Kudos To Zverev....

[Chanwan]

Zverev is no Hewitt. Hewitt won the US open when he was under 21 years old and Wimbledon when he was under 22 years old. Zverev is already 21 years old and no GS yet

For the record, Zverev is not my boy. But wrote this in the middle of the WTF week and he's done nothing since to change my mind:

"you gotta like (or dislike) his return stats with so much room to improve in the hold game.

Here's the definitive case for why Zverev will make it big:
- still just 21,5 - for comparison, Fed had 2 slam QF's and one Masters win as his best results at that age iirc
- he's got Lendl in his corner. Lendl wouldn't be there, if he didn't see the potential
-> look what Lendl did to Andy's forehand
- his BH is already world class
- he moves very well for a tall guy
- he can serve as big as the biggest servers, just needs to add a bit more placement and consistency
- he's 9-5 in finals, indicating a certain amount of mental toughness under pressure
- he's been winning 28 % of his return games in 2018, 5 % up from 2017. That's a great number for a big guy.
- his hold game has been a mere 82 % in 2018 - that's very bad for a guy that tall who's as capable from the back court as he is (up to 83 % post WTF)
-> yet he still leads the tour in match wins. Clearly there's room for improvement here with a Lendl-improved forehand after the serve and a better serve
- he's 41,7 % vs. top-10 players. Now I realize that number has been attained in the career inflation era, but it's still up there with Delpo (40,8) and better than Stan (37,1). 46,3 % post WTF.
- he's a child of the transition era. More or less, there are no great players in their 20's. Opportunities will come his way

Conclusion: Like it or not, this kid is going places."

As for you're best of 3 vs. best of 5 point, surely it's been poor so far for him in that regard. But with a more efficient hold game (see WTF), better conditioning (his team must be working on it), a better mental game (Lendl in his box), I expect him to break the change pattern sooner rather than later.

 

[borna coric]

@Chanwan: I agree with you 99% of what you said except:

- Andy Murray lost 3 GS finals, 2008 USO, 2010 & 2011 AO prior to hiring Lendl. Therefore, Murray is already really good and Lendl is just what Murray needed to push him over the top. Zverev is not even there yet,

- Zverev has no shot at the FO. His game is not suited for clay in the best of 5. Either Coric or Thiem will eat Zverev on the platter for lunch and dinner,

- At the AO, it is an outdoor event. The condition is very hot and humid. Given what we know about climate change, it will get even hotter. Unless they let Zverev play his matches in the evening, I just do not see how Zverev can survive the brutal condition down under for a span of two weeks, in the best of 5,

- At the US Open, it is outdoor, freaking hot and humid. Again, I just can't see how Zverev can survive the best of 5 in these conditions in two consecutive weeks,

Best of 3 vs. best of 5 are two complete different animals. You can be up 2 sets to none and can still lose the match. Happened multiples times to even the GOAT (aka, Federer), 2011 Wimbledon again Tsongas, 2011 USO against Djoker and 2018 Wimbledon against Kevin Anderson.

Zverev lost in GS events after winning the first set against lower rank opponents that he should NOT have lost to. Therefore, I say Zverev has problems with both fitness and mental toughness.

On the separate note, I think either Becker or Lendl would be an awesome coach to Borna Coric because, according to Coric, when he plays at his best, he looks like Djoker. When he plays at his worst, he looks like Murray . Coric said this, I didn't.

 

[Chanwan]

@Chanwan: I agree with you 99% of what you said except:

- Andy Murray lost 3 GS finals, 2008 USO, 2010 & 2011 AO prior to hiring Lendl. Therefore, Murray is already really good and Lendl is just what Murray needed to push him over the top. Zverev is not even there yet,

- Zverev has no shot at the FO. His game is not suited for clay in the best of 5. Either Coric or Thiem will eat Zverev on the platter for lunch and dinner,

- At the AO, it is an outdoor event. The condition is very hot and humid. Given what we know about climate change, it will get even hotter. Unless they let Zverev play his matches in the evening, I just do not see how Zverev can survive the brutal condition down under for a span of two weeks, in the best of 5,

- At the US Open, it is outdoor, freaking hot and humid. Again, I just can't see how Zverev can survive the best of 5 in these conditions in two consecutive weeks,

Best of 3 vs. best of 5 are two complete different animals. You can be up 2 sets to none and can still lose the match. Happened multiples times to even the GOAT (aka, Federer), 2011 Wimbledon again Tsongas, 2011 USO against Djoker and 2018 Wimbledon against Kevin Anderson.

Zverev lost in GS events after winning the first set against lower rank opponents that he should NOT have lost to. Therefore, I say Zverev has problems with both fitness and mental toughness.

On the separate note, I think either Becker or Lendl would be an awesome coach to Borna Coric because, according to Coric, when he plays at his best, he looks like Djoker. When he plays at his worst, he looks like Murray . Coric said this, I didn't.

* Murray, true he was (way) more accomplished, but also a lot older. My point is that I don't think Lendl would do it, if he didn't see slam wins in the future. He left Andy when injuries set him back. And then came back and got him another Wimbledon. Call him an opportunist if you will, but Lendl is there because he sees clear slam winning potentiel.

* clay. So far, clay is where Z has his highest winning percentage by quite a bit. I agree it will be tough for him, but I certainly put him above Coric at the FO as do the bookies who rates him and Thiem more or less equal there despite the obvious differences in success so far.

* semis + finals are always evening. The rest is 50-50. Also, climate change doesn't make it like 5 degrees hotter instantly. It means we'll have more hot weather, but not necessarily every year and not way hotter for the next few years.

* US, same. But the new stadium has made it worse

*true, but you just don't see players being as successfull as Zverev in best of 3 not having any success in best of 5. He's very light for a big guy (unlike Delpo), so I have reason to assume he'll have better conditioning than a guy like Delpo.

*Zverev has under performed in slams in every way imaginable so far, there's no denying that. The key questions are: Is it something inherent in his game or physique or mentality? Is it unfixable?
I believe whatever it is, it can and will be fixed and Zverev will make at least a QF and a semi next year in the slams. And probably more.

 

[borna coric]

* clay. So far, clay is where Z has his highest winning percentage by quite a bit. I agree it will be tough for him, but I certainly put him above Coric at the FO as do the bookies who rates him and Thiem more or less equal there despite the obvious differences in success so far./QUOTE]

I just can't let this comment go. Thiem made it to two consecutive FO finals and he absolutely obliterated Zverev in the process, 6-4, 6-2, 6-1. I would not call this, more or less equal.

Coric and Zverev have not played each other on clay but I think Coric game is more suited on clay than Zverev and the clay will neutralize Zverev's power. Keep in mind that Zverev couldn't be Coric on both hard court and grass, except in Miami.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

There was some dude on the latest season of Narcos that reminded me of James Franco. Then I thought this would have been cool some years ago.

Congrats to the gif of the year winner.

 

[Chanwan]

fair enough, I'm just quoting the odds @borna coric

 

[Four-ever]

Hopefully the complaining when things don't go his way disappears and the kudos will evolve into a bravo.

 

[MichaelNadal]

Anyone thinking Zverev wont win a slam soon is in for a rude awakening.....

 

[Poisoned Slice]