manny pacquiao P4P king
Banned
i never watched his matches, i know that he has power, but was it dominant in the 90's, and if so, why didn't he win a slam?
was greg rusedski's serve great
- Thread starter manny pacquiao P4P king
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helloworld
Hall of Fame
It was big, 149mph with the old speed gun(probably over 155mph with the new speed gun), but it was no Sampras's serve.
manny pacquiao P4P king
Banned
nooooooooooo roddick's serve is bigger
Datacipher
Banned
On the radar used at the time, the 149mph serve would have been more like 165mph on current radar, HOWEVER, the 149mph radar was also recorded on a very suspicious radar which seemed to be recording everyone fast. It may have been roughly equivalent to the radar used today!
It is very likely that Rusedski, at his best, was as fast or faster than Roddick. I note also that Roddick is more consistent with his faster serves(and thus can use his "fastball" much more often), while Rusedski resorted to a lot of slice, slice/topspin to keep his percentages up. When Rusedski really let go, it was probably as fast, or a TOUCH faster than Roddick.
Rusedski's serve didn't "dominate" consistently, because his fastball was not terribly consistent. His slice and topspin serves, while good, were not particularly outstanding. Sampras, Ivanisevic and many others had serves more damaging, except perhaps on the 1 day a month where Rusedski served all out and happened to get a lot of flat serves in.
helloworld
Hall of Fame
You may be right about the suspicious radar gun, but I remember Rusedski match with Roddick and they were serving at around the same speed, averaging 130+mph...
Andres
G.O.A.T.
Rusedski never served any faster than 142.5 mph except that one 149 mph serve, and that particular match he was clocking surprisingly high on the radar gun.
The guys here summed it up nicely already. His flatter serve was a killer, but he resorted to his much more consistent topspin-slice a lot, just like Goran. And, being a lefty, he also used his slice outwide on the ad side a lot.
He had 10 matches with 30+ aces, though
37 aces in 4 sets vs Sampras (grand slam cup 97)
35 aces in 5 sets vs stark (wimby 97)
34 aces in 5 sets vs goran(vienna 97)
33 aces in 3 sets vs gollene-(london 98 )
33 aces in 4 sets vs delaitre(wimby 95)
32 aces in 3 sets vs reneberg (wimby 97)
31 aces in 5 sets vs kiefer (vienna 99)
31 aces in 3 sets vs waske (wimby 2003)
30 aces in 3 sets vs toJo (stockholm 96)
30 aces in 5 sets vs ulihrach (USO 98 )
In comparison, I have Sampras with four 30+ matches, Karlovic with 27, Philippoussis with 16, Wayne Arthurs with 22, Ivan Ljubicic with 10, and Goran Ivanisevic with 34
The guys here summed it up nicely already. His flatter serve was a killer, but he resorted to his much more consistent topspin-slice a lot, just like Goran. And, being a lefty, he also used his slice outwide on the ad side a lot.
He had 10 matches with 30+ aces, though
37 aces in 4 sets vs Sampras (grand slam cup 97)
35 aces in 5 sets vs stark (wimby 97)
34 aces in 5 sets vs goran(vienna 97)
33 aces in 3 sets vs gollene-(london 98 )
33 aces in 4 sets vs delaitre(wimby 95)
32 aces in 3 sets vs reneberg (wimby 97)
31 aces in 5 sets vs kiefer (vienna 99)
31 aces in 3 sets vs waske (wimby 2003)
30 aces in 3 sets vs toJo (stockholm 96)
30 aces in 5 sets vs ulihrach (USO 98 )
In comparison, I have Sampras with four 30+ matches, Karlovic with 27, Philippoussis with 16, Wayne Arthurs with 22, Ivan Ljubicic with 10, and Goran Ivanisevic with 34
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helloworld
Hall of Fame
30+ aces is usually an indication that the matches were long and tight. Players who has more weapon than just the serve usually don't have to ace an opponent outright and they can resort to hitting a safer flat bomb and finish off the point with a forehand or volley instead.
Andres
G.O.A.T.
But four of those 10 matches were 3 setters. That's 10 aces a set, which would translate to 20 aces in a regular straight sets match
helloworld
Hall of Fame
Like I said, rediculous number of aces is an indication that a player has to rely on his serve so much that he has to hit a risky flat bomb that an opponent can't even reach. Goran was an exception because he can hit a safe flat serve and it would still be an ace...
helloworld
Hall of Fame
But four of those 10 matches were 3 setters. That's 10 aces a set, which would translate to 20 aces in a regular straight sets match
It doesn't work that way. 3 tight sets can produce more aces than 5 setters that are not very tight. The pressure of the match usually brings out the best in a one dimensional players who has the serve as their only weapon.
