Russian Lion Karatsev

Notorious_Junkballer

Hall of Fame
The contrast between good and bad days is immense. On a good day he can beat anyone, but when things don't go his way, he looks like low lever Challenger player.
 

Checkmate

Legend
The contrast between good and bad days is immense. On a good day he can beat anyone, but when things don't go his way, he looks like low lever Challenger player.

That's a big exaggeration. He had more than double the winners compared to Milman but fatigue played a big part in not able to grind through his opponent.

A serve plus one opponent would have been ideal here.

But Milman is a nightmare to face if you don't have fuel to count on.
 

Checkmate

Legend
Cold comfort on a day like this.

Your boy needs the following three things if he wants to survive on the tour in 2022

1) A bigger First serve
2) A consistent 2015-16 Djokovic-esque second serve not the embarrassing double faults in every game.
3) Much better footwork.

Very sad to acknowledge that the big hitting and the footwork of earlier AO rounds and Dubai was a flash in the pan.

Very smart grinding of the 2020 Prague Challenger Days won him the rest of the matches. A lot more flair to his game than last year though.
 

Notorious_Junkballer

Hall of Fame
Your boy needs the following three things if he wants to survive on the tour in 2022

1) A bigger First serve
2) A consistent 2015-16 Djokovic-esque second serve not the embarrassing double faults in every game.
3) Much better footwork.

Very sad to acknowledge that the big hitting and the footwork of earlier AO rounds and Dubai was a flash in the pan.

Very smart grinding of the 2020 Prague Challenger Days won him the rest of the matches. A lot more flair to his game than last year though.
I would change a couple of this in his serve mechanics. He bends his back backwards a a lot and then tilts forward a lot, especially in the second serve, where he also whips the ball a lot with his wrist to get spin on it. This makes it harder to have a solid and consistent serve as he relying "solely" on the spin, generated by the wrist whip, to get the second serve in, especially when you have a high toss and you're supposed to hit a ball that is already descensing with some speed (instead of at its apex or right thereafter). And when he bends himself forward so much, or falls over, he has less time to recover to a solid position after the return. He has been struggling a lot with the first shot after serve.

If I was him, I'd try get a bit more arch in his groundies so that he would hit less in the net and get even longer (flat) balls in. Here he is also relient on the wrist whip to be hard enough. He could try go Djoker and try for instance 18x19 instead of 18x20. I don't think it would drastically affect directional accuracy.

Btw, it's not holidays just yet as he's playing doubles as well.
 
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Checkmate

Legend
I would change a couple of this in his serve mechanics. He bends his back backwards a a lot and then tilts forward a lot, especially in the second serve, where he also whips the ball a lot with his wrist to get spin on it. This makes it harder to have a solid and consistent serve as he relying "solely" on the spin, generated by the wrist whip, to get the second serve in, especially when you have a high toss and you're supposed to hit a ball that is already descensing with some speed (instead of at its apex or right thereafter). And when he bends himself forward so much, or falls over, he has less time to recover to a solid position after the return. He has been struggling a lot with the first shot after serve.

If I was him, I'd try get a bit more arch in his groundies so that he would hit less in the net and get even longer (flat) balls in. Here he is also relient on the wrist whip to be hard enough. He could try go Djoker and try for instance 18x19 instead of 18x20. I don't think it would drastically affect directional accuracy.

Btw, it's not holidays just yet as he's playing doubles as well.

Why he is jamming at the last moment while hitting his BH though?

He was moving into his BH so wizardly in Dubai. Gosh, that was such a monstrous BH performance. I miss it so much.
 

vive le beau jeu !

Talk Tennis Guru
Season ends for the K-ARMY

@Notorious_Junkballer @yokied @Checkmate

What an insane run from one of the worst journeyman on the Challengers tour to crack open the wounds of Top 20.

2011-2020 - 3 ATP Wins
2021 - 33 ATP Wins.
he's not playing in stockholm? :unsure:

... nor in (this pale version of) davis cup?
 

Notorious_Junkballer

Hall of Fame
he's not playing in stockholm? :unsure:

... nor in (this pale version of) davis cup?
He is playing Stockholm. Maybe he's just been added but there he is now. And he is the best of the Russians in doubles at the moment. He and Karen should play both singles and doubles. Andrey is out the picture at the moment.
 

yokied

Hall of Fame
Sponsors or no sponsors, it’d be a bit of a shame to see the blood-dripping racquets go black permanently, but I guess blacks is the colour of a permanent blood stain anyway, so it makes some sense.

One helluva season. Hoping for big things and many a mauling next year, maybe even making next year’s finals, but they’re going to see him coming now. The AO and the first hardcourt swing might be a letdown, but clay might really open up for him. As long as he does some damage somewhere in that first half of the year, he should feel able to regroup during grass season and pick up at least enough in that second hardcourt swing to stay inside the top 30 by the end of next year.
 

yokied

Hall of Fame
Some great points there @Checkmate. It’s easy to see why PHH-Mahut are a top pairing. Also I think your old mate Ceccmate was putting himself and Italy in there with a OHBH drive volley.
 

Checkmate

Legend
A Big cake on the cherry to finally end the glorious 2021. Congrats Sev

FF4Ko8_XsAQ7Cnt
 

Checkmate

Legend
Terrible decision to play ATP cup where they won't let him play singles instead of the two ATP 250's. Khachanov was smarter.
 

aldeayeah

G.O.A.T.
Terrible decision to play ATP cup where they won't let him play singles instead of the two ATP 250's. Khachanov was smarter.
Our Lion is a patriot and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Hoping he schedules a returning lesson with Med, because good god did he suck against big servers this year
 

Checkmate

Legend
Our Lion is a patriot and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Hoping he schedules a returning lesson with Med, because good god did he suck against big servers this year

It's also the ranking points he misses on.

Missed out on 1500 pts this year due to stubborn scheduling/Olympics.
 

Tshooter

G.O.A.T.

My boy! :cool:(y)

Impressive, no doubt. Honorable mention to Brooksby who (1) is a notorious junk baller, (2) rose in the rankings in 2021 from the 300s to 56 and (3) beat Karatsev at the USO.
 
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Checkmate

Legend
Man, the depth of Karatsev's groundstrokes!!! Some of the balls appear to be landing near the Sydney logo but perfectly stay IN.
 

aldeayeah

G.O.A.T.
Unless there are a bunch of upsets, Aslan's 2022 AO draw is the stuff of nightmares:

Hurkacz R3
Nadal R4
Zed QF
Djoko SF
Med F

Repeating the 2021 result will be quite tough to say the least! Better rack up some points in Sydney.
 
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