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03-20-2013, 03:59 AM
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#1
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Hakeem
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Mesa
Posts: 4,798
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What players changed their game the most in their career?
What players in the history of tennis altered their games the most do you think?
An obvious example is Roddick's change from his pre-2004/2005-ish aggressive baseline game to somewhat of a grinder post 2006. This thread has nothing to do with bashing play styles or whether or not the player in question improved or got worse from their transformation. Also players who "improved" on their own game and not necessarily changed styles don't necessarily count such as Rafa's development.
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Federer / Haas / Safin / Gaudio / Kuerten / Youzhny / Nadal / Gonzalez / Ljubicic / Hewitt / Soderling / Wawrinka / Coria / Nalbandian / Kohlschreiber
Quote:
Originally Posted by Henry Chinaski
Quote:
Originally Posted by Clay Death
affirmative.
it may have more of meaning in team sports like basketball.
it does not apply to tennis at all.
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I think posts like this should be a banable offence.
I'm sure I'm at least 2% stupider for having read it.
Jesus Christ. |
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03-20-2013, 04:09 AM
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 442
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Verdasco used to play tennis.
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03-20-2013, 04:13 AM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2013
Age: 28
Posts: 388
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gabe32
Verdasco used to play tennis.
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But did he really? I honestly can't remember him ever playing CONSISTENTLY good tennis. A streaky upset here and there, but hasn't he always been unreliable?
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Dedicated to ballbashers everywhere:
"If you hit as hard as you can and hit every ball at 216 or 220 and then that means being the best player then perhaps he was the best player."
Last edited by Htom Sirveaux : 03-20-2013 at 04:45 AM.
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03-20-2013, 05:12 AM
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 71
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Post-wig Agassi became a physical grinder who wore you down over the course of a match.
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03-20-2013, 05:26 AM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Portugal
Age: 26
Posts: 5,019
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Del Potro is was forced to change is game recently. The most recent example that came to my mind. He uses slices A LOT, and stopped being the brainless ballbasher he was. Still a ballbasher, but a smarter one.
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Rafael Nadal (The present)
Bernard Tomic (The future)
Also support: Soderling, Tipsarevic, Berankis, Djokovic, Kubot, Dolgopolov.
And all the portuguese players, specially: Rui Machado, Frederico Gil, Gastão Elias, João Sousa, Frederico Silva, Pedro Sousa, André Gaspar Murta.
Former Machado & Gil
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03-20-2013, 05:35 AM
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 3,418
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Roddick is the obvious answer on who changed their playing style the most. He went from big server-ball basher to big server-agressive to big server-defensive to big server-agressive to big server-tactital to Pusher.
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03-20-2013, 05:36 AM
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#7
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Not Banned!
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Canberra, Australia
Age: 28
Posts: 5,077
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Htom Sirveaux
But did he really? I honestly can't remember him ever playing CONSISTENTLY good tennis. A streaky upset here and there, but hasn't he always been unreliable?
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Beginning of 2009 to the end of May that year. He only lost to Stepanek in the final of Brisbane and top 15 players a few rounds into a tournament. |
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03-20-2013, 05:38 AM
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#8
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 737
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Federer used to serve and volley a lot, especially on grass.
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23
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03-20-2013, 05:45 AM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 35
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Murray used to be more varied. Now he's a baseline puncher.
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03-20-2013, 05:56 AM
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#10
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Not Banned!
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Antarctica (at heart)
Age: 25
Posts: 16,020
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Federer - Serve & volleyed a lot more pre 2003
Bagdhatis - Went from being an explosive shotmaker to a neutral grinder after 2007.
Roddick - Powerplay to pusher after 2006
Haas - Power baseliner to all court player post 2002 shoulder surgery.
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WARNING: This signature may contain extreme traces of clownishness and glory hunting
TOMMY HASS
0 slams (  ) and 0 finals
0 consecutive weeks at world no. 1
0 consecutive Laureus World Sports Awards
0 times qualified for YEC
2-10 H2H against Rogi Featherer
0-5 H2H against Rafito Nadull
Career low ranking: 1,241 (26.06.1995)
0 fake mullets flaunted in Roland Garros finals.
