as sharp in the finals vs Stove as her semi final win over Evert, or most of her matcheas at this Wimbledon. I think she really felt the pressure. Finals pressure is something else, and while Wade did win 2 other slam finals, including a US Open final over King, a Wimbledon final is also another pressure altogether for her. I think she was probably lucky she did not play Evert, Goolagong, or even maybe an aging./back from retirement King or young Navratilova in the actual finals, despite beating Evert in the semis.
Virginia Wade was possessed ! ....... She played so well
It was the 100th anniversary of Wimbledon, and Virginia, at 32, had still never won that event. Along with the symbolism, she knew that it was now or never.
Not with Bobby Riggs she didn’t.
@@kanagawayarichin she didn’t play Bobby Riggs- margaret court lost to him
I like the commentators a lot. Just on the tennis and very analytical, technical. No bullshit magazine. I always like hearing bbc.
that's because these commentators are ACTUAL TENNIS EXPERTS AND HISTORIANS not the loud mouth constant talking thinking it's about them commentators on u.s. tennis... these commentators both british know when to talk when not to, can actually analyze the game and know it's the match isn't about them... most of the time i actually turn down the volume when i match a match on u.s. tv..
Torn is so right
the great dan maskell
Topspin defensive forehand from Wade, who knew?! Was only 14 at the time and didn't even know topspin existed. Great match and happy memories from a bygone era.
The quality is incredible
I don’t mind admitting that I always had a bit of a thing for Chris Evert.
This match must have stung a lot. Evert closed out the next 16 matches of their rivalry with a loss of three sets. I miss hearing Wade do commentary, always classy and insightful.
Yes, Ms Evert still sounds annoyed with herself by this match, not quite reconciled to how at least it ended up as part of a charming bit of history.
seto749 I can see why Chris is still annoyed. She’s way to calm,she’s not up for this match . Winning the second set came from pride . At 2-1 in third Chris really went through the motions . I really think Chris thought that once she wo the second set Wade would fall apart and decided just to be a retriever instead of being a creater. Wades play shocked her and instead of being on fire she slept waiting for Virginia to fold . Weaseling deserves this win. Evert had won everything in 77 except this match . I believe this loss spooked evert into believing centre court was not her court. She lost the next 3 finals and made the same mistake 78- waiting for martina to fold . In 79 she was in fear of Martina and was down 5-2 in both sets ( pride kicked in but at 4-5 serving in both sets played 2 lousy points to lose both sets . In 80 she ran into an inspired artist in Evonne . Had evert up 2-1 not miss that forehand up the line for a pass in that second set tie breAk she would’ve had a strong chance to win . After losing that point in the tiebreak she made a slew of errors. She had beaten Martina in the semi finals and was so relieved that I don’t think she had enough nervous energy to get up for this match against the player that she had such a winning record against I think she just took her for granted. A rookie mistake. Ever rarely ever need these kind of mistakes in her career there were just a few isolated momentsMoments in her career where she was human l.
@@lenwelch2195 That's an interesting theory. Then again, Ms Wade had such history of fizzing out in winnable quarters and semis (especially 1974) that it would seem to be the book play.
Allowing for the difference in sports, Ms Evert makes me think of Mr Nicklaus, with his buckets of seconds and thirds to go along with his major wins. Having always been in the semis or better at majors may have been making the last two rounds a little trickier for her by the late seventies.
Some year on Middle Sunday, perhaps, there ought to be a four-way conversation with Chrissie, Martina, Rafa and Roger, comparing and contrasting their times and matches. Just how they'd compare Steffi to Novak would be fascinating in and of itself.
Virginia Wade was several years older than Chris Evert so that basically stifles your theory m8
@@hardsam68 what? Wade being older proves what ?
And I kinda like Virginia Wade commentating, this is how tennis commentators should be.
LOVE LOVE wade's commentating... always have...
And Anne Jones... Both good commentators. Articulate and fair.
So glad this match is on youtubeone of Virginia's best victories
I agree. Virginia is one of the all-time great commentators. Mary Carillo should listen, and learn.
