Do the younger players feel no shame?

[GreenClay]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

There seems to be such an emphasis on always being positive that I wonder whether the young players really have the drive to get much better.

I don’t know how Ruud feels after that display, but he should feel somewhat ashamed (which might fuel him to do whatever it takes so it doesn’t happen again). Sure, Nadal probably still would have won, but Ruud barely showed up. Felix also seemed all too content to lose.

where’s the drive for these younger guys?

 

[FrontHeadlock]

Eh, he's 23 and has improved a lot. Idk if he's the guy to attack.

 

[Cupcake]

Why should he feel ashamed? He actually played his way into the final, as did Nadal. No other player was able to defeat either of them in the prior 6 matches.

 

[Rosstour]

Why should he feel ashamed? He actually played his way into the final, as did Nadal. No other player was able to defeat either of them in the prior 6 matches.

He should feel ashamed that he managed just six games and got bageled in the final set. He's 13 years younger than Rafa and has just as big a FH if not bigger. But he does what everyone does and just laid down for Rafa.

I'm sure Cilic would have at least managed a set off Nadal with the way he was playing. I haven't watched the match but I'm assuming Ruud played pattycake with Rafa's FH and eventually netted a BH, tried ill-advised drop shots, and missed easy 2nd serve returns all match

 

[Omega_7000]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

There seems to be such an emphasis on always being positive that I wonder whether the young players really have the drive to get much better.

I don’t know how Ruud feels after that display, but he should feel somewhat ashamed (which might fuel him to do whatever it takes so it doesn’t happen again). Sure, Nadal probably still would have won, but Ruud barely showed up. Felix also seemed all too content to lose.

where’s the drive for these younger guys?

Yeah these guys are so giddy just to get to the finals....That's good enough for them.

 

[ChaelAZ]

where’s the drive for these younger guys?

Guys in the top 100 become recognizable and aside from usually making $100's of thousands travelling the world and playing tennis, they get perks, sponsorships, and all kinds of free stuff with NONE of the pressure and requirements of being a champion and carrying the weight of the ATP.

 

[FrontHeadlock]

Guys in the top 100 become recognizable and aside from usually making $100's of thousands travelling the world and playing tennis, they get perks, sponsorships, and all kinds of free stuff with NONE of the pressure and requirements of being a champion and carrying the weight of the ATP.

Perhaps, but the endorsement deals for the champions are A LOT higher, by orders of magnitude.

 

[helterskelter]

He should feel ashamed that he managed just six games and got bageled in the final set. He's 13 years younger than Rafa and has just as big a FH if not bigger. But he does what everyone does and just laid down for Rafa.

I'm sure Cilic would have at least managed a set off Nadal with the way he was playing. I haven't watched the match but I'm assuming Ruud played pattycake with Rafa's FH and eventually netted a BH, tried ill-advised drop shots, and missed easy 2nd serve returns all match

Cilic managed eight games off Ruud in the last three sets of their match. Unless he came out swinging for the fences, I don’t think he’d have done much better. Maybe with his serve he could have exerted a little more scoreboard pressure but probably not much.

 

[Sudacafan]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

There seems to be such an emphasis on always being positive that I wonder whether the young players really have the drive to get much better.

I don’t know how Ruud feels after that display, but he should feel somewhat ashamed (which might fuel him to do whatever it takes so it doesn’t happen again). Sure, Nadal probably still would have won, but Ruud barely showed up. Felix also seemed all too content to lose.

where’s the drive for these younger guys?

Ruud is a gentleman, but if I hired a lawyer, it would be Rune.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Perhaps, but the endorsement deals for the champions are A LOT higher, by orders of magnitude.

True, but one characteristic of many of the recent generations overall is leaning towards more mediocrity, but calling it a balance of work and life. I honestly think the work ethic of the Big 3, and the drive it creates, is currently lost for most players.

 

[Impressario]

It is very questionable that Ruud will make it to another Grand Slam final. Which makes it more than a shame that today, he acted like Schumacher's Barrichello, for those who remember those F1 days, too eager to please. Cilic could have even taken one set to a tiebreak.

 

[Sampras-Bruguera 1993]

They dont care as long as they get a paycheck. Alcarez seems to be the only guy that truly wants to make a name for himself. The rest of these bums are "Ehh just pay me"

 

[tex123]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

There seems to be such an emphasis on always being positive that I wonder whether the young players really have the drive to get much better.

I don’t know how Ruud feels after that display, but he should feel somewhat ashamed (which might fuel him to do whatever it takes so it doesn’t happen again). Sure, Nadal probably still would have won, but Ruud barely showed up. Felix also seemed all too content to lose.

where’s the drive for these younger guys?

