mrzz
Hater
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I agree 100% percent with the bolded part of Scoop´s post above, but (and it will sound contradictory), I completely disagree that he is a "talented" player, at least in the sense we posters use to give this word.
Being around top 20 for a long time, of course he is more talented that a random guy at #144, but when measured against guys in the top 50, it is not in this department that he stands out. He is physicaly quite above average, that´s for sure, and together with his non usual tactics (I am not condemning him, just stating it) and eventual acrobatics, we have a very unique package. If he had, on top of all that, an "orthodox" tennis talent above average, he would be a perennial top 5, to say the very least.
There is one easy way to see it: check out, day in day out, the highlights of his matches: they are few, to being with. He does not have a killer shot, he is not a "shot maker", he does not have outstanding skills at the net. Just comparing him to his fellow french players, Tsonga volleys quite better (and has a better forehand), Gasquet has a much better backhand and Simon has better off pace shots. I am not saying that he is terrible, I am saying that he is (on the "talent" department) on average.
But surely I agree that he is very fun to watch (even if sometimes we get something like the USOPEN semi, but ok...)
Being around top 20 for a long time, of course he is more talented that a random guy at #144, but when measured against guys in the top 50, it is not in this department that he stands out. He is physicaly quite above average, that´s for sure, and together with his non usual tactics (I am not condemning him, just stating it) and eventual acrobatics, we have a very unique package. If he had, on top of all that, an "orthodox" tennis talent above average, he would be a perennial top 5, to say the very least.
There is one easy way to see it: check out, day in day out, the highlights of his matches: they are few, to being with. He does not have a killer shot, he is not a "shot maker", he does not have outstanding skills at the net. Just comparing him to his fellow french players, Tsonga volleys quite better (and has a better forehand), Gasquet has a much better backhand and Simon has better off pace shots. I am not saying that he is terrible, I am saying that he is (on the "talent" department) on average.
But surely I agree that he is very fun to watch (even if sometimes we get something like the USOPEN semi, but ok...)
