WTF Semi showdown; Dimitrov (6) vs Sock (8)

[Legend of Borg]

Great match from both guys. Incredibly well-deserved from Dimitrov, there. Really happy for both.

Not sure that Dimitrov can take out Goffin, though. Goffin must be brimming with confidence after taking down Nadal and Federer.

i mean he destroyed him a couple days ago and he seems to match up favourably against him (3-1 h2h) so idk seems a lot better than today's match

 

[Apun94]

This is the most talented American player I have seen since the Pete and Andre days. Natural talent levels are off the charts. American tennis needs to get this guy a super coach and do what it takes to get him mentally and physically in there. He goes walkabouts like that against better players and it wouldn't even be competitive.

Man I haven't seen that combination of trickery and hard hitting in a player for a while. Some players have one of them, some players ball bash and have the occasional flashy hollywood shot, but Sock has both trickery, variety and power. This raw talent is geniuinely exciting to watch.

Dude still cant hit a BH...

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

Gregory MUGatrov is #3? Now I've seen it all (I hope).

 

[mightyrick]

Dude still cant hit a BH...

Del Potro has proven you can get away with a so-so backhand if your serve and forehand are weapons.

 

[Apun94]

Del Potro has proven you can get away with a so-so backhand if your serve and forehand are weapons.

Delpo's floater BH is still a lot more solid than Sock's.
Also, Delpo has a more powerful and consistent FH than Sock ever had and perhaps a bigger serve too

 

[uscwang]

Delpo's floater BH is still a lot more solid than Sock's.
Also, Delpo has a more powerful and consistent FH than Sock ever had and perhaps a bigger serve too

I think Delpo's FH has more raw power. But Sock's has more angle, topspin, and variety.
Sock - 10 lbs + some draw luck = GS champion (I hope)
Singles champion, that is. He has already won WB doubles, USO mixed doubles, and Olympic mixed doubles.

 

[Apun94]

I think Delpo's FH has more raw power. But Sock's has more angle, topspin, and variety.
Sock - 10 lbs + some draw luck = GS champion (I hope)
Singles champion, that is. He has already won WB doubles, USO mixed doubles, and Olympic mixed doubles.

Wow i cant believe people are comparing Delpo to Sock.
Sock has just played 2 good tournaments. Thats it. Lets see if he can back it up next year before we start comparing Sock to someone like Delpo

 

[Krish872007]

Wow i cant believe people are comparing Delpo to Sock.
Sock has just played 2 good tournaments. Thats it. Lets see if he can back it up next year before we start comparing Sock to someone like Delpo

They're not that far apart to be fair. After all, the tennis world compares Dimitrov to Federer and Shapovalov to Nadal, and in those cases there's a Slam gap of 15+ and huge gulf in number of titles generally.
DelPo has 1 Slam and Olympic Silver to his name. Now Sock has 1 Masters title - it's more about how they strike the ball

 

[mightyrick]

They're not that far apart to be fair. After all, the tennis world compares Dimitrov to Federer and Shapovalov to Nadal, and in those cases there's a Slam gap of 15+ and huge gulf in number of titles generally.
DelPo has 1 Slam and Olympic Silver to his name. Now Sock has 1 Masters title - it's more about how they strike the ball

Exactly. A lot of people simply either don't read or interpret things correctly. I was comparing their approaches to the game.

Del Potro and Sock are far more similar than they are different. Although I think Sock is now showing he can also be great on not only clay, but also hardcourt. His hardcourt game needs a little bit of tweaking still. But he's clearly making good adjustments.

The big adjustment I've seen this year on HC is that Sock has started to hit the run-around-forehand down the line MUCH more often on hardcourt. He is now stretching people wide. Very important, because on HC, Sock's CC run-around-forehand is simply not as effective as it is on clay. But rifling that shot down-the-line takes a LOT of time away from opponents. It's also a key factor of Nadal's success throughout his career.

 

[mightyjeditribble]

I think we may be in for the ultimate Dimitroll, where he wins WTF and everyone thinks he's finally made it, then he loses before the QF in all slams in 2018 and drops out of the top 20 ...

Sooo ... Dimitrov did reach the AO QF, but no other slam SF, including first-round losses at Wimbledon and US Open. He is currently out of the top 20 in the live ranking. Even if he wins a few matches in Paris, and sneaks inside the top 20, that prediction wasn't far off the mark, was it?

Interestingly, he has only two top 20 wins, both over his fellow WTF2017 finalist Goffin, who is likewise in freefall. He reached one final, in Rotterdam, which he lost to Fed.

Sadly, with Dimitrov, you always know that after a high will come a new low ...

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Amazed this got so many clicks.

 

[George Turner]

Sooo ... Dimitrov did reach the AO QF, but no other slam SF, including first-round losses at Wimbledon and US Open. He is currently out of the top 20 in the live ranking. Even if he wins a few matches in Paris, and sneaks inside the top 20, that prediction wasn't far off the mark, was it?

Interestingly, he has only two top 20 wins, both over his fellow WTF2017 finalist Goffin, who is likewise in freefall. He reached one final, in Rotterdam, which he lost to Fed.

Sadly, with Dimitrov, you always know that after a high will come a new low ...

That was a pretty good prediction you made there.

Sadly it wasn't that much of a surprise. Dimis best performance all year was beating Kyrgios in Australia.