Marcelo Rios worthy of Hall of Fame?

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Bionic Poster
This is a false myth. You cant get hot for two weeks and become #1. Getting to the top spot is a lot harder than winning a slam. It takes a year full of consistent results against top players to become the king of the mountain. Lots of players have won majors. Very few get to the #1 spot. Your talking maybe 3-4 players every generation.

Winning a Slam or Major is the pinnacle of achievement for a tennis player and to reach the #1 ranking without being able to win one strikes people as being rather odd and flukey. Fairly or unfairly it casts some doubt on the validity of how said player got there. Look at women players like Safina, Jankovic and especially Wozniacki who all reached #1 without winning a Slam and have never really be taken seriously as a result. Rios himself is the only male player in the Open Era to have reached #1 without winning a Slam and its telling that he didn't stay long at that position. Today, I think it must be virtually impossible to reach that ranking without having won at least 1 or 2 Slams in the season backed up of course by a lot of good results in the lower tournaments.
 

Crisstti

Legend
There are rather flukey slam winners too. Gaudio since he was mentioned. Way more possible than a flukey number one.

And Ríos took the number one from Sampras.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
There are rather flukey slam winners too. Gaudio since he was mentioned. Way more possible than a flukey number one.

And Ríos took the number one from Sampras.

Gaudio stole that FO from Coria, Coria blew that one, he was the king of clay that year.

Also, Rios took No. 1 from Sampras and he did it while beating Agassi in straight sets. Rios definitely took over no. 1 in style.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
This is a false myth. You cant get hot for two weeks and become #1. Getting to the top spot is a lot harder than winning a slam. It takes a year full of consistent results against top players to become the king of the mountain. Lots of players have won majors. Very few get to the #1 spot. Your talking maybe 3-4 players every generation.

Agree. It's a special achievement to "be the best in the world" at anything. Rios was that. Anyone who is no. 1 earned everyone of their points. Safina, Caro and all no. 1s are worthy of Hall of Fame IMO. It's silly that people disrespect Safina and Wozniacki because they were no. 1 but never won a major. They were NO. 1. That says it all.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Chang definitely did the jumping backhand before Rios. I don't know if Chang was the first player to do it, though.

It's possible Chang was first but how can you be sure? I seem to remember Chang doing it later in his career, not early. Rios could have invented the shot in juniors, you don't know that he didn't.
 

magnut

Hall of Fame
Gaudio stole that FO from Coria, Coria blew that one, he was the king of clay that year.

Also, Rios took No. 1 from Sampras and he did it while beating Agassi in straight sets. Rios definitely took over no. 1 in style.


Rios did it on a bunch of different surfaces too....not that it matters. He was simply the best player on tour when he was #1. Maybe not the most liked but he was the best.
 
N

NadalAgassi

Guest
I will put it simply. No singles only player who couldnt even win a single slam should ever in a million years make the Hall of Fame, nor will they. I would bet thousands of dollars on Rios never making the Hall of Fame, I am completely sure of it, even with the standards they have already let it stoop to.

Also no the #1 ranking is NOT a bigger achievement than winning a slam, especialy when you spend only about 15 weeks or less ranked there like Rios did (dont know the exact figure but it is a small one).

It shows how embarassing the Hall of Fame has let themselves become that fans of Rios, Dementieva, and others like them even think they can talk about them having HOF prospects. Delusional individuals only of course, but the very fact any have been allowed to even think that way speaks volumes.



There are rather flukey slam winners too. Gaudio since he was mentioned.

and Gaudio will never come anywhere near the Hall of Fame either. Only 1 slam winners who are considered amongst the best ever 1 slam winners (the lone exception being Noah who as I already mentioned will probably/hopefully be forever the weakest player ever to make the Hall of Fame) ever make it when a 1 slam winner does.
 
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Big_Dangerous

Talk Tennis Guru
I guess he'll get in, he was number 1 after all. I think his character is trash however, poor ambassador to tennis despite aesthetically pleasing game

Yeah I'd actually hate to see him get in. Here's a guy who not only started late, but achieved so much success, despite being a spoiled brat. Then on top of all that he just up and quit the game... I just feel like there's no room for guys like that in the hall.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
I think inventing a new shot in tennis is a remarkable and distinguished accomplishment. It takes extraordinary creativity. Sampras invented that slam dunk as a variation of serve and volley. I think Agassi started the swing volley. Drysdale the double doublehanders?

