Is Tsonga more talented than Murray, Djokovic and Nadal?

[FedererGlides]

I always thought that in terms of pure natural talent, he is above these three. But his problem has always been his lack of mental toughness. He has shown that he can beat and cause lots of problems for the top 4 in majors but you don't know which Tsonga is going to turn up. He can be inspired like he was against Djokovic in the 2012 French Open, against Nadal at the 2008 Australian Open and against Federer at the 2011 Wimbledon quarter final or he can be completely flat like he was against Murray in the 2012 Wimbledon semi final.

He has the same problem as Berdych, but Tsonga seems to have a bit more energy and self belief than Berdych. I think Richard Gasquet is even more talented than Tsonga and Berdych, but Gasquet is so weak mentally that he makes Tsonga look mentally tough.

It is a bit unfortunate that Tsonga, Berdych and Gasquet don't have the mental strength. They are all more talented and better to watch than Murray, Nadal and Djokovic and I would love seeing Federer, Tsonga, Berdych and Gasquet regularly get to the semi finals of slams and put on a great show of flair tennis for the fans.

Baghdatis is another one who has more natural talent than Murray, Nadal and Djokovic. But he is also very weak mentally.

 

[The-Champ]

I always thought that in terms of pure natural talent, he is above these three. But his problem has always been his lack of mental toughness. He has shown that he can beat and cause lots of problems for the top 4 in majors but you don't know which Tsonga is going to turn up. He can be inspired like he was against Djokovic in the 2012 French Open, against Nadal at the 2008 Australian Open and against Federer at the 2011 Wimbledon quarter final or he can be completely flat like he was against Murray in the 2012 Wimbledon semi final.

He has the same problem as Berdych, but Tsonga seems to have a bit more energy and self belief than Berdych. I think Richard Gasquet is even more talented than Tsonga and Berdych, but Gasquet is so weak mentally that he makes Tsonga look mentally tough.

It is a bit unfortunate that Tsonga, Berdych and Gasquet don't have the mental strength. They are all more talented and better to watch than Murray, Nadal and Djokovic and I would love seeing Federer, Tsonga, Berdych and Gasquet regularly get to the semi finals of slams and put on a great show of flair tennis for the fans.

Baghdatis is another one who has more natural talent than Murray, Nadal and Djokovic. But he is also very weak mentally.

yeah, I'm sure Federer himself would rather see Tsonga, Berdych and Gasquet in major finals than Nadal, Djokovic and Murray.

 

[Sid_Vicious]

All subjective nonsense.

The only thing we can know for sure is that Tsonga is the inferior tennis player compared to those 3.

 

[FedererGlides]

All subjective nonsense.

The only thing we can know for sure is that Tsonga is the inferior tennis player compared to those 3.

If you know anything about tennis, then you would know that he is more talented. If he had the mental strength of the those 3, he would dominate them.

 

[FedererGlides]

yeah, I'm sure Federer himself would rather see Tsonga, Berdych and Gasquet in major finals than Nadal, Djokovic and Murray.

He would not enjoy facing them if they had mental strength.

 

[BauerAlmeida]

Than Djokovic not. Than Murray maybe. Than Nadal yes (but Nadal is a much better player, of course).

 

[Sid_Vicious]

If you know anything about tennis, then you would know that he is more talented. If he had the mental strength of the those 3, he would dominate them.

Spoken like a true armchair critic who thinks he is a tennis expert because he likes to repeat stupid and cliche' statements.

 

[kishnabe]

If you know anything about tennis, then you would know that he is more talented. If he had the mental strength of the those 3, he would dominate them.

Talent isn't about who hits a ball more pleasing to the eye. Sure Tsonga is pretty talented but he doesn't have the talents tha Murray, Djokovic and Nadal may have. Then again they don't have the talents Tsonga has.

Even with Tsonga at his mental best and firing may own these guys but it won't be easy. Those moments rarely come 08 AO SF, 11 WB QF, and 12 FO QF.

 

[Sid_Vicious]

Yeah, Tsonga's supreme talent is unquestionable. I mean his backhand technique is flawless; I love how he muscles through the ball rather than utilizing timing and fluid follow-throughs like Djokovic and Murray do.