This is the first time I’ve watched the match beginning to end and I have to say that wade outplayed evert period. ChriS was up 40-15 countless times but wade fought back with winners and bold shot making. I’ve never seen wade play so well a shock sure for evert at the time. ChriS walked on the court as if she believed wade would just hand her the match with tons of errors. Evert had had the ordeal of playing Austin for first time and then beat king for first time on grass 6-1,6-2. ChriS was flat here but that was because wade pinned her into three corners making every swipe at the
"believed Wade would just hand her the math with tons of errors". Well considering that is what Wade normally did when she played Court, King, Goolagong, or Evert, that made total sense to expect.
cory major I see your point but we all know and have experienced any one on any given day can play great or really lousy . Even I read tennis magazine that year and the article talked about Virginia practicing hard with anew routine and was getting fit as determined . Cardinal sin in tennis is to underestimate your opponent. Chris made that mistake against Evonne in 80 W final after beating Martina. Evonne had beaten Austin in sf ( the very player that sent Chris on a sabbatical for 4 months , So Chris should’ve been ready to play an energized final . Instead the Lloyds were up late the night before celebrating her win over Martina . Evonne had a habit of reaching finals because she wanted to play the next match but once in a final she usually didn’t want it as badly as king , Evert . Not until theW final of 84 did Chris play her best at W .
@@rolandgreen7484 yes she also said more than once it was boring when she was dominating etc
more BS excuses
irrelevant 'facts' that she had an 'ordeal' about beating Austin and King, really desperately clasping at straws Len, if anything she needed the exercise, not good using cyrptic language to try and disguise the fact your seem to be so annoyed that Virginia won
My mom once watched Chris Evert's match,when she was young.Evert was one of her favorite players.
My mom too always loved her, she even had a "Miss Chris" wooden racket.
Shirley Fry such a splendid speaking commentator along with Dan Maskell.
actually it was former from the 1950's british player shirley bloomer (married name brasher)...
It couldn't be Shirley Fry because she was American and this commentator is very British.
Dan Maskell an icon if ever there was one
I remember this match good stuff and Jubilee Year for our Queen 👍🎾
gimme some of that Robinson's Barley Water!
We still drink it!
no grunting, no blowing the fingers before every point, no bouncing, no fist pumps - what happened to this women's tennis?
Great standard of tennis.........
I finally got to see this match !! Stove beat Martina in the quarters. and Barker, Stove was so underrated but Wade was able to take her down in the final. Stove beat Martina in her prime a few years later at Eastbourne too so she was no slouch, Evert played well but Wade had the game better suited for grass , Her volleys were amazing!!.
Chris has said if there's one match she would like to have back, it was this one, and I would agree. Along with Wimbledon 80 against Goolagong. If Chris had one these two Wimbledon's, and the three French Open's that she skipped for world team tennis, she should have in the neighborhood of 23 to 25 majors. No doubt about that.
Dream
On
the visual quality of the Wimbledon matches (even from the 70s) is so much better than other broadcasts! are the other networks like CBS or NBC holding superior
broadcasts in a vault somewhere? whatever, i'm really enjoying seeing these matches again, including many foreign-language matches that i've never seen before.
One of the reasons was we used 625 lines of resolution as well as the PAL colour system which produced more natural colours than NTSC (never twice the same colour ! ) that the Americans used.
There are some Wimbledon matches from the early 1970s which are almost as good quality as this.
DAME Virginia .....
Time was running out for Virginia and she knew it. Got fit and some coaching to be in the best shape for Wimbledon. This was by far one of the -best matches on the tournament. Overall Chris's record against Virginia was miles better, but on a few occasions she did manage a win. On grass Chris needed to be at her best, but this time Virginia's determination got her the win. In some respects it was similar to 1969 were Anne Jones beat Margaret Court and then BJK to win. Anne and Virginia had hit the big 30's so time wasn't on their side.
I’d say it was her great play and winners that won her the match, your observation reeks of sour grapes lolzys
The quality of this video is amazing!
That NOT UP call early in the 3rd set was interesting. Today's player's would have NEVER admitted, like Evert did, that the ball bounced twice. I'm not sure why Evert just didn't give the point up, though, if she knew it bounced twice.
