monfils is my homeboy
Semi-Pro
Watching some of his matches especially the Miami final over Agassi and some of his shot making is mind boggling! From the neck down...has to be at least one of the most talented. If not the best then who??
Was Rios the most talented to never win a slam??
- Thread starter monfils is my homeboy
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galain
Hall of Fame
Yep - probably. I'd put Leconte up there as well - he wasn't far off at the French once. But Rios for sure - I remember being so pumped to see him vs Korda because it was a match that in theory could have featured some of the best most exciting shot making in tennis history. Didn't live up to it's promise sadly. Rios should have at least one slam to his name.
Limpinhitter
G.O.A.T.
From what little I've seen and read, Hans Nusslein may be the best choice. I think Ralston, Okker, Mecir, Haas, Leconte and Nalbandian should be considered, too.
BringBackWood
Professional
Murray?
Most likely. Though much of it was his own fault. He was a player that relied exclusively on his talent and never really had the guts to dig in and fight when it mattered. His AO final in 98 was his chance to show that he could battle for the biggest prizes the game has to offer and he simply never showed up.
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Murray who?
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Only goes to prove, I guess, that talent isn't everything.
skaj
Legend
not only him, many people from the tennis world, I remember Moya saying the same thing.
skaj
Legend
of course it is not, there are many examples not only in tennis and sports, but in arts, entertainment etc.
determination, dedication, ambition... all play as big of a part, if not bigger, when it comes to achievements and success.
Sir Awesome
New User
I know that he is not a former player yet, but if DAvid Ferrer retires without a Slam, He has my vote. I think he could have been #1 in the 80's for sure.
clout
Hall of Fame
He's one of them but I think nalbandian takes the cake on that one. He's one of the most talented players of the 21st century, and when he was on his game not even fed and/or rafa could stop him back in the 2000s when the pair owned tennis. However, he was the literal definition of a head case that also lacked the drive and motivation to bring him to the next level. He was also quite injury-prone as well from what I remember, which certainly didn't help the cause
clout
Hall of Fame
They're several other players in this gen that were somewhat worthy slam winners at one point in their careers, but the big four halted them every time. The ones that stand out to me amongst the current players include Tsonga (most notably in AO '08 form), and Berdych (most notably in WI '10 form). Another player, well he isn't a current player, but Fernando Gonzalez was in razor sharp form in AO '07. I feel like the form he was in at that tourney was GS worthy to some extents, similar to Tsonga's and Berdych's form in the events mentioned above.
Sir Awesome
New User
Very talented for sure, loved to see him play as well.
Sir Awesome
New User
I would add Soderling and Berdych as well to the list.
skaj
Legend
he is an excellent mover and has a very good return, but that is about it. I would never say that he was a tremendous talent, like Rios and Nalbandian for example, or Monfils, or Gasquet...
skaj
Legend
I wouldn't. they are just big serving and big hitting of forehand side, not great talents.
skaj
Legend
Tsonga definitely should have won a slam(or a few) with his game, but Gonzales and Berdych, I am not surprised they did not win more in Federer/Nadal era or "the big4" era.
clout
Hall of Fame
Yea true. They both have a big-game but regardless of their form they'll eventually run into a top player who simply brings them back to earth. After Tsonga's '08 AO performance, I remember several people making the Sampras comparison, but since that, although he's in been a top 10 stud, he's (Tsonga) barely even come close to matching his play from that tournament that now took place nearly 10 years ago. Tbh, they're a good chunk of players in the last 10-15 years who probably should've/could've won a lot more, but the big four (specifically Fed, Nadal, and Djoko) were simply too good on practically every occasion, which is why they're less one-slam wonders in this gen than ever before; even the guys who do sorta fall under that category, are some of the best one-slam players ever. I mean Delpo is clearly better than his one slam would suggest had it not been for all his injuries, and even Cilic was able to return to another major finals, something a handful of one-slam players could never manage to do.
Sir Awesome
New User
I agree with Tsonga as well and I must have missed many other players. Tennis is such a competitive sport and its going through such a great era. The generation next looks very exciting and promising too.
People mostly only remember him for his peak performances, yes he could play lights out tennis. But over 2 weeks playing best of 5, without a strong serve you're going to struggle. Also his fitness levels definitely fluctuated
WestboroChe
Hall of Fame
Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.
WestboroChe
Hall of Fame
Davydenko?
Drob
Hall of Fame
Rios:
“Maybe the most talented player of all . . . not all-time, but pretty much, pretty close”[1];
“Marcelo had as much talent – feet, movement, anticipation, hands, his eyes – of any player that’s played the game”[2];
A player “along the lines of McEnroe”[3];
“a left-handed Agassi”[4];
“one of the best players with the best talent around”[5];
All these observations from Malinowski, Scoop, Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew, self-published 2011, available at Amazon.com.
[1] Mats Wilander
[2] Nick Bollettieri
[3] Fred Stolle; Pat Cash; Mary Carillo; Andrei Pavel (a Masters 1000 titlist in 2001).
[4] Pete Sampras; Mike Agassi, Fabrice Santoro (long-time ATP player reputed to have beaten 18 players who reached No. 1); Patrick McEnroe; Jim Courier; Bill Norris (ATP trainer).
