"Right now, Sinner and Alcaraz don’t have weaknesses" - Jim Courier analyses extreme evolution of tennis compared to his competitive days

Jim Courier had quite the career at the top of tennis, achieving a lot of success in his pomp despite retiring at an early age. Looking back on his career, he spoke on the Tennis Insider Club about his choices after retirement, the difference in fame he had to deal with compared to the current generation while analysing the evolution of tennis with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner prime examples in his explanation.

Courier won four Grand Slams in a decorated career, with the first one a big step in his tennis career. He took down Andre Agassi in five sets to win the 1991 Roland Garros in sublime fashion.

"I would have been disappointed if I’d lost, but it still would have been a step forward for me," he admitted. "I was 20 years old — not even 21 yet. That was 1991. When you look back on it, it was a life-changing moment. If I lose that final, I don’t know where I go from there. Maybe I never win one. You just don’t know. But when you win the final, the question gets answered: Oh, I can do this."

His life would never be the same with more fame and responsibilities coming his way. "I woke up the next day and my world was completely upside down. People wanted to talk to me, take pictures with me. There were more responsibilities, but also much more confidence. There was more responsibility from a business standpoint, more opportunity — but also more confidence. And I had a great team around me who made sure I understood that this was just the beginning. It wasn’t the end of the line. There was still work to do, still room to get better. I was surrounded by people who kept me calm while there was a storm circling around me."

While he became an overnight success, he believed that it would have been completely different if he was French. "If I’d been from France, the chaos would have been much more intense. Tennis is far more important culturally in France than it is in the United States," he explained. "In America, tennis is important to tennis fans. If you’re a Serena or an Andre, eventually you become part of the broader culture — but I never reached that level. I could still go to restaurants without it being a big deal."

Compared to the current day, he reckoned that the talents of today are more famous thanks to social media. "Absolutely. You look at what players like Iga, Carlos, Coco are dealing with — there’s so much more attention because there’s so much more media now. More video, more access. That just didn’t exist back then. I could fly under the radar a lot more."

It can be an unhealthy obsession for many players despite the benefits which come from it. Courier felt he was lucky to miss this era. "I think the temptation must be enormous," he acknowledged. "I read that Ben Shelton has been off social media — or at least Twitter — for two years now. I understand there’s a business side to it, sponsors, management, audience access, but there’s a lot of unhealthiness too. I feel lucky that my time in the spotlight wasn’t affected by that at all. It was just newspapers the next day — and I learned not to read them."

A lot of this will start for players when they are really young, starting to come into the sport for the first time. This leaves them in a very vulnerable position. "Players are starting at 15 or 16 and getting all of this straight away. When you’re 30, maybe it still hurts, but you’ve developed mental tools. But for young players, receiving all of this online — it’s really tough."

Despite all the success that he achieved, Courier kept focused at the task at hand. "I didn’t really think of it that way at the time. I wasn’t reflecting much — I was just trying to move forward. I’m certainly grateful. I was lucky that things fell into place for me. I had a great run and stayed on tour for 13 years. I did way more than I could ever have dreamed of doing."

Even as it got harder, the motivation was still there to clinch big wins and titles. "It was great. And then, of course, it got harder. Pete got better, other players came along. It always gets harder as more players arrive," he said. "But it was always about the chase — chasing the next title. It’s kind of a drug, if we’re honest. Chasing wins, chasing that adrenaline rush. It’s something special, but also incredibly stressful at the same time."

He retired relatively early at the age of 29. "My body was starting to wear down," he said. "If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve taken more time to rest and recover in the second half of my career. But all I knew was how to push — push, push, push. That’s how I got good. At some point, I needed to back off. I already knew how to play tennis. What I needed was freshness. I needed to get off the hamster wheel and take a breath."

While it was early, he still spent more time on tour than expected while still having his love for the sport. "I retired and was living in Orlando, where Pete Sampras lived too. He asked me to come out and hit with him for a week. And it was super fun — because I didn’t have the stress of preparing for tournaments. Honestly, I was happier than he was."

He continued: "It wasn’t tennis that I was tired of — it was everything around it. The travel, the grind, the physical toll. I worked my body down, similar to Andy Murray. Thankfully, I didn’t have the hip issues Andy did, but I had the same work ethic. I had 13 years on tour — three more than I’d planned. I was lucky. It was more than I could’ve dreamed of."

To this day, the 55-year-old is well recognised for his broadcasting and commentary on live TV at many tennis events, regularly sharing his opinions on the sport. "I wasn’t sure what direction I’d go in, but a television opportunity came very quickly — working at Wimbledon. I jumped into that, and I’ve been doing it ever since."

Coaching is always a viable option for players when they retire but that was not on the cards for Courier. "Not really, except for Davis Cup. I was a Davis Cup captain for eight years, which I loved — it was a real honour. But full-time coaching means you’re in it 365 days a year, riding in the passenger seat with your player, always on tour. And that’s exactly what I didn’t want anymore."

Broadcasting offered a much better balance. "Television offers a great lifestyle balance. I still get to come to tournaments like this one in Cincinnati, I’ll be at the US Open — but in the fall, I work mostly from home in Los Angeles. It’s the best of both worlds. I stay involved in the sport without grinding myself down on the hamster wheel again — especially now, as a husband and a father."

The growth and evolution of tennis has been obvious to see with players more powerful. "The tennis has evolved so much, and you’ve been right in the middle of that evolution," he commented. "Athletes now are bigger and faster. Martina Navratilova was considered big in her time — one of our great champions — but she’s much smaller than players today."

Both genders have seen this occur. "That’s happened in both men’s and women’s tennis. The athletes are bigger and faster, so the game has gotten faster. The equipment is lighter, the strings generate more spin, and everyone has power now. It doesn’t matter if you’re small — you have power."

It has also grown new rivalries and super stars. Players like Alcaraz and Sinner are dominating the sport at the moment, with then sharing resemblance from the prior Big Four who ruled before they did. "Over the last year and a half, they’ve won all the majors. They can play on every surface, they’re young, they move incredibly well," the American stated.

"I think they would have been competitive with the Big Four. They probably grew up watching them and copying what they did. Jannik looks a lot like Novak in how he moves and plays. Carlos looks like no one — he’s his own thing. He’s taken the best parts of everyone."

He went on to describe how they had no weaknesses. "What’s clear is that for most of tennis history, you could be a top player with a weakness. Right now, Sinner and Alcaraz don’t have weaknesses," he said. "That means technique becomes even more important. When the game is this fast, you have to be offensive everywhere. That’s relatively new."

Even the former greats had weak spots. "Rafa eventually had no weaknesses. Roger changed rackets late in his career so his backhand became more of a weapon — especially against Rafa. In my generation, even Sampras had a side you could play to safely — his backhand. That doesn’t exist anymore. There’s nowhere you feel safe."