The notion Richard Gasguet is the most talented player out there baring Federer

How many fans think this? Judging by a few of the posts I’ve seen floating around, quite a few?!

I can't for the World understand it myself....

He's a choker, so therefore he's only losing because he breaks down in pressure situations and not because the guy @ the other end of the court is better than him, right? Nonsense. When we talk of talent in any sport we not only refer to the technical attributes/skills a sports person possesses but also the mental and physical attributes/skills they hold.

For me, Gasguet has neither of the latter. Weak mentally, when push comes to shove, on the big moments, he just drifts away. In terms of fitness, he's not great either, rather fragile and cramps up easily in matches and it’s not as if he’s that tall he has to cramp up every now and then. He's 6,1.

With all that said, technical attributes alone, i don't see how he's more talented than any of the top 8, his shot selection (reading of the game) is appaulingly **** poor (always going for the flashy shot), sometimes i believe he doesn't even think about his shot and just believes he is able to hit the ball over to the other side with such greatness his opponent is unable to make it back.

There's a briliant backhand there, unquestionably, but aside from that, i don't think you can class his other strokes as that brilliant when comparing them to the top several players in the World. His movement on a tennis court is average as well.

State your opinion and discuss....

EDIT: This isn't an anti-Gasguet thread.
 
Last edited:

namelessone

Legend
How many fans think this? Judging by a few of the posts I’ve seen floating around, quite a few?!

I can't for the World understand it myself....

He's a choker, so therefore he's only losing because he breaks down in pressure situations and not because the guy @ the other end of the court is better than him, right? Nonsense. When we talk of talent in any sport we not only refer to the technical attributes/skill a sports person possesses but also the mental and physical attributes/skill they hold.

For me, Gasguet has neither of the latter. Weak mentally, when push comes to shove, on the big moments, he just drifts away. In terms of fitness, he's not great either, rather fragile and cramps up easily in matches and it’s not as if he’s that tall he has to cramp up every now and then. He's 6,1.

With all that said, technical attributes alone, i don't see how he's more talented than any of the top 8, his shot selection (reading of the game) is appaulingly **** poor (always going for the flashy shot), sometimes i believe he doesn't even think about his shot and just believes he is able to hit the ball over to the other side with such greatness his opponent is unable to make it back.

There's a briliant backhand there, unquestionably, but aside from that, i don't think you can class his other strokes as that brilliant when comparing them to the top several players in the World. His movement on a tennis court is average as well.

State your opinion and discuss....

You started a whole thread after my comment? Hilarious.

He was seen as the biggest talent at one time,they nicknamed him baby fed and looked to be the next great thing on tour. He didn't make it so he is not the most talented right now that's for sure.

They hyped him up. Kinda like Dimitrov right now.
 
You started a whole thread after my comment? Hilarious.

He was seen as the biggest talent at one time,they nicknamed him baby fed and looked to be the next great thing on tour. He didn't make it so he is not the most talented right now that's for sure.

They hyped him up. Kinda like Dimitrov right now.

Yes and no, i've seen this belief posted by a few fans around here. Yours was the last staw. Claiming he was more talented than Murray and Nadal put together, that did it for me. LOL!
 

Bjorn

Rookie
Whether he's the most talented player on the tour aside from Federer is a massive call, but he is unbelievably talented.

His racquet work, touch and craft are right up there with the best of them and, as you say, if he were to ever get his head right he could be anything.

His backhand is my favourite shot in tennis. He also comes up with a mean excuse for having cocaine in his system.
 

namelessone

Legend
Yes and no, i've seen this belief posted by a few fans around here. Yours was the last staw. Claiming he was more talented than Murray and Nadal put together, that did it for me. LOL!

I don't believe it,I just repeated what some people were shouting at the time when Nadal was one-dimensional and Murray was just getting up and Gasquet was the one getting hyped. What happened? Gasquet hasn't made one GS final,meanwhile Nadal has 8 and Murray 2.

I just wanted to outline that raw talent means absolutely nothing without consistency(in training,shot development,mental capacity etc.). That's why I am keeping my eye on Dimitrov since he is the new baby fed. Hopefully he won't have the same fate.
 
Whether he's the most talented player on the tour aside from Federer is a massive call, but he is unbelievably talented.

His racquet work, touch and craft are right up there with the best of them and, as you say, if he were to ever get his head right he could be anything.

His backhand is my favourite shot in tennis. He also comes up with a mean excuse for having cocaine in his system.

...and you see, this is exactly what i don't get, why do you suggest that? How do you know this? Being a poor reader of the game has nothing to do with "getting your head right" .... some people have tennis smarts .... some don't, don't get me wrong, i love watching him, but why must fans make excuses for him, its gotta be his reading of tennis...
 
