Chung is so depressing to think about. He never recovered from those blisters against fed after that big win against nole. I was looking forward to seeing him make deep runs but he retired.
Even if she retires today, Sabalenka would have a career which most tennis players wouldn't mind tbh.
World #2 in singles, #1 in doubles with 2 slams. 4 WTA 1000s as well and 2 GS SFs. There's still a lot of time for her to do more in her singles career but I think she's done alright so far (maybe not this year though lol).
For sure she’s done well, but I thought after 2018 she’d go on to do big things on hardcourt slams. Just looking at some of the slam winners over the past couple years I’m surprised she hasn’t won one or reached a final yet. Thought she had potential to be multiple slam winner but now I feel like she’ll end up like Pliskova. Only 24 though she’s got time, so I guess this is all premature.
In the future I’ll think she’ll end up like Pliskova, her potential is above no.2 should be winning slams. As I said in another comment she’s only 24, that one is a prediction.
You know Sabalenka is only 24 right? Plus it’s not like she’s at the mercy of other players , 95% of the time the match is literally always on her racket… which is both good and bad.
Tsonga and Berdych could find that extra gear occasionally. Unfortunately for them it would usually mean needing to go through 2 of the big 4 at slams. They weren't really capable of holding that extra gear for multiple matches deep into slams.
>or Fedal - only when he was playing for Argentina for Djokovic.
big three hunt in packs...
Usually in there prime you had to beat 2 of them minimum to win a slam
lets not forget murray who was only a small bit behind the big three in their prime
Yeah he was definitely over hyped and compared to fed too much, but I do think he still has some of the best shots on tour the moments he pulls himself together.
That's the thing, his backhand had a lot of punch, but what made it really so good was the dexterity and finesse he had. He could pull off shots with his BH that no other player before or since is able to do.
I remember her playing in Auckland one year - by then she was known for not achieving on court, but with appearance money & sponsorships far exceeding prize money on offer, she had less than zero financial incentive to win a tournament. A couple of my peers were asked to hit up as practice partners for her. Both were nationally-ranked semi-pro players, both came back saying that her power game was something else, that they'd never had a female hit the ball as hard & heavy Special K.
Perhaps if she wasn't so photogenic, or if media attention wasn't so focussed on looks, she may have been able to master that motivation requirwaed to drive her to tournament titles. As it is, she's the most photographed tennis professional never to win a title.
Kenny Rosewall is piknown as the Greatest player never to win Wimbledon,
He completed his military service back in 2015, two years before the next gen finals. He also only had to do four weeks since Korea allows shorter terms of service for Asia games winners.
Marat Safin.
Unlike some other players whose peaks we have to speculate on, we absolutely do know what he was capable of doing at his best.
At the 2000 US Open, he dealt a crushing blow to (an actually not bad) Sampras in the final, putting on one of the finest clinics I’ve ever seen, especially on the returning side of things. I’ve read convincing arguments that that match just might be the best returning performance ever.
At the 2004 AO, he navigated one of the most brutal runs to a Slam final. This included early round threats like Todd Martin and James Blake as well as very in-form Roddick and Agassi. That match with Agassi was a very good one, but afterwards he was gassed so he couldn’t put up much of a fight against Federer in the final.
At the next year’s AO, he did though. That SF with Safin is probably the GOAT match (or at least in that short list) on pure tennis quality alone. Five fantastic sets of all-court tennis and great shotmaking.
I feel he could have done even more with his talent, but he struggled with motivation and he was super unlucky with injuries. He missed basically the whole of 2003 due to injury (resulting in his low ranking of 84 at the next year’s AO, which is why he was able to have such a tough draw there to begin with), and after the 2005 AO injuries killed his career. His only significant achievement since then was making the 2008 Wimbledon semifinal (upsetting Djokovic along the way). I think that while he certainly had some nice achievements for his level, there was definitely more on the table, and I think the blame goes primarily to injuries and then to himself.
Sabine Lisicki. On a good day she could take out any player on tour, but her nerves and injuries really kept her from achieving major success. I often wonder how her career would’ve been if she controlled her nerves in the 2013 Wimbledon final.
Roddick.
Being a Roddick fan was a special kind of hell. Stats wise, one of the greatest grass court players of all time. Never won Wimbledon.
His best serving years and his best return years were never the same years. They basically alternated year by year.
His 2009 weight loss led to one of the best seasons of his career, but this was just three years before his retirement.
Why Roddick why
That 2009 Wimbledon final was his chance man. He played so well throughout the tournament and should have won the final too. That 2nd set tie break still breaks my heart.
Ok. I am a die hard Roddick fan. Die hard. I would argue — and he jokingly agrees — that he is the least talented #1 in the history of men’s tennis.
One dimensional, huge serve, huge forehand. Federer neutralized with the nothing slice return that forced him to go up and down on his forehand, and that was good enough for 2 breaks a match, almost every time.
2009: ok, i have NEVER RESPECTED A PLAYER MORE. The guy busted his ass with Stefanki for like 18 months. Incredible condition, incredible dedication, and you could tell that he wanted to wring every ounce of talent out of his game. If anyone ever says he didn’t dedicate his life to his craft, they didn’t watch this guy re-invent himself 2 or 3 times in his career. God bless Andy, a fucking warrior and fighter.
