Any Pushers Playing Professionally
- Thread starter Shosho
- Start date
subtleskeptics
Rookie
Canas comes to mind.
Do not confuse the term pusher with counter puncher. Hewitt is a counterpuncher, not a pusher. Santoro is not a pusher. He plays strategically well, hitting slices, drop shots, lobs, moonballs, etc. He is a junkballer. A pusher will virtually not exist in the upper echelons of the game because you can not block every ball back and expect to win a match at that level.
Dimonator133
Banned
so far zero of the names thrown around in this board have qualified as pushers
i'm not sure if any are, but my best educated guess would be David Sanguinetti
i'm not sure if any are, but my best educated guess would be David Sanguinetti
Dimonator133
Banned
unless we come up with a universal definition of pusher, this thread is worthless. Right now we might as well just be discussing every single Top 100 player's style of play.
PROTENNIS63
Hall of Fame
Yes, pushers is a very broad term. If there are any pushers on the tour it is David Sanguinetti.
flyer
Hall of Fame
true......
omniexist
Semi-Pro
Chauvalito
Hall of Fame
The title of your thread is an oxymoron
edmondsm
Legend
Then what is Hewitt's weapon?
I got harped on in a thread one time for calling Hewitt a pusher. From that experience I came to understand that a pusher is a player that never steps in the court, never rushes net, and never hits the ball hard. You simply try to take all of the air out of the point and force the error. Anybody that plays like that these days would not be able to make their living at tennis.
lolHewitt hits the ball really hard. Even spinball king Santoro hits the ball on average harder than the majority of D1 college players.
Pusher has no real tactics oncourt, except to hit one more ball than his opponent. A grinder like Hewitt bases his game on protecting (if not outright controlling) the center of court, maintaining depth on his shots, and playing percentages.
I don't know; it just really bugs me for people to call any pro a pusher. Normal counterpunching isn't sexy, and it's a bit boring to watch on TV. But there's still a lot of tactics, difficult ballstriking, and tennis-specific athleticism to it. Nothing like pushing.
Service Ace
Hall of Fame
Pusher requires you to PUSH the ball back. All top 100 players SWING at the ball. The only time they "push" is to block a hard serve back into play. Since none of them block back every shot of a rally, none of them qualify as pushers.
So please don't confuse counter-punchers, people who take swings at the ball, with pushers again, k thanks.
So please don't confuse counter-punchers, people who take swings at the ball, with pushers again, k thanks.
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
To the OP: No. Pushers top-out at the 4.0 level. (That's way below the Pro ranks.)
Here's a generally accepted definition of a Pusher in a big thread about the various playing styles.
- KK
Here's a generally accepted definition of a Pusher in a big thread about the various playing styles.
- KK
edmondsm
Legend
That's what I meant. After I called Hewitt a pusher I was made to understand, in no subtle terms, that he wasn't. And I get it now.
It bugs me when people call any conservative player a pusher, regardless of how skilled they are. My understanding has always been that a pusher is an under-developed player who is able to beat more skilled players by keeping the ball in play without much pace or spin and having no other real strategy. When I say skilled, I'm talking about the ability to hit different spins, having good spin, power, and placement on serves, having good technique, etc.
I wish more people saw it like this. After I lose to a 70 year old pusher, I don't watch Santoro hitting winners and call him a pusher.
I think of Davydenko as a pusher. He has very good strokes all around but none of them are consistent point ending weapons. He can construct a very patient strategy and win points on consistency, but he doesn't force the opponents hand as quickly as others. I admire his game so I'm not saying this as an attack.
tennissavy
Hall of Fame
You have absolutely hit the nail on the head with both sentences.
Yes, and Nadal's mindless topspin will make him number 1 this year!
maverick66
Hall of Fame
hes hitting the crap out of the ball otherwise they would take advantage of him awful. plus he can take the ball very well early not as good as aggasi did it but same idea.
and there are no pushers on tour. there are grinders but if you leave an opening there gonna punish you for it. guys like that are the hewitts and nadals. they will be crazy consistent and then blast one down the line and open the court up then end it quick.
and i find it funny that hewitt gets mentioned as a pusher. in that match against bagdhatis he came forward quite a bit and i think that made a huge difference in the match.
Nadal is a moonballer, not a counter-puncher.
During Levine's match with Niemenen he was complaining to his box that Jarkko was just "pushing" the ball.
As far as Nadal, he moonballs alot till he gets a short ball, then he nails it for a winner.
Kaptain Karl
Hall Of Fame
[size=+2]Solly[/size] was a moonballer!!! You kids today don't know the meaning of the word.
(Nadal is a counterpunching power baseliner.)
[KK frumps off to his Grumpy Old Men club to talk about the Good Ol' Days....]
- KK
(Nadal is a counterpunching power baseliner.)
[KK frumps off to his Grumpy Old Men club to talk about the Good Ol' Days....]
- KK
Brent Pederson
Semi-Pro
On the women's side, I would say Camille Pin qualifies. Her serve tops out at about 70 mph, a complete puffball, she just runs like crazy and counterpunches, no real power, but doesn't miss much. How she made it all the way to the pro tour, much less into grand slams, is amazing to me.