I don't believe it,I just repeated what some people were shouting at the time when Nadal was one-dimensional and Murray was just getting up and Gasquet was the one getting hyped. What happened? Gasquet hasn't made one GS final,meanwhile Nadal has 8 and Murray 2.

I just wanted to outline that raw talent means absolutely nothing without consistency(in training,shot development,mental capacity etc.). That's why I am keeping my eye on Dimitrov since he is the new baby fed. Hopefully he won't have the same fate.

Fair enough.

One french journailist suggested the reason he hadn't fullfiled his early potential was because he's a shy dude lol ... apparently he's so shy, he can't take the limelight and when it gets to the tense and thrilling 5 set matches where everyones ooooo-ing and ahhhh-ing, he goes away in to his shell.... I've covered a bit of Sports psychology and i honestly can't see it.... altho still a possibility...
 

Bjorn

Rookie
Another point, Gasquet has never looked supremely fit to me.

It's obvious he doesn't work hard enough on his strength and conditioning to become a consistent performer.
 

Bjorn

Rookie
...and you see, this is exactly what i don't get, why do you suggest that? How do you know this? Being a poor reader of the game has nothing to do with "getting your head right" .... some people have tennis smarts .... some don't, don't get me wrong, i love watching him, but why must fans make excuses for him, its gotta be his reading of tennis...

Getting one's head right isn't all about tennis smarts. It's about work ethic as much as anything.

As I said in my previous post, Gasquet has never ever looked supremely fit.

It's amazing how much more confident a player is in his ability when he puts in the hard yards on the hills and in the weight room. Agassi was always immensely talented but it wasn't until he discovered how important training was that he was able to fulfill his potential.

Strong in body, strong in mind, as they say.
 
Getting one's head right isn't all about tennis smarts. It's about work ethic as much as anything.

Exactly, thats what i'm suggesting here, i don't believe its got that much to do with getting his head right.

Admittedly his work ethic and commitment to the cause isn't as great as others, he wouldn't have played around with cocaine otherwise.... but its mainly to do with the style of play he adopts. He hardly goes in with any game plan to his match, the only player that can go out there and do that is Federer and even he sometimes needs to play to his opponents weakness (lesser stength) on occasion, ie coming in to serve and volley against Nadal.
 

Bjorn

Rookie
Exactly, thats what i'm suggesting here, i don't believe its got that much to do with getting his head right.

Admittedly his work ethic and commitment to the cause isn't as great as others, he wouldn't have played around with cocaine otherwise.... but its mainly to do with the style of play he adopts. He hardly goes in with any game plan to his match, the only player that can go out there and do that is Federer and even he sometimes needs to play to his opponents weakness (lesser stength) on occasion, ie coming in to serve and volley against Nadal.

On his day he can beat anyone - I remember watching him beat Federer in Monaco in what was an amazing performance - so I'm not sure if it's style of play.

If his best is good enough to beat top players then surely it's just a matter of being able to produce his best on a more consistent basis which is what he desperately struggles to do. Whether it's due to a lack of motivation, work ethic, mental toughness - who knows? Whatever it is, he needs to pull his finger out.
 
On his day, Murray can beat anyone.
On his day, Del Potro can beat anyone.
On his day, Nadal can beat anyone.
On his day, Tsonga can beat anyone.
On his day, Djokovic can beat anyone.

On their day's anyone in and around the top 20 can beat anyone.

So what if everyone was on their day? Who would win? Thats what you have to consider. ;)
 

Bjorn

Rookie
On his day, Murray can beat anyone.
On his day, Del Potro can beat anyone.
On his day, Nadal can beat anyone.
On his day, Tsonga can beat anyone.
On his day, Djokovic can beat anyone.

On their day's anyone in and around the top 20 can beat anyone.

So what if everyone was on their day? Who would win? Thats what you have to consider. ;)

On their day anyone can beat anyone, exactly.

So what separates the superstars from the Gasquet's of this world? Consistency; the ability to produce their best consistently.

Federer produces his best more than any other player that has ever lived.
 
On their day anyone can beat anyone, exactly.

So what separates the superstars from the Gasquet's of this world? Consistency; the ability to produce their best consistently.

Federer produces his best more than any other player that has ever lived.

Thats not my point in response to your post.

Federer
Murray
Djokovic
Nadal
Del Potro
Cilic
Tsonga

^All @ their best

vs

Gasguet @ his best, who'd win?

I rest my case. :D
 

rosenstar

Professional
How many fans think this? Judging by a few of the posts I’ve seen floating around, quite a few?!

I can't for the World understand it myself....

He's a choker, so therefore he's only losing because he breaks down in pressure situations and not because the guy @ the other end of the court is better than him, right? Nonsense. When we talk of talent in any sport we not only refer to the technical attributes/skills a sports person possesses but also the mental and physical attributes/skills they hold.