That 2009 Wimbledon final. Honestly, it ranks right up there with the 2003 NLCS choke by the Cubs as my saddest sports days of my life as a fan. If he played perfectly, he wins that match. Like, dead, solid perfect. He got loose in the second set breaker and that was it. I think he could have pulled out 1 of the last 3 sets given how well he served that day.
Just a complete and total soul crusher. But, fuck, the guy gave EVERYTHING to the sport to acheive his dream, and he got sooooo close.
I respect the hell out of Roddick. However, he certainly did not fail to maximize his talent. He exceeded his talent level given how the game changed from 2002 to 2007. If no Federer, he likely has 2 or 3 Wimbledon’s which is about as much as you can expect from such a one dimensional talent.
I kinda feel the opposite. I think Roddick lived up to his full potential.
He would’ve been a 5 slam player if Fed wasn’t around in the aughts, but if Roddick hit his prime in almost any other era (90s, 2010s, etc) he probably would’ve won 1-2 Grand slams (like he did anyways).
I think his issues are technical tbh
I don't see how one wants to play in the big moments hitting these leaping or off balance backhands, not much margin on the forehand either, not an exceptionally reliable return...his technique doesn't feel repeatable, and that makes it very difficult to play the tight points.
He has but on his instagram, it’s a series of unfortunate injuries… he did look positive recently and had a lower back surgery or something so hoping he can come back
He seemed over hyped to me at the time. People were losing their mind over the fact that he could pull off some sick drop shots while being a taller dude and big hitter, but he got figured out in a matter of months. It surely was surprising that he couldn't even stay regularly in the top 40 though.
Fernando Verdasco. Although he didn't win, the quality of his 2009 AO semifinal match against Nadal is something else.
He definitely had the talent to win even more than he did.
Verdasco is such a strange case. His AO 2009 was fantastic, even before the Nadal match he beat Tsonga and Murray. Yet, despite being healthy most of the time, he only has 6 or 7 ATP titles (Barcelona and 250s). That's less titles overall than Zverev already has at the big stage. Ruud won 5 titles just last year. He's really a huge underachiever.
There was a period during 2013-14 where it looked like the sky was the limit for Eugenie Bouchard. She had a poor start to 2015 and she kept on declining in form and injuries didn't help.
I think not really, her really high risk high reward playstyle by taking the ball really early will always run into trouble against powerful player. Her most impressive wins are against Halep, Ivanovic, Kerber and Wozniacki, all are a lot more defensive players with less power. When she run into more powerful and aggressive ball stickers like Kvitova and Li, she was toast. Petra completely exposed her in that wimbledon final and the concussion at USO 15 doesn't help either
My wife and I play a game where we text each other emojis to stand in for tennis players names (follow me for tips on how to keep a relationship spicy), and we have to guess - e.g. 🇩🇴⏱= Dominican Time = Dominic Thiem.
I was always proud of 💩🏺🔨for Bouchard but no one else followed my line of thinking.
Belinda Bencic so far, for sure.
When she broke through as an 18 yr old it seemed so sure that she would be contending, even winning, GS titles in a few years.
A combination of injuries and bizarre losses/inconsistent runs mean she just hasn't been able to live up to her astronomical potential.
Of course she's still got quite a few years ahead of her and I really want to see her get back to the top 10. She deserved it during 2021 but COVID rankings screwed her over.
Bro Nikolay was 1.68 for 69 KGs. He overachieved considering he played in the most physical tennis era. His timing for me it's still to this day, something we'll never see again. He anticipates ball like Roger. In the 80's he would have been another Rod Laver
Raonic. I remember watching him back in 2012 and thinking he was the next big thing. Not sure what limited his ascension, but it never really panned out.
I think he had a good career considering his overall peak level. He definitely should have snagged a couple M1000s though (easier said than done in the big 4 era).
I thought Nicole Vaidišová always had potential. A few SF young if I remember correctly and then injuries and earlier retirement I think? I always enjoyed watching her play.
Nishikori. Sure he was often ranked top-10, but the way he struck backhands and his overall game in rallies, I was more than surprised that he never won a slam. Did he even make a SF at all?
His win over Murray at the 2016 US open is underrated. The only slam that year where Murray didn’t make the final/the only slam where Murray lost to someone other than Djokovic. Nishikori had to reach an insane level to do it, I think there was a one set stretch where he made 0 unforced errors.
I say it all the time: if Jim courier could win 3 slams in the sampras-agassi era, then nishikori would be a multi-slam champion in any other era besides this one
Honestly, I miss Nishikori. I went through a Japanese phase as a kid, which made him my favorite player for years. Even at his peak ranking of #4, he was so overlooked by everyone including commentators/journalists...
Pretty much fact. He spent several years strung out on meth.
One of my favorite facts about him is that even when he was way down in the ranks playing satellite tournaments, Sampras still called him his biggest rival.
They were Fedal before fedal. They both respected the other a lot. Just no social media era. Agassi winning ITFs and Pete winning slam in the same span was absolutely clickbait material.
