[Gonzo Hates Me!]

I was talking to my university's German tennis player that I have a crush on, lol, so I was just asking him questions, getting personal. And you know how if you're Belgian, annoying people ask you if you like Kim and Justine as if they're the only two players you would know... well, I was just asking him if he liked Kiefer, Becker, Graf, Huber--the likes, lol. Anyway, I asked him if he liked Tommy Haas and he goes into this rant about how he has no game, it's very textbook, no flare, no signature style... did anyone else notice this?! I wouldn't because I never pay attention to Tommy anyway, hehe

 

[Chloe le Bopper]

Well -

I didn't care for Haas at all untill I saw him live.

Most of the tiems I've seen him on TV was when he was giving no effort it appeared.

However, after seeing him the last two years in Toronto....

He has everything really. He makes it look so easy when he is on. But when he's not on, which is often, he looks awful.

But I disagree with your friend. Tommy's backhand is beautiful.

 

[Pea]

Tommy has mixed up his game and NOW it is a delight to see.

 

[claudine140]

Indeed tommy has a beautifull backhand and sometimes he can jump spectaculary like boris becker did, but that is all . Indeed he has a borring game, sorry for his fans, but i love more the game from the spanjards and the argentiniers

 

[TheBoiledEgg]

Tommy is great to watch
and i quite like his game

 

[Nimi]

Boring game?

Can you spell Federer vs. Haas in Aus Open?

 

[Marat-Moya]

haas and federer at aus open was a good match and was safin vs haas in the semis but lucky for safin it rained and he came out and flogged haas. But Haas is a good player to watch he is a good shot maker and when his playing good his even better to watch.

 

[fleemke²]

Haas is one of my favourites on the men's tour! I like his backhand and the rest of his game is also nice! He sometimes gets pissed on court but I don't mind! If you guy's saw him on the AO this year you must admit that he was part of the better matches there.

Great player!

 

[TennisHack]

Haas, though not one of my favorite players, does indeed have a good game. He's interesting to watch because he, like Safin, has the game to go places, but his head (and his shoulder) are holding him back at the moment. His backhand is a work of art, and it's not by some fluke that he's in the Top 15 at the moment (would have been higher, too, if not for the unforseen tragedy before Wimbly).

Plus, as Becca said, sometimes you don't gain the appreciation for players' games until you see them play live.

 

[maratski]

Mrs guga was your friend referring to the fact that Tommy was at Nick Bolletieri's academy and therefore doesn't have a unique thing or was it just something he noticed.
I can't say anything about Tommy cause I hardly ever watch him unless he plays against Marat. Unfortunately I've missed AO so can't say anything about that match.

 

[Gonzo Hates Me!]

He was just saying his game is "textbook," to say his style comes straight out of a book, you know. It's not unique or signature in anyway, like say Guga or Agassi. It's the same game that everyone else has who has a tennis teacher and is not magically born with a special quality or signature special qualities to their game. There is nothing special about him or his game basically.

 

[TennisHack]

He was just saying his game is "textbook," to say his style comes straight out of a book, you know. It's not unique or signature in anyway, like say Guga or Agassi. It's the same game that everyone else has who has a tennis teacher and is not magically born with a special quality or signature special qualities to their game. There is nothing special about him or his game basically.

And this is a bad thing? Just because he hasn't created his own unique way of doing things?

 

[Nimi]

Guga has a unique game & Tommy doesnt?

 

[Gonzo Hates Me!]

TennisHack, whether or not it's a bad thing is up to you. That wasn't the original question. I don't particularly care about Tommy Haas too much, so I am not able to answer that. I just wanted to know if other people noticed what my German friend was talking about.

...

Niminator, Guga has a very unique game. I would have to agree with my German friend, with Tommy's game, you can not pick out as many signature styles from Tommy as you can from Guga or Agassi. At least in my opinion. Guga is a "clay-courter" for the most part, so he is automatically *different* from the masses of tennis players that dominate the rankings. On top of that, he is arguably the best "clay-courter" ever! So that further adds that his game is more unique than the other claycourters and that of those who dominate the rankings.

 

[Ma. Estefania]

Hmmm....I have seen him playing very very few times(by TV of course), but I don't consider his game boring at all.

 

[KarstenBraasch#1]

The negativity of your friend might come from the fact that Tommy isn't very popular in Germany. Even Michael Stich is more popular than him, and that tells you something.

Many people (including me) think he's arrogant. He also appeared greedy in some of the Davis Cup discussions, although that wasn't all his fault. And it doesn't help that he's retiring every second match.

He would have to reach a GS final and better win it as well to bring some popularity to himself and tennis in general here.

 

[KarstenBraasch#1]

As for his game, I agree with Becca: he can be exciting, but he can also be terrible.

 

[Gonzo Hates Me!]

So do you agree with my friend then?! If you agree with him, would that be out of hostility towards Haas that you would say his game is nothing special?!

Why do people hate Haas?!

 

[Dissident]

I would say exactly what GoDom said. I read many times that germans dont appreciate Tommy because of his attitude.
But if you talk about talent, its undeniable he is a a gem. His backhand is awesome, and his serve looks great to me.
Also, he is not a MASTER in many things, but he can do whatever you imagine. THAT is special already.

 

[Pea]

GoDom, so Nicolas Kiefer was more popular than Tommy in Germany?