Boggo

RJA · Hall of fame

RE: Boggo

Ratty · County player

dorsetman wrote:
He had all the shots. His backhand was an absolute corker of a shot.

I do hope you don't mind me differing with you on this. Boggo has a single-handed backhand, which I agree is a wonderfully elegant shot, but for most players it certainly isn't as effective as a solid two-hander.

It's a major disadvantage in current top-level tennis unless you're as strong as an ox, like Federer, Wawrinka or Gasquet. Boggo certainly isn't like that - I'd guess he's 5'9" and 65kg. And one of the main reasons why Fed became Nadal's b*tch was that (unsurprisingly) he can't handle the shoulder-high kickers out to his left.

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

Ratty wrote:
dorsetman wrote:
He had all the shots. His backhand was an absolute corker of a shot.

I do hope you don't mind me differing with you on this. Boggo has a single-handed backhand, which I agree is a wonderfully elegant shot, but for most players it certainly isn't as effective as a solid two-hander.
It's a major disadvantage in current top-level tennis unless you're as strong as an ox, like Federer, Wawrinka or Gasquet. Boggo certainly isn't like that - I'd guess he's 5'9" and 65kg. And one of the main reasons why Fed became Nadal's b*tch was that (unsurprisingly) he can't handle the shoulder-high kickers out to his left.

I don't disagree with your general point about a solid two-handed backhand but I don't think you're close on your figures for Alex - he's more like 6 ft and 75 kg.

Ratty · County player

Sorry to be anal, but here's Boggo standing next to Simone Bolelli (whose "official" height is 1.83m, or 6'0" - and believe me, no male tennis player EVER understated his height).

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2008/07/01/article-0-01B7B13100000578-202_468x307.jpg

That looks like a 3" difference to me.

daisy · County player

According to the ATP (not known for their accuracy) profiles Bolelli and Boggo are both 6'0" tall. So, the photograph is misleading perhaps because of camera angle or maybe Bolelli's bigger hair.

smile

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Players/Head-To-Head.aspx?pId=B929&oId=BA98

RJA · Hall of fame

I would suggest that the camera angle is misleading. Boggo is about 6' , maybe an inch shorter but certainly not 5' 9"

Coup Droit · Tennis legend

RJA wrote:
I would suggest that the camera angle is misleading. Boggo is about 6' , maybe an inch shorter but certainly not 5' 9"

Ta. I've seen Boggo play a couple of times and 'roughly' 6 ft would be my guess. Looking him up, it says 183 cm and 74 kg.

That's obviously not cast in stone. But as people have said, photos are hardly an exact science smile After all, here's another where Alex looks to be, maybe, about an inch shorter than Slabinksy - and Alex S, according to the ATP, is 6 ft 1.

Alex+Bogdanovic+Alexander+Slabinsky+Championships+4s69fY4rO7Vl.jpg

steven · Tennis legend

The trademark 'trudge' posture seen in most post-match pics (whether he has won or lost) probably takes a couple of inches off his apparent height wink