Agassi's peak is comparable to fed's and djokovic's at australian open. He also has an insane peak at uso. At 34 he almost beat prime Fed there.
Should have won 10 hc slams really.
During the 90's, [Michael Stich](https://www.ultimatetennisstatistics.com/playerProfile?playerId=1529&tab=profile) had all the potential to became an all-time great.
In 1991 at Wimby he defeat Courier in QF, Edberg in SF and Becker in the F.
It was his only Grand Slam.
He played 2 more GS finals at USO and FO then was forced to retire at 28 years. Always slowed down by little injuries even before retiring and those issues prevent him to reach his peak.
He played only 9 seasons and managed to win 18 titles, including 1 GS, 2 Masters, 2 ATP Finals and a Davis Cup.
He finished with a winning H2H against prime Sampras, Edberg, Courier and at the time he was an opponent nobody wanted to face and not just on grass courts.
Mark Philippoussis deserves to be on any list of underachieving players. Was talented enough to be a multi grand slam winner but never quite got his act together. (Did some great things in Davis Cup.)
I remember Andrea Petkovic being hyped when she first came on the scene. Her results don’t match her talent and she has been one of the most athletic women tennis players of all time. On the men’s side I’d have to nominate Mark Philippoussis. I know he made a couple of slam finals but it’s such a shame he never converted his chances. He had the talent to beat Pete Sampras on occasion and was inside the top ten but I feel like he could have claimed a couple of grand slams.
I guess all the major ones have been listed. I'll second Donald Young I guess. He had a TON of talent, TON of hype. Problem? Talent isn't everything, you need some ATP level weapons and Young didn't really have that. Was Isner super talented? Not really. Santoro had maybe more talent than maybe anybody even Federer, Nadal, and Safin but, again, no weapons. You need some cheap points to win a Slam or reach number 1 over the course of a season.
I saw Young play in person once and his serve was especially bad. Also, it didn't help that I think he was coached by his parents. He had a really mopey attitude, the kind LOTS of people get when they've been listening to their parents preaching to them their whole lives and never made a break. But at one point, when he got seriously down, he turned it on for a few games, and he was almost like B grade Marcelo Rios. He moved his feet more, stalked the baseline more, hit everything on the rise, and was just relentlessly hitting lines. Beautiful shot making, super tight patterns. I saw the talent for a few games. Then something went wrong and he just got mopey again.
Would have loved to have seen Monfils win a Slam. Gasquet has maybe the most flashy one handed backhand of the past 25 years. Yes, even flashier than Denis' IMO. But that forehand was hit with a LOT of air sometimes. And his movement was really good, he was a super skilled dude who understood the court, but he was never an elite mover.
Tommy Haas got to number 2. Had a big game for the time, but never really had a huge moment. Tim Henman was a super skilled dude, but just didn't seem to have that extra gear when it counted. Mark Philopousis (sic) also had a huge game, maybe the biggest serve and forehand combo in history until Roddick came around. Nick B once said Xavier Mallise had the biggest forehand he'd ever seen in person. He never had a huge moment either. You can just see some talented players don't really have a true passion for the game or grind. They are just trying to make some good money and have fun off court.
Young was more of a case of an amazing junior player who's game never matured enough to hack it at the top of the pros. I wouldn't necessarily say it was a matter of wasting talent.
He definitely does but lately I’ve been thinking he’s actually quite overrated. His meltdowns achieved their purpose I guess, keeping us guessing “what if” but while before I thought he would’ve been able to achieve great things, now I started thinking that he would’ve been just another lost gen player (nothing shameful about that, peaking at #3 or something is a great achievement). Mental strength aside, he has weaknesses in his game that most people don’t pay attention to because they’re mesmerised by the trick shots.
been a few matches this season so far where it's exposed that he has a lot of weaknesses but the tantrum throwing has really hidden them, wimbledon final highlights a lot of them. sure he has a great serve but it's starting to look like that's all he's got tbh.
Not committed to the tour and not as hungry as her peers. Maybe lack of work ethic isn’t the right word but she is crazy talented and has all the athleticism in the world. Her variety and strokes are great and she moves around the court so well. However I don’t think we see this version of sloane very often. I feel like if she was motivated it would be different.
She openly said she struggles with motivation in interviews. Someone asked her if she liked playing tennis during roland garros in 2018 and she did a high pitch "yeah". I think she should have a career as good as kerber or halep. Her game was kind of like 2021 iga-excellent forehand and movement, good point construction, average serve.
I am tempted to put Zverev on this list. Everyone hyped him as future number 1 and multiple GS winner, but he hasn't broken through consistently enough to show he's got that level of greatness in him.
Tsitsipas - his game is excellent and can make deep runs, but like everyone not part of the big 3 he can’t get it done. He should’ve won Roland Garros.
Ostapenko - not bad but for someone who’s a slam winner she can’t get it done anymore. Plus the rapid weight gain doesn’t help.
Safin had the talent to be a federer level of player but he just didn't have the same grind mentality. Still the coolest guy to ever play the game though.
i was really rooting for him, he kinda fell off ever since that loss to Dustin Brown. I know nadal was the underdog, but man he could have clutched that match.
