If you can't see the serves, is it fun to watch?

Today's rackets, built to bulk up base-line bashing, mean "you're not going to have another McEnroe," says Collins.

Of course, a few brave souls still find their way to the net. England's Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski venture forward voluntarily. So will young American Taylor Dent, though Andre Agassi, the No. 1 seed at the US Open and a confirmed backcourt player, calls Dent's style "smash and volley," mostly featuring a "monster serve." Adds Agassi: "I don't think Taylor is too interested in hitting a volley."

"If you talk to young players, they say, 'Yeah, I like to play an all-court game," says Brian Gottfried, a classic serve-and-volley player who ranked in the top 10 for three years in the late 1970s. "But they'll never, ever serve-and-volley. So you never see that variety."

Two serve-and-volleyers playing each other can be boring too, Mr. Gottfried points out. "To me, the entertainment is when you see the one style versus the other.... I think what's happening today is that there are very few serve-and-volleyers, so you see very little contrast."

With opponents capable of blowing the ball by, "It's tough to get to the net," he says. "You're getting a lot of tougher shots down at your feet." In addition, courts are slower, balls are heavier, and serve-and-volley play isn't being taught as much. "It's all related in some way."

A lack of variety in playing styles isn't the only thing the men's game needs, Collins and other close observers say. New rivalries need to develop. The "Golden Triangle" of Borg, McEnroe, and Jimmy Connors in the '80s heightened interest in the game. And colorful, telegenic personalities help too.

At 21, Andy Roddick, seeded No. 4 here, shows intensity and humor on the court, along with notable athleticism. Such a showman can help the game, Collins says. "It's nice to have a few of them around. And I don't think he's [Roddick] bad: He's never been foul like McEnroe and [Jimmy] Connors."

Collins and Gottfried are among those who admire newly crowned Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, seeded No. 2 at the US Open, whose immense talent allows him to take to the net despite the dangers there.

"Federer gives us hope," Collins says. The Swiss player "may turn out to be a genius," he says. "He understands serve-and-volley. He understands chipping and charging. He's a good volleyer."

In fact, a US Open final this weekend between "Agassi and Federer would be a wonderful contrast in styles," he says.

Though McEnroe's suggestion to return to wooden rackets is "impractical," Collins says, limiting today's rackets, which are made from high-tech alloys, to the same dimensions as the old woodies - 27 in. long by 9 in. wide - would help.

"They couldn't do what they're doing now," he says. "They'd have to show a little ingenuity."

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