Massu

[Fiero425]

This is out of left field I know, but who is Nicolás Massú? I must have been really out of it 10 years ago since he won 2 gold medals at the Olympics in '04! Was just perusing Wiki for some points info and came across his name listed under Olympic winners! I know the baton was being handed off to Federer by then, but no one knew how great he would become after all is said and done! Roger had his best chance in '12 and going to clay in Rio '16 isn't promising! So this nobody will have something Federer desperately wants and I can't say I know anything about him! Suffering from sleep apnea, I can lose a lot of info or twist it (hense my recollection of Mancini over Agassi at MC instead of Rome in '89), but I don't even know what this guy looks like! I may have seen his name once on the list of top 10, but that wasn't too hard to do back then with so many top players leaving the sport, including Sampras! There was a true changing of the guard around then, but I'm shocked not knowing anything about this guy! Anybody?

 

[El Dude]

You haven't heard of him because he wasn't a great player. Looking at his Wikipedia page, he never made it past the 4R at a Slam and then only once. He did win six titles: the Olympics, one ATP 500 and four ATP 250s (or their equivalents). His highest ranking was #9, and his highest year-end was #12 (2003). He only finished in the top 20 twice--2003 and 2004 (#19)--but finished in the top 100 ten years in a row, from 1999 to 2008. I don't think he officially retired until last year, as he played one tournament in 2013 and 2012.

Anyhow, I think if you want to find a similar level player today, consider someone like Phillip Kohlschreiber, Andreas Seppi or Juan Monaco - the type of guy you see hanging out in the top 40, occasionally dipping into the top 20, but not really settling in and thus a step behind players like Gilles Simon or Nicolas Almagro.

 

[Fiero425]

You haven't heard of him because he wasn't a great player. Looking at his Wikipedia page, he never made it past the 4R at a Slam and then only once. He did win six titles: the Olympics, one ATP 500 and four ATP 250s (or their equivalents). His highest ranking was #9, and his highest year-end was #12 (2003). He only finished in the top 20 twice--2003 and 2004 (#19)--but finished in the top 100 ten years in a row, from 1999 to 2008. I don't think he officially retired until last year, as he played one tournament in 2013 and 2012.

Anyhow, I think if you want to find a similar level player today, consider someone like Phillip Kohlschreiber, Andreas Seppi or Juan Monaco - the type of guy you see hanging out in the top 40, occasionally dipping into the top 20, but not really settling in and thus a step behind players like Gilles Simon or Nicolas Almagro.

I guess I need to go back and look at the "draws" to see who he beat! I can imagine being "in the zone" where anything you hit is gold; been there! I won a "B" level club tourney at 19 y.o. and it was only because I couldn't miss; the serve was on and my miss-hits fell in or just crawled over the net! Justice prevailed for those poor mooks when the club spelled my name wrong on the plaque that's still hanging there from '77! :nono :cry :nono :angel:

UPDATE: Looks like he caught players at the end of their careers or just starting out; Moya, then Fish in 5 set final! In doubles, he and Gonzales did beat the Bryan brothers in the QF at the height of their powers and #1 seed!

 

[Luxilon Borg]

This is out of left field I know, but who is Nicolás Massú? I must have been really out of it 10 years ago since he won 2 gold medals at the Olympics in '04! Was just perusing Wiki for some points info and came across his name listed under Olympic winners! I know the baton was being handed off to Federer by then, but no one knew how great he would become after all is said and done! Roger had his best chance in '12 and going to clay in Rio '16 isn't promising! So this nobody will have something Federer desperately wants and I can't say I know anything about him! Suffering from sleep apnea, I can lose a lot of info or twist it (hense my recollection of Mancini over Agassi at MC instead of Rome in '89), but I don't even know what this guy looks like! I may have seen his name once on the list of top 10, but that wasn't too hard to do back then with so many top players leaving the sport, including Sampras! There was a true changing of the guard around then, but I'm shocked not knowing anything about this guy! Anybody?

I saw massu play many many times. He was not a nobody. He was good for a few rounds in just about every slam. He was a solid player with grinder/power game, and a ver big serve for not being a tall guy. He could play. He was not tier 1 by any stretch.

He would be the equivalent today of Ivan Dodig or Dennis Istomin.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Google is your friend...

 

[Luxilon Borg]

The 5 or 6 times I saw him play in New York, the Chilean fans would go loco. Flags, singing, and chants.

 

[Fiero425]

Google is your friend...

I read Wiki! I know I can look the guy up dude! uzzled :nono I just was musing how much I had no clue about this guy after winning 2 gold medals in the Olympics! It was like "WHO?!" I only paid attention to the ladies' side of thing! Venus was there, but Serena wasn't from what little I read of those GAMES!