Marcelo Rios as described by Luke Jensen

[Gonzalito17]

Wow Rufus, what a nightmare it must have been to play Mecir he gets EVERY ball back. Love to watch players like that, though he is a little more mechanical to the flowing fluidity and artistry of Rios.

For 2.5 sets Mecir was making Edberg of all people look slow at Wimbledon, then his back seized up. Because of his back his serve was a puff and he ended up with half a career forced to retire early. But I don't agree Mecir would have been a multi slam champ, he just doesn't have that fanatic temperament single mindset of the champions, Mecir is like this laidback, tea drinking, fishing, absent minded academic who also just loves to play his tennis. Killer/terminator he is not. I'd surmise that his career, injury or no injury, was exactly what it should be and he's happy with it.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

Wow Rufus, what a nightmare it must have been to play Mecir he gets EVERY ball back. Love to watch players like that, though he is a little more mechanical to the flowing fluidity and artistry of Rios.

He doesn't just get every ball back. He's bigger, stronger and faster than almost all of his opponents. Yet, he makes his opponent run twice as far as he does, and then cranks winners when least expected, to the least expected spot on the court. And, he was just as good at net as he was in the backcourt. His only weakness was his serve, because of his bad back.

[Limpinhitter]

Originally Posted by 1970CRBase

For 2.5 sets Mecir was making Edberg of all people look slow at Wimbledon, then his back seized up. Because of his back his serve was a puff and he ended up with half a career forced to retire early. But I don't agree Mecir would have been a multi slam champ, he just doesn't have that fanatic temperament single mindset of the champions, Mecir is like this laidback, tea drinking, fishing, absent minded academic who also just loves to play his tennis. Killer/terminator he is not. I'd surmise that his career, injury or no injury, was exactly what it should be and he's happy with it.

I disagree! Pain will temporize your killer instinct more than anything. But, Mecir was an assassin of the most insidious kind. He killed by making his opponent bleed to death from 1,000 cuts, not a bullet to the head.

[rufus_smith]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

Wow Rufus, what a nightmare it must have been to play Mecir he gets EVERY ball back. Love to watch players like that, though he is a little more mechanical to the flowing fluidity and artistry of Rios.

+1 btw that was an "around the net post shot" . I love the look on Lendl's face.

Originally Posted by Limpinhitter

I disagree! Pain will temporize your killer instinct more than anything. But, Mecir was an assassin of the most insidious kind. He killed by making his opponent bleed to death from 1,000 cuts, not a bullet to the head.

1000 cuts and jabs would be Mac.

I'm a major Mecir fan, the more I thought about the way he played, the more I realised his game was as absolutely unique as Mac but very different. Everybody these days is hyper aggressive, hyper powerful; Mecir was almost like a slow, soft, gentle style. Yet, slow didn't mean he wasn't already there before you knew it.

The closest I can describe Mecir's style is "Tai Chi Master".

[Mustard]

Mecir would lull his opponents to sleep with steady rallies and then do something like smash a winner into the far corner or rush to the net out of nowhere to hit a volley winner (hence the nickname, the big cat).

[kiki]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

Wow Rufus, what a nightmare it must have been to play Mecir he gets EVERY ball back. Love to watch players like that, though he is a little more mechanical to the flowing fluidity and artistry of Rios.

You are right.I particularly loved the way Milos stretched all his body to reach a ball and hit a terrific passing or return.as JMac knows from their 87 WCT match.

[kiki]

I can´t think, other than Connors,Rosewall,Laver or Agassi a better returner than an inspired Mecir.look at what he did with Mac,Edberg and Becker¡¡¡

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by kiki

I can´t think, other than Connors,Rosewall,Laver or Agassi a better returner than an inspired Mecir.look at what he did with Mac,Edberg and Becker¡¡¡

And Lendl in the 1987 Miami final. It was a systematic beating. Mecir even took the mickey out of Lendl during the match, and made Lendl get angry and frustrated. And, of course, Wilander hated playing against Mecir.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by Mustard

And Lendl in the 1987 Miami final. It was a systematic beating. Mecir even took the mickey out of Lendl during the match, and made Lendl get angry and frustrated. And, of course, Wilander hated playing against Mecir.

