Tennis mailbag, with CNN's Candy Reid
(CNN) -- Do you have a question about tennis for World Sport Anchor Candy Reid? E-mail candy@cnn.com.
Q. Who do you think are the top 5 players of all time -- men and women? Omar El Hageen Omar.
A. great question for a dinner debate! Here we go in order:
Men:
1. Pete Sampras -- 14 Grand Slams (but of course no French Open title)
2. Rod Laver -- the Australian was the first tennis millionaire
3. Bjorn Borg -- Mr. Cool -- a brilliant tactician, will be remembered for his duels with McEnroe.
4. John McEnroe -- talent out of every pore with his half-volley being the best in the game.
5. Roger Federer -- 4 majors to his name already and plenty more to come. The complete player.
Women:
1. Martina Navratilova -- she's won all the big ones in singles, doubles and mixed, and is still going strong at 48.
2. Steffi Graf -- the best athlete the game has ever seen -- and what about that forehand!
3. Billie-Jean King - 39 Grand Slam titles -- a legend.
4. Maureen Connolly -- she may have been little but her game certainly wasn't.
5. Chris Evert -- that double-handed backhand helped her win 18 Grand Slams and if it hadn't been for Navratilova, she would have won many more.
Let me know what you think!
Q. Hi Candy: Why do you think so many of the top women tennis players feel they have to scream and grimace during play and between points? Jules Gervais, Hawaii
A. Hello Jules -- many people are bothered by the screams -- but strangely when you're playing against a "screamer" you don't really notice! As a youngster, I remember a coach telling me to make a noise when I hit the ball and also when my opponent did to help me watch the ball. Grunting is also a good way of expelling air -- but it's not necessary to do it loudly (try telling Maria Sharapova that.) In her case, it's probably become a habit and it certainly works for her!
Q. Hi Candy. Why do you suppose Andre Agassi has returned to Davis Cup tennis when many of the veteran players, like Tim Henman are retiring from the competition? Alex, Scotland.
A. Alex, when I first heard Agassi was returning to Davis Cup competition I was a little surprised. But on thinking about it, it makes more sense. This is more than likely going to be his last year on Tour. The Davis Cup finals are in December, the last event of the year, so it would be a great way for him to cap off a remarkable career -- providing of course the United States reach the final! With Agassi, Roddick and the Bryan brothers, Patrick McEnroe's certainly got what looks like, a winning team.
Q. When is Kim Clijsters going to return to the tour and will she get back to the top? Simon, Wantage, England
A. Kim Clijsters returned to the tour a few weeks ago Simon at the Antwerp Diamond games which is played a few miles from her house in Belgium. It's going to take her some time to get back to the top, but I think she will. She's such a good athlete and very strong from all over the court. If she can work on her mental toughness I wouldn't be surprised to see her capture several Grand Slams in her career.
Q. Do you think there are too many tennis tournaments being played nowadays? A lot of players are getting injured and seem to be exhausted. Duncan, Wimbledon
A. I don't think there are too many tournaments Duncan, but I do think that some players, play too much. Kim Clijsters, for example, was a victim of her own success. In 2003 she played 154 matches and then spent much of the following year on the sidelines with a wrist injury. So I think it's up to the players to be more selective and worry slightly less about ranking points and prize money!
Q. Hi Candy -- Do you think Tim Henman will win Wimbledon this year? Richard, Yoshiko and Amy
A. You might be a little surprised, but I think he's got a great chance. Henman's record at Wimbledon is very good and he's been successful at the other Grand-Slams in the last couple of years. If his preparation is right and so are the conditions, the Briton can win at the All England Club. Of course if someone else can take out Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt (Henman has an awful record against the Aussie) along the way, that will help him!
Q. Hi Candy Who are the up and coming youngsters to look out for in the future? Amy
A. Amy, there are several more Russian women about to break through. But perhaps, the next young major winner will be Tatiana Golovin, who was born in Russia but now plays for France. She's already played Fed Cup and been extremely successful. Also from France is a young man called Gael Monfils, who reached the second round of the Australian Open this year. He was the top junior last year and has the game to be one of the top seniors in a couple of years.
Q. Why are we Brits so talented as kids but never make it to the top? Anon, UK
A.There's certainly no shortage of talent in Britain, but desire, discipline, facilities and funding do seem to be a problem. I spent most of my junior career playing outside on astro-turf or indoor on really fast courts - neither surface is very good for developing groundstrokes. Tennis in Britain is also very expensive so unless the LTA are really helping out or you have rich parents it's tough to play competitively. At 18, my tennis career wasn't really going anywhere so I decided to accept a tennis scholarship at an American University and that's when I realized how disciplined you had to be -- and by then it was too late! David Felgate, the man who helped Tim Henman get to the top, is now in charge, so hopefully he can change things -- but there's nothing he can do about the players' desire -- that's up to them!
Q. Hi Candy, my wife and I are keen tennis players. Last week at the club I returned a wide ball that went around the side of the net and below its level. The ball landed in the court and was a winner! My wife said that because the ball was below net level the point was hers. I disagreed. What do the rules say? Paul Jennings
A. Paul, this situation doesn't come up very much, but when it does, it is legal to hit the ball around the net, so you won the point. The last time I can remember this happening on the professional circuit was when Roger Federer curled the ball around the net during his second round match at the Aussie Open in January.