I think it's a special thing if you invent a shot like the jumping double hander and players two decades later are imitating it in pro matches. It must be officially determined who created that shot Rios or Chang, I think it was Rios. If it comes down to it, Chang and Rios should both be summoned to the Hall of Fame and interviewed about it.
 

Moose Malloy

G.O.A.T.
It must be officially determined who created that shot Rios or Chang, I think it was Rios. If it comes down to it, Chang and Rios should both be summoned to the Hall of Fame and interviewed about it.

There are matches on youtube with Chang doing this in like 1990.
I know you wrote an obscure book on Rios(didn't actually get to interview him, right?) but give it a rest.

Sampras invented that slam dunk as a variation of serve and volley

I think Agassi started the swing volley.

guess you haven't been following tennis for that long. They certainly didn't invent those shots.
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
It's possible Chang was first but how can you be sure? I seem to remember Chang doing it later in his career, not early. Rios could have invented the shot in juniors, you don't know that he didn't.

How can I be sure that Chang was doing jumping backhands before Rios? Because Chang was doing jumping backhands when I saw him play in the early 1990s.
 

magnut

Hall of Fame
How can I be sure that Chang was doing jumping backhands before Rios? Because Chang was doing jumping backhands when I saw him play in the early 1990s.

LOL. Chang jumped on every ball back then. He had compession springs for legs.
 

magnut

Hall of Fame
I think in the end there were a lot of players doing it. Its just that Rios made it cool. He was a pretty cool fellow to watch on court and this only added to it.

Watch that Miami final. He was one cool fellow in that match. Cool Hand Rios! The anti establishment #1.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Rios was always vertically challenged, they said he was sometimes a foot shorter than some of his junior opponents, the contrast when they shook hands at the net was comical. Rios might have started jumping on the backhand in juniors in the late 80s -- before Chang.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
I think in the end there were a lot of players doing it. Its just that Rios made it cool. He was a pretty cool fellow to watch on court and this only added to it.

Watch that Miami final. He was one cool fellow in that match. Cool Hand Rios! The anti establishment #1.

He sure was. It might have hurt his chances for the ATP timing the announcement of Korda's test. Had Korda beat an Aussie or a popular player like Agassi in the final, they might have stripped Korda of the title. But because it was Rios, they were happy to let Korda have it. Just a theory. Rios pissed off a lot of people in the establishment.
 

Crisstti

Legend
I think in the end there were a lot of players doing it. Its just that Rios made it cool. He was a pretty cool fellow to watch on court and this only added to it.

Watch that Miami final. He was one cool fellow in that match. Cool Hand Rios! The anti establishment #1.

Sigh. Yes he was.
 

Carolina Racquet

Professional
This discussion is a joke in my opinion.

Never won a grand slam (lost in his only final 2, 2, 2 to the legend Petra Korda), wasn't a good ambassador for the sport and he was basically a under-achieving a-hole.

It will never happen and it shouldn't. He had some great matches, a good run and a fast burnout. End of story.
 

kiki

Banned
Rios made Agassi look like a journeyman that match, you never saw Agassi look so almost helpless on the tennis court in a final like that. Rios at his best could take tennis to a new level, a new height.

Sampras toyed with AA many times like the 1990 US Open
 

tennisplayer1993

Professional
This discussion is a joke in my opinion.

Never won a grand slam (lost in his only final 2, 2, 2 to the legend Petra Korda), wasn't a good ambassador for the sport and he was basically a under-achieving a-hole.

It will never happen and it shouldn't. He had some great matches, a good run and a fast burnout. End of story.

This is how I feel about Rios too. I feel he's often overrated when people say he had a lot of potential to be a great.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
This discussion is a joke in my opinion.

Never won a grand slam (lost in his only final 2, 2, 2 to the legend Petra Korda), wasn't a good ambassador for the sport and he was basically a under-achieving a-hole.

It will never happen and it shouldn't. He had some great matches, a good run and a fast burnout. End of story.

On the court Rios was not an a-hole. Would you call Agassi, Nastase, Connors, McEnroe a-holes for some of their obscene conduct on court as Hall of Famers?