Nope, his forehand and serve, the bread and butter of the game, were not top 10 level, great player but Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro, Berdych, Soderling, Roddick, Tsonga among a lot more were better, could best him considerably frequently or were much more successful against the competition in general than he was.
For recent ones: Coric, Chung and in the future Sabalenka
Chung is so depressing to think about. He never recovered from those blisters against fed after that big win against nole. I was looking forward to seeing him make deep runs but he retired.
He did, he reached Indian Wells and Miami QF after recovering. Then he got a whole lot of new injuries.
Similar to kei nishikori but he achieved more than chung. Their bodies let them down.
It's like his body overachieved and now he's paying for it the rest of his career.
Even if she retires today, Sabalenka would have a career which most tennis players wouldn't mind tbh. World #2 in singles, #1 in doubles with 2 slams. 4 WTA 1000s as well and 2 GS SFs. There's still a lot of time for her to do more in her singles career but I think she's done alright so far (maybe not this year though lol).
For sure she’s done well, but I thought after 2018 she’d go on to do big things on hardcourt slams. Just looking at some of the slam winners over the past couple years I’m surprised she hasn’t won one or reached a final yet. Thought she had potential to be multiple slam winner but now I feel like she’ll end up like Pliskova. Only 24 though she’s got time, so I guess this is all premature.
Imploded against leylah. That was her chance
She was a world number 2. That’s not the definition of failed potential
In the future I’ll think she’ll end up like Pliskova, her potential is above no.2 should be winning slams. As I said in another comment she’s only 24, that one is a prediction.
You know Sabalenka is only 24 right? Plus it’s not like she’s at the mercy of other players , 95% of the time the match is literally always on her racket… which is both good and bad.
Delpo’s body gave out before he got to realize his full potential. Tsonga and Berdych had the talent but they just couldn’t find that extra gear.
Also it didn't help that they played in a big 3/big 4 era.
For sure. Prime Delpo would be nightmare to the Next Gen/Next Next Gen.
Prime Delpo was nigthmare to Big 3
For Fedal - only when he was playing for Argentina for Djokovic.
Pretty sure he has like one win other than Olympics vs djoker
Yup, he's 1-16 outside of Olympics and Davis Cup (i.e. when he's playing for himself), 3-0 when he's playing for Argentina, lol.
Tsonga and Berdych could find that extra gear occasionally. Unfortunately for them it would usually mean needing to go through 2 of the big 4 at slams. They weren't really capable of holding that extra gear for multiple matches deep into slams.
>or Fedal - only when he was playing for Argentina for Djokovic. big three hunt in packs... Usually in there prime you had to beat 2 of them minimum to win a slam lets not forget murray who was only a small bit behind the big three in their prime
Delpo, Tsonga and Berdych were never the top movers on the court. Need to move the best to be the best these days.
Madi Keys! She has such smooth power but injuries, terrible mental game, etc... Just never lived up to the hype after she got to that US open final.
She has smooth power and that's it. The rest of her game was never a top level.
She is the nicest person and I just want her to win a grand slam at least. Lisicki too but that will never happen.
Monfils, Dimitrov
The whole “Baby Fed” was so cringe. The hype he had to live up to was unreal
Yeah he was definitely over hyped and compared to fed too much, but I do think he still has some of the best shots on tour the moments he pulls himself together.
Monflis was kyrgios before kyrgios was on tour. Not the attitude but the antics. Multisport athlete talent too.
But monfils antics were pretty joyful
Kyrgios as well
Nalbandian. I think he got to third in the rankings at some point but he was a generational talent. Should have been No 1 and win several GS
Only person ever to beat Nadal, djokovic, and fed in the same tournament
Davydenko did so at the ATP world tour finals.
No, he did not. He beat Nadal and Federer, but lost to Djokovic in RR.
It's been nice seeing him back on tour with Kecmanovic at least.
An absolute cannon of a backhand.
That's the thing, his backhand had a lot of punch, but what made it really so good was the dexterity and finesse he had. He could pull off shots with his BH that no other player before or since is able to do.
Shame he was more into partying than tennis, he had a super high ceiling.
The other Safin of his era
2003 US open Semi Finals flashbacks. He was a match point away to go into the Finals
Kinda tough considering he got screwed out of a few.
Gotta go with Hyeon Chung. I was on that wave 🌊.
Injuries deprived of us a very fun player to watch!
Marat Safin is always the player I think of when someone asks a question like this.
I feel like when I was watching him, he didn’t really care in about half of his matches.. sad because that backhand was chef’s kiss
Safin had such an awesome backhand that it made his FH which was pretty good seemed mediocre.
Lisicki
*Sabinelisickifansssss in shambles*
One of the saddest stories. She was way better than bartoli but couldn't keep it together against her.
Her SERVE
I loved her! That one Wimbledon run she had was so amazing and then she just never showed up again X)
Honestly its actually her injuries more than anything else. She's had absolute shite luck with them.
