Most wasted talent?

coyote

Semi-Pro
Milos Raonic has ridiculous talent and little to show for it. He still has time but he is now 25. When I saw him at 19, I was certain he would be a future number 1.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
True, but he definitely should have won more than a 250 in his career. It's pretty shocking that he hasn't.

He's no worse in that respect than Gasquet. In fact, of the current crop of French players, only Tsonga (2 Masters and 1 500) and Simon (1 500) have done any better!
 

nolefam_2024

G.O.A.T.
Milos Raonic has ridiculous talent and little to show for it. He still has time but he is now 25. When I saw him at 19, I was certain he would be a future number 1.

That doesn't mean Raonic has more talent, just you could not gauge his talent properly.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
I'd like to throw Guillermo Coria in there. He was great on clay and around 2005 was starting to improve on hard court.
He was only 25-26 when he disappeared from the tour.
He could have won a major title before Rafa dominated FO and then had another 3-6 solid years on tour.
Instead, he is remembered for one match and little else.

That awful missed opportunity in the final of 2004 RG probably scarred him permanently. He eventually found himself unable to serve properly and just faded away.
 

tennis_pro

Bionic Poster
Yeah ive heard they even started to wear womens dresses since they have such thin waist.
wfi.gif
 

tacou

G.O.A.T.
That awful missed opportunity in the final of 2004 RG probably scarred him permanently. He eventually found himself unable to serve properly and just faded away.
Yes he disappeared pretty quickly..though, I'm not sure how related the two were; he had a solid 2005, being arguably the second best clay courter still, reaching the USO QFs (really should've made the semis), and finishing top 8.
But obviously both the 2004 FO and career ending service yips were demonstrations of his lacking mental game.
 

AnOctorokForDinner

Talk Tennis Guru
That awful missed opportunity in the final of 2004 RG probably scarred him permanently. He eventually found himself unable to serve properly and just faded away.
Losing that 2005 Rome final to Nadal and generally witnessing the rise of the new King of Clay must have been the final straw. I fancy, after that disastrous FO final he still believed he could do it, since he knew he was the most able claycourter around, but after seeing Nadal rise and falling to him personally in a very tight match despite giving all that he could, it must have eventually gotten to him in the off-season. Sad story.
 

tacou

G.O.A.T.
Losing that 2005 Rome final to Nadal and generally witnessing the rise of the new King of Clay must have been the final straw. I fancy, after that disastrous FO final he still believed he could do it, since he knew he was the most able claycourter around, but after seeing Nadal rise and falling to him personally in a very tight match despite giving all that he could, it must have eventually gotten to him in the off-season. Sad story.
Don't forget the Ginepri match. Despite the tough Rome/Monte Carlo losses and a relatively poor FO result, he went on to reach R16 at Wimbledon for the first time, win Umag, and made the USO quarters. Serving at deuce to get into a 5th set tie breaker, Coria DF'd twice in a row to lose the match. He would've faced Agassi or Blake in the semis.

I think that was the true beginning of the yips, anyways.
 

Notanace

New User
Safin, in my opinion. He was such a talented player. Big serve, big forehand, big backhand, good touch, you name it. His movements were not the best, but he was playing an incredible ball at the Australian Open 2005, moving really well for such a tall player. It makes me sad that he did not accomplish more, he obviously had the talent to do so. Nalbandian can be placed in that category too, his backhand was out of this world. He lacked a big serve, but he had an incredible talent. And players like Coria, Haas or Ríos are there too.
 

Diehard

Semi-Pro
Saw a recent thread discussing talent, but I'n curious to find out which players you feel has wasted the most talent in recent years?

To my mind comes Tomic (up until the lastest year atleast), Dolgopolov, Gulbis and Gasquet
Its not recent but id have to say Phillipoussis is the all time wasted talent. If he wasnt having sex with Kourinkova before matches maybe he would have had more stamina............
 

metsman

G.O.A.T.
Safin, in my opinion. He was such a talented player. Big serve, big forehand, big backhand, good touch, you name it. His movements were not the best, but he was playing an incredible ball at the Australian Open 2005, moving really well for such a tall player. It makes me sad that he did not accomplish more, he obviously had the talent to do so. Nalbandian can be placed in that category too, his backhand was out of this world. He lacked a big serve, but he had an incredible talent. And players like Coria, Haas or Ríos are there too.
Safin along with Stich were probably the best movers ever at that height lol. He also had a huge serve when he was focused at least. That's how talented he was...a post that calls him incredibly talented misses two of his better attributes.
 