[5] Quote from Roger Federer. Similar statements from Thomas Johansson; Marat Safin; Nicholas Lapentti; Jonas Borkman; Greg Rudeski; Karel Novacek; Albert Berasategui; Jan Michael Gambil; Luke Jensen; Francisco Clavert; Fernando Vicente; and Francesco Ricci Bitti, former ITF president
“Maybe the most talented player of all . . . not all-time, but pretty much, pretty close”[1];
“Marcelo had as much talent – feet, movement, anticipation, hands, his eyes – of any player that’s played the game”[2];
A player “along the lines of McEnroe”[3];
“a left-handed Agassi”[4];
“one of the best players with the best talent around”[5];
All these observations from Malinowski, Scoop, Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew, self-published 2011, available at Amazon.com.
[1] Mats Wilander
[2] Nick Bollettieri
[3] Fred Stolle; Pat Cash; Mary Carillo; Andrei Pavel (a Masters 1000 titlist in 2001).
[4] Pete Sampras; Mike Agassi, Fabrice Santoro (long-time ATP player reputed to have beaten 18 players who reached No. 1); Patrick McEnroe; Jim Courier; Bill Norris (ATP trainer).
[5] Quote from Roger Federer. Similar statements from Thomas Johansson; Marat Safin; Nicholas Lapentti; Jonas Borkman; Greg Rudeski; Karel Novacek; Albert Berasategui; Jan Michael Gambil; Luke Jensen; Francisco Clavert; Fernando Vicente; and Francesco Ricci Bitti, former ITF president
S
santiago_rios
Guest
Yes, Chino was definitely deserving to win a slam. One of the best players ever.
I think Fernando Gonzalez too deserved a slam
NonP
Legend
Yes, I'd probably go with Leconte myself (at least in the past 30-40 years), though Philippoussis is right behind or perhaps even ahead of him. (As an aside I must say I've never been terribly impressed with Nalby. For me Tsonga is a better choice from that era.) Henri had everything but the head... and arguably an unbeatable weapon or two which Scud despite his limited mobility had in his serve and raw firepower (quite possibly the hardest groundies ever, yes even more so than those of Delpo, Soderling, Safin or Larsson). Rios for all his mad skills didn't boast such a formidable arsenal.
Oh and that (non-)outing by Rios in the '98 AO final is easily the worst performance I've ever seen from a Slam finalist. The only one off the top of my head that comes close is Murray's in the '11 AO F, though at least he gave some solid effort early in the match. Marcelo basically didn't show up until the match was all but over.
Probably because Pete in his prime was less bothered by sheer dexterous wizardry than by brute power at full throttle (which BTW is largely why I think in their prime-for-prime matchup Pete would get the better of Mac and to a lesser extent Fed, the two guys of recent vintage I consider his closest challengers in peak play). Now his surprisingly mediocre record vs. say Santoro may give one pause, but then all three of his losses to the tricky Frenchman came on clay which blunts power the most out of all the major surfaces, not to mention outside of his clay-court prime. And of course Pete won both of his matches against Rios (one of 'em on clay, actually, at the '94 FO).
Gonzo was without question one of the most fun players to ever wield a tennis racquet, but I'm not sure I agree that he deserved to win a major. It's no secret Gonzalez took wild risks and when everything clicked for him he probably could rival anyone including Fed (I've said this before but their RR match at the '07 YEC was one of the few times I've ever seen prime Fed looking overwhelmed by his opponent's relentless offense), but it's also no hyperbole to say he usually reached that point of full flight two or three times at most a month (his '07 AO run notwithstanding), and also to say one can't expect to last two weeks unscathed against the world's elite while playing with so much abandon. Stefanki did an admirable job reining in Gonzo's impulses for some time during their partnership, but the best Larry could do was to tame him, not to change his game for good (in both senses).
Mazz Retic
Hall of Fame
True, veey underrated touch and net game
Maybe even James Blake was better
galain
Hall of Fame
I'd like to add one to this list that has me scratching me head fairly regularly. Why haven't we seen Verdasco be a major contender? In the modern game I think he's one of the few with all the weapons the greats have, but he just never seemed to string his wins together. For me he's one of the biggest unrealised talents out there today. Sad to think his career is winding down and he never got at least one major under his belt.
D
Deleted member 307496
Guest
The thing I always liked about Marcelo Rios is that he actually liked Lleyton Hewitt when everyone else hated him. Predicted he'd be #1 in 1999 when he was still just a teenager ranked about 50. Said that the way he hit the ball and the drive and determination he showed would net him slams.
Marcelo Rios was an *** at times but he knew what he was talking about. The guy wasn't stupid; and that goes him for on and off the court.
D
Deleted member 307496
Guest
Verdasco always struck me as a Henman type player though.
galain
Hall of Fame
Too 'nice' to win a slam? Or just not enough game to take that last step? I think Verdasco's game was on point - he just couldn't seem to put the wins together over 2 weeks.
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Please consult what is probably the most appropriate thread for discussing this perplexing issue:
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/verdasco-the-fiasco.299701/page-9#post-11758591
I'd go with Nalby too. Very similar to Rios in the sense that they both could hit amazing angles and winners from both wings but I think Nalbandian had a little more natural power on this groundstrokes. Rios is a bit overrated sometimes because his genius was being able to hit shots that no one else could come up with but in the end, these genius shots still count for 1 point. In the course of a match, he often got overpowered by bigger players who came with consistent power.
Neither Rios or Nalbandian had serves had gave them many free points and ultimately, I think that's what made them slamless. They had to work for every point and simply put, they didn't have the fitness, stamina and perseverance of a Nadal (few do).
jdonaldbudge
New User
Physically ran out of gas. He played some great matches in majors but he also played some very bad ones.
jdonaldbudge
New User
Where did you read these Rios comments about Hewitt?
jdonaldbudge
New User
Safin quote in this book said "Rios had the talent to win ten majors." Coming from a guy who won two majors, that is some very lofty praise.
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