She might not have known herself, she was at maximum stretch at the moment it might have touched the ground.
self-taught here and i copied ginny's backhandslice and got more aggressive when i mimicked steffi's backhandslice.. i looove it❣💖
I had forgotten how beautiful virginia was! A true beauty in the raw state! What a look! his game appears to be that of a beginner ... it's curious and so effective !!!
@John David She looked fantastically glamorous with that new hairstyle.
Sorry I’m late, making sandwiches and a flask of tea. Got my new Kodak 110 wound on and three flashbulbs!
Lolol classic! I’ll go dust off my dad‘s Brownie 127 for the next live feed.
@@ns2110theonly - Lovely comment.
Ginny picked up on t.he fact that Chris’s backhand cross court pass was off and hit 2,3 to forehand and then approached the net on Chris’s backhand. Usually that’s the favorite passing side Evert loved to pass the net rushers. Everts feel and mobility was below her standard while Virginia played best quality match of her career.
Such foxy ladies 💙
Another great Wade-Evert match to watch is their 1980 Wightman Cup played at Royal Albert Hall.
Went 3 sets, Ginny had two match points.....
Nice glittering dress from Sarah Virginia!
And really cute ruffled panties! :D
Chris Evert - Oh matron!
VW had the most natural service motion of anyone I've watched. Aesthetically pleasing and effective. I admire her fidelity to Dunlop through the decades.
love to see bjorn borg.
The video quality is too good for 1977! Is it digitally refined?
Watching Virginia here she kind of reminds me of Amelie Mauresmo.
Burns tennis, Virginia Wade remembers me another French player Virginie Razzano
@@franciscodeoliveira7935 I was thinking more about her game than her looks :-0 Virginia played an all court game with a topspin forehand and a Dunlop racquet. Amelie also won her slams with Dunlop before switching to Head later in her career.
VW's movement kind of reminds me of Roger Federer (on slice return for instance)... great match AND great video quality
It's funny how players kept two balls in their hand for the serve... unimaginable nowadays
I don't see the latter at 7:00 in knickers courtesy of Gorgeous Gussie.
Ginny served really well and looked confident. And she could play all the shots - especially heavily sliced backhand which kept low. She deserved this win and it also showed she thought about the points and could be the best. She was a top 10 player for quite a long time - people forget that because she continued to play for a long time. Our best player until Emma
Still one of the biggest upsets in history
I so enjoyed watching this match. Chris Evert fan but loved seeing Virginia win Wimbledon. Would love to see Wimbledon match of Tracy Austin vs King - when King won if anyone has it.
I would also,like to see the one with king and Austin where Austin won, and the 1978 dramatic semi final Martina v Evonne
In her book, Chris says post-match press conference, the relentless questioning about her performance finally took its toll. Afterwards she excused herself to a stairwell to cry her eyes out.
The pressures during the Fortnight from the build up of the Austin match to playing well below par against Wade all came crashing down. After crying to let out the steam, a custodian in the stairwell witnessed her at her most vulnerable.
Chris admitted she also let the overly partisan crowd get to her. She was human, but people weren't sympathetic.
Considering it's a British crowd I think they were relatively fair actually - I disagree with Evert here. Whenever Chris plays a great point the crowds supports her. She just didn't hit many outstanding shots. She certainly got more support than Djokovic gets when playing Federer at Wimbledon or the US Open.
@@johndillani5552 Wimbledon crowds usually try to support both players if they're playing good tennis, even today. I was there on Centre Court last year and that was still the case, although the crowds are a lot more noisy these days, which I don't like much.
Love Chrissie ruffling Virginia's hair at the end... I hope she didn't want to push her face into the court!
Boggles my mind how they can upload GOOD quality footage from 1977, but the 2005 final is grainy and just altogether not perfect. What's your excuse Wimbledon?
Interesting question.
Can tell t.hat Chris isn’t even warmed up walking to the court after 4-1 she didn’t know it was her serve. She doesn’t seem to want to run, she not worked up a sweat even.
Crowds much better behaved in those days
My god even the police were applauding miss wade
The picture quality is so good you'd be able to recognise individual people in the crowd behind the players. Also, it's interesting how the umpire doesn't call "time" during the breaks. The players just sort of guess when it's 2 minutes themselves. Another thing is there seems to be a lot of standing room for spectators, which doesn't exist now.