1 first name in common with Tommy Robredo
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03-20-2013, 06:42 AM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Apr 2011
Age: 19
Posts: 3,839
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Djokovic and Murray were IIRC at lot more aggressive back in the day.
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WARNING: This signature may contain extreme traces of clownishness and glory hunting
BERNARD TOMIC
0 slams ( ) and 0 finals
0 consecutive weeks at world no. 1
0 consecutive Laureus World Sports Awards
0 times qualified for YEC
0-4 H2H against Rogi Featherer
0-1 H2H against Rafito Nadull
Career low ranking: 1,214 (10.03.2008)
0 fake mullets flaunted in Roland Garros finals.
1/2 name in common with Tommy Robredo
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03-20-2013, 08:40 AM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2008
Age: 23
Posts: 1,345
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Djokovic changed a lot for me between 2007/2008 and since 2011 with 2009-2010 being a "transition's period". He improved physically and counts more on it now to win matchs, so he played less for winners nowaday. He tried to change his serve's motion with Martin, he's not hitting his FH with the same technic as he used...
Also, I think Mario Ancic changed a lot his game with all the injuries he had. He started with S&V and became more aggressive baseliner when he was in the top 10 because he improved his movements and shots(not always aggressive enough in my opinion), and finished more like a grinder with a big forehand at the end.
I agree on Federer also : Nadal made him work his game from the baseline, especially his BH which improved a lot and it changed the way he plays on court (more confident from the baseline, he became less erratic). Tsonga also worked a lot his consistency and BH to improve which made him change his game (maybe less aggressive than he used to be but with more weapons - not only the FH and the serve).
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03-20-2013, 09:18 AM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 220
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Nadal progressed from being a grinder to a very offensive player until djoko of 2011 appeared. But After losing so many matches to him he really turned back time and started to be more Nadal than ever figuring he can't beat him like that
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03-20-2013, 12:17 PM
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2013
Age: 28
Posts: 388
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Quote:
Originally Posted by StatRacket
Beginning of 2009 to the end of May that year. He only lost to Stepanek in the final of Brisbane and top 15 players a few rounds into a tournament.
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ATP website says you're right.  Throughout that whole year he seemed to have about the same level of success as today's Ferrer, he was beating pretty much everyone but the big names. Funny he was never able to break through even during that patch considering he had more power weapons than Ferrer.
__________________
Dedicated to ballbashers everywhere:
"If you hit as hard as you can and hit every ball at 216 or 220 and then that means being the best player then perhaps he was the best player."
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03-20-2013, 02:44 PM
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Virginia
Age: 18
Posts: 21,193
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Re: What players changed their game the most in their career?
Roddick, Baghdatis, Djokovic, del Potro
All for the more defensive 
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Montañes, Hewitt, Ferrer, Davydenko, Tipsarevic, Haas, Rochus, Becker, Melzer, Monaco, Granollers, Benneteau
Kohlschreiber, Robredo, Rosol, Bozoljac, Dolgopolov, Djokovic, Hanescu, Kukushkin, Gulbis, Starace, Gabashvili, Paire, Falla, Chiudinelli, Stakhovsky, Soderling, Janowicz, Hernych, Harrison, Verdasco, Zeballos, Matosevic
Haider-Maurer, Nalbandian, Simon, Tursunov, Seppi, Baghdatis, Dodig, Llodra, F Mayer, Kubot, Berlocq, Garcia, Wawrinka, L Mayer, Almagro, Troicki, Giraldo, Golubev, Devvarman, Andujar, Sijsling, Cipolla, Mahut, Monfils, Serra, Dimitrov, Mello, Klizan, M. Gonzalez, Berankis, Kavcic, Gutierrez, Phau, Ungur, Youzhny, Ramos, Gil, Stepanek, Elias, Devilder, Baker, Bellucci
I hate Nadal, del Potro and Stebe
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What players changed their game the most in their career?