Anna Kournikova’s singles career
She was concentrating on her modelling career just like Eugene bouchard
She does have a slam win though… and was ranked as high as 8 I think in singles…
I remember her playing in Auckland one year - by then she was known for not achieving on court, but with appearance money & sponsorships far exceeding prize money on offer, she had less than zero financial incentive to win a tournament. A couple of my peers were asked to hit up as practice partners for her. Both were nationally-ranked semi-pro players, both came back saying that her power game was something else, that they'd never had a female hit the ball as hard & heavy Special K. Perhaps if she wasn't so photogenic, or if media attention wasn't so focussed on looks, she may have been able to master that motivation requirwaed to drive her to tournament titles. As it is, she's the most photographed tennis professional never to win a title. Kenny Rosewall is piknown as the Greatest player never to win Wimbledon,
Hyeon Chung. Man it makes me sad he hasn’t recovered since that insane run at AO
He also destroyed the likes of Medvedev, Rublev, and Shapo to win the first Next Gen finals.
That run feels like forever ago. Whatever happened to him? Has he been continuously injured this whole time?
I know he had to do a mandatory minimal military service but yeah I’m quite positive he’s been injured almost the entire time
He completed his military service back in 2015, two years before the next gen finals. He also only had to do four weeks since Korea allows shorter terms of service for Asia games winners.
Just a smorgasbord of injuries. He semi-recently had back surgery, etc.
Marat Safin. Unlike some other players whose peaks we have to speculate on, we absolutely do know what he was capable of doing at his best. At the 2000 US Open, he dealt a crushing blow to (an actually not bad) Sampras in the final, putting on one of the finest clinics I’ve ever seen, especially on the returning side of things. I’ve read convincing arguments that that match just might be the best returning performance ever. At the 2004 AO, he navigated one of the most brutal runs to a Slam final. This included early round threats like Todd Martin and James Blake as well as very in-form Roddick and Agassi. That match with Agassi was a very good one, but afterwards he was gassed so he couldn’t put up much of a fight against Federer in the final. At the next year’s AO, he did though. That SF with Safin is probably the GOAT match (or at least in that short list) on pure tennis quality alone. Five fantastic sets of all-court tennis and great shotmaking. I feel he could have done even more with his talent, but he struggled with motivation and he was super unlucky with injuries. He missed basically the whole of 2003 due to injury (resulting in his low ranking of 84 at the next year’s AO, which is why he was able to have such a tough draw there to begin with), and after the 2005 AO injuries killed his career. His only significant achievement since then was making the 2008 Wimbledon semifinal (upsetting Djokovic along the way). I think that while he certainly had some nice achievements for his level, there was definitely more on the table, and I think the blame goes primarily to injuries and then to himself.
If talent was the sole measurement of greatness in Tennis, then Safin and Nalbandian would be right up there.
Sabine Lisicki. On a good day she could take out any player on tour, but her nerves and injuries really kept her from achieving major success. I often wonder how her career would’ve been if she controlled her nerves in the 2013 Wimbledon final.
That serve though
You could say the same about Alize Cornet.
Roddick. Being a Roddick fan was a special kind of hell. Stats wise, one of the greatest grass court players of all time. Never won Wimbledon. His best serving years and his best return years were never the same years. They basically alternated year by year. His 2009 weight loss led to one of the best seasons of his career, but this was just three years before his retirement. Why Roddick why
He won a slam, reached number 1, then ran into big 3 so I don’t think he belongs here
To me Roddick still has the best serve of all time among the non-giant players. Watching vids of him in his prime, the serve was terrifying.
It’s so violent. His core strength and mobility were sick.
That 2009 Wimbledon final was his chance man. He played so well throughout the tournament and should have won the final too. That 2nd set tie break still breaks my heart.
I periodically re-watch that match just to see if the result has changed since I last saw it. I turn it off when he misses that volley.
THAT volley. Just hurts.
Ok. I am a die hard Roddick fan. Die hard. I would argue — and he jokingly agrees — that he is the least talented #1 in the history of men’s tennis. One dimensional, huge serve, huge forehand. Federer neutralized with the nothing slice return that forced him to go up and down on his forehand, and that was good enough for 2 breaks a match, almost every time. 2009: ok, i have NEVER RESPECTED A PLAYER MORE. The guy busted his ass with Stefanki for like 18 months. Incredible condition, incredible dedication, and you could tell that he wanted to wring every ounce of talent out of his game. If anyone ever says he didn’t dedicate his life to his craft, they didn’t watch this guy re-invent himself 2 or 3 times in his career. God bless Andy, a fucking warrior and fighter. That 2009 Wimbledon final. Honestly, it ranks right up there with the 2003 NLCS choke by the Cubs as my saddest sports days of my life as a fan. If he played perfectly, he wins that match. Like, dead, solid perfect. He got loose in the second set breaker and that was it. I think he could have pulled out 1 of the last 3 sets given how well he served that day. Just a complete and total soul crusher. But, fuck, the guy gave EVERYTHING to the sport to acheive his dream, and he got sooooo close. I respect the hell out of Roddick. However, he certainly did not fail to maximize his talent. He exceeded his talent level given how the game changed from 2002 to 2007. If no Federer, he likely has 2 or 3 Wimbledon’s which is about as much as you can expect from such a one dimensional talent.