Finally, a Chris Evert ones
No, Virginia Weid wins, and final, too.
@@user-xg7vl7qu5h a Evert one, even she lost, is better than no at all, given they mostly shown current players or someone well known to causal tennis fans
For real. I mean she "only" got to 10 Wimbledon Finals! She really got no respect at Wimbledon. Shameful.
Awesome picture quailty!
Virginia played a fantastic match. She looked very concentrated and didn't let the occasional "bad play" stop her. Her movement was exceptional. A deserved victory. (She also won the US Open in 1968).
1987 Evert-Navratilova semifinal please
88 Wimbledon semi btw them is even BETTER !
@@shihlin1 ahh yes, the bad call on match point.
The rally at 1.49 is a gem; and the British public willing Wade to win, who finally fulfilled her promise in her homeland after winning GS abroads.
Obviously the standard and pace of the game has moved on immeasurably since those days but it was still really entertaining to watch nevertheless and considering the film is nearly fifty years old the picture quality is amazing, I almost felt like I was back in 1977 sat in front of my TV set.
No grunting. Good old times.
How would someone grunt by playing like this?
@@gyimaaboateng806 ruclips.net/video/thdHlruptUU/видео.html
Let´s hope for some classic men´s matches, too. My picks would be Connors-McEnroe 1977, Borg-Connors 1981, and Edberg-Stich 1991.
And PS I I think Conners McEnroe 77 is already here.
I’m hoping for Borg gerulaitis
@@patrickkelly9110 It's available on DVD.
I love the Becker v Agassi 1995 semi (not the 1992 one currently shown). That moment at 4-1 down when an ageing Becker looks depressed and beaten. he then comes out and breaks Agassi from the back, raising his hands and goes on to win the match mainly from the back of the court. A real gladiator 'win the crowd' moment from Boris !
Me too
Tennis in “slow motion” compared to today’s tennis game, but, more entertaining for sure. 👍🏼🎾🎾🎾
It's slow because they were playing with 2 lb wooden racquets and gut strings.
Then, it was tennis played intelligently, rather than the boring grunt, slam, point crap it's become...in my opinion.
Forgot to say Happy Birthday to SV Wade!
Would like to see the final against Big Bad Betty Stove.
preciousjey its on here somewhere.....however it was a terrible, nervy and scrappy match that Virginia scraped through.
This match was far better.
1975 Semifinal Evert v King please
1982 SF is better
evert Navratilova 1980 please
Chris never wore gold again. Lol Virginia plays so well here, never seen her so focused. She deserved to win for sure. Happy that she was able to ignore the evert aura after losing the second set.
No looking to the box, just taking responsibility for one's game.
I also thought it interesting how photographers were allowed to come on the sidelines right after the match.
Look at the wooden bats they used back then.
Also the actual size of the racquets seems to be much smaller than today. You'd think they would have always had a standard size.
Never really analyzed how evert played, she's got a squash forehand!
Most players from that era with wood racquets came under the ball on the forehand. In contrast, Wade had an extremely modern looking topspin forehand and semi open stance with a wood racquet.
She sure did! I was a linesman for one of her matches almost 10 years later,
after she switched to graphite. She had a much improved forehand (topspin for passing shots) and serve. She hit the ball a ton!
Nice match
Virginia played really well...earned that victory!
Victory for Bobby Riggs
@@kanagawayarichin what?
My immediate reaction: "slow motion", compared to today's game. Also noticed: V. Wade holding 2 balls while tossing one for the first serve!! No one does this anymore...
It's slow motion cause these ladies were playing with 2 lb wooden racquets and gut strings. today's players are pampered. the racquet used today generates more power while the poly strings produce the heavy spin.
Wade probably playing the best match of her life, but really strange, flat performance by Evert. She seemed be very lethargic through most of the match.
from what i have read, the toll of being the overwhelming favorite to win the title, the fact that she had to encounter her clone Austin for the first time and all the media hype about that, then having to playing King and beat her for the first time on grass ever, then playing a opponent she had a huge winning head to head record over that being Wade, all combined to have her mentally spent and flat? That is what Evert supposedly has gone on record stating. Of course we all think it would have should have made her even more eager and match tough, surely evert had to know if she had beaten wade, she would OF COURSE have beaten either of the other 2 semifinalists that being Stove and Barker... so one would think it would have made her even more hungry for title #3?..guess this truly shows how mental a game like tennis can be and in regards to evert and her great mental ability is human sometimes too...
