Rank the ethnic Russians

Swingmaster

Swingmaster

Hall of Fame
Mine:
1. Rublev
2. Medvedev
3. Tsitsipas
4. Zverev
5. Shapo
6. Khachanov

Not much separating them, but seems like Karen is starting to fade a bit. Anyone out there believe in the Khachmeister?
Full disclosure: just watched Rublev win a match.
 
Swingmaster said:
Mine:
1. Rublev
2. Medvedev
3. Tsitsipas
4. Zverev
5. Shapo
6. Khachanov

Not much separating them, but seems like Karen is starting to fade a bit. Anyone out there believe in the Khachmeister?
Full disclosure: just watched Rublev win a match.
Click to expand...

Isn’t city bus Greek?
 
Would not rank Rublev first as much as like him. Imo he goes below Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Zverev.
1. Medvedev
2. Zverev
3. Tsitsipas
4. Rublev
5. Shapovalov
6. Khachanov
 
Swingmaster said:
seems like Karen is starting to fade a bit. Anyone out there believe in the Khachmeister?
Click to expand...
Hard to fade when you were never really there to begin with. Take away one random good week from 2+ years ago, culminating in a win against a sick Novak and he has nothing on his resume. Technically speaking, his game always looked the worst of that group, so he was going to have to work extra hard just to keep up with the pack, let alone do anything notable.

He seems like a lower ceiling Shapo to me, because he doesn't even really have the ability to blow an opponent away when things are clicking.
 
aditya123 said:
Djokovic is a Ussr member as well
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b30ca0651e01d2a89f8081d78d7685d2.gif
 
MeatTornado said:
Hard to fade when you were never really there to begin with. Take away one random good week from 2+ years ago, culminating in a win against a sick Novak and he has nothing on his resume. Technically speaking, his game always looked the worst of that group, so he was going to have to work extra hard just to keep up with the pack, let alone do anything notable.

He seems like a lower ceiling Shapo to me, because he doesn't even really have the ability to blow an opponent away when things are clicking.
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Probably He has brute strength, but lacks racquet head speed and control. Forehand looks lame and over laboured at times, primarily due to huge takeback.
Imo he needs to develop his game like Wawrinka's, but I doubt his core strength can match that of Stan. Karen's Serve is predictable as well, and angle generation off both wings is extremely poor.
 
BackhandRF said:
Probably He has brute strength, but lacks racquet head speed and control. Forehand looks lame and over laboured at times, primarily due to huge takeback.
Imo he needs to develop his game like Wawrinka's, but I doubt his core strength can match that of Stan. Karen's Serve is predictable as well, and angle generation off both wings is extremely poor.
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It's amazing to me he made it this far in his career without any coaches stopping him from hitting forehands like that.
 
MeatTornado said:
Hard to fade when you were never really there to begin with. Take away one random good week from 2+ years ago, culminating in a win against a sick Novak and he has nothing on his resume. Technically speaking, his game always looked the worst of that group, so he was going to have to work extra hard just to keep up with the pack, let alone do anything notable.

He seems like a lower ceiling Shapo to me, because he doesn't even really have the ability to blow an opponent away when things are clicking.
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I agree, but for about a half a year people were predicting big things for the guy. Seemed like a top ten caliber dude at least.
 
BackhandRF said:
Francis Tiafoe wants to drop a 'Hi' as well.
(Probably the most frustrating player to watch, totally wasting his potential)
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idk what kind of potential we could realistically say he has.

he could certainly be doing better, but I never saw him as capable of being a serious contender on tour.
 
Yugram said:
Khachanov is not ethnic Russian. He is Armenian.

Shapovalov is half Russian, half Jewish.

Tsitsipas is Greek by father’s line and Russian-Jewish by mother’s line.
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Khachanov's mother is Russian.

Tsitsipas' mother's maiden name was Salnikova. Salnikov being an ordinary Russian name. And I can't find anything about her being Jewish.

Here is Tsitsi's maternal grandfather:
en.wikipedia.org

Sergei Salnikov - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Salnikov - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

edit: Maternal grandmother's last name was Zawadzkie. I actually know someone (a Ukrainian) with this last name and it is absolutely not Jewish. She could possibly have Polish roots (the website I read may have merely given a Polish transliteration), but she was from eastern Ukraine.
 
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An interesting fact: Tsitsi's mother (Julia Apostoli nee Salnikova) played tennis with Alex Zverev's mother (Irina Zvereva) and Denis Shapovalov's mother (now: Tessa Shapovalova), when they were active players. :)

Julia Apostoli - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

Irina Zvereva - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
Wikipedia: "Her [Irina Zvereva] last runner-up came against Julia Apostoli, a fellow Soviet emigrant as well as the mother of Stefanos Tsitsipas, a rival of her son Alexander Zverev."


https://twitter.com/x/status/952831108755976192
 
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BeatlesFan said:
The only Russian worth discussing is this one. :) More talent than the current Russians all put together.

3451521c0d2647ace27f3f44919c4995.jpg
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Speaking of ethnic roots, Safin was born in Moscow to Tatar parents. Wikipedia: "The Republic of Tatarstan is a federal subject (a republic) of the Russian Federation." :)
 
Yugram said:
Khachanov is not ethnic Russian. He is Armenian.

Shapovalov is half Russian, half Jewish.

Tsitsipas is Greek by father’s line and Russian-Jewish by mother’s line.
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Tsi is 1/4 Russian, but in his look Russian genes are dominant, Greeks and Jewish aren't blonde... Except his Greek nose... Lol...
 
Keizer said:
Forget Marat, old Davydenko would give several of these young bucks a run for their money.
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both are not ethnic russians though (following thread' title) ..maratos is tatar while nikolakha is ukrainian (khokhol) but with russian passport:D
 
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Swingmaster said:
There’s always a disproportionate amount of love for Safin on this board. I guess because he looked like a supermodel.
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Considering only 15% of posters here are female (and a few gay men) I doubt it. Sure, he was gorgeous, but his game was similarly gorgeous when he was on. He also had a charisma on court than every current player lacks aside from Roger or Rafa. He was fascinating to watch, on and off the court.
 
BeatlesFan said:
Considering only 15% of posters here are female (and a few gay men) I doubt it. Sure, he was gorgeous, but his game was similarly gorgeous when he was on. He also had a charisma on court than every current player lacks aside from Roger or Rafa. He was fascinating to watch, on and off the court.
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True, it’s the whole package. Someone mentioned Davydenko up there. That guy would get more love if he didn’t look like a hairless cat. Wonder if he ever hung out with Safin. Seemed like opposites.
 
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