Give him a break. He's 23. He was in the final of Roland Garros playing a 13 time champion, king of clay, his idol and a student at his academy. When was the last time you saw a Norwegian in the final of a grand slam? He will inspire many in his country to take up tennis.

Blame the draw. All the tough players were in Nadal's draw.

 

[Rosstour]

Cilic managed eight games off Ruud in the last three sets of their match. Unless he came out swinging for the fences, I don’t think he’d have done much better. Maybe with his serve he could have exerted a little more scoreboard pressure but probably not much.

He also hit 66 winners on Rublev, with 33 of them being aces

He would have made it a lot tougher for Rafa to break

 

[maratha_warrior]

Ruud has no shame . That is true .

He didn't even try .

 

[Daniel Andrade]

These types of threads psychoanalyzing if it's the twitters, the cellphones, the money...

make me laugh, these are top athletes trained since they are 5 to win, win and win, have you ever wondered perhaps that Ruud doesn't have what it takes?

 

[ACE of Hearts]

They dont care as long as they get a paycheck. Alcarez seems to be the only guy that truly wants to make a name for himself. The rest of these bums are "Ehh just pay me"

Alcaraz needs less talking and more good play. I know he’s very young at 19 but this guy has to improve a lot of things on his game particularly his serve etc

 

[GhostOfNKDM]

Blame the draw. Ruud had ni business being in the final.

He'd be an early victim of Novak vs Nadal

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Ruud has no shame . That is true .

He didn't even try .

Yes because like it would have mattered if the scoreline was 6-4 7-5 7-6 instead of 6-3 6-3 6-0. Nadal was winning this match in straight sets no matter how hard ruud tried. His game is not good enough on clay to trouble a guy like nadal.

 

[Thriller]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

Hilarious. You think these players are losing to Nadal at Roland Garros because of mental fragility? You do understand that Nadal is a lifetime 112-3 at Roland Garros?

You are blasting Ruud for 'only' winning 6 games in a GS final. 6 games is two more than a so-called wannabe GOAT managed in 2008.
6 games is only one less than the only remaining GOAT contender Djokovic managed in 2020.

Federer and Djokovic are 'mentally fragile' like Ruud?

No they, like Ruud are simply no match technically against Nadal at Roland Garros. When Nadal is healthy and in form, they have no weapons to hurt him with.

Nadal has all the answers. Put some respect on his name.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Blame the draw. Ruud had ni business being in the final.

He'd be an early victim of Novak vs Nadal

Ruud played who was in front of him. He got taken to 5 by sonego. Even Tsonga gave him a tough match in the first round. Also keep in mind Tsit got upset by rune. Tsit screwed the whole draw up. Anyway tsit would be just another victim as well.

 

[acintya]

They dont care as long as they get a paycheck. Alcarez seems to be the only guy that truly wants to make a name for himself. The rest of these bums are "Ehh just pay me"

i feel so too. you see Alcaraz is very serious, other guys just play to post on twitter on instagram. at least i have this feeling.

rune - Bieber
zverev - alexander the great

ok I know Rublev and Shapovalov both hate to lose.

What we need is fire Careno busta bag throwing this is the real deal.

but im telling you guys.. only Djokovic is a threat for Nadal. And no one else. Maybe Alcaraz version 1.6

everytime nadal wins i switch back to learning left handed cowboy whip forehand

 

[Omega_7000]

Kyrgios is a prime example. So talented but just wasn't willing to put in the work and prefers to be a social media warrior instead.

 

[Omega_7000]

The rest of the guys are just not willing to commit themselves to be great....The only hope is Alcaraz and hopefully he doesn't get his head messed up with all the attention he is currently getting.

 

[Sudacafan]

Kyrgios is a prime example. So talented but just wasn't willing to put in the work and prefers to be a social media warrior instead.

Maybe he found he really lacks what it takes and opted to be a social media warrior because it’s more profitable for him.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

The rest of the guys are just not willing to commit themselves to be great....The only hope is Alcaraz and hopefully he doesn't get his head messed up with all the attention he is currently getting.

Alcaraz needs to improve a lot of things in his game before he can compete with guys like djokovic and nadal. Feels like he was getting a little big headed without GS accomplishments and zverev wiped that cockiness . He needs to start working more in his game.

 

[Cindysphinx]

Wait, what?

The peers of the Big Three are the ones who let them accumulate 62 slams among them. Why are blaming just the younger players?

Face it: Ruud had no weapons. He is a 6 foot tall nice guy who is forgettable in every way.

Nadal did everything better. He basically just had to beat his practice partner today.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Wait, what?

The peers of the Big Three are the ones who let them accumulate 62 slams among them. Why are blaming just the younger players?