Druss

Hall of Fame
Saw a recent thread discussing talent, but I'n curious to find out which players you feel has wasted the most talent in recent years?

To my mind comes Tomic (up until the lastest year atleast), Dolgopolov, Gulbis and Gasquet
From the active players, the most wasted talent is E.Gulbis.
 

ultradr

Legend
Saw a recent thread discussing talent, but I'n curious to find out which players you feel has wasted the most talent in recent years?

To my mind comes Tomic (up until the lastest year atleast), Dolgopolov, Gulbis and Gasquet

Certainly.

I don't know if they are totally "wasted". They are born into this era of very physical tennis on slow bouncy surfaces.
maybe they are just not so lucky...
 

MotoboXer

Professional
Its not recent but id have to say Phillipoussis is the all time wasted talent. If he wasnt having sex with Kourinkova before matches maybe he would have had more stamina............
Dont even try saying theres something bad about having a bonk with Anna K.
 

joekapa

Legend
Andy Murray. The greatest player never to reach number one.

But for "lower ranked" players I would say Bahgdatis. Also Philipoussis, if he wasn't plagued with injuries, would have left a greater mark.
 

tipsa...don'tlikehim!

Talk Tennis Guru
Yes Baghdatis is a wasted talent, somehow reminds me Malisse who was also a wasted talent. But to be fair, Malisse played in the weak era 2000-2003 and still could not do better than a slam semi final, he has only himself to blame for being such a headcase.
 

lud

Hall of Fame
Tough question...
Rios comes to mind . Probably one of the cleanest ball strikers ever. His problem was strength, I think.
 

metsman

G.O.A.T.
Santoro, he is an even better junkballer than Federer and faster too so there is no excuse for not winning at least 10+ slams like Federer.
 

edmondsm

Legend
Taylor Dent. Don't get me wrong it was fun watching a guy still try serve & volley on every point, but come on man, get a clue. The guy had a huge serve and moved pretty well, if he would have accepted reality, that serving and volley on every point is a dead strategy, he could have been top 10. Instead he screwed his body up lunging for passing shots as they whizzed past him point after point.
 

Shaolin

G.O.A.T.
Taylor Dent. Don't get me wrong it was fun watching a guy still try serve & volley on every point, but come on man, get a clue. The guy had a huge serve and moved pretty well, if he would have accepted reality, that serving and volley on every point is a dead strategy, he could have been top 10. Instead he screwed his body up lunging for passing shots as they whizzed past him point after point.


I disagree. Dent is built like a bear and would never be able to hang on the baseline with some of those guys that could run all day (I'm built the same way, 6' 200 and its hard to change directions). He had a monster serve and good touch so s&v was right for him. Maybe if he lost 40 lbs baseline would've been a good tactic for him sometimes but his backhand would still be exposed.
 

edmondsm

Legend
I disagree. Dent is built like a bear and would never be able to hang on the baseline with some of those guys that could run all day (I'm built the same way, 6' 200 and its hard to change directions). He had a monster serve and good touch so s&v was right for him. Maybe if he lost 40 lbs baseline would've been a good tactic for him sometimes but his backhand would still be exposed.

Sorry, but this post is just silly. If John Isner and Karlovic can crack the top 15 serving and staying back then so could Dent. He's way more capable from the baseline than a couple guys that are pushing 7'. Lose 40lbs?!?! How big do you think the guy was?

He turned pro around the same time as Federer, and in 2003 Fed realized that you couldn't come in behind every serve. The rest is history. Not saying that we can compare the two, but the writing was on the wall, tennis would forever be played from the baseline. Dent should have retooled his game, worked on his backhand, and use S&V as an occasional tactic. Instead he came bombing in behind everything like it was 1988 and guaranteed that he would never be able to compete with the top players.
 
