--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't…" description: "\"Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't that much that you could do with a wooden racket. In my day, the matches were certainly much less demanding p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/rod-laver-19420_comparison_looking-back-in-comparison-there-wasn-t_2018270.jpg" --- # Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't that much that… ![“Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't that much that you could do with a wooden racket. In my day, the matches were certainly much less demanding physically.” quote by Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/rod-laver-19420_comparison_looking-back-in-comparison-there-wasn-t_2018270.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/rod-laver-19420_comparison_looking-back-in-comparison-there-wasn-t_2018270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a44/rod-laver-19420_comparison_looking-back-in-comparison-there-wasn-t_2018270.jpg) > “Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't that much that you could do with a wooden racket. In my day, the matches were certainly much less demanding physically.” [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Earlier tennis equipment limited physical demands, making the game less strenuous than today’s high‑tech sport. **In simple terms:** Old rackets made tennis easier. Key Takeaway Adapt to modern gear. Themes sports technology change Mood analytical nostalgic Type historical comparative When to use this quote - training - equipment selection - coaching - sports medicine Key Concepts equipment evolution physical conditioning Questions to Reflect On - How does equipment affect performance? - What adjustments are needed for modern tools? A Different Perspective New gear can increase injury risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comparison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/) [Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day/) [Looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking-back/) ## Related quotes > [Ideally, you want to play games, and you don't want to train every day without the matches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-van-aanholt/ideally-you-want-to-play-games-and-you-don-t-want-to-train-every-day/) [Patrick van Aanholt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-van-aanholt/) > [I like to let my racket do the talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/i-like-to-let-my-racket-do-the-talking/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Manners are manners. Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase have no respect. I don't want my kid seeing Nastase play. The demeanor you show on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/manners-are-manners-jimmy-connors-and-ilie-nastase-have-no-respect-i/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [It means so much to me when someone tells me that they picked up a tennis racket because of me or that they tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coco-gauff/it-means-so-much-to-me-when-someone-tells-me-that-they-picked-up-a/) [Coco Gauff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coco-gauff/) > [I had not picked up a tennis racket in 15 years, so I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-ashford/i-had-not-picked-up-a-tennis-racket-in-15-years-so-i-tried/) [Matthew Ashford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-ashford/) > [It was not until I got sponsored at 12 that I finally owned a racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-tiafoe/it-was-not-until-i-got-sponsored-at-12-that-i-finally-owned-a-racket/) [Frances Tiafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-tiafoe/) > [War is just a racket. A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smedley-butler/war-is-just-a-racket-a-racket-is-best-described-i-believe-as/) [Smedley Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smedley-butler/) > [It is good to have a racket that you play well with, but for myself I also want to have a racket that looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-sakkari/it-is-good-to-have-a-racket-that-you-play-well-with-but-for-myself-i/) [Maria Sakkari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-sakkari/) > [The day I'm not improving will be the day I hang up the racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/the-day-i-m-not-improving-will-be-the-day-i-hang-up-the-racket/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [Scriptwriting is the toughest part of the whole racket... the least understood and the least noticed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/scriptwriting-is-the-toughest-part-of-the-whole-racket-the-least/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) > [If you live in America, you don't have to work. You can just drift along in the smiling and nodding racket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-crisp/if-you-live-in-america-you-don-t-have-to-work-you-can-just-drift/) [Quentin Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-crisp/) > [As things get worse and the State seems powerless to help, the State will seem less and less legitimate. People will lose their moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-donovan/as-things-get-worse-and-the-state-seems-powerless-to-help-the-state/) [Jack Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-donovan/) > [Intelligence is silence, truth is being invisible. But what a racket I make in declaring this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/intelligence-is-silence-truth-is-being-invisible-but-what-a-racket-i/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [I'm trained as an actor for the stage - classically trained, believe it or not - and I worked closely with Stella Adler for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-richards/i-m-trained-as-an-actor-for-the-stage-classically-trained-believe-it/) [Michael Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-richards/) ## More by Rod Laver > [Manners are manners. Jimmy Connors and Ilie Nastase have no respect. I don't want my kid seeing Nastase play. The demeanor you show on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/manners-are-manners-jimmy-connors-and-ilie-nastase-have-no-respect-i/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Roger Federer certainly is my claim to be the best of all time - if there is such a thing. With Rafael Nadal not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/roger-federer-certainly-is-my-claim-to-be-the-best-of-all-time-if/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Players who win on a clay surface are those who can control the ball, playing steadily and accurately from the back-court, keeping the ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/players-who-win-on-a-clay-surface-are-those-who-can-control-the-ball/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [When you've got your man down, rub him