Week 42 - Masters Series - Madrid, Spain

Drew · Oct 14, 2008

RE: Week 42 - Masters Series - Madrid, Spain

Drew · Oct 14, 2008

ForeverDelayed wrote:
Gulbis will never be a top 5 player until he sorts out his consistancy and stops being quite so brainless in his shot selection, and stops choking and the crucial moments (you just know that Nadal is winning this match if it gets close)

The fact he is still ranked outside the top 50 speaks volumes, even with a GS and MS QF amongst his points, as he just hasn't scored points from the other events (other than RG and Cinci, he's reached 1 QF and had a lot of first round losses)

Gulbis is good, but not as good as Cilic or Del Potro, as they are more consistant in their ability

Only said he was looking top 5 sure he needs to work on key parts of his game but for 2 sets he has been playing rafa off the crt hitting winners from all parts...
5-2* rafa going to win now but very impressed with the 20yr old latvian.

Drew · Oct 14, 2008

Rafa wins 7-5 3-6 6-3 and i agree with petchey & sam smith...gulbis has top 5 potential.

ForeverDelayed · Grand Slam Champion

Gulbis does have the game to trouble Nadal with the raw power to hit through him, but still lacks the ability to do it through the whole match (although when he does put it together for a whole match like against Robredo US Open 07 he can be unplayable)

He has potential, but 3 QF's this season and being ranked outside the top 50 still suggests he is struggling to make progress up the rankings, although I think he will move up into the top 20 next year

indiana · Tennis legend

I agree with FD that Gulbis still has a long way to go.

Sure at times he shows huge potential, but doesn't sustain that from match to match or even at times within the same match.

His record for this year is won 23, lost 21, currently 49th in the ATP race. He has moved from ranked 61st at the start of the year to now 54th, even allowing for a couple of big point quarter finals. This is not a guy who is surging up the rankings.

Top 5 potential players do not normally plateau to the extent he has at the age of 20.

In fact based on that evidence, I wouldn't put any money on him getting into the top 20 next year.

Potential, yes definitely. Ability to make the most of that potential, still very much unproven.

-- Edited by indiana at 15:25, 2008-10-15

GavinUK · Lower Club Player

I tend to think Gulbis has also been a bit unlucky in the draw on quite a few occasions. Being unseeded he's often been drawn against a top 5 player early on in a tournament. Although he's usually put up quite a fight, he ends up losing. If he had been a little luckier in who he was drawn against, he might have done a little better in the rankings by now.

There's no expert analysis here, just an impression I get from casual ovservations. Others may know a lot more about the stats than I do.

steven · Tennis legend

Gulbis had relatively nice draws early in the year and suffered some dire losses, e.g. 1 & 2 to Ginepri in Vegas, 2 & 0 to Granollers in Houston and, worst of all, a loss to Magdincev of Macedonia in DC.

Since his breakthrough at RG, though, he's gone out to Muzza, Rafa, Chucho (in Toronto so quite bad), Nole, Kolya, Duckboy (USO), 'bash, Tipsy, Gonzo and Rafa again - one or two bad losses in there, but that's a bad run of draws,

Drew · Oct 15, 2008

2 more retirements so far today. Jarko & hanescu(took set of nole) is that 4 so far in total ?

johnnylad · Tennis legend

I think Gulbis has the talent to beat anyone on his day but agree that he won't hit the top 20 until he finds better consistency

Drew · Oct 16, 2008

Karlovic leads Nole 7-6(4) 4-4*....Nole has a fight on his hands again.

Drew · Oct 16, 2008

Nole loses in two TB's !!!

indiana · Tennis legend

Ive just looked at the stats, I could have kind of predicted them smile

No breaks of service.

75% points on service Ivo, and 79% Nole.

20 aces Ivo, and 8 Nole

I break point for Ivo ( hey, good return game, man ! ), 3 break points for Nole.

77 points apiece over the course of the match.

err...that'll be an Ivo match for you smile

-- Edited by indiana at 22:52, 2008-10-16

Drew · Oct 16, 2008

So Andy claws some pts closer to Nole...200pts closer is it.....at the moment ?

(Nole goto SF last year and 225 pts....got 75pts for R16 this year...Andy up 50pts so far over last year...is that right ?)

indiana · Tennis legend

I'd just worked out the same thing, Drew.

As things stand now, as you say, 200 points closer.

Andy is standing now on 3045 points with hopefully more to come. Nole out with a new total of 4575 points, 1530 difference.

I was starting to get quite excited about the potential position after the Aussie Open when Nole is defending 1000 points ( in old money ! ) and Andy err 5.

Unfortunately I got less excited to then see that Nole is defending just 5 from the Paris Masters last year ( Andy 125 ) and 0 from the Masters Cup ( Andy clearly 0 ).

Still, getting closer.....

-- Edited by indiana at 23:09, 2008-10-16

-- Edited by indiana at 23:10, 2008-10-16

Drew · Oct 16, 2008

indiana wrote:

I'd just worked out the same thing, Drew.

As things stand now, as you say, 200 points closer.

Andy is standing now on 3045 points with hopefully more to come. Nole out with a new total of 4575 points, 1530 difference.

I was starting to get quite excited about the potential position after the Aussie Open when Nole is defending 1000 points ( in old money ! ) and Andy err 5.

Unfortunately I got less excited to then see that Nole is defending just 5 from the Paris Masters last year ( Andy 125 ) and 0 from the Masters Cup ( Andy clearly 0 ).

Still, getting closer.....

Well if Andy can get win another couple of matches here, do well in Paris and wins the cup in shanghai then world no 3 is there for the taking wink