[Matthieu]

It seems nowadays that doubles specialists are decided before they even get to challengers, it's basically decided before anybody knows their name.

I nominate two guys though that had a sustained presence on the singles tour and are now still doing well on the doubles circuit.

Ivan Dodig
Łukasz Kubot

Thoughts, anyone else fit this mold?

 

[Matthieu]

I also self nominate Marcel Granollers

 

[Matthieu]

I mean, they were doing both too, for a while anyway, it wasn't just a conscience decision to focus on doubles, they played singles and doubles simultaneously... Also, any good candidates for fringe guys right now that might just go to doubles full time?

 

[emotion]

Putz is another. So is Maximo Gonzalez. There's a couple players who could make the switch but may prefer to just retire, GGL jumps to mind, he's very good at doubles. Golubev is one who came back as a doubles player after a hiatus, Mergea did the same before him.

On the flip side, Oswald used to casually win qualifying matches at ATP singles events with some regularity- even after mostly making the switch- to the point that I wonder why he didn't make more of a push for a singles career. His career high of 200ish wasn't that long before he mostly switched to doubles. I guess he'd been grinding it out for some time by the time he switched and wanted to take the safer bet. Still, I wonder if he might have "made it."

 

[cowgomoo239]

Jurgen Melzer
Horacio Zeballos
Nicolas Mahut
Michael Venus

Those are the names that come to mind

 

[Snowwy]

The list is pretty big for this, but look no further than Robert Farah. He has wins over Davydenko and Andujar. Also, not included in your list could be Herbert and Mahut and Roger-Vasselin

As for guys who may make the transition, a few names that come to mind are Pospsil (not really fringe), Jordan Thompson, Duckworth, Polmans, Laaksonen

 

[Matthieu]

Jurgen Melzer
Horacio Zeballos
Nicolas Mahut
Michael Venus

Those are the names that come to mind

Agreed on Melzer and Zeballos, Mahut IDK because he kept playing (and still is, somewhat) playing singles. Venus never really got there to begin with.

 

[Matthieu]

The list is pretty big for this, but look no further than Robert Farah. He has wins over Davydenko and Andujar. Also, not included in your list could be Herbert and Mahut and Roger-Vasselin

As for guys who may make the transition, a few names that come to mind are Pospsil (not really fringe), Jordan Thompson, Duckworth, Polmans, Laaksonen

I dont think you can put Vasek (ranked 61) or any of those other guys in this group, they are still active singles players, at a high level.

 

[Snowwy]

Also, any good candidates for fringe guys right now that might just go to doubles full time?

I was responding to this, but do you mean more fringe that ranked outside top 100 like Polmans? In that case, I don't think I know tennis well enough. The guys you mentioned like Granollers and Dodig were quite good singles players. Someone outside the top 200 might be Max Purcell or Luke Saville.

 

[MWW]

Hewitt