Face it: Ruud had no weapons. He is a 6 foot tall nice guy who is forgettable in every way.

Nadal did everything better. He basically just had to beat his practice partner today.

Yup nadal eats guys like ruud for breakfast especially on this surface.

 

[Sudacafan]

Wait, what?

The peers of the Big Three are the ones who let them accumulate 62 slams among them. Why are blaming just the younger players?

Face it: Ruud had no weapons. He is a 6 foot tall nice guy who is forgettable in every way.

Nadal did everything better. He basically just had to beat his practice partner today.

It’s really amazing the advantage of being one inch taller.

 

[Rattie]

He should feel ashamed that he managed just six games and got bageled in the final set. He's 13 years younger than Rafa and has just as big a FH if not bigger. But he does what everyone does and just laid down for Rafa.

I'm sure Cilic would have at least managed a set off Nadal with the way he was playing. I haven't watched the match but I'm assuming Ruud played pattycake with Rafa's FH and eventually netted a BH, tried ill-advised drop shots, and missed easy 2nd serve returns all match

Then you are wrong to assume. He targeted Rafa’s backhand a lot!! Unfortunately for him Rafa’s backhand was working.

 

[thrust]

He should feel ashamed that he managed just six games and got bageled in the final set. He's 13 years younger than Rafa and has just as big a FH if not bigger. But he does what everyone does and just laid down for Rafa.

I'm sure Cilic would have at least managed a set off Nadal with the way he was playing. I haven't watched the match but I'm assuming Ruud played pattycake with Rafa's FH and eventually netted a BH, tried ill-advised drop shots, and missed easy 2nd serve returns all match

Some people are just better than others. The big three are extraordinary players, that come along rarely. Ruud was bad today, perhaps somewhat due to nerves this being his first slam final. He was a bit lucky that Cilic was very erratic in their semi. If Cilic had played his semi as well as he did earlier against Medvedev he would have beat Ruud and given Nadal a tougher fight, though probably would have lost to Nadal in the final.

 

[aman92]

He should feel ashamed that he isn't as talented as the greatest clay court player in history and possibly the greatest tennis player of all time?

 

[BeatlesFan]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

They're too busy taking 5,000 selfies every 12 seconds and posting on Insta, FB or Twitter. Their girlfriends get into the act too, like Zedrot's newest babe:

https://www.instagram.com/sophiatho...d&ig_rid=6043880c-feef-4aa8-973a-4bcfc8c59c73

 

[Biggest3]

Zverev put his whole career at risk to win vs Nadal. We all saw what happened to him. Thiem is also one guy that sacrificed everything in the quest to beat the Big3 (and he was a threat for a while) and eventually fried his mental and broken his wrist.

It's not that those guys lack drive or shame. The thing that they lack is tennis ability relative to the Big3. They are simply not good enough. No matter how much you train your body and mind, there are some things that can never be achieved through training. You have to be born with them from the start, to be one of the chosen ones. Life is not fair, that is the sad truth. Some people are born for greatness.

 

[thrust]

Zverev put his whole career at risk to win vs Nadal. We all saw what happened to him. Thiem is also one guy that sacrificed everything in the quest to beat the Big3 (and he was a threat for a while) and eventually fried his mental and broken his wrist.

It's not that those guys lack drive or shame. The thing that they lack is tennis ability relative to the Big3. They are simply not good enough. No matter how much you train your body and mind, there are some things that can never be achieved through training. You have to be born with them from the start, to be one of the chosen ones. Life is not fair, that is the sad truth. Some people are born for greatness.
True, and well said!

 

[thrust]

TRUE AND WELL PUT

 

[Bud]

He should feel ashamed that he managed just six games and got bageled in the final set. He's 13 years younger than Rafa and has just as big a FH if not bigger. But he does what everyone does and just laid down for Rafa.

I'm sure Cilic would have at least managed a set off Nadal with the way he was playing. I haven't watched the match but I'm assuming Ruud played pattycake with Rafa's FH and eventually netted a BH, tried ill-advised drop shots, and missed easy 2nd serve returns all match

No

 

[Quaichang]

Cilic managed eight games off Ruud in the last three sets of their match. Unless he came out swinging for the fences, I don’t think he’d have done much better. Maybe with his serve he could have exerted a little more scoreboard pressure but probably not much.

It definitely would’ve have been a more interesting final with Cilic.

 

[Cindysphinx]

It’s really amazing the advantage of being one inch taller.

Being that size means he isn’t a big-serving power player. Like Zverev.

That kind of power is the only thing that could have bothered Nadal.

 

[DSH]

He should feel ashamed that he managed just six games and got bageled in the final set. He's 13 years younger than Rafa and has just as big a FH if not bigger. But he does what everyone does and just laid down for Rafa.