Rios was a great player with unique credentials and talent.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
This is how I feel about Rios too. I feel he's often overrated when people say he had a lot of potential to be a great.

Spadea said he thought Rios was actually an "overachiever", for a small guy to do so much damage on the ATP tour against the big hitters and top guns was extraordinary. Try to see it that way.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Sampras toyed with AA many times like the 1990 US Open

Agassi was still a punk kid at that stage. Agassi later turned the tables on Pete a few times, like in the Australian Open a couple of times. Too bad they never played at French Open, that would have been interesting.
 

SVP

Semi-Pro
balancing test

I guess you could use some kind of weighing and balancing test. His tennis achievements should be measured against how big an a****** he has been.
O.J. Simpson was one of the greatest running backs ever in the NFL yet was a double murderer. Should he be removed from the Hall of Fame?

Not that Rios was a double murderer but shouldn't his a****** behavior be considered when considering him for the Hall of Fame?
 

SVP

Semi-Pro
What is a Delta Bravo like Rios doing these days? I just can't imagine him running a tennis academy for under privileged kids.
 

big ted

Legend
This is how I feel about Rios too. I feel he's often overrated when people say he had a lot of potential to be a great.

i agree that hes overrated. there are sooo many other players who had a better career than he did. he was very talented and exciting to watch but that doesnt make a career. i think even if he won that aus open, hed still not get in based on his bad attitude unless he were to mellow out years later and maybe become a well liked davis cup captain or something
 

abmk

Bionic Poster
Agassi was still a punk kid at that stage. Agassi later turned the tables on Pete a few times, like in the Australian Open a couple of times. Too bad they never played at French Open, that would have been interesting.

they did - in RG 92 quarters. after a competitive first set, agassi blew him away in the next 2 sets.
 

mattennis

Hall of Fame
But on the other hand, Agassi was playing great tennis again. He had won 18 out of the previous 19 matches at that point (defeating nº1 Sampras, nº7 Chang, nº3 Rafter and nº8 Corretja among others).

In 1998 Agassi failed at the four GS (probably he put himself under huge pressure), but outside the four GS, he was the best player of the year (he was the player with more points outside GS), and he even got to nº4 in the world during the Masters-Cup in spite of his failures at the four GS (he played 10 finals that year, winning five titles, and only in 1995, at his absolute peak, he played more finals, 11, winning seven titles that year).
 

Mustard

Bionic Poster
Considering Agassi had been ranked #141 in the World only 4 months earlier, he was basically a journeyman at the time they played that match.

As mattennis said, Agassi was bang in form at the time of the 1998 Miami final. When his ranking crashed to 141, Brad Gilbert told Agassi to start again from scratch or retire. Agassi chose the former, and finished 1997 and started 1998 strongly for a player who's ranking had crashed so low.
 

Crisstti

Legend
NO at least you must have a GS title or end the year as number 1 like Guga(3 RG and 1 Master)!!!

Why would ending the year as number one be worth more?.

I guess you could use some kind of weighing and balancing test. His tennis achievements should be measured against how big an a****** he has been.
O.J. Simpson was one of the greatest running backs ever in the NFL yet was a double murderer. Should he be removed from the Hall of Fame?

Not that Rios was a double murderer but shouldn't his a****** behavior be considered when considering him for the Hall of Fame?

Oh come on, it wasn't so bad. Safin for example pulled down his shorts as a "gesture" to his opponent during a match. And I don't see people complaining about his behaviour.
 
N

NadalAgassi

Guest
As mattennis said, Agassi was bang in form at the time of the 1998 Miami final. When his ranking crashed to 141, Brad Gilbert told Agassi to start again from scratch or retire. Agassi chose the former, and finished 1997 and started 1998 strongly for a player who's ranking had crashed so low.

Agassi did not get past the round of 16 of a slam in 1998, and his overall slam record was 7-4. He never returned to the point of being "bang in form" in 1998. 1998 was his comeback year, but it was always going to take more than a whole year of improvement to get back to the elite after the depths he had sunk to in 1997. 1998 was that year, the long long journey back to the top, but he wasnt back there yet until mid 99 atleast.