For me, Gasguet has neither of the latter. Weak mentally, when push comes to shove, on the big moments, he just drifts away. In terms of fitness, he's not great either, rather fragile and cramps up easily in matches and it’s not as if he’s that tall he has to cramp up every now and then. He's 6,1.

With all that said, technical attributes alone, i don't see how he's more talented than any of the top 8, his shot selection (reading of the game) is appaulingly **** poor (always going for the flashy shot), sometimes i believe he doesn't even think about his shot and just believes he is able to hit the ball over to the other side with such greatness his opponent is unable to make it back.

There's a briliant backhand there, unquestionably, but aside from that, i don't think you can class his other strokes as that brilliant when comparing them to the top several players in the World. His movement on a tennis court is average as well.

State your opinion and discuss....

EDIT: This isn't an anti-Gasguet thread.

People say this because he has some of the "prettiest" shots on tour. Not many players can hit the ball as cleanly as he can. I think he is tremendously talented (from a ball striking stand point), and a tremendous underachiever.

That being said, results obviously show that Gasquet is not as talented as Murray, Djokavic, Nadal, etc.
 

Bjorn

Rookie
Thats not my point in response to your post.

Federer
Murray
Djokovic
Nadal
Del Potro
Cilic
Tsonga

^All @ their best

vs

Gasguet @ his best, who'd win?

I rest my case. :D

All at their very best level? That doesn't happen very often but if it were to happen then whoever plays the bigger points better will win the game.

Gasquet has a winning record against two of those players. ;)
 
A

alan_kt_wong

Guest
Gotta agree with the OP.

After Fed's match with Hewitt, he admitted that early in his career, while he may have had more talent than Hewitt, he just wasn't as mentally tough. It was time for him to work on his fitness and improving his defensive skills.

Until Gasquet starts winning consistently by improving his fitness and movement, he hasn't earned the respect that the top 10 deserve.
 

tudwell

G.O.A.T.
His backhand could be the 8th world wonder, but the rest of his game is seriously lacking. His forehand is ridiculous. What is that, a continental grip? His first serve's good, but his second is too attackable and he's not fast enough to play the passive game he likes to play.

For the record, I think David Nalbandian is the second-most talented player after Federer, but he's practically out of the game at this point. :(
 

bluetrain4

G.O.A.T.
First, let me note that I think Gasquet is talented, no doubt.

But, I really think people believe he is the "most talented" simply because he has the most beautiful backhand. Literally, people love him aesthetically, so they deem him "most talented"

Yes, he can make incredible shots, but I don't find his point construction or overall creativity, or overall play that otherwordly on a consistent basis, as to make him a candidate for "most talented."

Again, it's not that he's not talented (I don't want to be accused of making such a statement), but really, are we seriously talking about Richard Gasquet a the "most talented" player because of an incredible backhand?
 
He's the 2nd most talented barring Murray, Djokovic, del Potro, Davydenko, Nadal, Roddick, Söderling, Cilic, Verdasco, Tsonga, and about 35 other people
 

cucio

Legend
"Baring" Federer? Players compete to see who is the most talented to bare him? Freudian slip or is there something Mirka should know about?
 

tacou

G.O.A.T.
How many fans think this? Judging by a few of the posts I’ve seen floating around, quite a few?!

I can't for the World understand it myself....

He's a choker, so therefore he's only losing because he breaks down in pressure situations and not because the guy @ the other end of the court is better than him, right? Nonsense. When we talk of talent in any sport we not only refer to the technical attributes/skills a sports person possesses but also the mental and physical attributes/skills they hold.

For me, Gasguet has neither of the latter. Weak mentally, when push comes to shove, on the big moments, he just drifts away. In terms of fitness, he's not great either, rather fragile and cramps up easily in matches and it’s not as if he’s that tall he has to cramp up every now and then. He's 6,1.

With all that said, technical attributes alone, i don't see how he's more talented than any of the top 8, his shot selection (reading of the game) is appaulingly **** poor (always going for the flashy shot), sometimes i believe he doesn't even think about his shot and just believes he is able to hit the ball over to the other side with such greatness his opponent is unable to make it back.

There's a briliant backhand there, unquestionably, but aside from that, i don't think you can class his other strokes as that brilliant when comparing them to the top several players in the World. His movement on a tennis court is average as well.

State your opinion and discuss....

EDIT: This isn't an anti-Gasguet thread.

OP, you've created a straw man thread. this notion may have been prevalent 05-06, but not only has most all talk of Gasquet died down (outside of the drug scandal) surely no one is saying he is the most talented tennis player there is.

the word talent is subjective but, even though Richie is probably my all time favorite player, there is nothing subjective about his results. He is hardly in the top 60 at the moment. I don't know what inspired you to this thread exactly but I don't think there was a real need for it.
 