And let's not forget how amazing Tsonga's return of serve and anticipation skills are. Roddick has some stiff competition in that department from Tsonga. :lol:

I also love it when he makes those unnecessarily complicated slice drop volleys with a 5% success rate.
Yep, Tsonga is a GOAT talent.

 

[FedererGlides]

Spoken like a true armchair critic who thinks he is a tennis expert because he likes to repeat stupid and cliche' statements.

You seem to think that just because someone is ranked higher that automatically means they are more talented. There are lots of mentally weak players on the tour that are blessed with more talent than the likes of Murray, Djokovic and Nadal. What do think of Richard Gasquet? He was a true tennis prodigy and would have given serious problems to Federer in slams if he had the mental strength. He was two sets up and serving for the match against Murray at Wimbledon 2008 and then completely crumbled.

Federer is the only top 4 player with more natural talent than Gasquet. If you can't see that Tsonga, Gasquet, Berdych and Bagdathis are more talented than Murray, Djokovic and Nadal then I seriously question your knowledge of the sport of tennis.

 

[FedererGlides]

Yeah, Tsonga's supreme talent is unquestionable. I mean his backhand technique is flawless; I love how he muscles through the ball rather than utilizing timing and fluid follow-throughs like Djokovic and Murray do.

And let's not forget how amazing Tsonga's return of serve and anticipation skills are. Roddick has some stiff competition in that department from Tsonga. :lol:

I also love it when he makes those unnecessarily complicated slice drop volleys with a 5% success rate.
Yep, Tsonga is a GOAT talent.

You clearly do not know what you are talking about. Tsonga does these unnecessary things because he is a complete headcase. When he is focused, he is truly brilliant. Did you even watch the 2008 Australian Open semi final against Nadal or the 2011 Wimbledon quarter final against Federer. Don't ever mention Roddick in the same sentence as Tsonga again.

 

[norbac]

You clearly do not know what you are talking about. Tsonga does these unnecessary things because he is a complete headcase. When he is focused, he is truly brilliant. Did you even watch the 2008 Australian Open semi final against Nadal or the 2011 Wimbledon quarter final against Federer. Don't ever mention Roddick in the same sentence as Tsonga again.

Exactly, let's wait till Tsonga accomplishes even half of what Roddick has before we do that.

 

[FedererGlides]

Yeah, Tsonga's supreme talent is unquestionable. I mean his backhand technique is flawless; I love how he muscles through the ball rather than utilizing timing and fluid follow-throughs like Djokovic and Murray do.

And let's not forget how amazing Tsonga's return of serve and anticipation skills are. Roddick has some stiff competition in that department from Tsonga. :lol:

I also love it when he makes those unnecessarily complicated slice drop volleys with a 5% success rate.
Yep, Tsonga is a GOAT talent.

Here is what wikipedia says about Tsonga's game:

"Tsonga is known for his effectively potent serves, as well as having powerful, heavy forehands and having exceptional touch at the net. He has an offensive baseline style of play, but is also able to mix his style of play up by rushing to the net. He is also currently one of the very few remaining players who often utilizes a serve-and-volley type of play. Tsonga's movement around the court is considered to be very good, considering his height. While he has a powerful repertoire of techniques, he has struggled to play consistently at important moments.


Tsonga's serve is one of his Fastest, Strongest And Most Dominant shots, mixing both slice and speed, so enabling him to create and win easier points, such as an ace or a one-two-punch. Because of the action of his serve, which is dramatically abbreviated, he does very well to create as much power as he does, with speeds of up to 140 mph (225 km/h).
Surfaces

Tsonga is known for his aggressive groundstrokes. His forehand and backhand are both effective in setting up points. His powerful, heavy and accurate forehand is his most consistent shot, especially when delivered down the line. Although his backhand is generally not as strong as his forehand during the rallies, he is very capable of hitting attacking shots on his backhand wing. His net play is skillful, especially on attack. He can play both two-handed and one-handed backhand. He added the one-handed backhand into his repertoire midway through 2011; evident in his matches against Murray in the final of Queen's Club and against Federer in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon. Although rarely used as a groundstroke in a neutral rally, it is particularly effective as a passing shot down the line or cross-court"

 

[silencer1]

Well mental toughness is what it is all about, not talent.

