As has been pointed out, if Fish and Tipsarevic can be in the top 10, so could Martin. He had a big game and many wonderful attributes:
- Very good return game; particularly his backhand return. He was 6'4 or 6'5 so kick serves did not bother him too much
- Had a big serve and according to Agassi a very accurate one too. He'd miss by inches
- Good volleyer
- A thinker on the court
But he had some notable weaknesses:
- Mentally weak, in that he wasn't a closer. He was a fighter though; compare him to Nalbandian if you will in that sense.
- Mediocre movement (from what I remember and know). At least his lateral movement was suspect, but he was sharp when going for the kill at the net.
- I don't think his forehand was anything special. Low margin for error but he could hit big shots off either wing.
I think his biggest problem was between the years. He had the tools to beat most players and he did produce big upsets on occasion such as when:
- Beating Edberg at the 1994 Australian Open
- Beating Agassi at the 1994 Wimbledon
On the flip side, he was a choker like on the following occasions:
- The infamous 1996 Wimbledon semi final against Malivai Washington. He was 5-1 up in the 5th and should not lost that match on a slick grass court.
- I believe he was a double break up against Agassi in the fifth set of the second round at Wimbledon 2000 but couldn't close him out. You could tell after the match that Agassi felt sorry for Martin's mental issues as much as he felt relieved about his own escapade
Would he be able to crack the top 10 in today's game? Definitely (assuming he would make adjustments to his game based on conditions today).
Would he able to make a Slam final? Doubt it. Dare I say he's a poor man's Tsonga? - though more intelligent and with a better serve. And that can take you far. So who knows? Maybe he could eke out a win against a Murray/Djokovic by playing lights out tennis.
Actually, Tsonga moves really well in comparison so that's not a good analogy.
