[asotgod]

Impressive display of serving and the backhand. Believe you me, if only Guga could be more consistent on that forehand and stay closer to the baseline, he will be contesting with the top 5. I dont think anyone has a better offensive backhand like Guga.

Good luck to Guga in the next round against Robredo. He will need it. Robredo has had his number the last few times.

 

[Dirk]

Re: Guga wins in 4 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6

Nobody drives the one handed backhand as well as Guga. Guga and Roger at their peaks playing anywhere would be godly. I hope he pounds Tommy.

 

[oneandonlyhsn]

Guga nice to see him playing well again

 

[asotgod]

I hope so too, Dirk. But I doubt it. He stays too far back on the returns. If Guga can just stay at the baseline and take shorter swings on the returns, especially on the forehand side. He will be dangerous. On his service games, he can control the tempo and the baseline as well.

The guy has a very sick backhand. No better drive backhand as far as I am concerned. Sometimes, I wish Roger had Guga's drive backhand. He will be unbeatable. But I guess you cant have it all.

 

[hablovah19]

well done guga

 

[Shabazza]

Re: Guga wins in 4 6-2, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6

Nobody drives the one handed backhand as well as Guga. Guga and Roger at their peaks playing anywhere would be godly.

I would love to see those two play each other at their peak, but...
Anyway, great match Guga, keep it up

 

[sawan66278]

As I stated in another post: THE RETURN!!!

 

[ClaycourtaZzZz.]

well done Guga!

 

[rofe]

Good confidence boosting win for Guga, I hope. I liked watching him play today. That backhand is really good similar to Gasquet.

 

[etiage]

yeah guga
missed him and his backhand

what's his chance against robredo?

 

[Lee]

Impressive display of serving and the backhand. Believe you me, if only Guga could be more consistent on that forehand and stay closer to the baseline, he will be contesting with the top 5. I dont think anyone has a better offensive backhand like Guga.

Good luck to Guga in the next round against Robredo. He will need it. Robredo has had his number the last few times.

Guga was #1 at the end of 2000 and was #2 in 2001 when his hip injuries began. Of course he would give top 5 players a hard time.

His serve, forehand and backhand are still very good. Unfortunately, his movement is vastly hindered by his hip injuries. When he gets his rhythm back and stays pain free, he will be back as top 20 player.

 

[BlackSilver]

Good performance from Guga, especially considering that he don't play in a hardcourt for about one year if I am not mistake. Obscene serve performance, but I want to see it against a better serve returner to be sure that he is serving that well. Robredo, his nemesis, will be a true test. Guga will need to cut down the unforced errors a bit, especially in the forehand side as was said above, and definitely take more break points when they show up. But a good performance overall, probably as good as was possible in the given situation.

 

[asotgod]

Guga was #1 at the end of 2000 and was #2 in 2001 when his hip injuries began. Of course he would give top 5 players a hard time.

His serve, forehand and backhand are still very good. Unfortunately, his movement is vastly hindered by his hip injuries. When he gets his rhythm back and stays pain free, he will be back as top 20 player.

Lee, I know Guga ended 2000 as #1 and 2001 as #2. In fact, he could have ended the year 2001 as #1 were it not for the injury. However, his long swings especially when returning will not do him any good now, just like it has not done him any good since his hip injuries. I am a very big fan or Guga most likely like you are. But one of the problems I saw he had against Hewitt was that he was standing too far back on the returns. These guys would take the ball early and close in on the net. Even those without good serves were holding easily against Guga, so the pressure was on Guga to hold his serve. Because of mobility problem, he could not do much against them. But if he stayed on the baseline and just blocked back many of the returns, he will better off for it. He has the variety to do well.

All I am saying is that now, with those long swings, he will really have problem breaking the top guys because not only do the hold serves easily, they control a good share of the points by using angles much better than before. Guga creates more angles on the backhand side but he stays just too far back for his own good. He cannot really rob his opponents of time, and that will be the problem against Robredo unless he stays closer to the baseline.

Anyway, good luck to Guga. I want him to have a great tournament.

 

[Lee]

Staying too far back is one of Guga's problems in his whole career and he's not going to change this at the age of 28. I'm not saying you're wrong. It's just, as I mentioned before, he's not going to change and it's pretty useless to change at this time. Just like Sampras, his style was not good to play on clay but he would not change it even he wanted to win RG very very much.

And I know there are many Guga fans following him a long time in MTF but do not join the insane group in Guga's forum.

 

[BlackSilver]

He stays too far back on the returns. If Guga can just stay at the baseline and take shorter swings on the returns, especially on the forehand side.

In my opinion he is probably right in stay far back from the baseline in the first serve devolution, few players have sucess returning the first serve near the baseline (Roger is one of them). Returning first serve near the baseline would let him too vulnerable in the backhand side. But in the second serve devolution I totally agree with you, he had more sucess in hardcourts being agressive before, and probably will have now. But from what I saw of today match, he returned several second serves near the baseline or even inside the court

 

[Action Jackson]

Congrats and welcome back to the winners circle Guga.

 

[Damita]

Well done Guga!

 

[delsa]

Well done and it's good to have you back, champ!

 

[asotgod]

Good points Blacksilver and Lee. I guess he is too old too change that. Habits are hard to lose.

One thing though, I dont know why there has been an argument about the one-handed backhand at all. In terms of being offensive, no one beats Guga: not Roger, Gaudio, Gasquet. No one can be as offensive and with the amount of winners Guga has. That is one sick backhand, I tell you. In terms of versatility, Roger wins hands down. This is my opinion though.

 

[Lee]

Good points Blacksilver and Lee. I guess he is too old too change that. Habits are hard to lose.

One thing though, I dont know why there has been an argument about the one-handed backhand at all. In terms of being offensive, no one beats Guga: not Roger, Gaudio, Gasquet. No one can be as offensive and with the amount of winners Guga has. That is one sick backhand, I tell you. In terms of versatility, Roger wins hands down. This is my opinion though.

I guess it's because many posters here just fellow tennis for the last few years and hardly has the chance to watch Guga's backhand, especially in US.

IMO, Gaudio and Guga have the best one-handed backhand. Gaudio's backhand is more versatile, hard to predict and with great angle but Guga's is precise, clean and more power.