 

[FedererGlides]

Exactly, let's wait till Tsonga accomplishes even half of what Roddick has before we do that.

Roddick's mental strength and determination and sheer willpower has allowed him to overachieve. But in terms of natural talent, Tsonga has much more.

 

[FedererGlides]

Well mental toughness is what it is all about, not talent.

Yes but tennis grand slams would be even more exciting to watch if players like Tsonga, Gasquet, Berdych and Bagdhatis had mental strength.

 

[Tammo]

Hmmm, there seems to be a burst of Fed fans lately hasn't there?

 

[NadalAgassi]

I doubt it. He has some considerable talents but his overall movement, ability to play defense, and ability to improvise is much below the top guys.

 

[fuzzyball]

If you know anything about tennis, then you would know that he is more talented.

No sir, I'm afraid you are the one who doesn't know much about tennis, because regarding that sport, talent is a combination of physical qualities, stroke execution AND mental toughness.

 

[Breaker]

I doubt it. He has some considerable talents but his overall movement, ability to play defense, and ability to improvise is much below the top guys.

This..probably best attacking game in the world next to Fed but shot selection in defensive positions in addition to offensive skill is what has made the majority of slam champions, also he gets off to too many slow starts for whatever reason. Still his attacking game is good enough to maybe win a major if he can play two good matches in a row at the end of a tournament.

 

[fuzzyball]

No sir, I'm afraid you are the one who doesn't know much about tennis, because regarding that sport, talent is a combination of physical qualities, stroke execution AND mental toughness.

I have to add tactical sense as part of the talent package.

 

[tudwell]

Nadal, Murray, and Djokovic all have a talent that is astronomically important to the modern game, which is a relatively even baseline game with no glaring weaknesses. Tsonga is more talented up at net than any of them and serves bigger, but his forehand is error prone and his backhand very attackable.

 

[mental midget]

tsonga has exceptional feel and agility for a guy his size, that is what's so remarkable about him in my opinion. whether he is in the absolute sense a better athlete than those other three players is a tough call, those three guys could probably go pro in a few different sports. tsonga might be stronger, not sure if he's better.

 

[kaku]

Well I would define talent as have a natural knack for something, and Tsonga's backhand does not scream natural.

 

[pkshooter]

Baghdatis, is the racket smashing goat. Or is it Safin, the head vs. racket youzni did was pretty epic, or is it the consitentsy of gonzo that wins. I don't know, i think gonzo is the most justified being fed destroyed him so many times.

 

[Sentinel]

Hmmm, there seems to be a burst of Fed fans lately hasn't there?

It's called the Mike Sams syndrome

 

[zagor]

Why do I get this feeling that the OP is a double troll account or a former banned member (most likely a ****) bent on causing sh!tstorm with threads like these?

But regardless, Nadal, Novak and Murray are all extremely talented players in different ways, Nadal is a great shotmaker (especially from defensive positions) and has good touch at the net, Novak is a terrific ballstriker (best I've seen since Agassi) and Murray has great feel for the ball, he massages the ball from the baseline akin to McEnroe (when he's playing from the baseline) or Mecir and is great at constantly varying pace/spin of the ball (very similar to Fed in that regard, those two are the best junkballers on tour IMO).

Not to mention that they're all terrific movers, take a look at the list of great players in the past, most of them are great movers first and foremost.

Tsonga is very talented no doubt (and great fun to watch), he has big weapons and can on a good day overwhelm any opponent with his bludgeoning all-court game but as NadalAgassi said, his movement, defense and improvisation are suspect at best, he also displays some utterly terrible shot selection at times and IMO his ROS is pretty average (he has always been quite vulnerable to big servers as a result)and one of the weaker parts of his game.

 

[Sid_Vicious]

It's called the Mike Sams syndrome

Sentinel you are a genius! I was wondering who this arse-clown sounded like.

 

[RF-17-GOAT]

Tsonga has great mental strength. Don't contribute his inconsistency to his mentality, he's got one of the best in the tour.