Bjorn

Rookie
He's the most talented with a straw and a mirror. :)

woah.gif
 

davey25

Banned
He is about the 20th most talented player out there is more like it. He is not some godly talent like Safin or to a lesser degree Nalbandian.
 

Gaudio2004

Semi-Pro
How many fans think this? Judging by a few of the posts I’ve seen floating around, quite a few?!

I can't for the World understand it myself....

He's a choker, so therefore he's only losing because he breaks down in pressure situations and not because the guy @ the other end of the court is better than him, right? Nonsense. When we talk of talent in any sport we not only refer to the technical attributes/skills a sports person possesses but also the mental and physical attributes/skills they hold.

For me, Gasguet has neither of the latter. Weak mentally, when push comes to shove, on the big moments, he just drifts away. In terms of fitness, he's not great either, rather fragile and cramps up easily in matches and it’s not as if he’s that tall he has to cramp up every now and then. He's 6,1.

With all that said, technical attributes alone, i don't see how he's more talented than any of the top 8, his shot selection (reading of the game) is appaulingly **** poor (always going for the flashy shot), sometimes i believe he doesn't even think about his shot and just believes he is able to hit the ball over to the other side with such greatness his opponent is unable to make it back.

There's a briliant backhand there, unquestionably, but aside from that, i don't think you can class his other strokes as that brilliant when comparing them to the top several players in the World. His movement on a tennis court is average as well.

State your opinion and discuss....

EDIT: This isn't an anti-Gasguet thread.

Lost all validity by the second paragraph, how does that feel? You have no tennis knowledge at all if you assume he is a choker. Watch some of the matches and you'll see that his opponents have just risen at the 2nd/3rd set a lot of the times.
 
Lost all validity by the second paragraph, how does that feel? You have no tennis knowledge at all if you assume he is a choker. Watch some of the matches and you'll see that his opponents have just risen at the 2nd/3rd set a lot of the times.

It was sarcasm you humorless fool.

Read over it again, slowly this time.
 
On his day, Murray can beat anyone.
On his day, Del Potro can beat anyone.
On his day, Nadal can beat anyone.
On his day, Tsonga can beat anyone.
On his day, Djokovic can beat anyone.

On their day's anyone in and around the top 20 can beat anyone.

So what if everyone was on their day? Who would win? Thats what you have to consider. ;)

Fernando Verdasco. Amazing talent. Also amazingly cut sadly short by easily the worst head in the top 10)
 

anointedone

Banned
On his day he can beat anyone - I remember watching him beat Federer in Monaco in what was an amazing performance - so I'm not sure if it's style of play.

If his best is good enough to beat top players then surely it's just a matter of being able to produce his best on a more consistent basis which is what he desperately struggles to do. Whether it's due to a lack of motivation, work ethic, mental toughness - who knows? Whatever it is, he needs to pull his finger out.

His best is only good enough to beat certain players if they play poorly. Gasquet's best cannot beat nearly everyone in the top 20 currently if they also play their best.
 

anointedone

Banned
On his day, Murray can beat anyone.
On his day, Del Potro can beat anyone.
On his day, Nadal can beat anyone.
On his day, Tsonga can beat anyone.
On his day, Djokovic can beat anyone.

On their day's anyone in and around the top 20 can beat anyone.

So what if everyone was on their day? Who would win? Thats what you have to consider. ;)

Gasquet at his best would have a chance vs none of those players at their best:

Nadal- way too physically and mentally strong, too much spin and power on all his ground shots.

Djokovic- Too powerful and consistent from the baseline. Too superior to Gasquet in both the serve and return of serve as well.

Murray- Their groundstrokes might be comparable but Murray's first serve, return of serve, speed around court, and craftiness all give him a big edge on Gasquet. Murray's forehand isnt great but I think it is better than Gasquet's as well.

Tsonga- his serve, volleying, and forehand, would overwhelm Murray if both were in the zone.

Del Potro- way too much power and consistency off the ground and off his serve. The forehand battles between these two both at their best would be scary from Gasquet's perspective.
 

yellowoctopus

Professional
Gotta agree with the OP.

After Fed's match with Hewitt, he admitted that early in his career, while he may have had more talent than Hewitt, he just wasn't as mentally tough. It was time for him to work on his fitness and improving his defensive skills.

Until Gasquet starts winning consistently by improving his fitness and movement, he hasn't earned the respect that the top 10 deserve.

Right on! Great insights.

In my opinion, Gasquet has terrific control (great hands), making him one of the great all-around shot-makers. As alan_k_wong said above, there are a few more steps before he can truly be a top contender. I would also put improving mental part of the game on the list.
 
Top