Thiem has no weapons

bwongman

Rookie
Christ, what I did to deserve that? He always took the backhand early. The only meaningful difference is in the return where he is doing it far more often this year.
Taking it early is one thing, he used to just block a lot of his backhands back. He is now hitting through the backhand more while also taking it early. It is not an easy change that happens overnight, there are lots of timing and coordination issues to deal with.

I'm just saying that Thiem's results would improve if he took the ball earlier.
 

BlackSilver

Semi-Pro
Taking it early is one thing, he used to just block a lot of his backhands back. He is now hitting through the backhand more while also taking it early. It is not an easy change that happens overnight, there are lots of timing and coordination issues to deal with.

I'm just saying that Thiem's results would improve if he took the ball earlier.

Not sure if I understand with certain what "block backhands back" it is. The only cases in with that makes sense if interpreted literally is slicing returns back or taking balls that land nearly on it's feet. These are a minority of the balls so this statement doesn't seem to make much sense. If you mean with that to be more agressive with it taking earlier, that's only partially true. On Australia Open Federer's hit through while taking early since many years ago, probably since they changed it's surface in 2009. In Indian Wells he did it mainly against Nadal. In Miami barely did it.
And he always did it many times here and there through his carrer. And Federer's new racket probably gives him more safety to do it now.

So, nothing as different as you imply. But yes Thiem can change it and improve his results. Unfortunatelly, more likely it will deteriorate his results. If he goes as far as taking his backswing, may even destroy his carrier.

How many times I have said that technicall improvements are nearly always small through a player's carrier? There is a reason players generally never try to do changes like these except, maybe, on serve. And the reason is exemplified by Gulbis .
 

Druss

Hall of Fame
Marrakech? Where the hell is Marakech? See, setting record. First next gen player to win a title in some place no one's ever heard of and then have people brag about it.
A friend of mine played in Marakesh some years back when he was ranked 700 something. Apparently it's well known for their belly dancers, it's somewhere in Western Sahara i'se think :eek:
 

Bender

G.O.A.T.
Thiem will be considerered a poor man's Simon unless he's able to hit rally FHs at 120 mph with 4,900 rpm, at least.

No way he can win with his powder-puff serve unless he can hit the corners consistently at 145 mph on his second serve.

fedr can hit underarm serves at 100 mph minimum.

Thiem is all herb, no spice.
 

Jamesm182

Semi-Pro
On tennis channel yesterday they brought up the averages for the week for both groundstroke speed and rpm's

Thiem out performed nadal on both by some considerable margin. Definitely not powder puff, don't think its a lack of tactics either. He really needs to improve his finishing points off at the net. He played tactically in the best way that suited his current skill set to try and beat nadal , who played brilliantly.
Given more time , with regards to Thiem I believe hes a multiple slam winner. Also providing he further improves on other surfaces.
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Nadal did to Thiem what he had successfully done to Federer in the early years: high bouncing lefty forehands to Thiem's one hander
 
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RVAtennisaddict

Professional
Thiem definitely has weapons. His issue revolve around when they aren't working like they do against 90% of players, and adjusting his game to compensate. He definitely has the skills to be a great player and the mental fortitude. The fact that he improved against Nadal in such a short period, speaks volumes. Lots of people were calling for a blow out, less than 5-6 games in total for him. Whether he can find that next level adaptability is the question. Nadal- backhands on the rise even if not as hard, for example.
 

Dan Huben

Semi-Pro
I thought the match was exciting. Thiem is improving and may have a shorter reign atop the atp than the fab 4 but he will be there.

Down 0-40, and fighting back through the deuce to save set. Great stuff.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Meles

Bionic Poster
oh ok I see what you mean. I was talking about only before contact, but you are right that Nadal has his cocked for longer during his takeback. That's interesting, I had never thought of that.
There you go again bringerer Afraiderer into another thread.:rolleyes: A shame Fed probably won't ever play on clay again to show Thiem how to hit his backhand.:oops:
 

meltphace 6

Hall of Fame
galleryimage53139364-feb-4-2012-600x586.jpg
 

Nadalgaenger

G.O.A.T.
I'm not saying he is a failure in absolute terms, just that he is a failure relative relative to some of the expectations people have placed on him as a leader of the next generation. Which he isn't, but yet certain people keep pretending like he is and are putting past players down just to justify his comparatively pathetic accomplishments. Honestly my comments are more about those people than Thiem himself who is a fine young player, just not anywhere near that level.
Are you starting to reevaluate your opinion of this guy?
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Are you starting to reevaluate your opinion of this guy?

The fact he beat Nadal in Rome is big. He beat (an injured) Fed on grass as well. But this is what he needs to do to change my opinion: he can't go out in the semis tomorrow. He's got to back up a big win with another win against a lesser opponent. And then he's got to win the final, even if it's against Djokovic. On form, Thiem should beat Novak.
 

Nadalgaenger

G.O.A.T.
The fact he beat Nadal in Rome is big. He beat (an injured) Fed on grass as well. But this is what he needs to do to change my opinion: he can't go out in the semis tomorrow. He's got to back up a big win with another win against a lesser opponent. And then he's got to win the final, even if it's against Djokovic. On form, Thiem should beat Novak.
I agree that he hasn't achieved much more ON PAPER than a guy like Fognini. Still, he's showing that he's got serious grit. People thought he would become Rafa's pigeon on clay after the one-sided match in Barcelona but he came back with a very impressive showing in Madrid and took it to an even higher level today.

I'd love to see him take out Pepe Djokovic in the SF and am pretty confident he will beat whomever comes out of the top half of the draw. A Zverev/Thiem final would be awesome!
 
