2019 QF Thiem - Khachanov

[tented]

ballbashers have their place in tennis history. Gonzalez made it to a slam final. Just depends on who he ends up facing. I can see him as a solid top 10, maybe top 20 player for some time. But it usual takes a few extra brain cells to win the whole thing. I just can't remember a single ball basher getting smarter over time. I might be wrong..

Right. With González, the emphasis is on slam final (singular). And he lost in straight sets in the final to the consummate non-ballbasher. James Blake was similar. No major finals, but got to one ATP World Tour Final (singular), and lost that.

 

[britbox]

KK is fun to watch but he is a pure ballbasher. Maybe he surprises and wins a slam or two but it's tough to see him ever becoming a mainstay in the top 5. BB is more bullish on him than myself.

Yep. but didn't you used to think Safin was nothing other than a ball basher? What I'm seeing with KK is incremental improvements to his all-round game. Power is nothing to be ashamed of. His overall game and general consistency are on an upward trajectory. He's far from the finished article but I see that as potential rather than a constraint.

 

[DarthFed]

Yep. but didn't you used to think Safin was nothing other than a ball basher? What I'm seeing with KK is incremental improvements to his all-round game. Power is nothing to be ashamed of. His overall game and general consistency are on an upward trajectory. He's far from the finished article but I see that as potential rather than a constraint.

I never considered Marat to be a ballbasher. Obviously he had a lot of power but his all-around game was quite impressive, much more so than any huge hitter that has followed, including DP. I actually consider Marat to be the mold of future superstars in the not so distant future. Tall, strong, huge hitters with great movement and all-around solid play... the man's only problem was his heads, both of them.

 

[mrzz]

KK is not a typical ball basher, and he is more than that. @herios is another poster who called attention to that. First (slight) difference is that he plays with a lot of top spin (ok, you could call him a top spin ball basher), but he has touch on the net. Still lacks some reflexes to be called a true good volleyer, but he knows the drill.

 

[Federberg]

until KK shows me some nuance to his game I'll consider him a ball basher. I am yet to discern a plan B or C. I might be wrong of course, but apart from the match against Delpo I haven't really been able to sit through one of his matches from start to finish. At least not because of him. I mean... I watched that match because of Delpo...

 

[Bonaca]

The "German bastard" wins playing absolute high level tennis.

Yes I had to admit that this bastard played extremely good. The Russian idiot had no chance. Only Novak’s a game can bring him to the final.
But I would not put big money on him tomorrow.
Good for the spanish peasant.

 

[mrzz]

I am yet to discern a plan B or C.

You have a point there, but, honest question, apart from the big three, who has a plan B, let alone a C? Oddly enough the last (non big three) guy I saw doing visible adjustments mid match was Lajovic, when he beat Medvedev in MC.

 

[Federberg]

You have a point there, but, honest question, apart from the big three, who has a plan B, let alone a C? Oddly enough the last (non big three) guy I saw doing visible adjustments mid match was Lajovic, when he beat Medvedev in MC.

I think that there are a whole host of players with alternative strategies. Most of the top 20 do. They might not have as many as the Big 3 who lets face it are absolute freak but as to the ones with obvious plan Bs and Cs? FAA, Tsitsipas, Goffin, Berdych… even Thiem. Let's not become too Big 3 focussed there are other guys who come up with solutions as well. The trick is to watch them when they aren't facing Fedalovic. That would be unfair...

 

[herios]

KK is not a typical ball basher, and he is more than that. @herios is another poster who called attention to that. First (slight) difference is that he plays with a lot of top spin (ok, you could call him a top spin ball basher), but he has touch on the net. Still lacks some reflexes to be called a true good volleyer, but he knows the drill.

This

 

[mrzz]

Well, I have seen them facing each other, and honestly in terms of plan B and don't think Kachanov is much different than any one you cited or anyone else. Off course, he has a lot of power, so it might seem that he is always blindingly going for winners. But that is not the case. Today, he tried to hang in there with Thiem. Didn't work out, then he started to go for his shots. It turns out even worst, and he reverted to plan A.

hmmm, now that we are talking about it one guy that can change approach is (don't laugh) Dimitrov. One extreme example is the Cincinnati final against Kyrgios where he sliced the ball to pieces, but I have seen him making visible adjustments in other matches. The rest... sorry, I don't see no one standing out.

 

[britbox]

I never considered Marat to be a ballbasher. Obviously he had a lot of power but his all-around game was quite impressive, much more so than any huge hitter that has followed, including DP. I actually consider Marat to be the mold of future superstars in the not so distant future. Tall, strong, huge hitters with great movement and all-around solid play... the man's only problem was his heads, both of them.

Ok, mistaken identity. I thought that had been your view from tennis.com days.

 

[DarthFed]

Ok, mistaken identity. I thought that had been your view from tennis.com days.

Nah, I always liked Safin. The headcase antics and beautiful blondes made him even more entertaining

 

[Federberg]

no simple ball basher could have beaten Roger in the AO semi-final. Roger in those days was absolutely invulnerable to ball bashers. That's what Gonzalez did to so many top guys the year he had the run to the AO final. And we all remember what Roger did to him

 

[Ricardo]

I never considered Marat to be a ballbasher. Obviously he had a lot of power but his all-around game was quite impressive, much more so than any huge hitter that has followed, including DP. I actually consider Marat to be the mold of future superstars in the not so distant future. Tall, strong, huge hitters with great movement and all-around solid play... the man's only problem was his heads, both of them.

true, Safin is like a more powerful version of Djokovic with lesser defence, better volleys and serves....when he gets his head right. But unlike Novak who obviously plays with real passion, his goal was money (like a few fellow Russian players) and once he got it he moved on very quickly to the lifestyle that fame and fortune bring....who else brought something like 8 girls into hotel the night before a Slam match? its actually good he retired early, as he really did have to.