That awful missed opportunity in the final of 2004 RG probably scarred him permanently. He eventually found himself unable to serve properly and just faded away.

I think it was that and then Nadal's rise, and losing that heartbreaker to Nadal at Rome 2005 where he lost a 5th set lead (after already losing to him more decisively in Monte Carlo) and him realizing he might have already missed his chance to win a Grand Slam at RG 2004 which he wouldn't have ever imagined at the time even in the face of such bitter disappointment. His life fell apart in many ways too after that, his wife cheating him on him and leaving him for a then good tour friend (I think it was Zabaleta). The poor guy, so much heartbreak in his career and off the court in this brief period. I wish I could give him a big hug. I just hope he is happy and at peace with everything now.
 

Man of steel

Hall of Fame
Sloane stephens.
Only 2titles and she is or nearly 22.
No slam final
One of the most athletic players on the wta tour ever. Has a big forehand but a much weaker backhand.
 
Sloane stephens.
Only 2titles and she is or nearly 22.
No slam final
One of the most athletic players on the wta tour ever. Has a big forehand but a much weaker backhand.

When she got into that whole childish rant on Serena in 2013 I was almost sure she wouldn't make it big. That just showed me she didn't have the right mindset to be a champion, and my saying that has nothing to do with being a Serena fan. When you get into something like that out of nothing, and get yourself worked up over irrelevant nonsense mostly fabricated in your own mind, it shows your focus is not at the right place. Granted she is doing far worse at this point than I imagined all the same.
 

Notanace

New User
I think it was that and then Nadal's rise, and losing that heartbreaker to Nadal at Rome 2005 where he lost a 5th set lead (after already losing to him more decisively in Monte Carlo) and him realizing he might have already missed his chance to win a Grand Slam at RG 2004 which he wouldn't have ever imagined at the time even in the face of such bitter disappointment. His life fell apart in many ways too after that, his wife cheating him on him and leaving him for a then good tour friend (I think it was Zabaleta). The poor guy, so much heartbreak in his career and off the court in this brief period. I wish I could give him a big hug. I just hope he is happy and at peace with everything now.
A couple months ago I watched an interview of Coria with an Argentinian journalist, it was a great interview. He reviewed his career, that RG final, his doping sanction and his personal life. He is at peace now, or at least that is what he said. He did seem to be happy and relaxed, so good for him.
 

tennisaddict

Bionic Poster
Safin, Coria, Tsonga, Delpo.

Among the second tier, Paul Henri Mathieu, Kohli, Benneateau should have achieved more.
 
Djokovic. He should already be the GOAT but he underachieved in 09-10 and 12-14.

I don't know if you mean that sarcastically or not, but the funny thing is it is arguably true. He probably should have won atleast 2 more slams somewhere in 08-2010 as he was already very competitive with Fedal at that point, even if 3rd place, still very much challenging them and good enough to win slams as opposed to going 3 years between them. Then in 2012-2014 he probably should have won atleast 6 slams that period (an average of 2 a year minimum) as he was the strong favorite for basically every slam he entered save 2012 RG and maybe 2013 RG. If he doesn't become the achievements GOAT he will be kicking himself for those two specific periods of those.
 
A couple months ago I watched an interview of Coria with an Argentinian journalist, it was a great interview. He reviewed his career, that RG final, his doping sanction and his personal life. He is at peace now, or at least that is what he said. He did seem to be happy and relaxed, so good for him.

Thanks so much for that. I am so happy to hear that. Is it possible you could provide a link or anything to that interview. I loved that little guy.
 

