a breakdown:
forehand:goes to safin for the sheer pace, depth, and angles.
Backhand: Nalbandian, cuz federer said so... no, jst kidding, but yea, a lot of spin, angles, depth, power, control, puts it on a dime, jst so good. but its REEAAALLL close.
serve and overhead: no question SAFIN.
return: tie.... both great
movement: i would say... nalbandian, he just glides to the ball.
volley:tie... safin and nalbandian both can do it, but both don't serve and volley or approach and volley a lot to tell. slight edge to safin coming from the recent wimby, but really up for grabs.
mental strength:... let's skip this one, eh?:twisted:
haha so yea: ... it comes out to... a tie:-? career wise safin. haha
I don't know... I'm gonna go with the 'Brad Gilbert' approach to things:
Forehand: Gonna go with
Nalbandian. More margin for error and a lot more consistent. Moves the ball around the court a lot better to. Safin just pounds the corners and it'll tend to fly even when on, though he has more heat. close call. One Check for nalbandian.
Backhand: Gonna have to go with
Safin. When that backhand is on. He kind find great angles and hit it down the line with power and precision. Nalbandian's is great, but it lacks the 'heaviness' that comes off of safin's rqt. a close call. One check for Safin.
Serve and overhead: Nothing but
Safin. Hands down. 2 checks for safin.
Return of serves: Close, but
Nalbandian. There is a reason why he lead the league in numerous tournys in breaks of serves (i.e. uso when roddick won the tourny. It was reported that Nalbandian broke more serves than anyone else in the field). One check for Nalbandian.
Movement:
Safin. Inform safin can run like a deer. He's in better shape. Proof, go see the matches when he played Agassi, Federer, Sampras... Stamina's better too. 2 checks for Safin.
Volleys:
Safin. His volleys are getting better and better. He actually S&V more than one thinks. Though Nalbandian has better touch, Safin is just more solid at the net and has better coverage. I consider him an all-courter. Not as balanced as Federer, due to mobility and agility, but good enough. One check to Safin.
Mental: Veeeery slight edge to
Nalbandian. He has trouble closing out some matches but when he's on and focused, nothing bothers him. Safin's been known to go off course when the slightest thing goes wrong. One Check for Nalbandian.
Intangibles: this one goes to
Nalbandian. He can pull out the drop shot and then when the player comes to the net, hit a lob over there head and make them run. He also changes the pace of the ball better than Safin. There are times when he'll pull off a one-handed backhand to pass his opponents. Very crafty guy. One check for Nalbandian.
From my observations:
4 Checks for Nalbandain
6 Checks for Safin
Safin wins (barely)