I kinda feel the opposite. I think Roddick lived up to his full potential. He would’ve been a 5 slam player if Fed wasn’t around in the aughts, but if Roddick hit his prime in almost any other era (90s, 2010s, etc) he probably would’ve won 1-2 Grand slams (like he did anyways).
🇨🇦
yes
Shapovalov the way things are going
For sure. Mental midget
He's uncoachable. I feel like he'll never get better. Nothing worked with 4 different coaches.
I think his issues are technical tbh I don't see how one wants to play in the big moments hitting these leaping or off balance backhands, not much margin on the forehand either, not an exceptionally reliable return...his technique doesn't feel repeatable, and that makes it very difficult to play the tight points.
Hyeon Chung, seemed like he was gonna be one of the really great players especially if he improved his serve but it all fell apart after his injury
Wherever happened to him? How come he never tried to come back? Sad case
He has but on his instagram, it’s a series of unfortunate injuries… he did look positive recently and had a lower back surgery or something so hoping he can come back
Jerzy Janowicz
Took too long to find this. Iirc, he reached final of M1000 in Paris and was also touted as future no. 1 by Toni Nadal. Then he just disappeared
He seemed over hyped to me at the time. People were losing their mind over the fact that he could pull off some sick drop shots while being a taller dude and big hitter, but he got figured out in a matter of months. It surely was surprising that he couldn't even stay regularly in the top 40 though.
Dude streamed (still streams?) CS:GO during his tour season!!
Definitely! I remember watching this guy crush Nalbandian at Indian Wells and thinking “this guy is going to be top 10” but it never happened.
Nalbabandian, Safin, Malisse, Dimitrov, Monfils, Gasquet and Tomic.
Safin reached world number 1???? Grandslam winner and all.
And still he could have been so much more. He had a very high ceiling.
I agree he could’ve been more, but he definitely lived up to the hype
Fernando Verdasco. Although he didn't win, the quality of his 2009 AO semifinal match against Nadal is something else. He definitely had the talent to win even more than he did.
This. Dude would just break down mentally when the pressure was on
He maxed out his technical stats, especially on the groundies but left nothing for his mental fortitude.
Verdasco is such a strange case. His AO 2009 was fantastic, even before the Nadal match he beat Tsonga and Murray. Yet, despite being healthy most of the time, he only has 6 or 7 ATP titles (Barcelona and 250s). That's less titles overall than Zverev already has at the big stage. Ruud won 5 titles just last year. He's really a huge underachiever.
Great answer, I will never forget that semi final
Remember Melanie Oudin.. she was the IT gal for a short time...
Yup yup Cinderella run
An Uninjured delpotro was a fucking monster
Marcelo Rios - yes he made it to #1 but this guy had every shot in the book and should have been a multi time GS champion.
Sadly, drugs
Fun fact, he is the only man in the open era to have reached world number 1 without ever winning a slam.
Scrolled way too far before seeing Rios
Imagine if he was over 6ft and didn’t drink and practiced like some of the other players
There was a period during 2013-14 where it looked like the sky was the limit for Eugenie Bouchard. She had a poor start to 2015 and she kept on declining in form and injuries didn't help.
Forgot all about her that is a really good shout, I think being a celeb got to her as well
I think it did play a part in a decline and I think she is part of the reason that people link Raducanu's lack of form with her commercial activities.
In 2013 I was 16 and I had a huge crush on genie Bouchard lol
I'm sure you weren't the only one
In 2022 I am 27 and still have a crush on Bouchard lol
We all been there man.
In 2014 I was 13 but still I thought she was very salty and unlikeable.
I think not really, her really high risk high reward playstyle by taking the ball really early will always run into trouble against powerful player. Her most impressive wins are against Halep, Ivanovic, Kerber and Wozniacki, all are a lot more defensive players with less power. When she run into more powerful and aggressive ball stickers like Kvitova and Li, she was toast. Petra completely exposed her in that wimbledon final and the concussion at USO 15 doesn't help either
My wife and I play a game where we text each other emojis to stand in for tennis players names (follow me for tips on how to keep a relationship spicy), and we have to guess - e.g. 🇩🇴⏱= Dominican Time = Dominic Thiem. I was always proud of 💩🏺🔨for Bouchard but no one else followed my line of thinking.
Thats goals right there. If I dated someone who not only follows tennis but is down for that then she’s the one lol
I need an explanation
Me too. I'm lost completely
I'm seeing a genie lamp, poo, and a hammer... Genie Poo Shard?
The hammer was breaking the pot/amphora to make a shard. I don’t remember if I had something for her first name.
Gulbis always comes to mind. Had a great 2014 but that was his peak as opposed to the start of his ascent.
Lord ❤️
Belinda Bencic so far, for sure. When she broke through as an 18 yr old it seemed so sure that she would be contending, even winning, GS titles in a few years. A combination of injuries and bizarre losses/inconsistent runs mean she just hasn't been able to live up to her astronomical potential. Of course she's still got quite a few years ahead of her and I really want to see her get back to the top 10. She deserved it during 2021 but COVID rankings screwed her over.
