Been having this debate for a while with one of my friends. How fast could the fastest tennis player run a mile? I came up with a potential shortlist of the top 3 fastest players. As always feel free to discuss and weigh in your own thoughts on this perennial debate:
1) Gael Monfils: 4:35
2) Alex Zverev: 4:44
3) Novak Djokovic: 4:50
Additionally, how fast do you think the big 3 (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic) could cover a mile. I don't see Nadal breaking 5 and no way Federer breaks 5:20.
Discuss.
The relevant metrics are in the lateral movements and 40y, so like a lines drill
Doubt any tennis player is anywhere near as fast.as.the OPs.guesstimates
This guy Ryan Garcia is a young uprising boxer. He ran 5:13, while always on second lane. And did a first lap in 1:06 meaning he started way too fast.
And he's just at the beginning of his career, so probably not in top shape.
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Federer definitely breaks 5:10.
Lampost wrote:
Been having this debate for a while with one of my friends. How fast could the fastest tennis player run a mile? I came up with a potential shortlist of the top 3 fastest players. As always feel free to discuss and weigh in your own thoughts on this perennial debate:
1) Gael Monfils: 4:35
2) Alex Zverev: 4:44
3) Novak Djokovic: 4:50
Additionally, how fast do you think the big 3 (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic) could cover a mile. I don't see Nadal breaking 5 and no way Federer breaks 5:20.
Discuss.
I don't think Zverev seems like a fast runner but I'm pretty sure all of them do a significant amount of running as part of their conditioning, and they do a ton of interval work so I have to think they have the basic speed. Nadal was an excellent soccer player before he committed to tennis. If he's healthy and fit, I would bet a lot of money that he could break 5. Wouldn't be surprised if he could run 4:40. Monfils is also super fit. I think Djokovic could break 5 too, but Federer is borderline, he's a bit stockier up top so I'll go 5:05.
David S wrote:
Lampost wrote:
Been having this debate for a while with one of my friends. How fast could the fastest tennis player run a mile? I came up with a potential shortlist of the top 3 fastest players. As always feel free to discuss and weigh in your own thoughts on this perennial debate:
1) Gael Monfils: 4:35
2) Alex Zverev: 4:44
3) Novak Djokovic: 4:50
Additionally, how fast do you think the big 3 (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic) could cover a mile. I don't see Nadal breaking 5 and no way Federer breaks 5:20.
Discuss.
I don't think Zverev seems like a fast runner but I'm pretty sure all of them do a significant amount of running as part of their conditioning, and they do a ton of interval work so I have to think they have the basic speed. Nadal was an excellent soccer player before he committed to tennis. If he's healthy and fit, I would bet a lot of money that he could break 5. Wouldn't be surprised if he could run 4:40. Monfils is also super fit. I think Djokovic could break 5 too, but Federer is borderline, he's a bit stockier up top so I'll go 5:05.
I read somewhere a while ago that Federer ran 12 minutes for a 2 mile time trial. Given this information, 5:20-5:25 would probably be a better estimate for him, given that he is likely better at the shorter distances as opposed to the longer ones.
Tennis players need repeat explosive endurance, not mile speed. Monfils is said to have 100m Olympic final speed.
Even tennis "speed" is different from sprint speed. They need reactive movement in response to a specific stimulus.
One of my college roommates, a Chinese American, was a high school tennis player. At the UCLA intramural track meet, he ran 10.9 for 100 off of no track training at all. I'm not sure if that was electronically timed.
Lampost wrote:
Been having this debate for a while with one of my friends. How fast could the fastest tennis player run a mile? I came up with a potential shortlist of the top 3 fastest players. As always feel free to discuss and weigh in your own thoughts on this perennial debate:
1) Gael Monfils: 4:35
2) Alex Zverev: 4:44
3) Novak Djokovic: 4:50
Additionally, how fast do you think the big 3 (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic) could cover a mile. I don't see Nadal breaking 5 and no way Federer breaks 5:20.
Discuss.
This is such bollocks. Top tennis players require a lot of stamina as well as speed. The best are outstanding athletes - and yet you think they couldn't run faster than a fairly average schoolboy runner. I recall a Wimbledon finalist from the 80's who said he ran 4.30 for a mile in training. I was an ok amateur tennis player and could run the same for a mile on the road. Borg was widely believed to have the potential of a world class 1500 exponent. Graf was said to have the capacity of an Olympic level 800m runner. Monfils was also a champion school-boy sprinter. Add to that, quite a few top players today will be on drugs. Most pros now could easily do 4.30 and some distinctly better.
I'm always for the better question, and the better question here is how crazy high is their level of endurance.
What other sport has them out there 3 hours, often more, through dozens of rallies of repeated explosive power motions? What they do is equivalent to several hundred flying 30's with about a minute rest.
