Why are so few players from Spain chokers?

[stringertom]

Often throws away leads. Can be brilliant in the first set – then starts misfiring.

He’s addicted to Tiebreaker Roulette more than anything else. ROS has never been his best suit so he’s as apt to lose 6-7 7-6 6-7 as he is to win 7-6 6-7 7-6. I remember the year when he made Stuttgart final, then won Queen’s but had to retire 1R at Wimby. Lots of “7”s on the scorecards IIRC.

 

[jm1980]

You thought that you can put me into frame
Rapping about that infamous theme
Alas, no shame doesn't equal awesome game
Your hitting' just misses proper rhyme
Yo

seen, unforeseen, pristine, and fifteen all rhyme with each other

But "theme" doesn't rhyme with "rhyme"

 

[smalahove]

Even the second tier guys have throughout history seemed to be incredibly mentally tough.

J

Has anyone actually tried to answer this yet in this thread?

Imo:

1. learning to play tennis on clay
2. competing on clay

Ime, matches are much tighter on clay than on hardcourt, esp on the higher amateur levels. You learn to stay and compete in that uncomfortable zone over longer periods of time, than on clay. F.inst. grinding out points on never ending deuces. There's no hitting through your opponent, no easy points on serve, and the constant attention to tactics and decision making is demanding.

 

[Tennis_Hands]

seen, unforeseen, pristine, and fifteen all rhyme with each other

But "theme" doesn't rhyme with "rhyme"

Now you will remember the "rhyme" at the end till the end of your life.

 

[MeatTornado]

A) he's on the verge of retirement it makes no difference now.

B) Like the UAE is suddenly going to invest heavily in OOC antidoping and scare off all the foreign athletes who go there for their winter 'camps'. And watch these millionaire athletes up sticks and head to The Seychelles or other destinations where they won't be bothered. Just because Roger noted that which is already widely known.

He said this years ago. And if he's been on the juice then he needs it now more than ever, and most certainly doesn't want to get popped now and have his whole legacy undone.

He's also openly talked about his testing in Switzerland. Nobody knows how often these guys get tested unless they openly tell us.

 

[accidental]

If Nadal didn’t exist, have the Spanish players really accomplished all that much in the past 30 years?


Brugera, Moya and Ferrero won 4 slams between them. Not exactly huge numbers

 

[travlerajm]

If Nadal didn’t exist, have the Spanish players really accomplished all that much in the past 30 years?


Brugera, Moya and Ferrero won 4 slams between them. Not exactly huge numbers

But you could also say that if hardcourt and grass didn’t exist, the Spanish players aren’t really doing that badly, having won the majority of clay slams over the last 30 years.

 

[RelentlessAttack]

People often severely underrate the role of probability and chance in sports. Actually one of the smartest things Djokovic ever did was bring in an analytics guy. Players who make more high percentage players are more likely to succeed on any given point. Also better plays are more likely to succeed on any given point. It’s not a choke when Feli loses to top guys, he’s just a very limited player. Of course there is a mental aspect too and you can see certain guys tighten up more than others but the term choke is thrown around too easily. Understanding the percentages is how you can routine someone in straights despite winning just a handful more points.

 

[tonylg]

Spaniards like Sergi Bruguera would be considered tactical masters and ultra-clutch if they were playing today, because the conditions are so favoured towards their style of play.

It's like assessing the intelligence and potential triathlon ability of a fish by only observing how it swims.

 

[tex123]

Has anyone actually tried to answer this yet in this thread?

Imo:

1. learning to play tennis on clay
2. competing on clay

Ime, matches are much tighter on clay than on hardcourt, esp on the higher amateur levels. You learn to stay and compete in that uncomfortable zone over longer periods of time, than on clay. F.inst. grinding out points on never ending deuces. There's no hitting through your opponent, no easy points on serve, and the constant attention to tactics and decision making is demanding.

Certainly did. Answers are generally on the first page of the thread. Rest just turns into a war between fans of big 3!

 

[tex123]

People often severely underrate the role of probability and chance in sports. Actually one of the smartest things Djokovic ever did was bring in an analytics guy. Players who make more high percentage players are more likely to succeed on any given point. Also better plays are more likely to succeed on any given point. It’s not a choke when Feli loses to top guys, he’s just a very limited player. Of course there is a mental aspect too and you can see certain guys tighten up more than others but the term choke is thrown around too easily. Understanding the percentages is how you can routine someone in straights despite winning just a handful more points.

Everybody at top pro level esp. big 4 know about percentages. They all have access to analytics specialists. It's not something unique to djokovic.
Ultimately, it is the belief that you have in your shots translates into "not choking". Most spaniards are adept at rallying. Even down at match point, they're thinking I can play 20-25 shots but can the other guy do?

I think attacking style of play is susceptible to choking because of low percentages. So I agree with percentages. The Verdascos, Felicianos, Almagros etc. were not typical spanish players - they were more attacking kind.

 

[Hitman]

His performances against Ferrer were the most shocking to me. The mental issues were clear.

 

[Harry_Wild]

Watch Rafa a lot and copy his actions! Player have to earn it and beat you!

 

[accidental]

But you could also say that if hardcourt and grass didn’t exist, the Spanish players aren’t really doing that badly, having won the majority of clay slams over the last 30 years.

Yep and ‘the Serbian players’ have won the majority of hard court slams over the last decade

‘The Swiss players’ have won a record number of Wimbledons

 

[RelentlessAttack]

Everybody at top pro level esp. big 4 know about percentages. They all have access to analytics specialists. It's not something unique to djokovic.
Ultimately, it is the belief that you have in your shots translates into "not choking". Most spaniards are adept at rallying. Even down at match point, they're thinking I can play 20-25 shots but can the other guy do?

I think attacking style of play is susceptible to choking because of low percentages. So I agree with percentages. The Verdascos, Felicianos, Almagros etc. were not typical spanish players - they were more attacking kind.

There’s analytics and then there’s analytics. In general, tennis statistics aren’t ready for primetime