Alex Zverev - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Nick Kyrigos - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Thanasi Kokkinakis - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Jiri Vesley - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Taylor Fritz - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Andrey Rublev - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves less than okay.
Andrey Kuznetzov - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Denis Shapovalov - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Federico Del Bonis - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Marin Cilic - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Milos Raonic - Tall, big serve, big groundies, now starting to move okay.
This is where tennis is heading & has already headed. I despise Nadal's game but the truth of the matter is, what Uncle Toni said was absolutely spot-on-the-money.
Strings became as advanced as they are quite some-time ago now, but the point is coaches have now had a decade to mould & manufacture players from a toddler age into making the most of them. If you are tall with long levers (Arms & legs) you can generate such easy power using the strings of today, that it's literally like we have different weight divisions competing against each other in boxing. Imagine sticking Amir Khan in a ring with Anthony Joshua? And no smaller guys cannot make up for it with movement, unless it's clay.
The modern day player is tall & a mechanical ball-striker with little fluidity & guile in their game.
Small, nimble & quick guys have had to resort to playing up on the baseline like Ferrer & Nishikori & use their quick footwork to get themselves in position to take the ball early & aggressively everytime. Which is near impossible to do every time and consistently, because you need immaculate timing to pull it off. Imagine needing that timing on pressured points & moments?
I've studied the tour enough by now & know full well this is where we are. These smaller guys have no chance, not only because they can't generate anywhere near the power, but they have to always play up near the baseline & if they're being attacked, take balls on the half volley. They don't have the reach to drop behind, like Murray and Djokovic, who stand above 6 feet & just one offs and won't be replicated again. Alex Zverev, Andrey Kuznetzov, Shapolova etc.
Guys like Lucas Pouille are very rare unfortunately. All court guys that do everything well & possess that spark of x factor also. The days of Tommy Haas & yes, Roger Federer are done. It's not too defensive. The courts being slow actually helps the aggressive players, but that leads into a ball-bashing fest. Many are blinded by the fact we are living in a Djokovic accompanied by Murray era.
Nick Kyrigos - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Thanasi Kokkinakis - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Jiri Vesley - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Taylor Fritz - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Andrey Rublev - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves less than okay.
Andrey Kuznetzov - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Denis Shapovalov - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Federico Del Bonis - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Marin Cilic - Tall, big serve, big groundies, moves okay.
Milos Raonic - Tall, big serve, big groundies, now starting to move okay.
This is where tennis is heading & has already headed. I despise Nadal's game but the truth of the matter is, what Uncle Toni said was absolutely spot-on-the-money.
Strings became as advanced as they are quite some-time ago now, but the point is coaches have now had a decade to mould & manufacture players from a toddler age into making the most of them. If you are tall with long levers (Arms & legs) you can generate such easy power using the strings of today, that it's literally like we have different weight divisions competing against each other in boxing. Imagine sticking Amir Khan in a ring with Anthony Joshua? And no smaller guys cannot make up for it with movement, unless it's clay.
The modern day player is tall & a mechanical ball-striker with little fluidity & guile in their game.
Small, nimble & quick guys have had to resort to playing up on the baseline like Ferrer & Nishikori & use their quick footwork to get themselves in position to take the ball early & aggressively everytime. Which is near impossible to do every time and consistently, because you need immaculate timing to pull it off. Imagine needing that timing on pressured points & moments?
I've studied the tour enough by now & know full well this is where we are. These smaller guys have no chance, not only because they can't generate anywhere near the power, but they have to always play up near the baseline & if they're being attacked, take balls on the half volley. They don't have the reach to drop behind, like Murray and Djokovic, who stand above 6 feet & just one offs and won't be replicated again. Alex Zverev, Andrey Kuznetzov, Shapolova etc.
Guys like Lucas Pouille are very rare unfortunately. All court guys that do everything well & possess that spark of x factor also. The days of Tommy Haas & yes, Roger Federer are done. It's not too defensive. The courts being slow actually helps the aggressive players, but that leads into a ball-bashing fest. Many are blinded by the fact we are living in a Djokovic accompanied by Murray era.