Just look at some of the players he lost to on hard courts in 1998 (the surface he performed by far the best on that year, so if I went beyond that it would only get alot worse) in 1998. Alberto "useless on all but clay" Berasetegui on hard courts at the Australian Open for instance. Karol Kucera at the U.S Open, and 16 year old Hewitt. Jan Michael Gambill at Indian Wells right before Miami. Only 9 games in a 3 straight sets loss on hards to Kafelnikov (an Agassi pigeon in Agassi prime years) in Davis Cup. Corretja, Krajicek, and a few others. Lets not even pretend beating Agassi in 1998 was some miracelous feat only the most amazing of players could have pulled off. This wasnt summer of 95 or something.
 
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Mustard

Bionic Poster
Agassi did not get past the round of 16 of a slam in 1998, and his overall slam record was 7-4. He never returned to the point of being "bang in form" in 1998. 1998 was his comeback year, but it was always going to take more than a whole year of improvement to get back to the elite after the depths he had sunk to in 1997. 1998 was that year, the long long journey back to the top, but he wasnt back there yet until mid 99 atleast.

I'm not talking about the whole year. Agassi had won 18 of his last 19 matches before facing Rios in the 1998 Miami final, and these included wins over many top 10 players, over number 1 Sampras included. Rios had also performed badly in the 1998 Australian Open final against Korda, so would obviously have a lot of pressure on his shoulders with the number 1 ranking in his grasp. Agassi had improved a lot in those months since he was at 141 in the world.

Just look at some of the players he lost to on hard courts in 1998 (the surface he performed by far the best on that year, so if I went beyond that it would only get alot worse) in 1998.
Alberto "useless on all but clay" Berasetegui on hard courts at the Australian Open for instance.

Berasategui also beat Rafter, then world number 2, at the 1998 Australian Open.

and 16 year old Hewitt.

Hewitt played an amazing match to beat Agassi at 1998 Adelaide. Hewitt was ranked at 550 in the world at the time. Beating Agassi in the semi finals, even an Agassi ranked at 110 (but on the up), was a huge win.

Karol Kucera at the U.S Open. Jan Michael Gambill at Indian Wells right before Miami.

Kucera and Gambill were very talented players, capable of beating the best players. Gambill later destroyed Hewitt and Moya in majors, and Kucera was a mini Mecir. Kucera beat Agassi at the 2000 French Open too, with fantastic play, Agassi's foot problem aside. Kucera also famously beat Sampras at the 1998 Australian Open.

Only 9 games in a 3 straight sets loss on hards to Kafelnikov (an Agassi pigeon in Agassi prime years) in Davis Cup. Corretja, Krajicek, and a few others. Lets not even pretend beating Agassi in 1998 was some miracelous feat only the most amazing of players could have pulled off. This wasnt summer of 95 or something.

I never said that Agassi was at his 1995 level. Clearly he wasn't. I'm saying that Agassi was bang in form at the time of the 1998 Miami final, and had improved a hell of a lot since the ultimate low of his career when he crashed to 141 in the world on 10 November 1997. Rios totally took him apart, because he took the match by the scruff of the neck, produced some sublime shot-making, and never let Agassi settle into a rhythm.
 
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stapletonj

Hall of Fame
my brother had some off the court contact with rios when he was the father of a little boy (7) who was a decent player and wound up wining a couple of h.s. titles in WV (admittedly a small state tennis wise).

told me that rios was such an *ss to him and his son that he wished he'd never heard of him. Not firsthand knowledge, but my brother is a pretty good judge of character.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Agassi did not get past the round of 16 of a slam in 1998, and his overall slam record was 7-4. He never returned to the point of being "bang in form" in 1998. 1998 was his comeback year, but it was always going to take more than a whole year of improvement to get back to the elite after the depths he had sunk to in 1997. 1998 was that year, the long long journey back to the top, but he wasnt back there yet until mid 99 atleast.

Just look at some of the players he lost to on hard courts in 1998 (the surface he performed by far the best on that year, so if I went beyond that it would only get alot worse) in 1998. Alberto "useless on all but clay" Berasetegui on hard courts at the Australian Open for instance. Karol Kucera at the U.S Open, and 16 year old Hewitt. Jan Michael Gambill at Indian Wells right before Miami. Only 9 games in a 3 straight sets loss on hards to Kafelnikov (an Agassi pigeon in Agassi prime years) in Davis Cup. Corretja, Krajicek, and a few others. Lets not even pretend beating Agassi in 1998 was some miracelous feat only the most amazing of players could have pulled off. This wasnt summer of 95 or something.

