Dustin Brown, the grass court specialist

[George Turner]

Brown shows he's still got that magic, showing his top form against an elite baseliner in a fantastic clash of styles.

This for me shows why homogenization is a sad thing, and that tennis would be more entertaining if there was more grass court tournaments. Other players like Brown would emerge and with more grass tournaments they would accumulate enough points to be able to stay on the main tour throughout the year. It would add a whole new dimension to tennis.

 

[Red Rick]

Brown wins 43% of matches on grass compared to 40% on clay on 34% on HC.

Such a magnificent specialist

 

[junior74]

Brown wins 43% of matches on grass compared to 40% on clay on 34% on HC.

Such a magnificent specialist

OP has a point. Brown has to qualify to every tournament he enters. And most often draws top seeds in the first rounds.

More different surfaces would allow more diversity in tennis, which would be good IMO.

 

[OldschoolKIaus]

Zverev? Elite baseliner?

Never heard of him.

 

[Yugram]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored of clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

 

[junior74]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

Yes, they are all trying their very best to play well from the baseline.

 

[tennis_pro]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

You get bored with watching Brown? Wow I think you chose to follow the wrong sport.

 

[Sport]

The spirit of Sampras is still alive. Brown is one of the last surviving specimens of serve and volley. I feel like watching Jurassic Park with these highlights.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored of clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

What clownery?

 

[George Turner]

Brown wins 43% of matches on grass compared to 40% on clay on 34% on HC.

Such a magnificent specialist

Brown career record on grass; 42/29. Bit more than 43%

Brown hasn't won an atp match off grass since 2017, but he's clearly more than capable of winning ATP matches on grass. He's a true grass court specialist even though he won't win Wimbledon.

Meanwhile a guy like Cecchinato barely wins matches outside of clay, but he can maintain his place on the tour just through the clay season. Brown does not have this luxury on grass.

This is why the lack of grass court tournaments is a shame. Even the crowd during this match are ohhing and ahhing at Browns game.

 

[George Turner]

The spirit of Sampras is still alive. Brown is one of the last surviving specimens of serve and volley. I feel like watching Jurassic Park with these highlights.

 

[Purplemonster]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored of clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

Cilic has won a major and lost 2 major finals. Makes no sense putting him in that group.

 

[Red Rick]

Brown career record on grass; 42/29. Bit more than 43%

Brown hasn't won an atp match off grass since 2017, but he's clearly more than capable of winning ATP matches on grass. He's a true grass court specialist even though he won't win Wimbledon.

Meanwhile a guy like Cecchinato barely wins matches outside of clay, but he can maintain his place on the tour just through the clay season. Brown does not have this luxury on grass.

This is why the lack of grass court tournaments is a shame. Even the crowd during this match are ohhing and ahhing at Browns game.

Cecchinato, as poor as he is on HC, made the semi's at RG and won two titles on clay. When did Brown do anything like that?

 

[Sport]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored of clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

Tsitsipas is not a clown, he is mentally strong and very focused unlike Zverev who is always complaining.

Dimitrov, Cilic and Nishikori are not "clowns", they perform the best they can. Not everyone can have the talent of the Big 3.

 

[Purplemonster]

Great hands, beautiful volleying. Now if only he possessed the talent of Kyrgios...

 

[Yugram]

Tsitsipas is not a clown, he is mentally strong and very focused unlike Zverev who is always complaining.

Dimitrov, Cilic and Nishikori are not "clowns", they perform the best they can. Not everyone can have the talent of the Big 3.

I see your point about Tsitsipas. But I’m not blaming lostgen for not winning Big titles, but rather for their massive chokes and, especially regarding Nishikori, being a spoiler.

 

[Red Rick]

I love how Nishikori is the biggest ever choker when he usually gets straight setted by better opponents and when he has one of the best 5th set records on Tour.

 

[mbm0912]

Nah, it’s cool to see players like Brown for a couple of matches but then you get bored of clownery.

We have many clowns on tour and without grass. Like Dimitrov, Cilic, Nishikori, Shapovalov, kind of Tsitsipas and Zverev etc.

If anyone is a clown it's the guy that plays tennis in a toboggan. Actually Zverev is more of one.

 

[George Turner]

Cecchinato, as poor as he is on HC, made the semi's at RG and won two titles on clay. When did Brown do anything like that?

With more grass court tournaments Brown would get to play more tennis on the surface, thus focus on improving his natural game further. Rather than spending time trying to qualify for random hard court tournaments, which is not the best way to develop his game. He would also be able to afford better coaching etc.

It's Cause and effect.

 

[Red Rick]

With more grass court tournaments Brown would get to play more tennis on the surface, thus focus on improving his natural game further. Rather than spending time trying to qualify for random hard court tournaments, which is not the best way to develop his game. He would also be able to afford better coaching etc.

It's Cause and effect.

Whereas if grass season is longer, other will simply neglect it and not improve on the surface.

In fact, Brown plays a grass style on all surfaces, his grass specific game would improve the least from playing more grass whereas other players could make way more adjustments.

 

[Deleted member 762343]

His style is so refreshing, it’s sad that a player like Brown can’t win anything. I don’t know whether he lacks talent or discipline.