D

Deleted member 735320

Guest
The fact he beat Nadal in Rome is big. He beat (an injured) Fed on grass as well. But this is what he needs to do to change my opinion: he can't go out in the semis tomorrow. He's got to back up a big win with another win against a lesser opponent. And then he's got to win the final, even if it's against Djokovic. On form, Thiem should beat Novak.

Allegedly injured Federer. Wait for it I am sure Rafa was injured in some way or he wouldn't have lost. Well done Herr Thiem.
 
I agree that he hasn't achieved much more ON PAPER than a guy like Fognini. Still, he's showing that he's got serious grit. People thought he would become Rafa's pigeon on clay after the one-sided match in Barcelona but he came back with a very impressive showing in Madrid and took it to an even higher level today.

I'd love to see him take out Pepe Djokovic in the SF and am pretty confident he will beat whomever comes out of the top half of the draw. A Zverev/Thiem final would be awesome!

Titles:
Thiem 8, Fognini 4

Best slam performance:
Thiem semi-finals, Fognini quarter-finals

Best MS1000 performance:
Thiem final, Fognini semi-final

Thiem has already achieved quite a bit more than Fognini, and he's six years, four months younger.
 
Marrakech? Where the hell is Marakech? See, setting record. First next gen player to win a title in some place no one's ever heard of and then have people brag about it.

I agree with your assessment of Thiem - he's a very good player, who may win Roland Garros one day, but is unlikely to become a dominant player or to win any other Slam.

But why do you have to bring in this sort of cultural snobbery? Marrakech is a city with huge historical significance. Sure, its tennis tournament isn't in the top tier, but that doesn't mean it's a place that nobody has heard about. For what it's worth, it's also a popular tourist destination for Europeans. I went there for part of my honeymoon. Would it not bother you at all if someone said, "Who the hell has ever heard of Cinncinnatti? Why should anyone brag about Federer winning a tournament in a place of which nobody's ever heard?" [Spelling error deliberate, by the way].
 

pame

Hall of Fame
Marrakech? Where the hell is Marakech? See, setting record. First next gen player to win a title in some place no one's ever heard of and then have people brag about it.
Umm... I thought I'd quietly mention that not everyone is unaware of countries in the world. You should try listening to Marrakesh Express by Crpsby. Stills Nash and Young, and a perfectly exquisite version done by Stan Getz.
 

metsman

Talk Tennis Guru
I agree with your assessment of Thiem - he's a very good player, who may win Roland Garros one day, but is unlikely to become a dominant player or to win any other Slam.

But why do you have to bring in this sort of cultural snobbery? Marrakech is a city with huge historical significance. Sure, its tennis tournament isn't in the top tier, but that doesn't mean it's a place that nobody has heard about. For what it's worth, it's also a popular tourist destination for Europeans. I went there for part of my honeymoon. Would it not bother you at all if someone said, "Who the hell has ever heard of Cinncinnatti? Why should anyone brag about Federer winning a tournament in a place of which nobody's ever heard?" [Spelling error deliberate, by the way].
Well most of the posts between me and Meles are tongue in cheek, so keep that in mind. But honestly speaking, I had never heard of Marrakech before he mentioned it lol I suppose my geographic knowledge is limited.
 

Fedinkum

Legend
Got off the Thiemeleator wagon last season, but hopping back on now after today's match. If Thiem can stick to this new found aggressive game plan, Meles should be rewarded for his unquestionable faith!!!
 

thomasferrett

Hall of Fame
This and a bunch of other threads could be bundled up into a book titled thomas ferret and the art of self pwnge.

Self pwnage?

I still stand by my statements and will continue to do so even if Thiem wins 20 Slams.

He is completely weaponless when compared to big guys with long levers like Zverev and Kyrgios.

Some people say he's the poor man's Wawrinka, but I think that does a disservice to Wawrinka. Thiem is a poor man's Zeballos.
 

Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
Self pwnage?

I still stand by my statements and will continue to do so even if Thiem wins 20 Slams.

He is completely weaponless when compared to big guys with long levers like Zverev and Kyrgios.

Some people say he's the poor man's Wawrinka, but I think that does a disservice to Wawrinka. Thiem is a poor man's Zeballos.

lol, nobody wins a slam, let alone 20, without weapons.

Ah, but now I see the hasty disclaimer down below. Poor man's Zeballos? Maybe Thiem will take that description if it means a top 10 ranking, which Zeballos never got close to.
 
2

2HBH-DTL

Guest
i like thiem but the dood stands way too far back in the back court and waits for balls to drop back into the hitting zone. someone like djoko who likes to take time away is the reason why thiem got embarrassed by nole the other day. he def needs to start stepping up to the baseline. returns and normal groundies.
 

chjtennis

G.O.A.T.
Watching him play Nadal, and just laughing at how powder-puff his strokes are.

Nadal seems to be hitting the ball 2x faster, and you know there's 2x more topspin on each shot as well, so his ball is probably 4x heavier than Thiem's.

Is Thiem the next Simon?

Hahaha!
 

King No1e

G.O.A.T.
Yes, Thiem hits like a 10-year-old. No power or spin on that ball whatsoever.

He will never beat Nadal with that kind of tennis.
 

Tenez!

Professional
Back when Thiem upset Nadal in Barcelona a commentator joke had me laughing for a good while (point starting at the 1:43 mark)

I think you could make that joke every match against the big3 now. He really brings out the big guns against them.
(Incidentally doesn't anyone know that commentator's name? I like his style a lot)
 
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