First time I heard of Mecir was in the Philadelphia indoors in 1985, when he defeated Connors and played the final against a top form Mc Enroe, who beat him in 4 sets, if I recall correctly.Next was his dominance of Wilander ( I used to feel sorry for Wilander, seemed like Mecir was a complete mistery to him).In 86, he destroyed Becker in one of the best played matches of that decade, in the semid at Flushing Meadows.But Lendl trashed him the next day, as he would do in the AO of 1989.I can imagine how sweet revenge for Mecir was that Miami match.

Don´t forget that Checoslovakia was made of Czechs (Lendl) and Slovakians (Mecir).Now, they are separate states but in the 80´s, they were extremely rivals ( as would also happen with former Yugoslavia, in the sad days of 1991-1995)

[Mustard]

Mecir would talk about how much he liked American baseball, but also talked about how much he liked living in Czechoslovakia and to fish, whereas Lendl would mention how he was remote from Czechoslovakia and that he felt American. Lendl particularly mentioned this in his 1986 US Open winning speech.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by Mustard

Mecir would talk about how much he liked American baseball, but also talked about how much he liked living in Czechoslovakia and to fish, whereas Lendl would mention how he was remote from Czechoslovakia and that he felt American. Lendl particularly mentioned this in his 1986 US Open winning speech.

Mecir was also a top doubles player ( specially alongside countryman, solid Tomas Smid) in an era loaded of very good doubles players.

[Mustard]

And Mecir later coached Karol Kucera, almost like an inferior version of Mecir, who was nicknamed the "little cat". Kucera beat Sampras at the 1998 Australian Open, and beat Agassi at both the 1998 US Open and the 2000 French Open.

[kiki]

Originally Posted by Mustard

And Mecir later coached Karol Kucera, almost like an inferior version of Mecir, who was nicknamed the "little cat". Kucera beat Sampras at the 1998 Australian Open, and beat Agassi at both the 1998 US Open and the 2000 French Open.

I remember him, was Czech nº 2 after Korda for most of the 90´s.Ulirach did have some success in the pro tour in the 1990´s, if I recall properly.

[Mustard]

Originally Posted by kiki

I remember him, was Czech nº 2 after Korda for most of the 90´s.Ulirach did have some success in the pro tour in the 1990´s, if I recall properly.

Like Mecir, Kucera was Slovakian. At the start of 1993, Czechoslovakia was split into 2 seperate countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

[Tshooter]

"beat Agassi at both the 1998 US Open"

That match was played over two days (rain delay) and it was memorable.

Agassi was acting like a real jerk most of that match (which he was prone to do before his kissing the crowd image makeover) imitating KKs aborted serve toss.

Agassi also pulled out the moonball during set four, which you don't see much these days. It and the imitating started to annoy KK. Most people thought when Agassi came back and won the fourth on day 1, he was going to win the match. But KK came out day two and broke pretty early as I recall.

And KK did play like Mecir.

[Gonzalito17]

Kucera did play very similarly to Mecir and was a damn good player, never forget those matches vs. Sampras and Agassi, too bad he couldn"t keep up that level longer or he would have been a top player.

Another underrated Czech player was Jiri Novak, who had a blowout win over Sampras in that Davis Cup tie in Pete's home court at the Forum in LA. Novak also had many wins over Rios and actually dominated Rios. Very good player.

[Tshooter]

Another underrated Czech player was Jiri Novak"

Not sure Jiri was underrated. I thought he was well regarded. A tough player who never really beat himself or got down on himself either. He's another guy I'd put in the Mecir/KK style mold. Hit relatively flat and liked to hit the ball on the rise. The only guy these days I think plays a somewhat similar style might be Stepenak. All four made (or make in the case of RS) the game more interesting to me.

[slice bh compliment]

Originally Posted by Gonzalito17

,,, The guy kept it real, you gotta give me credit for that. )

Yes, in fact, at a recent round table discussion with all of tennis' legends and pundits, it was established that Rios kep' it on the reallyreal and that credit for that goes to gonzalito17. Word.