 

[EloQuent]

Dennis Kudla is a true grass specialist. Too lazy to look up the stats but he's like a reverse Miscellaneous South American dirtballer.

 

[el sergento]

They should parachute Brown into the Wimbledon final every year, like a boss fight at the end of a level.

You want to win Wimbledon? You have to first beat 6 defensive baseliners and then finally face a fully rested Dustin Brown in the final on slick grass.

In fact, when Fed retires, they should just parachute him into the Wimbledon final every year also just to guarantee one decent grass player every year.

 

[el sergento]

His style is so refreshing, it’s sad that a player like Brown can’t win anything. I don’t know whether he lacks talent or discipline.

He lacks grass courts and fast indoor carpet to make a career out of his tennis.

Ivanisevic would have as many titles as Mahut in this day and age.

 

[DreddyTennis45]

I love how Nishikori is the biggest ever choker when he usually gets straight setted by better opponents and when he has one of the best 5th set records on Tour.

"One of the best 5th set records" because he gets routinely taken to 5 sets against bums like Paire, Dere, Majchrzak etc etc
who he should put away in 3

 

[Deleted member 762343]

He lacks grass courts and fast indoor carpet to make a career out of his tennis.

Ivanisevic would have as many titles as Mahut in this day and age.

Doesn't explain why he can't win anything on grass. And yes, his style doesn't help in general but if he can't adapt, it's on him.

 

[JSZ]

How could anyone lose to a guy who wears a hat like that?

 

[BeatlesFan]

Zverev? Elite baseliner?

Below are shown some actual "elite baseliners" whose abilities are in another dimension from what Zverev could ever produce:

 

[el sergento]

Doesn't explain why he can't win anything on grass. And yes, his style doesn't help in general but if he can't adapt, it's on him.

Well, he actually does win a fair bit. Problem is he has to qualify into every tournament before he can even participate in the tournament.

In essence, a top seed can win a small grass court tournament by only winning 3-4 matches. Brown has to win 2-3 matches just to get into the main draw, and then he usually immediately faced a top seed.

If there were more fast courts on tour I don’t think there’s any doubt he’d have a better ranking. Also, we used to have bonus points for beating top guys. Brown is a prime example of a player who would benefit from bonus points given his habit of surprising top players.

 

[Meles]

Brown shows he's still got that magic, showing his top form against an elite baseliner in a fantastic clash of styles.

This for me shows why homogenization is a sad thing, and that tennis would be more entertaining if there was more grass court tournaments. Other players like Brown would emerge and with more grass tournaments they would accumulate enough points to be able to stay on the main tour throughout the year. It would add a whole new dimension to tennis.

Its not the surfaces, its the strings making everyone have groundies like Borg. This has caused apparent homogenization and wiped out S&V as a viable mode of play.

 

[Kobble]

He lacks grass courts and fast indoor carpet to make a career out of his tennis.

Ivanisevic would have as many titles as Mahut in this day and age.

Don't think so. Ivanisevic's serve would be as effective today as ever. Ivanisevic would do at least as good as Isner. Goran's return was also bigger and he moved much better than Isner. Goran would slide on hard courts back then.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

One of only two players to remain undefeated against Nadal having played more than one match against him.

Additionally he has a winning H2H over former number 1s Hewitt and Muster as well as Cilic and Davydenko. Not bad for a guy who’s never made a tour final or gone beyond the 3R of a slam.

 

[el sergento]

Don't think so. Ivanisevic's serve would be as effective today as ever. Ivanisevic would do at least as good as Isner. Goran's return was also bigger and he moved much better than Isner. Goran would slide on hard courts back then.

With a serve like Goran’s he would be a threat no matters the era, but still, Goran’s career would be very different in this no carpet, slow HC, slow grass era.

Look at his titles by surface:

Carpet : 14
Grass : 2
HC : 3
Clay: 3

 

[el sergento]

Its not the surfaces, its the strings making everyone have groundies like Borg. This has caused apparent homogenization and wiped out S&V as a viable mode of play.

It’s both the strings and the surface. That’s why players like Brown, Mueller, and Mahut are more successful on grass.

If we still had carpet courts, even with the new strings, the rankings would be very different for big serving attacking players like Brown.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Brown on grass huh?

 

[Dolgopolov85]

The spirit of Sampras is still alive. Brown is one of the last surviving specimens of serve and volley. I feel like watching Jurassic Park with these highlights.

Some of his approaches in the Zverev match were even more creative than Sampras. Actually more like Mecir. But then, he lost to Felix in three, so that shows how much the game has changed. Even on grass that plays somewhat like the old days, a serve volleyer is no match for a fast baseliner. This had already happened circa Hewitt. The erstwhile baseliners found it tough to move on grass (Lendl said so specifically) but that all changed with Hewitt. But yes, grass court tennis IS entertaining when a serve volleyer is pitted against a baseliner who doesn't look like a giraffe on grass. Except that the serve volleyer still usually loses anyway.

 

[DSH]

Brown is good for entertainment, not for winning.

 

[Meles]

It’s both the strings and the surface. That’s why players like Brown, Mueller, and Mahut are more successful on grass.

If we still had carpet courts, even with the new strings, the rankings would be very different for big serving attacking players like Brown.

Really. Indoor hard seems so fast, but carpet fasterer for sure.