Del Potro mentally tougher than Fed? Based on what? Have you seen his retirement numbers?
I wouldn't rank Fed's mental toughness too high. Whenever he's in a bad, losing position, he looks like a scared 5-year-old lost in the mall.
I agree. Del Potro is very strong mentally. On the biggest of points, he comes with 100 mph plus winners, 135 mph plus second serves, etc. Federer's mental strength in 5 setters isnt that great at all.Del Potro's retirements seem(ed) to be mostly fitness related. I'm talking about the Del Potro we have been seeing the last few months. He is very steady under pressure, does not crumble, and bounces back quickly. If we are talking about over their whole careers, then yes Federer is easily more mentally tough. But it can't be denied that Federer can get shaky in 5 setters. 2009 AO and 2009 USO are prime examples. When it comes to mental toughness over a long period (the type needed to produce 22 consecutive GS Semis), then Federer is the indisputable king. I am talking within the context of an individual match.
Btw, why would you rank Roddick over JMDP? They played twice this summer, and both times it came down to mental strength. JMDP prevailed.
I wouldn't rank Fed's mental toughness too high. Whenever he's in a bad, losing position, he looks like a scared 5-year-old lost in the mall.
Same with Nadal, When nadal is up against a Flat-Hitter, you can see he is scared much like a 5 year old when facing their greatest fears. Everyone is weak mentally.
1. Federer
2. Roddick
3. Nadal
4. Del Potro
5. Djokovic
6. Soderling
7. Davydenko
8. Tsonga
9. Murray
10. Verdasco
Same with Nadal, When nadal is up against a Flat-Hitter, you can see he is scared much like a 5 year old when facing their greatest fears. Everyone is weak mentally.
1. Federer
2. Roddick
3. Nadal
4. Del Potro
5. Djokovic
6. Soderling
7. Davydenko
8. Tsonga
9. Murray
10. Verdasco
I agree. Del Potro is very strong mentally. On the biggest of points, he comes with 100 mph plus winners, 135 mph plus second serves, etc. Federer's mental strength in 5 setters isnt that great at all.
What's with people rating Tsonga so lowly? Did you guys forget what he had to do to make the AO final (beating seeds Murray, Youzhny, and Nadal, put in a pretty good performance against Djokovic considering his first slam final). And coming from down 5-1 to Fed in Canada...I'm not saying he's a mental giant, but he's not the mental clown you guys are rating him as either.
Del Potro's retirements seem(ed) to be mostly fitness related. I'm talking about the Del Potro we have been seeing the last few months. He is very steady under pressure, does not crumble, and bounces back quickly. If we are talking about over their whole careers, then yes Federer is easily more mentally tough. But it can't be denied that Federer can get shaky in 5 setters. 2009 AO and 2009 USO are prime examples. When it comes to mental toughness over a long period (the type needed to produce 22 consecutive GS Semis), then Federer is the indisputable king. I am talking within the context of an individual match.
Btw, why would you rank Roddick over JMDP? They played twice this summer, and both times it came down to mental strength. JMDP prevailed.
What's with people rating Tsonga so lowly? Did you guys forget what he had to do to make the AO final (beating seeds Murray, Youzhny, and Nadal, put in a pretty good performance against Djokovic considering his first slam final). And coming from down 5-1 to Fed in Canada...I'm not saying he's a mental giant, but he's not the mental clown you guys are rating him as either.
He caught fire for two weeks in Australia, so I don't necessarily attribute it to his mental strength. Brad Gilbert once said that 5 times a year, you'll wake up and know that you can beat anyone; while 5 times a year, you'll wake up and know that today won't be your day. Tsonga got an extra day in Australia that year.
Also, if you'll remember, Tsonga had pretty much given up against Federer in that last set after he fell and hit his elbow, I think. The tennis after 1-5 in the third was really just Tsonga playing solid as Sir Shanksalot proceeded to launch forehand after forehand out of the court.
I don't think he's a mental clown, 13th in the world is still 13th in the world.
But lower than Davydenko? The guy who admits he can't win best of 5 matches against the best, hasn't made a slam final, and has a shaky history of retirements?
And it takes a lot of mental strength as an underdog who's never been to that level, to come out and demolish a guy like Nadal and demoralize him mentally. You might say luck, but some of it has to go upstairs as well.
But lower than Davydenko? The guy who admits he can't win best of 5 matches against the best, hasn't made a slam final, and has a shaky history of retirements?
And it takes a lot of mental strength as an underdog who's never been to that level, to come out and demolish a guy like Nadal and demoralize him mentally. You might say luck, but some of it has to go upstairs as well.
JMDP is a rock mentally,a rock that ***** out furious forehands and booming serves. How can people still doubt him? He went from 0-4 against Nadal to winning 3 times against him this year,the last time embarrasingly for Rafa and he went from being double bageled by Fed in AO to almost winning against him in RG and at times stampeding over him in USO. A guy that beats Nadal and Roger in a GS consecutively is the real deal folks. And of course,it means he has mental strength.
His biggest issue is and will always be his health,he literally disappered off the radar after USO but he still made WTF finals.
I wouldn't rank Fed's mental toughness too high. Whenever he's in a bad, losing position, he looks like a scared 5-year-old lost in the mall.
Why is this thread restricted to the top 10? Hewitt has as good mental strength as Nadal and Federer.
I see that many of you consider Del Potro as a mentally very strong player. It's true that he's not weak, but I'm not so sure that he's particularly strong either. He's very young, very fresh, but it seems to me that it's when players have to confirm their good results, when they start to get criticized for the lack of it (because it's a little less good than before or because they can't make the next step, wheter it's becoming number one or winning an event they have not won yet...) that you can really see their mental toughness. I would wait for Del Potro. Just my humble opinion, of course.
He did make the YEC finals when everyone had written him off. And being able to come out and give Federer 2 tough matches at the slams, winning one of them, after getting creamed at the AO, showed mental toughness as well.
Of course, you cannot be a professional tennis player and not have some kind of mental strength. Even Gasquet has had a few great showings in his career, like against Roddick at Wimbledon; however, these have been aberrations, not the normal.
Also, keep in mind that Davydenko's been to a bunch of slam semis and has schooled almost every player in the top 10 at one point or another. He was number 3 in the world for a long time and top 5 for even longer. Yeah, he folds like a lawn chair against Federer in the slams, but I still think he's shown more competitive fire than Tsonga has in his short career. By the time their careers are over, Tsonga may find himself rated much higher than Davydenko, but for the time being, I have to give it to the Russian, he's just been much more consistent for much longer.
I wouldn't rank Fed's mental toughness too high. Whenever he's in a bad, losing position, he looks like a scared 5-year-old lost in the mall.
1. Nadal
2. Soderling
3. Federer
4. del Potro
5. Roddick
6. Djokovic
7. Davydenko
8. Murray
9. Verdasco
10. Tsonga