Guillermo Coria: Best Returner

[egn]

We always hear the talk about Andre Agassi, but what I just learned today was all time Guillermo Coria leads the whole sport in percentage of return games won by a good 2 percent and 1st serve points won. Considering those are two great indicating of return of serve it is amazing how easily people forget how great he was at returning serve. A lot of times we focus on his speed, but Coria had amazing reflexes when it came to reading serve and getting a good hit in. Now only if he could actually have had his own serve to go with it. Maybe next time we jump to praise Andre Agassi, we might consider Coria in the discussion as well, as the numbers do not lie.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Matchfacts/Matchfacts-List.aspx?c=9&s=0&y=0

 

[off_the_bounce]

We always hear the talk about Andre Agassi, but what I just learned today was all time Guillermo Coria leads the whole sport in percentage of return games won by a good 2 percent and 1st serve points won. Considering those are two great indicating of return of serve it is amazing how easily people forget how great he was at returning serve. A lot of times we focus on his speed, but Coria had amazing reflexes when it came to reading serve and getting a good hit in. Now only if he could actually have had his own serve to go with it. Maybe next time we jump to praise Andre Agassi, we might consider Coria in the discussion as well, as the numbers do not lie.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Matchfacts/Matchfacts-List.aspx?c=9&s=0&y=0

I think you're confusing yourself with players with great return games and players with great return of serves.

 

[pc1]

We always hear the talk about Andre Agassi, but what I just learned today was all time Guillermo Coria leads the whole sport in percentage of return games won by a good 2 percent and 1st serve points won. Considering those are two great indicating of return of serve it is amazing how easily people forget how great he was at returning serve. A lot of times we focus on his speed, but Coria had amazing reflexes when it came to reading serve and getting a good hit in. Now only if he could actually have had his own serve to go with it. Maybe next time we jump to praise Andre Agassi, we might consider Coria in the discussion as well, as the numbers do not lie.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Matchfacts/Matchfacts-List.aspx?c=9&s=0&y=0

I've known this for a while. The stuff about Agassi being clearly the greatest of all time as a returner is highly debatable. Of course we have to take into account the surfaces Coria played on but he was a superb returner no matter what.

 

[egn]

I think you're confusing yourself with players with great return games and players with great return of serves.

I really think it is safe to say the two go hand and hand. Besides Coria is the best first serve returner in terms of percentage of points won. You can't say that someone doesn't have a great return if they win career wise 36% of all 1st serve returns. As I think it is easy to agree that in order to win first serve returns you need to return that serve well. Besides at the end of the day I'd still argue a better returner doesn't mean simply just the return of serve and should be the all around return game.

 

[decades]

too bad he had the ATP tour longevity of a fruit fly.

 

[Mustard]

too bad he had the ATP tour longevity of a fruit fly.

Damn those service yips :evil:

I started a thread on Coria yesterday, having been watching some of his 2003 matches, back when he could serve pretty well and was very confident on the court. A lot of Coria's tennis back then was sublime. Today's tennis world really does miss his presence, in my opinion.

 

[jaggy]

I thought Coria would win multiple French opens, just shows you

 

[Mustard]

I thought Coria would win multiple French opens, just shows you

Even Gaudio, in his 2004 French Open winning speech, said that Coria would win the French Open in 2005. Nobody really doubted it at the time, but Rafael Nadal was waiting around the corner.