I'm sure Cilic would have at least managed a set off Nadal with the way he was playing. I haven't watched the match but I'm assuming Ruud played pattycake with Rafa's FH and eventually netted a BH, tried ill-advised drop shots, and missed easy 2nd serve returns all match

After Cilic's embarrassing performance in the 2017 Wimbledon final, do you have the audacity to claim that?

 

[thrust]

After Cilic's embarrassing performance in the 2017 Wimbledon final, do you have the audacity to claim that?

Didn't Cilic have severe blisters on his feet that Wimbledon? He took Roger to 5 sets in Australia the following year, as I recall. Cilic played great tennis vs Medvedev but against Ruud he was very inconsistent. No doubt he would have had to play his best to have a chance against Rafa at RG but at his best it probably would have been a much better match than todays was. Still, Ruud is a fine player who should improve. I wish him all the best as he seems like a fine gentleman.

 

[DSH]

Didn't Cilic have severe blisters on his feet that Wimbledon? He took Roger to 5 sets in Australia the following year, as I recall. Cilic played great tennis vs Medvedev but against Ruud he was very inconsistent. No doubt he would have had to play his best to have a chance against Rafa at RG but at his best it probably would have been a much better match than todays was. Still, Ruud is a fine player who should improve. I wish him all the best as he seems like a fine gentleman.

I only referred to the Wimbledon final.
His performance, no matter how bad you put it, was pathetic.
And no, Cilic has nothing to do against Nadal on clay and even less so at Roland Garros.
Ruud won six games; the Croatian would have won a maximum of five.

 

[thrust]

I only referred to the Wimbledon final.
His performance, no matter how bad you put it, was pathetic.
And no, Cilic has nothing to do against Nadal on clay and even less so at Roland Garros.
Ruud won six games; the Croatian would have won a maximum of five.

Yes, but Cilic played injured in the Wimbledon final. Healthy, I am sure he would have done better, not win.

 

[reaper]

Ruud is a professional athlete who just had his best slam performance and pocketed about $1 million USD for his effort. I'm sure he'd have liked to go better in the final, but if there's one emotion he wouldn't be feeling it's shame.

 

[40-15_forever]

Hilarious. You think these players are losing to Nadal at Roland Garros because of mental fragility? You do understand that Nadal is a lifetime 112-3 at Roland Garros?

You are blasting Ruud for 'only' winning 6 games in a GS final. 6 games is two more than a so-called wannabe GOAT managed in 2008.
6 games is only one less than the only remaining GOAT contender Djokovic managed in 2020.

Federer and Djokovic are 'mentally fragile' like Ruud?

No they, like Ruud are simply no match technically against Nadal at Roland Garros. When Nadal is healthy and in form, they have no weapons to hurt him with.

Nadal has all the answers. Put some respect on his name.

Anti-Nadal crowd always seems to forget that beating Rafa at RG is near impossible. There is a reason why he has those numbers. Hint: not because people let him win.

 

[darthrafa]

i would not blame ruud
if not the stupid draw, he should not be able to play the final
apparently, he lacks the experience in gs final and playing against rafa on clay, let alone skill sets to be a great player

however, citybus and rublev on that half shall really look at themselves and ask whether they do have the wish to be great players
maybe in these two years, they would have thought the big 3 should significantly drop their performance but it does not mean they cannot improve themselves

 

[deaner2211]

Is a lack of shame partially responsible for the mental fragility of the younger players?

There seems to be such an emphasis on always being positive that I wonder whether the young players really have the drive to get much better.

I don’t know how Ruud feels after that display, but he should feel somewhat ashamed (which might fuel him to do whatever it takes so it doesn’t happen again). Sure, Nadal probably still would have won, but Ruud barely showed up. Felix also seemed all too content to lose.

where’s the drive for these younger guys?

Then new generation of tennis player are weaker than the older guys. The best tennis was in the 80’s 90’s. Those guys made tennis mainstream. Now it is just another sport.

 

[reaper]

i would not blame ruud
if not the stupid draw, he should not be able to play the final
apparently, he lacks the experience in gs final and playing against rafa on clay, let alone skill sets to be a great player

however, citybus and rublev on that half shall really look at themselves and ask whether they do have the wish to be great players
maybe in these two years, they would have thought the big 3 should significantly drop their performance but it does not mean they cannot improve themselves

I have no idea who citybus is, but Rublev proving himself a great player? He was ranked 1 above Ruud going into the FO and is now 2 spots below him. Is there anything suggesting he's better than Ruud?

 

[Jonas78]

They are raised in the belief that life isnt about winning, so of course they arent ashamed.