The off topic thread #2

[Sozabarus]

Nadal modelled his game on Hewitt because Hewitt was his idol growing up. Of course he hits shots Hewitt couldn't dream of, that's what I mean when I say Nadal is the extreme version of Hewitt. Federer always struggled playing Hewitt because of his gamestyle, and it's the same with Raf.

No he didn't lol.

 

[Cooldude]

Federer is the best male tennis player I've ever seen

Nadal has the game to counter Federer but I never thought of him as the better player, in fact I don't even know if he has a better baseline game than Agassi

 

[Loonerty]

Depends on how you see the 'better player'. Nadal's style, as you say, is to just grind down the opponent with endurance. Federer actually wins matches with incredible shot selection. Nadal doesn't have as much of that in his locker. He's basically Hewitt to the extreme.

Again, didn't say Nadal is the better player.

But Nadal wins matches too? It's weird trying to discredit him because of his style.

Also very much selling Rafa short with his shot selection.

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

Nadal just a better version of Hewitt?

Lol now I've heard it all

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

Again, didn't say Nadal is the better player.

But Nadal wins matches too? It's weird trying to discredit him because of his style.

Also very much selling Rafa short with his shot selection.

Exactly. Nadal grinds and is a workhorse but he wins matches with unreal shots too, incredible for some to say he just 'tired' his opponents to win games.

 

[jod23]

Nadal is a great player but nowhere near as good as Federer.

 

[glenferry23]

Nadal modelled his game on Hewitt because Hewitt was his idol growing up. Of course he hits shots Hewitt couldn't dream of, that's what I mean when I say Nadal is the extreme version of Hewitt. Federer always struggled playing Hewitt because of his gamestyle, and it's the same with Raf.

I'm certainly not a tennis expert, but how did Nadal model his game on Hewitt growing up? Is the age gap that great between them for him to model his game against?

There's only what, 4-5 years between them I'd say. By the time Hewitt was at his peak Nadal already would've been 15-16, which you'd think is old enough to already develop his own game (again I'm not sure on this).

Secondly, a quick Google search tells me that Federer has won 18 of his 27 games against Hewitt....surely he didn't struggle that much....

 

[Sozabarus]

Secondly, a quick Google search tells me that Federer has won 18 of his 27 games against Hewitt....surely he didn't struggle that much....

Federer won 15 in a row against Hewitt, most of them in straight sets.

 

[chef]

Hewitt had the wood on fed early on but it didnt last long.

 

[Zidane98]

Mention Lleyton Fvckwitt & Nadal in the same breath is just embarrassing.

 

[glenferry23]

Federer won 15 in a row against Hewitt, most of them in straight sets.

Well there you go. But maybe if you remove those 15 wins, then it's a 9-3 record in Hewitt's favour. Maybe that's the struggle SM is referring to

 

[SM]

I'm certainly not a tennis expert, but how did Nadal model his game on Hewitt growing up? Is the age gap that great between them for him to model his game against?

There's only what, 4-5 years between them I'd say. By the time Hewitt was at his peak Nadal already would've been 15-16, which you'd think is old enough to already develop his own game (again I'm not sure on this).

Secondly, a quick Google search tells me that Federer has won 18 of his 27 games against Hewitt....surely he didn't struggle that much....

Hewitt won his first Open at 20 or something similar when Nadal was only 14-15. When Hewitt and Nadal played for the first time it's quite funny, because Nadal wore the exact same outfit. There's plenty of articles about how Nadal idolised him.

Federer lost a huge string of games to Hewitt, with the final one being a 5 set loss in the Davis Cup where Hewitt came from a break and 2 sets down. Federer to this day still credits that loss as the point he gained the self-belief that he could challenge and beat Hewitt and other good tennis players, and that triggered his rise to the top.

 

[SM]

Mention Lleyton Fvckwitt & Nadal in the same breath is just embarrassing.

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/...le-throughout-his-career-20160112-gm4g1c.html

 

[SM]

Well there you go. But maybe if you remove those 15 wins, then it's a 9-3 record in Hewitt's favour. Maybe that's the struggle SM is referring to

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/...on-hewitt-changed-tennis-20151114-gkz6s2.html

Personally, the duo teamed in doubles at Wimbledon in 1999 and, while Hewitt's early advantage – he won seven of the first nine matches at senior level – was highlighted by the extraordinary comeback from two sets and 5-3 down in the 2003 Davis Cup semi-final, Federer's head-to-head advantage will end at 18-9 unless there is one last nostalgic meeting at Melbourne Park.

"I had an extremely hard time beating him in the beginning, you know," Federer said at London's 02 Arena. "Eventually I turned it around and played some of my best matches against him, probably, like the US Open finals in 2004."

 

[Sozabarus]

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/...on-hewitt-changed-tennis-20151114-gkz6s2.html

But you said Federer always struggled against Hewitt. He struggled early when Hewitt was world number 1 and Fed was a bratty kid but after that it was one of the more one-sided rivalries you'll ever see.

 

[SM]

Hewitt was seen as one of the best players in the game when he broke through to be Number One at such a young age, winning two slams. People rubbish him because of the injury issues he had subsequently which saw him struggle to realise his potential, but my initial comment about Nadal was that he had a lot more natural talent and skill than Hewitt, and while he's had similar injury issues, was able to make the most of his talent. When he was younger I knew his career would follow this sort of trajectory - in terms of injuries - and that he and Fed would retire around the same time despite the age difference because of his body.

 

[SM]

But you said Federer always struggled against Hewitt. He struggled early when Hewitt was world number 1 and Fed was a bratty kid but after that it was one of the more one-sided rivalries you'll ever see.

He did always struggle. Past tense. Sorry if that wasn't clear from the post. I was referring to the fact that this sort of gamestyle - the chasing down every ball and getting it back into play, grinding down the opponent style play that Hewitt began and Nadal perfected - is the style Federer struggles against most.

 

[Zidane98]

Hewitt's only strength was his consistency & fitness. At his peak made very few errors and would just continually grind out games. His actual skill wasn't great for a #1 IMO at all. And when he declined physically he just couldn't compete for the last few years of his career where he was effectively just collecting a pay cheque for crashing out in the first few rounds of tournaments.

 

[Cooldude]

Hewitt was a stubborn little bugger, huge credit to him for even having the success that he had, he got the most outta himself

A dickhead though

 

[Zidane98]

Hewitt was a stubborn little bugger, huge credit to him for even having the success that he had, he got the most outta himself

A dickhead though

The ultimate "vanilla" tennis player

 

[Cruyff14]

Federer's forehand is sublime.

 

[Cooldude]

The ultimate "vanilla" tennis player

Yeah Hewitt was boring as **** as a player save the stupid C'MOOON

 

[Cruyff14]

But as it's been said, Hewitt made the most out of what he had. Wasn't the most talented player on the circuit, but never gave up and his sheer determination to win had to be admired.

 

[SM]

Hewitt's only strength was his consistency & fitness. At his peak made very few errors and would just continually grind out games. His actual skill wasn't great for a #1 IMO at all. And when he declined physically he just couldn't compete for the last few years of his career where he was effectively just collecting a pay cheque for crashing out in the first few rounds of tournaments.

Which is why I said Nadal was basically the extreme Hewitt.. Hewitt's gameplan with actual skill and finesse.

 

[Cooldude]

Nadal had a thunderous forehand, one of the best I've seen