"O. Rochus is the second most talented player on the tour"

That's what Carl Maes, the Belgian Fed Cup-captian, says. Of course he means second after Federer

What about Safin, even Gasquet ?

Rochus is the second most talented player in Belgium.

Belgian Fed Cup-captian

What a coincidence that Olivier is Belgian.

Rochus is the second most talented player in Belgium.

True. Malisse is more talented.

He is certainly one of the shortest on tour. :lol:

O
rochus is a really talented player
reminds of Santoro te magicians
for someone of his small stature he is doing very well in the power game now

If Ollie was taller, he would have a better serve and would be one of the five best players in the world.

Carl Maes should shut up once in a while. :tape:

mm not far for true!
O Rochus is a ver solid player all his shots are awsome if it wasnt cos he's really short he would definitly be inside the top 10
and its not only that dude ur mentioning that says that
i've heard a number of commentators say on tv that Rochus is probably one of the most talented players and no they were not belgian.

:)

I would rank Malisse higher, it's just that Xav is a headcase and Ollie, dispite his small stature gives 200% all the time.

I would rank him in the top-5 of talented players but maybe not the second place

Did Carl Maes say that on tv or on the radio somewhere or is there an article you can post here to check out the context of this quote?

I think that both Olivier Rochus and Xavier Malisse are very talented. I would rank Malisse a bit higher but both have their handicap: one is a bit too short and the other one is indeed a headcase. :o

Off topic a bit: does anybody know what Malisse does to keep fit?
Xavier said that he shouldn't have given that lead away in the 5th set yesterday but the simple fact is that the other guy was fitter at the end of the match.
He had similar problems in other 5 set matches.
I think that Xavier has improved in the head department (coming back from two sets down is not bad, after all) but I fear that he will never truly have a strong mind in a strong body. Too bad, the guy is very talented.

Ollie on the other hand is a fighter and a great player to watch. With Xavier, you are always left wondering: "What if...", "If he would only...".
I never get that with Olivier. If he loses, it's not because of a lack of trying or something like that. It's easier to deal with that sort of defeat. :)
Yesterday's match of Malisse was utterly frustrating to watch for me.

Being mentally strong is part of being talented.

I find him extremely talented and underrated. And my opinion is the one that only counts, really.

Being mentally strong is part of being talented.
Yes, I actually agree with that.

That's usually what seperates excellent sportspeople from the good ones: a strong mind + a good work ethic.

Malisse has a lot of amazing tennis skills but he lacks the strong mind and I don't know if he has a good work ethic.

O.Rochus is a genius who does amazing shots but Gasquet ,Federer and Kohlschreiber are more talented .

Did Carl Maes say that on tv or on the radio somewhere or is there an article you can post here to check out the context of this quote?

He said it during his tv commentating during the Rochus match today

I don't know if he is the second most talented player but I do know that he is such a joy to watch. Wonderful hands and wonderful touch, his game has many layers, a lot of variation.
I hope he can take on Roddick in the third round, that will be one hell of a match, Ollie loves to drive big guys with strong serves completely mad with the variety of his shots.

It's a very questionable, not to mention silly, statement to call any player the second most talented on the ATP. But O. Rochus is certainly one of the most talented players out there, and Safin for one would agree.

I saw his matches in Miami and was very entertained by his talents. But I have to disagree - he and Santoro are tied for first place.

You can't just say if he was taller he would be this or that or whatever... Fact is that if he was taller he would have develloped a different game in his youth. He would have a bigger serve, more powerfull strokes but less technique and speed.
The taller you are, the 'clumsier' you get.

Yeah if it's accurate, then he is just stating that he is very able considering his height disadvantage! I think Oli is a legend :D

You can't just say if he was taller he would be this or that or whatever... Fact is that if he was taller he would have develloped a different game in his youth. He would have a bigger serve, more powerfull strokes but less technique and speed.
The taller you are, the 'clumsier' you get.

Right. If he was six feet tall, he may have never made it to pros. You never know.

O.Rochus is a genius who does amazing shots but Gasquet ,Federer and Kohlschreiber are more talented .
:spit:

Ollie is an incredibly talented player really. You have to be to be as successful as he is on tour at that height. He loses so many points just by the fact that he cannot return a serve out wide with any depth, thereby opening up the court for a FH CC in either direction. If the guy was even something like 5'10", I have very little doubt he would be a consistent top 15 or top 10 player.

I don't consider being mentally tough as being part of talented. It is an "asset", but it isn't something one looks upon as natural talent when you see a kid hit on a practice court when he is 15. You say, "Look at the pop on that serve," or, "Look at the power from both sides (like I did when I first saw Djokovic hit the ball)." Obviously it is the mental part that will separate the OK players from the great players, but it isn't a part of pure talent.

Kohlschreiber

He has a lot of hitting talent, especially his BH.

:spit:

http://www.atptennis.com/en/players/headtohead/head2head.asp?player1=Kohlschreiber%2C+Philipp&player2=massu
:)

No, seriously he's very talented ,don't judge him so fast ,he's still young.

No, seriously he's very talented ,don't judge him so fast ,he's still young.
You say don't judge him because he is still young. However, right before you say that you judge him, despite the fact that he is so young. If you are able to judge his talent despite his age, someone else is equally able to judge his lack of talent despite his age ;)

You say don't judge him because he is still young. However, right before you say that you judge him, despite the fact that he is so young. If you are able to judge his talent despite his age, someone else is equally able to judge his lack of talent despite his age ;)

No you didn't understand my point ,i said that because i thought he was judging him on his ranking.So i was trying to reply that he is still young and that this ranking will certainly improve in the next month.
Personnaly my judgment is based on what i saw .And like NYCtennisfan ,i must admit that his game is pretty impressive.
Of course maybe i'm wrong ,and Viva chili had already seen him play.But it 's impossible to know beacause his reponse was just a ":spit:".

You can't just say if he was taller he would be this or that or whatever... Fact is that if he was taller he would have develloped a different game in his youth. He would have a bigger serve, more powerfull strokes but less technique and speed.
The taller you are, the 'clumsier' you get.
Exactly!

If Ollie was taller, he would have a better serve and would be one of the five best players in the world.

Yeah but then he wouldn't be as quick and maybe wouldn't have developed the other parts of his game as much.

Ollie is wonderful to watch!

You'd expect someone so small to be one of those nagging midgets who spend their time chasing balls down from the baseline,
instead he plays wonderful attacking tennis, while the world #2, a 6'1 player with huge biceps, chases balls down from the baseline.

Ollie is wonderful to watch!

You'd expect someone so small to be one of those nagging midgets who spend their time chasing balls down from the baseline,
instead he plays wonderful attacking tennis, while the world #2, a 6'1 player with huge biceps, chases balls down from the baseline.

There is a chance that one of Nadal's forehands could bounce over Rochus's head. ;)

If Ollie was taller, he would have a better serve and would be one of the five best players in the world.

And if Roger had Richard Gasquet's backhand he would beat Rafael.

Guillermo Coria is the most talented player on tour tied with Safin...nothing else to say.

He gives Federer trouble and he's only 5'5. This might be a true statement. Yes being 5'5 is a HUGE disadvantage!