Maybe the devastating beatdown Rios administered to Agassi in March 98 shattered his confidence for a duration of the year :)
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
What is a Delta Bravo like Rios doing these days? I just can't imagine him running a tennis academy for under privileged kids.



The book says he has six kids, married now for third time, wife had triplets over a year ago, he did some studying to manage his money, trains hard in gym, weight training, plays some exos, does some TV commentary work in Chile for tennis, helps out Davis Cup team, helps his dad's construction business commercial building.
 
Y

Yevgeny2010

Guest
On the court Rios was not an a-hole. Would you call Agassi, Nastase, Connors, McEnroe a-holes for some of their obscene conduct on court as Hall of Famers?

Rios was a great player with unique credentials and talent.

Right on Gonzo, I fear that many people simply discriminate against Rios because of his off court attitute and tarnish his tennis with that brush. You can't have it both ways. However when you consider on the abyssmal on-court behaviour of many of the Americans during their careers we don't hear a squeak about their inclusion in the HOF, just that it was immaturity and growing pains.

If people look at the off court impact of a player then they can't ignore the impact Rios had in South America and the boom in tennis after that. I suppose many US supporters now regret the coming of age of slow courts and the hispanic dominance of tennis, if only Rios hadn't started the tennis craze over there, then maybe, just maybe the US, UK, Sweden and Australia would be doing better these days.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Hardly. Agassi had a good year in 1998 outside of the majors. He was ranked at 110 at the start of the year, and was soon in the top 10.

Fact is Agassi had a bad year in majors in 98. Given his track record for success in majors throughout his career, there had to be a cause for Agassi to perform so poorly in majors in '98. Perhaps, in part, it was that crushing loss to Rios in Miami. Agassi said after he thought he played well that day. But he saw something he had never seen before. It's like when a boxer lands his best punch on the champ and he doesn't even blink. It's a shattering thing. Look how long it's taken Bagdhatis and Blake to recover from those losses to Agassi at the US Open. Maybe they never did get over those. Certain losses can be devastating. Just theorizing.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Right on Gonzo, I fear that many people simply discriminate against Rios because of his off court attitute and tarnish his tennis with that brush. You can't have it both ways. However when you consider on the abyssmal on-court behaviour of many of the Americans during their careers we don't hear a squeak about their inclusion in the HOF, just that it was immaturity and growing pains.

If people look at the off court impact of a player then they can't ignore the impact Rios had in South America and the boom in tennis after that. I suppose many US supporters now regret the coming of age of slow courts and the hispanic dominance of tennis, if only Rios hadn't started the tennis craze over there, then maybe, just maybe the US, UK, Sweden and Australia would be doing better these days.

That's what they do Yevgeny, they hold his off court behavior and desire to be left alone as an outsider, against him. The Tennis Channel in USA is constantly echoing the mantra "Rios was the most hated guy in tennis" on those shows they re-run over and over and that's all most viewers remember about Rios. It distorts his legacy and Rios is not remembered how he should be, as a great player and an important player in tennis history.
 

mattennis

Hall of Fame
Agassi's problems in the four GS in 1998 was self-imposed pressure, huge pressure.

He knew he was playing great again (in fact, as I said, he was the player with more points that year outside GSs), he played 10 finals (winning 5 ). Only in 1995 he played more ( 11 ). So he was obviously playing very well again.

But what he wanted was to win GS tournaments. That 1995 US OPEN final loss to Sampras left a deep scar in him, and he wanted so badly to win a GS again.

He also had a bit of bad luck. In the AusOpen he faced Alberto Berasategui (former nº7 in the world) in R16 playing the best tennis of his life on hard courts (Alberto had defeated nº2 in the world Patrick Rafter in the previous round in a very close four setter). Agassi was leading 6-3 6-3 and then kind of relaxed a bit, and Alberto never looked back, coming from behind to win 3-6 3-6 6-2 6-3 6-3 in, possibly, his best hard court match of his life.

