FedererGlides
Banned
Ok it is easy to say Hewitt got more out of his talent, because people immediately think that Hewitt was smaller and had much less power and no big weapons and yet he won 2 slams to Roddick's 1 slam.
But when you look at their games in their primes, Hewitt was more talented. He had a much better backhand, much better return of serve, was faster around the court, better tennis brain, better lob. Roddick had a much better serve and much more power, but his forehand was overrated and he had a very poor backhand. So in their primes, Hewitt had more talent especially with his incredible court speed.
In terms of intangibles, yes Roddick had incredible determination and grit to achieve what he did with his limited talent, but for me Hewitt was mentally stronger and had even more grit. Roddick could easily lose focus on the court and get into pointless arguements with umpires. Hewitt was annoying with his "Come on's", but atleast he didn't get into pointless arguements with umpires and never lost his focus.
Looking at their careers, I would say Hewitt got more out of his talent because his prime was shorter and once he lost the court speed, he lost much of his talent and he had lots of injury problems. Roddick was not as talented as prime Hewitt, but Roddick's prime lasted longer because he had the big serve and the power. Roddick's decline was more to do with lack of confidence after losing so many times(he even admitted this) whereas Hewitt's decline was more to do with injuries and being burnt out - Hewitt turned pro at a very young age and chased down every ball in every match and this is bound to take a big physical toll on you. Hewitt's superior mental strength is what allowed him to get even more out of his game than Roddick got out of his game.
So even though prime Hewitt had more talent than prime Roddick, I still think Hewitt got even more out of his game due to his superior mental strength. But they were both Federer's pigeons especially Roddick. Atleast Hewitt can say he beat Federer a lot in Federer's younger days. But Roddick was owned by Federer even before Federer won a slam. Federer didn't start to own Hewitt until 2004. He owned Roddick from the start.
But when you look at their games in their primes, Hewitt was more talented. He had a much better backhand, much better return of serve, was faster around the court, better tennis brain, better lob. Roddick had a much better serve and much more power, but his forehand was overrated and he had a very poor backhand. So in their primes, Hewitt had more talent especially with his incredible court speed.
In terms of intangibles, yes Roddick had incredible determination and grit to achieve what he did with his limited talent, but for me Hewitt was mentally stronger and had even more grit. Roddick could easily lose focus on the court and get into pointless arguements with umpires. Hewitt was annoying with his "Come on's", but atleast he didn't get into pointless arguements with umpires and never lost his focus.
Looking at their careers, I would say Hewitt got more out of his talent because his prime was shorter and once he lost the court speed, he lost much of his talent and he had lots of injury problems. Roddick was not as talented as prime Hewitt, but Roddick's prime lasted longer because he had the big serve and the power. Roddick's decline was more to do with lack of confidence after losing so many times(he even admitted this) whereas Hewitt's decline was more to do with injuries and being burnt out - Hewitt turned pro at a very young age and chased down every ball in every match and this is bound to take a big physical toll on you. Hewitt's superior mental strength is what allowed him to get even more out of his game than Roddick got out of his game.
So even though prime Hewitt had more talent than prime Roddick, I still think Hewitt got even more out of his game due to his superior mental strength. But they were both Federer's pigeons especially Roddick. Atleast Hewitt can say he beat Federer a lot in Federer's younger days. But Roddick was owned by Federer even before Federer won a slam. Federer didn't start to own Hewitt until 2004. He owned Roddick from the start.