Andres
G.O.A.T.
I see your point... but what has to do with the OP question?
Was Greg's serve great? Yes, it was. It wasn't MARVELOUS as Goran's, Pete's or Richard's, but I would ranking him Top10 of all times.
helloworld
Hall of Fame
To answer the OP question, Rusedski's serve is not great by any means. The one thing which happens to be the most important thing is consistency. His serve, while big, lacks consistency, accuracy, and clutchness under pressure.
Rhino
Legend
It takes a bit more than a powerful serve to win a slam. I mean look at Ivo Karlovic, he probably has the biggest serve on the tour right now, but he won't win a slam or even come close.
Rusedski did make the US Open final in I think 1997 though.
stormholloway
Legend
I think Rusedski's "149 mph serve" tends to give him more attention that he deserves.
Cesc Fabregas
Legend
Agreed his serve was big but nowhere near as good as the best serves in the 90's.
DunlopDood
Semi-Pro
Old speed gun, new speed gun? This is just funny, does it mean that the speeding ticket I got last week can be disputed? hahaha
psYcon
Semi-Pro
I saw Rusedski vs Sampras back in the 90s on tv. Rusedski was serving and was down 0-15. From there he served 4 consecutive aces to win the game. Sampras was really pissed off and not being able to do anything.
So yes, bottom line, he had an amazing serve. Also a friend tells me he saw Rusedski live and claims he has never seen a person generate so much kick on the second serve as Rusedski.
So yes, bottom line, he had an amazing serve. Also a friend tells me he saw Rusedski live and claims he has never seen a person generate so much kick on the second serve as Rusedski.
Madhoshi22
Rookie
He had a very good serve by any means, his fast ball definitely had some juice, and his slice and kick were pretty good. As others have noted, his consistency on his serve was questionable, as were the groundies behind it. Sampras and Ivanisevic were much more consistent on the serve, and had far better groundies behind it.
He did have the fastest serve for a while at 149, which with today's technology, would probably be over 155.
He did have the fastest serve for a while at 149, which with today's technology, would probably be over 155.
MomentumGT
Semi-Pro
I saw Rusedski live at Indian Wells when I was 17 or 18. . .can't really remember. . . I'm 30 now. He was playing Thomas Enquist. Rusedski had a monster flat serve but he used his kicker out wide quite a bit, and that was a nasty one to return. It just seemed that even if he blasted a flat one in as long as Enquist can return it Rusedski was in real trouble as Enquist had a monster FH and it was clicking that day. Rusedski plays very fast and it seems like his service games would last only 5-8 minutes then it was Enquist's turn to serve. LOL.
I would say some of you guys are right in that he didn't have the game to back up his serve. He hit lots of chips and slice floaters deep to get Enquist off of him. He would S&V a lot too but that FH volley was terrible. . . like a ranked 16 year old jr. LOL. At least from what I remember. . .I was actually a fan of his back then.
-Jon
I would say some of you guys are right in that he didn't have the game to back up his serve. He hit lots of chips and slice floaters deep to get Enquist off of him. He would S&V a lot too but that FH volley was terrible. . . like a ranked 16 year old jr. LOL. At least from what I remember. . .I was actually a fan of his back then.
-Jon
ChanceEncounter
Professional
But four of those 10 matches were 3 setters. That's 10 aces a set, which would translate to 20 aces in a regular straight sets match
The point still stands.
If someone wins 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 and the opponent never so much as touches their serve, they still only have 36 aces, and that's miles more dominant than anything Goran or Rusedski ever put up.
Having a huge ace count often implies that they need the serve to finish off points (often lacking any other reliable strategy) and that the match was tight and went into more games per set and sets per match. Keep in mind that the tighter the game, the more points per game there are; the tighter the set, the more games per set; and the tighter the match, the more sets per match.
Going by pure ace counts is very misleading. A better proponent would be ace percentage (aces per total number of serves), aces per game, or aces per total points won.
I saw Rusedski hit his then world record 142 mph serve against Chang back in the mid-90s. It sounded like a rifle shot. He later said that he wasn't surprised, since he strings his sticks at a semi-low tension.
Then in 2001, he hired Pat Cash at his coach, who smoothed out Rusedski's hurky-jerky serve n volley style. He then beat Agassi easily in the San Jose final. Then the two had an argument about money and split up---he then went back to his old non-winning style. He blew it, somewhat. Like Cyndi Lauper once sang, "Money. Money changes everything."
Then in 2001, he hired Pat Cash at his coach, who smoothed out Rusedski's hurky-jerky serve n volley style. He then beat Agassi easily in the San Jose final. Then the two had an argument about money and split up---he then went back to his old non-winning style. He blew it, somewhat. Like Cyndi Lauper once sang, "Money. Money changes everything."
jimbo333
Hall of Fame
Well it was faster
Although definitely not as consistent, and his backhand was rubbish
el sergento
Hall of Fame
Greg Rusedski.........the most boring player to watch in the history of tennis.