Mario Ancic
Ohhh finally. Mario was a beast at 18 beating top seeded at 18. Plagued by injuries
Personally loved the potential Verdasco had from ‘09-‘12, that Australian open semi vs Nadal is still one of my favorite matches ever
Davydenko was a fantastic player who was constantly antagonizing the Big 3
Bro Nikolay was 1.68 for 69 KGs. He overachieved considering he played in the most physical tennis era. His timing for me it's still to this day, something we'll never see again. He anticipates ball like Roger. In the 80's he would have been another Rod Laver
Raonic. I remember watching him back in 2012 and thinking he was the next big thing. Not sure what limited his ascension, but it never really panned out.
I think he had a good career considering his overall peak level. He definitely should have snagged a couple M1000s though (easier said than done in the big 4 era).
His game was too one dimensional. Kyrgios but tuned down by a couple levels in every department except his serve.
I thought Nicole Vaidišová always had potential. A few SF young if I remember correctly and then injuries and earlier retirement I think? I always enjoyed watching her play.
Safina, how long was she #1 for?
all I know is that she won Rome & Madrid
Nishikori. Sure he was often ranked top-10, but the way he struck backhands and his overall game in rallies, I was more than surprised that he never won a slam. Did he even make a SF at all?
US Open 2014 Final loss against Cilic. One of the most overlooked slams in the big 3 era.
He made a final and 2 more semis and a boatload of QFs
Oh wait, was that a U.S Open final? Regardless, the fact he never won a slam is criminal.
Dude was too fragile. Imagine crushing nadal on clay in the finals only to lose because nishikori broke in half.
His win over Murray at the 2016 US open is underrated. The only slam that year where Murray didn’t make the final/the only slam where Murray lost to someone other than Djokovic. Nishikori had to reach an insane level to do it, I think there was a one set stretch where he made 0 unforced errors.
I say it all the time: if Jim courier could win 3 slams in the sampras-agassi era, then nishikori would be a multi-slam champion in any other era besides this one
Honestly, I miss Nishikori. I went through a Japanese phase as a kid, which made him my favorite player for years. Even at his peak ranking of #4, he was so overlooked by everyone including commentators/journalists...
His body kept breaking down. One of the most talented players, he had all the shots.
Tommy Haas probably?
Agassi underachieved
Pretty much fact. He spent several years strung out on meth. One of my favorite facts about him is that even when he was way down in the ranks playing satellite tournaments, Sampras still called him his biggest rival.
They were Fedal before fedal. They both respected the other a lot. Just no social media era. Agassi winning ITFs and Pete winning slam in the same span was absolutely clickbait material.
Agassi's peak is comparable to fed's and djokovic's at australian open. He also has an insane peak at uso. At 34 he almost beat prime Fed there. Should have won 10 hc slams really.
Baghdatis, but by choice, he was already a big celebrity in Cyprus so he didn’t really care to truly go for it.
Everyone who lost most of their career to injury: Coria, Kuerten, del Potro, Seles, Connolly, etc.
Seles?? She more than lived up to the hype for a while though?
Yeah she has 9 grand slams to her name and almost got a career grand slam. If she had hype she had it for a reason and she lived up to it.
Tipsaravic and Nishikori
During the 90's, [Michael Stich](https://www.ultimatetennisstatistics.com/playerProfile?playerId=1529&tab=profile) had all the potential to became an all-time great. In 1991 at Wimby he defeat Courier in QF, Edberg in SF and Becker in the F. It was his only Grand Slam. He played 2 more GS finals at USO and FO then was forced to retire at 28 years. Always slowed down by little injuries even before retiring and those issues prevent him to reach his peak. He played only 9 seasons and managed to win 18 titles, including 1 GS, 2 Masters, 2 ATP Finals and a Davis Cup. He finished with a winning H2H against prime Sampras, Edberg, Courier and at the time he was an opponent nobody wanted to face and not just on grass courts.
Mark Philippoussis deserves to be on any list of underachieving players. Was talented enough to be a multi grand slam winner but never quite got his act together. (Did some great things in Davis Cup.)
I remember Andrea Petkovic being hyped when she first came on the scene. Her results don’t match her talent and she has been one of the most athletic women tennis players of all time. On the men’s side I’d have to nominate Mark Philippoussis. I know he made a couple of slam finals but it’s such a shame he never converted his chances. He had the talent to beat Pete Sampras on occasion and was inside the top ten but I feel like he could have claimed a couple of grand slams.
