Does anyone know much about this kid from Switzerland? I know he made the 3rd round in his 1st grand slam outing in Paris, after coming from 2 sets down against Blake. Does this guy have a bright future? He's played a great tourney in Gstaad, but can he beat Gaudio? From what I've seen, he's got a great game, can it take him to the top, or is he just a floater? Thanks for your thoughts!
Well he has a big forehand and big serve and a backhand that will suffice. I think top 20 will be his highest ranking and he will float around top 50. Good player but I don't think he has the mental skills. I could easily be proved wrong though, Nadal was a top 50 player with great potential 6 months ago and now look at him!
Well, one thing is for sure, if he beats Gaudio in the final he can sure run with them top dogs, at least on clay...
I've wathched quite a few of his matches on TV this week. Hits very hard on both sides, serves big, can play all court if necessary. Most of his matches this week have come down to hitting competitions and he has won them. The final is on TV this pm. Gaudio has played very well all week and I don't suppose he will let Wawrinka into a hitting contest, so we'll see how Wawrinka copes. I guess that Gaudio will have too much knowhow. Still, Wawrinka is a fine player. As an aside, the matches in Gstaad shown on Eurosport this week have been mostly very good contests so faras they go. Massive athleticism and massive hitting. But so far only Gaudio has shown much willingness to play even a limited three dimensional game. He at least varies the angles, spins and trajectories other than when he is forced to. cc
Yea actually, I do. His backhand isn't anywhere near as good as his forehand and it can easily be worked on to turn it into a more 'consistent' weapon. At the moment he goes for broke far to often and if he could cut down the silly errors he could be a solid top 20 player for years to come. He is very much like a Gonzales that doesn't pull off as many big shots, in the coming years I expect him to correct that on both wings. He is only 20, if he was perfect now then he would be up in the top 10/20. He has things to work on and the backhand being one of them so at the moment I see his backhand as sufficient. Ask me in a few years and I hope the answer I give is that his backhand is an equally effective weapon as his forehand, I see it as a positive that he has area's to improve on
He just lost 6-4, 6-4. Blowed a point for 5-2 lead in the second set. He has a very big first serve, and is capable of mixng things up from the baseline. I believe clay is his best surface.
It's amazing how people used to think he was gonna just be a top 30 journeyman sort of player, and now? Probably the GOAT backhand in terms of brutal power and winners and courage to hit down the line (Saving matching point against Djokovic 10-12 in the fifth with a massive backhand down the line anyone?) His forehand these day's looks incredible, i would say his forehand is almost closing in on how good his backhand is, and his now #3 in the world, to get to number 3 during a time or decade ruled by players like, Nadal, Federer, Djokovic and Murray just shows his an amazing player
I agree, great post. It's wonderful to see somebody new placing themselves in between the big four (or three in reality) finally, and with an ATTACKING game. I've always been a fan of his, but the recent performances in Australia and also the last 10 - 12 months have solidified that. I hope he goes on to much more success, even at the cost of Roger. Oh, and his forehand is as much of a weapon as his backhand. Great player. Well deserved today.
He never seemed to have world #3 major champion written all over him, but he always gave Murray trouble so he is something special, for sure.