In Roland Garros Agassi in the first round faces a 18-year-old new-talent named Marat Safin. It was a great five setter, and nobody expected that young talent to defeat Agassi in a fifth set, but Safin at 18 already was showing his talent and self-esteem. By the way, in the next round, this young kid Safin defeated Roland Garros defending champion Gustavo Kuerten in five sets again, and he went on to the R16 where he lost to Pioline (a great 90s player on any surface) in five sets again.

After these two close five sets losses (AO and RG) Agassi's confidence was shot. In Wimbledon he lost a close four setter to Tommy Haas in the second round, and his lack of confidence in the most important points was patent.

After Wimbledon he wins two consecutive tournaments (without dropping a single set), and makes a SF and another final during that summer hard court season.

In the US OPEN he loses again in the R16, and again in five sets, to Karol Kucera, but Kucera was a VERY dangerous player (in that era of faster conditions and faster balls, there were players like Kucera, very talented flat-hitters, that could defeat anyone on a hot day) and Agassi lost a close five setter against a very inspired Kucera (who that same year defeated Sampras in the AusOpen in the QF).

So Agassi was at a great tennis level overall again in 1998, but in the four GS he lost very close matches against difficult and/or red-hot-that-day players with a bit of bad luck and lack of confidence in the most important points of those big matches.

Sincerely I think that loss to Rios in Miami didn't make any long-term effect in Agassi's mind.

It was much more his anxiety to do well in the GS again.
 

Gonzalito17

Banned
Nice summary Matt, Agassi could be snakebit sometimes. Clearly he was snakebit in 98. Also I remember in 2002 he had a terrible record in the first quarter of the year in tiebreaks. In 98 clearly Agassi had lost confidence in winning close long matches, hence his poor five set record in majors. It's so easy to forget how to close out tough marathon matches.

It will be interesting to see how Rafa handles his first long battle in Paris, if anyone is able to challenge him.
 

Tshooter

G.O.A.T.
"...and Rios is not remembered how he should be, as a great player and an important player in tennis history."

Scoop, any player would be lucky to have you as their PR guy/cheerleader. I just wish you had a better product because outside of Chile and some tennis nuts, there aren't three people that remember or care about this turd. If Rios is "great" then the word has been watered down and he is of no importance to the history of the game. But, hey, people have written interesting books about Spadea so I suppose any player can be worthy of a book.

Also, citing your own book to support your out of book statements is circular.
 
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Gonzalito17

Banned
Jan Michael Gambill on Rios:

Question: A lasting memory of Rios?

Gambill: "I think watching him play was always a pleasure. I watched his matches quite often. The guy, frankly, was brilliant. A lot of players don't live up to their potential but I think he could have done so much more. I think if he had a little better serve, he could have been #1 for a long time. Because his ground strokes, his ability to create angles from seemingly nothing was incredible."

Question: You played him at his very best, in the midst of his Indian Wells-Miami streak.

Gambill: "We were both playing very good tennis. He won 6 and 4, one break in the second set. At the time, I didn't feel like anybody could beat me from the baseline. He beat me from the baseline. I had just beaten Andre the match before that, and Courier before that. Those guys were good ground strokers. And what do you say to that? He took me out on the court, just running me off the court. Using angles where other guys weren't doing that to me."

Question: You played all the best - Sampras, Agassi, Courier - where does Rios at his best stack up with them?

Gambill: "Well, for me, at his best, Andre was the toughest for me. He simply did - except for serve - I served a little bigger than him - but he returned it like he didn't care. Andre did everything that I did a little bit better. I played Andre 13 times and I only played Rios twice. So my catalogue of memories has a lot more memories of Andre and how many times he beat me - 11 of those 13. Rios is right up there. He won't get the credit because he didn't win the Slams. It's that simple. It's the end-all, you just don't get the credit if you don't win Slams. It's just bizarre. Because I feel I had a damn good career that was ended by injuries. Not as good as Rios' was but it was still good. You just kind of fade away if you don't win any Slams. That's just the way it is."

Question: But talent-wise, Rios was right there?

Gambill: "Oh, absolutely. His talent may have been the top of all time. Right there. Sometimes he had a bad attitude, frankly, which didn't help him."

(From the book Marcelo Rios: The Man We Barely Knew)
 
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