out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/when-you-ve-got-your-man-down-rub-him-out/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [When Hoad and Rosewall were at their best, and I was a youngster, they had no qualms about saying, 'Hey kid, let's go and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/when-hoad-and-rosewall-were-at-their-best-and-i-was-a-youngster-they/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [The time your game is most vulnerable is when you're ahead, never let up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/the-time-your-game-is-most-vulnerable-is-when-you-re-ahead-never-let/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [I saw Kyrgios down in Australia. He played some very good tennis, won two or three matches, and has done the same here at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/i-saw-kyrgios-down-in-australia-he-played-some-very-good-tennis-won/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [There's a lot of ingredients go into being a good tennis player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/there-s-a-lot-of-ingredients-go-into-being-a-good-tennis-player/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Camaraderie builds. We travelled together to Rome, Paris, Wimbledon, the U.S., lots of places. In a way, I miss it right now. My opponents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/camaraderie-builds-we-travelled-together-to-rome-paris-wimbledon-the/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Each match is a huge effort from a physical point of view. You can only hit so many balls before your elbow or some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/each-match-is-a-huge-effort-from-a-physical-point-of-view-you-can/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Forty years ago, the players were like a travelling circus - we went everywhere together and were pretty good friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/forty-years-ago-the-players-were-like-a-travelling-circus-we-went/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [Staying interested in a match is a lot harder than many people think. Throughout my career, I've always had trouble in the early rounds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/staying-interested-in-a-match-is-a-lot-harder-than-many-people-think/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [When you have the opportunity, you strike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/when-you-have-the-opportunity-you-strike/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [I often surprise myself. You can't plan some shots that go in, not unless you're on marijuana, and the only grass I'm partial to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/i-often-surprise-myself-you-can-t-plan-some-shots-that-go-in-not/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) > [I like to let my racket do the talking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-laver/i-like-to-let-my-racket-do-the-talking/) [Rod Laver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) [Explore all 32 Rod Laver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-laver/) ## More Comparison quotes > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I like to say that women are those who form life in their wombs - and this is a comparison I make - they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-like-to-say-that-women-are-those-who-form-life-in-their-wombs-and/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [You are Insignificant. One of millions, neither special nor unique. I did not ask for this ignominy, and I resent the comparison. Fine. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/you-are-insignificant-one-of-millions-neither-special-nor-unique-i/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [President Obama's achievements and failures must be evaluated by comparison to those chief executives who have come before him and not be measured against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-garrow/president-obama-s-achievements-and-failures-must-be-evaluated-by/) [David Garrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-garrow/) > [Composing a piece of music is very feminine. It is sensitive, emotional, contemplative. By comparison, doing housework is positively masculine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kolb/composing-a-piece-of-music-is-very-feminine-it-is-sensitive-emotional/) Barbara Kolb > [I think the first person to call me 'Britain's Obama' was Martin Bright at the New Statesman. Harriet Harman made the comparison once at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuka-umunna/i-think-the-first-person-to-call-me-britain-s-obama-was-martin-bright/) [Chuka Umunna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuka-umunna/) > [The insolence of base minds in success is boundless; and would scarce admit of a comparison, did not they themselves furnish us with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/the-insolence-of-base-minds-in-success-is-boundless-and-would-scarce/) [Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/) > [The wise man does not permit himself to set up even in his own mind any comparisons of his friends. His friendship is capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-wise-man-does-not-permit-himself-to-set-up-even-in-his-own-mind/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [It’s always going to be easy to live like others or other’s life, because creating or innovating something of own is always difficult in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anuj/it-s-always-going-to-be-easy-to-live-like-others-or-other-s-life/) [Anuj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anuj/) > [The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For a London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clive-james/the-streets-at-least-in-this-part-of-town-seemed-impossibly-clean-in/) [Clive James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clive-james/) > [It is only through contact and comparison that the relative value or worthlessness of the various cultural elements can be clearly and critically seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hu-shih/it-is-only-through-contact-and-comparison-that-the-relative-value-or/) [Hu Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hu-shih/) > [I feel I'm in 2006 form to be honest. I hear a lot of comparisons to 2004, but I never changed. Last year was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alecko-eskandarian/i-feel-i-m-in-2006-form-to-be-honest-i-hear-a-lot-of-comparisons-to/) Alecko Eskandarian > [Perhaps the comparison is closer to the Chinese cook who leaves hardly any part of a duck unserved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/perhaps-the-comparison-is-closer-to-the-chinese-cook-who-leaves/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) [Browse all 1,152 Comparison quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Looking back, in comparison, there wasn't that much that you could do with a wooden racket. 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