 

[Chillaxer]

I personally think he has more natural talent than Murray. For sure.

 

[reversef]

Tsonga doesn't lack mental toughness. He's inconsistent, that's his game. More talented than Nadal, Djokovic and Murray? I don't think so. He plays a more risky game because that's what works for him, that doesn't make him more talented. Nadal, Djokovic and Murray all have the weapons, they prefer to take less risks and have more consistency.

 

[TheF1Bob]

The guy is french. That's the problem.

 

[Mainad]

IMO no way is Tsonga more talented than any of these 3 guys. Tsonga may have some superior weapons (serve, heavy groundstrokes etc.) but the other 3 all have a range of shots at their disposal (volleys, changes of pace, dropshots etc.) and a general all-court game that is superior to Tsonga or any of the other big-hitting guys mentioned. That is why they are so much more successful.

It's no good saying that Tsonga would be so much better than them if only he were mentally tougher. He would still have to outplay them. At his best he can pull off the occasional win against them but the emphasis is 'on occasion'. Generally, they are just better players as the H2Hs show in all 3 cases (1-6 v Murray, 5-7 v Djokovic and 3-7 v Nadal).

 

[Clarky21]

Not more talented than Cvac or Murray,but he is more talented than Nadal. He just never seems to get his head screwed on straight so he is very inconsistent.

 

[monfed]

He's obviously more talented than Ralph.

 

[reversef]

He's obviously more talented than Ralph.

Sure. :???: I just want to ask you "why?". Just to be clear, I'm not the kind of Nadal fan that wants to see him as the most talented player. Not my style. But in this case, I'm really sceptical.

 

[MarinaHighTennis]

Here is what wikipedia says about Tsonga's game:

 

[Steve132]

Tsonga is not more talented than Djokovic, Murray or Nadal. He simply has a different range of talents. He is one player who would have benefited enormously if the courts had not been slowed after 2000. He would be a genuine contender at a Wimbledon or a US Open played under 90's conditions.

 

[MariaRafael]

Yeah, Tsonga's supreme talent is unquestionable. I mean his backhand technique is flawless; I love how he muscles through the ball rather than utilizing timing and fluid follow-throughs like Djokovic and Murray do.

And let's not forget how amazing Tsonga's return of serve and anticipation skills are. Roddick has some stiff competition in that department from Tsonga. :lol:

I also love it when he makes those unnecessarily complicated slice drop volleys with a 5% success rate.
Yep, Tsonga is a GOAT talent.

Gosh, reading your description of Tsonga's backhand nearly thought you need medical help, then realized that it was gibing. Please, next time you describe non-existent things so convincingly, put an asterisk.

BTW Tsonga is physically not so good for tennis: he is too heavy which means a lot of load on his joints and numerous injuries.

 

[vamospunch]

If the return of serve has anything to do with talent, Tsonga is nowhere near as talented as the top 4. Tsonga is one of the worst returners in the top 20. Great serve, but awful return, and his groundstrokes aren't special.

 

[UKTennis]

Why do I get this feeling that the OP is a double troll account or a former banned member (most likely a ****) bent on causing sh!tstorm with threads like these?

But regardless, Nadal, Novak and Murray are all extremely talented players in different ways, Nadal is a great shotmaker (especially from defensive positions) and has good touch at the net, Novak is a terrific ballstriker (best I've seen since Agassi) and Murray has great feel for the ball, he massages the ball from the baseline akin to McEnroe (when he's playing from the baseline) or Mecir and is great at constantly varying pace/spin of the ball (very similar to Fed in that regard, those two are the best junkballers on tour IMO).

Not to mention that they're all terrific movers, take a look at the list of great players in the past, most of them are great movers first and foremost.

Tsonga is very talented no doubt (and great fun to watch), he has big weapons and can on a good day overwhelm any opponent with his bludgeoning all-court game but as NadalAgassi said, his movement, defense and improvisation are suspect at best, he also displays some utterly terrible shot selection at times and IMO his ROS is pretty average (he has always been quite vulnerable to big servers as a result)and one of the weaker parts of his game.

Agree with all of this. Watched a re-run of last years US Open final. Tsonga has not and will not produce the level of tennis shown in that third set.