She bull-dozed King in the prior round. I mean, she literally, stomped her - on grass. Evert was definitely mentally flat in this match. Wade took advantage.
Evert wrote in her book she was emotionally spent by the time this match began. The Austin and King matches took their toll. I know it sounds like an excuse, but Evert is a player wired by her mental toughness. She said after this loss she was in a blue funk and didn't leave her hotel room for days.
@@martinpascoe5904 that was 1978
Chris just wasn't there mentally that day. Ginny played great, but a focused Chris should've taken this match. I believe I read that after this match, Chris didn't leave her hotel room for three days and ate junk food from room service the entire time.
Good to see a real tennis match without the boom boom and screams of today's women players.
Agree. Also great to see nice tennis outfits without sponsors everywhere, no people calling out between points and not a smart phone to be seen 🍭
Men grunt just as much as the women.
Well, at least Sharapova the druggie is gone. One less grunter.
I’m noting that women in tennis prior to the 90’s were killer players with natural bodies, normal arms, etc and yet they (shocker!) excelled ... now they all look like truck drivers. No mystery there.
That’s because the game was not really physical. This looks like modern day club tennis. These women would get obliterated by the players of today.
Samir D artificially evolved, as a result of doping. My dear dad, rest his soul, was a coach in AZ, USA. He was able to pinpoint the exact summer when they suddenly showed up with different bodies, dramatically altered eating habits, and radically improved athletic abilities, from the previous summer. That’s why the game has evolved the way it has, with respect. I think it’s sad. I know I’m in the minority but there it is. Oh well.
@@ns2110theonly Remember when the drug testers unexpectedly knocked on Serena Williams' door and she fled in panic to her "panic room" and wouldn't come out to be tested?
@@db200508 I'd rather watch the beautiful, attacking all-court tennis of Virginia Wade over today's one-dimensional, grinding, baseline bores anyday of the week.
marty dav ah, the panic room incident! I remember it well! I think many forget that. Sport is about fair, honest play. Period.
Chrissie's worst loss ever. Absolutely unnecessary. As she said about this match: "I just had no guts that day."
ginny really exposed chris' weaknesses especially her forehand..
the press entry at the match end though
Anyone can elaborate on Virgina's forehand grip? For a player who won the US championships in 1968 and Australian championships in 1972, she seems to be using a grip more associated with today's tennis than decades ago with a wood racquet. A semi western grip? She is coming over the ball with topspin, as opposed to getting under it like Evert. I hardly see any players back then hit inside out forehands like at 1:14:19
Borg hit inside out but yea few did
laver played topspin on both forehand and backhand; they were better players than to-day's rubbish
Chris Evert said recently that if she had the chance to play any match again from her entire career, it would be this one. I think even now, she's still very disappointed by her performance in this match and really felt she should have won it.
2 balls in hand during the toss for Wade. Very unusual :-)))))
actually this was the norm before the two-handed backhand.
Evonne also did this
It’s a commonwealth thing.....
Also unusual to see a player asking for a ball in between two serves on the same point.
Wade may have played well, kept her nerve, but also Chris played horribly -- so many unforced errors!
