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Once you're done with the skirt-ruffling mode, you'll jump into a deep career mode that'll have you trying to move your player up the ranks by mowing down the competition in tournaments and various challenges. The way to the top here is a no-nonsense trip, though. If you're used to
Virtua Tennis, where a typical career-building workout may include knocking over oil drums with your return shot, here you earn your experience on the court against CPU foes. Along the way you'll level up with accumulated experience points and get a chance to hang out in new gear.
The focus on realism goes even deeper than the play on the court. You can now go inside your player to see how hard his or her heart is beating. If the action has been intense or your player has wasted a lot of energy charging the net, that player's heart rate will be high and he or she will have a tougher time nailing the shot. It's like a cross between a fatigue meter and the sort of heart-rate-based "choke factor" that's been attempted in some golf and basketball games. Frankly I think this concept should be part of more games that focus on pressure and clutch performance. If 2K adds more player-monitoring options through downloadable content I'd definitely drop some dough to be able to keep tabs on my player's cholesterol and body mass index.
When you're not trying to make it to number one in the world,
TS3 lets you square off in an exhibition match as any of a number of pro players. The game loses a Williams sister from
TS2 -- Venus is a no-show this time around -- but gains Monica Seles and a couple of tennis' all-time greats. In addition to being able to play as some of the current best in the world -- Federer, Sharapova and Nadal (a PS3 exclusive) -- you can go old-school and hammer away as Björn Borg or Boris Becker.