WIMBLEDON, England — It was hardly like the old days, when serve and volley and getting to the net were the rule at Wimbledon instead of the clear exception.

Baseline rallies continued to be the main meal on Wednesday for those enjoying the smorgasbord of the men’s quarterfinals, a guest list that included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the tennis royal Billie Jean King.

But then, cranking back the clock entirely should not be the goal at Wimbledon or any other tournament.

The objective, in a time of an overload of diversions and challenged attention spans, should be variety: a chance for all the strokes in this tough and technical game to still have a legitimate place.