Notanace

New User
Thanks so much for that. I am so happy to hear that. Is it possible you could provide a link or anything to that interview. I loved that little guy.
I was trying to find a link but didn't find one. The name of the show is "Vamos a la calle" and it was transmitted by DirecTV Sports. However, I found this
in that video Juan Ignacio Chela (another good Argentinian player) interviews Coria, I have not watched that one but will do it soon. It must be a good one, but it is in Spanish though. And this is the written form of the video that I couldn't find, just shorter http://canchallena.lanacion.com.ar/...del-tenis-a-la-realidad-que-le-impuso-la-vida They are both in Spanish, I could not find English versions :/
 
I was trying to find a link but didn't find one. The name of the show is "Vamos a la calle" and it was transmitted by DirecTV Sports. However, I found this
in that video Juan Ignacio Chela (another good Argentinian player) interviews Coria, I have not watched that one but will do it soon. It must be a good one, but it is in Spanish though. And this is the written form of the video that I couldn't find, just shorter http://canchallena.lanacion.com.ar/...del-tenis-a-la-realidad-que-le-impuso-la-vida They are both in Spanish, I could not find English versions :/

Thanks so much. Good to see he is also still friends with some of his former Argentinian tour mates. I will definitely watch it, although I am teaching a Yoga Class that is starting just now so will have to be later today.
 

I am the Greatest!

Professional
Its not recent but id have to say Phillipoussis is the all time wasted talent. If he wasnt having sex with Kourinkova before matches maybe he would have had more stamina............

If I was Phillipoussis, I'd choose having sex with Kourni even if my match is just minutes away. Lol.
 

Numero Uno

Semi-Pro
Saw a recent thread discussing talent, but I'n curious to find out which players you feel has wasted the most talent in recent years?

To my mind comes Tomic (up until the lastest year atleast), Dolgopolov, Gulbis and Gasquet
i dont see tomic as really big talent, his technique is preventing him from moving to top10,especially on forehand side... also he is very very slow guy, maybe slowest guy outside servebots
 

BillKid

Hall of Fame
A couple months ago I watched an interview of Coria with an Argentinian journalist, it was a great interview. He reviewed his career, that RG final, his doping sanction and his personal life. He is at peace now, or at least that is what he said. He did seem to be happy and relaxed, so good for him.
I remember how he lost the RG final, that was just crazy.
Gaudio was a nice guy with a beautiful OHBH but honestly he may well be the luckiest grand slam winner of all time. Especially if you look at the relatively weak opponents that he defeated before Coria.
Looking back on this era post "Sampras Agassi" and "pre Federer Big Four", there was actually no boss. There were some great and pleasant champions (Hewitt, Roddick, Safin...) but they were not nearly indestructible like Sampras, Agassi or big Four members could be at their top. I think that is the reason why a guy like Gaudio could win RG or why players like Hewitt or Rios became no 1.
 

BillKid

Hall of Fame
For me the most wasted talent in the recent era is Nalbandian.
He seemed to be one of the less fit guy on the Tour. Considering his talent he should have won GS.
In terms of palmares, Ferrer is very unlucky in my opinion. The same player a couple of years before would have won several GS.
For me another wasted talent is Monfils. If only Monfils had been more serious and hardworking...
 
D

Deleted member 307496

Guest
I remember how he lost the RG final, that was just crazy.
Gaudio was a nice guy with a beautiful OHBH but honestly he may well be the luckiest grand slam winner of all time. Especially if you look at the relatively weak opponents that he defeated before Coria.
Looking back on this era post "Sampras Agassi" and "pre Federer Big Four", there was actually no boss. There were some great and pleasant champions (Hewitt, Roddick, Safin...) but they were not nearly indestructible like Sampras, Agassi or big Four members could be at their top. I think that is the reason why a guy like Gaudio could win RG or why players like Hewitt or Rios became no 1.
Comparing Hewitt to Rios. :D Priceless.

And how is Murray better than Hewitt/Roddick/Safin? :D
 

BillKid

Hall of Fame
Hewitt and Rios have in common that both of them were No 1
That is pretty obvious that they have never been nearly as strong as Federer, Nadal or Djokovic who came later.
I do agree that Rios did not have the same carreer as Hewitt. At his best he was still a nice player but he did not last.
About Murray good question, I am not sure about the answer. I think he is more polyvalent than Roddick, plays a heavier ball than Hewitt, and is more constant and mentally stronger than Safin. I would consider him as an overall better player than Safin and Hewitt at least (slightly).
 
Top