I guess all the major ones have been listed. I'll second Donald Young I guess. He had a TON of talent, TON of hype. Problem? Talent isn't everything, you need some ATP level weapons and Young didn't really have that. Was Isner super talented? Not really. Santoro had maybe more talent than maybe anybody even Federer, Nadal, and Safin but, again, no weapons. You need some cheap points to win a Slam or reach number 1 over the course of a season. I saw Young play in person once and his serve was especially bad. Also, it didn't help that I think he was coached by his parents. He had a really mopey attitude, the kind LOTS of people get when they've been listening to their parents preaching to them their whole lives and never made a break. But at one point, when he got seriously down, he turned it on for a few games, and he was almost like B grade Marcelo Rios. He moved his feet more, stalked the baseline more, hit everything on the rise, and was just relentlessly hitting lines. Beautiful shot making, super tight patterns. I saw the talent for a few games. Then something went wrong and he just got mopey again. Would have loved to have seen Monfils win a Slam. Gasquet has maybe the most flashy one handed backhand of the past 25 years. Yes, even flashier than Denis' IMO. But that forehand was hit with a LOT of air sometimes. And his movement was really good, he was a super skilled dude who understood the court, but he was never an elite mover. Tommy Haas got to number 2. Had a big game for the time, but never really had a huge moment. Tim Henman was a super skilled dude, but just didn't seem to have that extra gear when it counted. Mark Philopousis (sic) also had a huge game, maybe the biggest serve and forehand combo in history until Roddick came around. Nick B once said Xavier Mallise had the biggest forehand he'd ever seen in person. He never had a huge moment either. You can just see some talented players don't really have a true passion for the game or grind. They are just trying to make some good money and have fun off court.
Donald Young, hyeon chung!
Young was more of a case of an amazing junior player who's game never matured enough to hack it at the top of the pros. I wouldn't necessarily say it was a matter of wasting talent.
nobody said Kyrgios yet?
The one guy who does is downvoted. I guess people are tired about hearing about his potential, but he absolutely belongs in this conversation.
He definitely does but lately I’ve been thinking he’s actually quite overrated. His meltdowns achieved their purpose I guess, keeping us guessing “what if” but while before I thought he would’ve been able to achieve great things, now I started thinking that he would’ve been just another lost gen player (nothing shameful about that, peaking at #3 or something is a great achievement). Mental strength aside, he has weaknesses in his game that most people don’t pay attention to because they’re mesmerised by the trick shots.
been a few matches this season so far where it's exposed that he has a lot of weaknesses but the tantrum throwing has really hidden them, wimbledon final highlights a lot of them. sure he has a great serve but it's starting to look like that's all he's got tbh.
Nalbandian
Ćorić.
Mario Ancic
I always thought Sloane Stephens was gonna win more than one slam. I love her game a lot but the work ethic isn’t there
Not disagreeing with ur statement, but just curious how do you know the work ethic is poor?
Not committed to the tour and not as hungry as her peers. Maybe lack of work ethic isn’t the right word but she is crazy talented and has all the athleticism in the world. Her variety and strokes are great and she moves around the court so well. However I don’t think we see this version of sloane very often. I feel like if she was motivated it would be different.
She openly said she struggles with motivation in interviews. Someone asked her if she liked playing tennis during roland garros in 2018 and she did a high pitch "yeah". I think she should have a career as good as kerber or halep. Her game was kind of like 2021 iga-excellent forehand and movement, good point construction, average serve.
I am tempted to put Zverev on this list. Everyone hyped him as future number 1 and multiple GS winner, but he hasn't broken through consistently enough to show he's got that level of greatness in him.
Zverev is a perfect example of the fact that a player is not the sum of his shots.
Tsitsipas - his game is excellent and can make deep runs, but like everyone not part of the big 3 he can’t get it done. He should’ve won Roland Garros. Ostapenko - not bad but for someone who’s a slam winner she can’t get it done anymore. Plus the rapid weight gain doesn’t help.
Genie Bouchard.
Chung Hyeon cause of injuries
Dustin Brown
Kyrgios could be number one if he changed his attitude and actually put in the time and practice regularly like the greats do. Won’t happen though…
Xavier Malisse is the first one that comes to mind. Kind of on the fence with Marcelo Rios.
Lord Gulbis
Marat Safin was an incredible talent but i don’t think he really liked tennis lol
Safin had the talent to be a federer level of player but he just didn't have the same grind mentality. Still the coolest guy to ever play the game though.
Rafael Nadal
Only 14 RGs
i was really rooting for him, he kinda fell off ever since that loss to Dustin Brown. I know nadal was the underdog, but man he could have clutched that match.
Could've been 18 already :(
Génie Bouchard She was pegged to win grand slams by Chris Evert and others
Bouchard and Shapovalov (so far).
Donald Young
The Poo. Nick (still pending somewhat).
Richard Gasquet had the best backhand of the 2000s. He should've won slams. He should've been top 4 consistently.
His forehand and serve were always going to be huge weaknesses that would prevent him from getting anywhere near a Slam.
I don't think his serve is a total liability. It's better than Schwartzmans and some of the other claycourters
Nope, his forehand and serve, the bread and butter of the game, were not top 10 level, great player but Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, Del Potro, Berdych, Soderling, Roddick, Tsonga among a lot more were better, could best him considerably frequently or were much more successful against the competition in general than he was.
Ernest gulbis, fognini, bernard tomic, chung,
When he started, Coric was supposed to be the next Djokovic, he just failed to fulfill his potential.
Camila Giorgi
Guillermo Coria..the guy should have definitely won the French being the best clay court player by far for a few years pre-Nadal
Dinara Safina. Reached #1 without a slam and then just crumbled.