Evert lost 4 games up 40-15. She missed that first backhand pass, a regular winner on any other day. I think evert look the court too relaxed thinking she’d never lose to Virginia and having Barker or Stove in the final. Wade played so well without the regular two unforced errors when playing Chris per game. Evert hit very short thinking Wade couldn’t hurt her. Losing her serve then that very long game with 6 break points , evert hit 4 out of the six break points making loose errors. Evert go5 her unforced errors down in the second but in the first set chris lobbed poorly on almost every backhand. Rare to see her best stroke desert her. Building that lead in first set won this match for wade, she figured if she was ever going to beat evert here it was this day. She trained hard for 6 months and was in the right frame of mind but if one told her she’d win 6-2 in 38 minutes when the third game ( only game that would’ve put Evert in a winning mode ) ate away from Everts confidence and her backhand deserted her. Wades excellent play completely threw Evert who didn’t come in this match prepared fora fight. She certainly didn’t focus on the lengh5 of her ball. Evert won the second set due to Wade realizing she had a chance to win. In third set the crowd spurred Wade on . Evert wasn’t used to crowd applauding even Evets errors, during bicentennial Wimbledon celebration of 100 year old tournament. She beat Tracy for first time which wore on her nerves then beat King in one of her best quality matches of the year, any year. I feel she had this win in her mind before she took the court overconfident. 8n third set a no call of a double bounce left Evert the one telling the umpire as Wade came to net pleading with Evert to give the point away. It was the umpires call and he never made one. After this Chris checked out. I hear she destroyed her hotel room not leaving so depressed. When lookin* back one can see the far reaching effect losing this match had on Evett. She won the open so many times pissed about barely losing some finals. The 75 Sf up 3-0 40-15 when connors showed up in friends box with Susan George when previous night they called their relationship captured. Connors lost to Ashe fittingly so the arrogant jerk. Chris heard about the match on the plane hea back to the states. After Chris had that lead over king she won 6 points 😢feeling about grass with its low bounces are away from her confidence, only it upset her so. The 78,7’,80 f8nal were three of the worst finals Evert ever played especially the 79 final when once again she wasn’t warmed up missing routine backhands. People expected her to win since she beat Martina at Eastborne 13-11 in third set. Then she beat Austin in Bergen the tournament before open in her Worst final ever hitting off her back foot, believing Tracy would be nervous. Why ? Austin brok hey stReak in may 79. Playing steady just gave Tracy the perfect ball in her strike zone and lo 4 more times before she took a break and refund her love for the game.She figured out if Tracy was in position she could any where on the court so she became unpredictable and killed Austin 4-0 down to 4-6,6-1,6-1, and Tracy never threatened Chris in year end rankings. . If Tracy had reached her seeding she would’ve played Austin not shrivershriver on grass had weapons just like king did in 82 ( if Austin had won she would’ve played and been clocked by Evert who by 82 could play well on grass. . Tracy lost to Hana at French and open by similar scores. Once again if she had won would’ve played Evert. On grass Tracy was a fish out of water. Even if Chris was at 80 percent ( she’s to percent here) Wade would’ve won , she played her finest tennis here. I’m I was shocked at the time and had to wait until last year to see it. . Now it explains why Chris didn’t feel center court was her court. and this loss affected Chris through 82. By then Martina was unbeatable. Every shot on grass highlighted Navratilova style of play. Evert played a fine W final 84,85.. everts Sf losses to Martina 87,88 contained Everts more all court game and wise shot selection for grass. . As Martina shined in grass Evert beat top form Martina 85,86 French. Evert won 4/5 x they played on clay 85-88. For a 94.8 percent won lost record. . 1973-1981 Chris lost 2 clay court matches out of 189 matches. She lost only 22x mostly toward end of her career after 32-35. She retired one month shy of her 35 bday playing Fed cup winning all 5 matches. Virginia is too great a player to have won W once , and Evonne just twice. Evert had the bad lunch at W playing opponents when they played their finest match against her. . Only final Chris won when her opponent was at her zenith was 76 W. The 74,81 were gifts. Hana couldn’t hit side of a barn she was too nervous in 81. I wonder if this match had it been the final she would’ve played as well.. she lost opening set to Stove . Evert would’ve gotten her had this been a final. . Kudos to Wade. . She won the first open Us open. In in 68 vs king in straight sets. Wade didn’t make Sf at open after winning it in sixty-eight.
When men were men
And women were women
And both were glad of it!
Chip and charge and Evert’s Beat!
Anyone know who was the commentator along with Dan Maskell?
Shirley Fry
@@selvyization actually it was british former player shirley brasher...maiden last name bloomer. who was a british player of the 1950's...
@@selvyization Shirley Fry was American. This is English Shirley Brasher.
@@michelez715 She's still around in April 2023, at the age of 88.
The days when they used to sit down after ONE game.
How old is Wade here?
31...
31 but about 10 days from her 32nd birthday.
Point at 14:50!
I also would have been curious about Virginia s hair, at the end