I will give him one thing though, killer drop volleys.
Also, he used to make me feel good about my backhand, because his was so horrendous.
I will give him one thing though, killer drop volleys.
Also, he used to make me feel good about my backhand, because his was so horrendous.
el sergento
Hall of Fame
I think Rusedski may win a "Worst Backhand" poll, it really was awful
In fact it shows how good his serve must have been, when you think about it!!!
Agreed. It's so bad it makes Roddick's butt stance of a backhand look like Agassi's buttery smooth motion.
manny pacquiao P4P king
Banned
ta...............can't watch any vids on greg to find out
or maybe rusedski got to a slam final so he has the edge :roll:
He genuinely did have an awesome serve, and a very good forehand
On the rare occasion that he got his backhand working, he was very difficult to beat by anyone!!!
i was never a huge fan of his game, he was our *adopted* brit lol, hard to beat for sure, think rafter deserved to win their final (USO 97 was it?)
the proto- feliciano lopez?
tennis-hero
Banned
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y--ApTC9ss&feature=related
it isn't an understatement to say he had the worst BH i've ever seen
its a testament to the greatness of his serve that he was able to play about 3.0 with a BH like that
roddick looks like Federer compared to him and that BH
it isn't an understatement to say he had the worst BH i've ever seen
its a testament to the greatness of his serve that he was able to play about 3.0 with a BH like that
roddick looks like Federer compared to him and that BH
anointedone
Banned
I dont think his serve was even close to the best even with its speed. I would rate Roddick's serve over his, and I dont think Roddick even comes close to the greatest serve of the 90s.
el sergento
Hall of Fame
The Backhand....
Here's Gregs infamous backhand in all of it's glory....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEh5J9uMCc&feature=related
Here's Gregs infamous backhand in all of it's glory....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VEh5J9uMCc&feature=related
el sergento
Hall of Fame
I bring you the epic battle between the two worst backhands of the 90's
Rusedski vs. Rosset
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k804GYjhr4M&feature=related
Rusedski vs. Rosset
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k804GYjhr4M&feature=related
dataseviltwin
Rookie
Lefty serve. Nothing to back it up. Break him once a set... game, set, match.
World Beater
Hall of Fame
rusedski has some seriously sick spin on his second serve. he is like an upgraded lopez serve. though he used more slice than lopez as lopez uses kick spin more.
Datacipher
Banned
Not true of course. He was one of the most unpopular pro players of his generation among his peers. His entire career was marked by objectionable behavior, from his early "defection" from Canada to his absurd, faked british accent (immediately after the defection) which prompted mockery even from Canadians, Brits, and even Andre Agassi, right to his poor sportsmanship at the end (bad mouthing people like Todd Martin and Pete Sampras). Not to mention his steroid usage (and subsequent successful, but absolutely ludicrous argument to get off on the charges). Simply a whiney, fake, cheater.
It would be dumb to say Rusedksi didn't have a great serve. He reached a slam final and consistently got into the top 10 with little else in his game.
I remember that match against Enqvist at the 1998 Indian Wells when he served 149mph. His serve was on fire that day, at one point he won something like 25 consecutive points on serve against Enqvist, who was one of the best returners in the game at that time. He ended up winning in three sets, mostly thanks to his serve.
But, case in point : a few weeks later they met again in Miami and Enqvist thrashed him 2 and 2, because his serve wasn't on that day.
I remember that match against Enqvist at the 1998 Indian Wells when he served 149mph. His serve was on fire that day, at one point he won something like 25 consecutive points on serve against Enqvist, who was one of the best returners in the game at that time. He ended up winning in three sets, mostly thanks to his serve.
But, case in point : a few weeks later they met again in Miami and Enqvist thrashed him 2 and 2, because his serve wasn't on that day.
Well I must admit I only saw some of his play and was impressed with his serve. I can only judge him how I see him today and he comes over as a thoroughly pleasant person
World Beater
Hall of Fame
but yes rusedski's groundstrokes were ridiculously bad...amazing that he was he was ranked so high.
lol.
lol.
Leublu tennis
Legend
Is he still playing? I thought he retired a couple of years ago.
Datacipher
Banned
Hey, fair enough, I am probably quite a bit older than you. He can in an interview, usually sporting a goofy grin, but he was involved in many controversies and as I said, it was no secret that he was not very high on the popularity list among the players.
WillAlwaysLoveYouTennis
Hall of Fame
Yea, this fits the category of FORMER tennis pros, different section to post under. He's been retired for a few years at least.
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