Weak era relic pummels Golden Era leading young player

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Says it all really. The gulf in class between Roddick and Tomic was vast.

Definitely the wrong guy is leaving the game.

socal1976 wrote:But I think Del Po and Murray are not finished products and I think people will see how much Novak has to offer as well.

Both Murray and Del Potro have been on tour for 7+ years, same time as Djokovic. I can say Klahn or Johnson (who?) or Sock or Harrison or Dimitrov or Tomic are not finished yet, but Murray and Del Potro?

socal1976 wrote:You can not replace a federer but fed could play good quality tennis for another couple of years and these guys will all get better eventhough they are very strong now. Look at the current trend where tennis players are having their best years in their mid to late 20s so the three players I mentioned in my mind will still get better over the next couple of years.

I am watching Ferrer(Energiser Bunny)-Hewitt(Man from Spare parts, someone called him on 606v2, IIRC), play a pretty good match, with very good rallies. . If these players can play close to their 30s and be in Top 50, the usual lament of a non-existent 'younger' generation makes a lot more sense.

CP... Soderling could play Tennis, some people think he does not have personality either. Sampras was considered 'shy', very much like a a certain current British player.

Laverfan, what we are seeing with the premium on fitness, consistency, and durability required of the modern game that it favors more seasoned players. To some extent Agassi was the harbringer of this type of pushing back of the prime of a tennis star. Young players are typically not as fit and a bit more prone to loss of focus and injuries that takes many a lot of time to work out how to manage. I think we will continue to see Del Po, Andy, and Novak improve over the next couple of years and the younger players will pan out when they get a little bit of extra seasoning required for this particular style of play that is prevalent on tour.

You mean stamina rules.

socal1976 wrote:Laverfan, what we are seeing with the premium on fitness, consistency, and durability required of the modern game that it favors more seasoned players. To some extent Agassi was the harbringer of this type of pushing back of the prime of a tennis star. Young players are typically not as fit and a bit more prone to loss of focus and injuries that takes many a lot of time to work out how to manage. I think we will continue to see Del Po, Andy, and Novak improve over the next couple of years and the younger players will pan out when they get a little bit of extra seasoning required for this particular style of play that is prevalent on tour.

It is a tough set of parameters that need to be mixed to get a good tennis player, younger/youngish body for quick recovery, explosive speed, yet experience in tough match situations, ability to handle pressure, maintain focus and control emotions. I had posted an age matrix for the open era and the Top 100 in brackets. Connors, Rosewall pushed the age bracket quite a bit. You might find it surprising, but Stepanek, Chela and Haas are now pushing the age bracket towards the Agassi/Connors/Rosewall bracket again. A young Becker and Chang learnt to handle pressure, as did Nadal. It is difficult to pinpoint an ideal age across several years.

bogbrush wrote:You mean stamina rules.

It is an important ingredient, no doubt, and provides a facet that a good athlete needs, but it is not the sole ingredient for success. Djokovic-Nadal come to mind where some differences changed the dynamics from 2010 to 2011.

i doubt Delpo will win another slam.

not because he doesn't have the talent, but because the game has become much more physical in the last 2-3 years and his height will restrict his mobility.

Murray - until he wins his first slam who knows.