Football and hockey players are in for a few minutes and then benched for several times that. Basketball players get significant rest. Soccer players 90 minutes and they're standing around for more than half of it. Baseball players do next to nothing. Tennis players don't get subs.
One of my coursemates is one of the best tennis players at the university I go to (think he said 2nd or 3rd best) - he did 22min for 5k.
These guys are not built for mile endurance type running. Without any training, they could break 6 minutes in the mile but none of them are going sub-5 without specific training and losing some muscle mass
Bad Wigins wrote:
Football and hockey players are in for a few minutes and then benched for several times that. Basketball players get significant rest. Soccer players 90 minutes and they're standing around for more than half of it. Baseball players do next to nothing. Tennis players don't get subs.
Have you actually played football at a decent level where if you were to 'stand around' for half the time you wouldn't be in the team?
Maybe you should look at the measurements done during games.
Football players run up to 16km in a game (midfielders), AFL (Aussie Rules) players cover up to 18km and not only that, they are fast too, the fastest will TT 5km under 16min, even boundary umpires have to meet an 18 min benchmark for 5km
On the other hand tennis players typically cover 5 to 6km, the most ever around 10km.
Measure the 'ball in play' time in tennis, it is surprisingly low at around 10 to 12 % depending on serve and volley vs baseline play
Armstronglivs wrote:
Lampost wrote:
Been having this debate for a while with one of my friends. How fast could the fastest tennis player run a mile? I came up with a potential shortlist of the top 3 fastest players. As always feel free to discuss and weigh in your own thoughts on this perennial debate:
1) Gael Monfils: 4:35
2) Alex Zverev: 4:44
3) Novak Djokovic: 4:50
Additionally, how fast do you think the big 3 (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic) could cover a mile. I don't see Nadal breaking 5 and no way Federer breaks 5:20.
Discuss.
This is such bollocks. Top tennis players require a lot of stamina as well as speed. The best are outstanding athletes - and yet you think they couldn't run faster than a fairly average schoolboy runner. I recall a Wimbledon finalist from the 80's who said he ran 4.30 for a mile in training. I was an ok amateur tennis player and could run the same for a mile on the road. Borg was widely believed to have the potential of a world class 1500 exponent. Graf was said to have the capacity of an Olympic level 800m runner. Monfils was also a champion school-boy sprinter. Add to that, quite a few top players today will be on drugs. Most pros now could easily do 4.30 and some distinctly better.
I agree that they could be fairly fast with some specific training but not just because of what they do to play the game.
Certainly the hulking clunkers like Raonic and Philipoussis aren't going to be tearing up the track.
These guys are amongst the elite level of athletes. They have to have serious endurance to play up to 5 hours of repeated sprinting on court. I knew average recreational tennis players who could easily beat 5 minutes for the mile - I was one of them. Yet you runners don't think that highly-trained athletes (that includes physical conditioning) in the top 1% couldn't run any faster.
Caroline Wozniacki was a former #1 player and trained for NYC while playing. She ran a respectable sub 3:30. Tennis is a mix of endurance fitness and explosive movement. I'm not sure what the ideal distance would be for a tennis athlete from only tennis fitness
Andy Roddick is famous for saying that a tennis player covers 15 miles in a tight 5 setter.
I would put my money on the Djoker.
messi wrote:
Andy Roddick is famous for saying that a tennis player covers 15 miles in a tight 5 setter.
I would put my money on the Djoker.
The Djoker and Nadal have freakish stamina. I doubt that it is entirely natural. Tennis has doping issues.
I am Sam wrote:
Have you actually played football at a decent level where if you were to 'stand around' for half the time you wouldn't be in the team?
Maybe you should look at the measurements done during games.
Football players run up to 16km in a game (midfielders), AFL (Aussie Rules) players cover up to 18km and not only that, they are fast too, the fastest will TT 5km under 16min, even boundary umpires have to meet an 18 min benchmark for 5km
Frequently overestimated distances of typical soccer midfielders. No way they are running 16km in 90 minutes of play. Pure BS. Not even in the most extreme of circumstances
Their fast! I played tennis for 12 years just transitioned to xc and track and I ran a 16:17 5K my first cross race.
Bad Wigins wrote:
I'm always for the better question, and the better question here is how crazy high is their level of endurance.
What other sport has them out there 3 hours, often more, through dozens of rallies of repeated explosive power motions? What they do is equivalent to several hundred flying 30's with about a minute rest.
Football and hockey players are in for a few minutes and then benched for several times that. Basketball players get significant rest. Soccer players 90 minutes and they're standing around for more than half of it. Baseball players do next to nothing. Tennis players don't get subs.
A high school XC and T&F teammate of mine quit T&F after 9th grade due to injuries. He only got injured during T&F season. Said teammate continued as a XC guy and a tennis player in spring. He was a sub-16 5K hs XC runner. He went on to play D1 tennis. He was a 28.xx 200m guy. In his case, a stamina/endurance type as you describe.