[cartmancop]

The retirement of Rios made me think about this...What players have constantly disappointed the tennis world by never playing anywhere near their possible level on a consistent basis? Who are some that have wasted their talent due to mental instability, laziness, etc.

1. Mauresmo- Amelie should have been racking up GSs for years, but she never has the mental stamina or the health to carry her through
2. Lucic- a highly-touted talent whose last match I remember being televises was a double bagel by Venus @ the USO.
3. Harkleroad- I know this is early, but she was supposed to be the ONE who would challenge the top players, she received tons of spotlight b4 Sharapova, but whose winning NOW? :devil:
4. Conchita Martinez is a mystery to me, despite winning Wimby, she should have probably won about 3 FOs and maybe a few other majors but she never could quite get over the hump. What are some of your faves??

 

[pcrtennis]

Majoli!! Could have one some more Slams especially the French again but didn't commit!! And now she's done....

 

[mboyle]

I never really saw Iva as such a huge talent. Nothing special to me. She wasn't as smart on court as Hingis, she wasn't as powerful as the Williams sisters, she wasn't as fast as Kournikova, she just wasn't a stand out to me.

 

[esquímaux]

Koulikovskaya!

 

[backhanddtl4]

Anna Kournikova actually....

 

[faboozadoo15]

what more do u want from conchita??? her winning wimbledon is the craziest thing from tennis in the last decade. she has so many titles, but no french open. she could have won way less if she wasn't such a good match player. she's not got the genes to be as fit as some girls. i think she's an overachiever.

 

[CJ07]

Anna Kournikova

 

[New_balls_please]

Conchita, of course She was more talented than ASV, but.....
Muller
Marta Marrero (when she was tenn she was compared with Kim
Anna Kournikova
Di Natale :sad: What a pity!!!

 

[GBTG_Fan]

pretty much every british player in teh last 15 years

none of them got as high in the game as they should have

 

[SilK]

I would have to go with Anna Kournikova as well...

I mean, hell, you can saw a lot about that girl... But she had game!

 

[SanTaureau Fan]

How could one possibly see Majoli as a waste of talent??? People should be happy she won a Slam. Not only that, she had a decent career for a while with solid indoor and clay results.

And Conchita wasn't more talented than Aranxta, Aranxta is clearly the better player. Their respective results speak for themselves.

And don't let me start on Lucic. You can't waste what you don't have.

Names that come in my mind, because of injuries: Kournikova, Rubin, Hingis.

 

[KV]

Kournikova because of fame and injuries. At a lower level Sidot

 

[raquel]

And Conchita wasn't more talented than Aranxta, Aranxta is clearly the better player. Their respective results speak for themselves.

I agree. I love Conchita too, but I often see people say she was more talented than Arantxa but if you look at their games, I don't see where that comes from. People say Arantxa just had more fight and determination and was stronger mentally, but if you break down their strokes I would not say Conchita is any more talented. Her shots may be prettier to watch, but that's it.

Forehand - Conchita's forehand is more consistent than Arantxa's. Arantxa's forehand was her weakest shot. but held up well enough when she needed it to.

Backhand - Arantxa's backhand was her best shot and better than Conchita's. Arantxa could hit through the backhand and hit some winners or force errors with it. Conchita's is more defensive. She can hit good passing shots off it, but when she is playing someone who hits with power, Conchita doesn't often hit through the backhand and it breaks down

Volley - Arantxa was the better volleyer

Speed/Fitness - Arantxa

Serve - Neither had great serves, but Conchita's tends to spin it in and rarely gets free points.

Dropshot - Until Hingis came along, Arantxa was the best dropshotter around

I would not say Conchita wasted her talent though, she has had a brilliant career. Her problem was in the big matches in the Grand Slams through the 1990s when she was at her peak against Graf, Seles and Arantxa she couldn't pull it off except at the French 2000 semis when she beat Arantxa.

 

[igost]

Kournikova and Likhovtseva

 

[baleineau]

I agree. I love Conchita too, but I often see people say she was more talented than Arantxa but if you look at their games, I don't see where that comes from. People say Arantxa just had more fight and determination and was stronger mentally, but if you break down their strokes I would not say Conchita is any more talented. Her shots may be prettier to watch, but that's it.

Forehand - Conchita's forehand is more consistent than Arantxa's. Arantxa's forehand was her weakest shot. but held up well enough when she needed it to.

Backhand - Arantxa's backhand was her best shot and better than Conchita's. Arantxa could hit through the backhand and hit some winners or force errors with it. Conchita's is more defensive. She can hit good passing shots off it, but when she is playing someone who hits with power, Conchita doesn't often hit through the backhand and it breaks down

Volley - Arantxa was the better volleyer

Speed/Fitness - Arantxa

Serve - Neither had great serves, but Conchita's tends to spin it in and rarely gets free points.

Dropshot - Until Hingis came along, Arantxa was the best dropshotter around

I would not say Conchita wasted her talent though, she has had a brilliant career. Her problem was in the big matches in the Grand Slams through the 1990s when she was at her peak against Graf, Seles and Arantxa she couldn't pull it off except at the French 2000 semis when she beat Arantxa.

i agree with much of what you say, but I'd credit Conchita's forehand a little more. her forehand was better than Arantxa's backhand IMO, and Conchita's backhand was better than Arantxa's forehand. I reall think Arantxa did win a lot because of her determination, speed and never-say-die spirit.

why do some people say Conchita is more talented? Probably because Arantxa did win a lot of matches by simply pushing/stabbing her forehand, keeping the ball in play, and waiting for the error. She was extremely steady and hardly missed when at her best. Conchita, though, would bring 'complex' tennis to the court - slicing her backhand, with bite, just an inch or so over the net. Hitting outrageous topspin angles. Planting vicious moonball deep into the corners, then fading sliced balls to keep the opponent off balance. It was a more error-prone game than Arantxa's, but hinted at being more talented.

 

[Caz]

Magui Serna; she is so talented, as her early years on the tour showed, but her weight, lack of fitness, and apparent lack of determination are, at least for now, stopping her from achieving her full potential. Hopefully one day she'll get it together again and start realising her potential.

 

[charmedRic]

Kournikova....that stupid broken thumb right before wimbledon.

 

[Gnaag]

I think Kournikova and Rubin would have to be the most obvious. Kournikova had the talent to be a consistent top 5 player (top 10 AT LEAST) and should have won several titles. Rubin should have had two or three Slam titles by now.

As for the suggestion that Harkleroad is a waste of talent - as another poster so eloquently put it when referring to Lucic - you can't waste what you don't have.

 

[CJK]

Anna was not WASTED She has her own achievement in doubles.
And she did upset quite a few top players and has reached top 10 before. Do people actually think she has the capability to win slams? She only lacks a title which she should have won. But she was not wasted since she has achieved a lot with what she has, so she is not WASTED And she was out because of injuries.

Lucic certainly is wasted. The other one I can think of is Hsieh Su-Wei.

 

[*JR*]

Perhaps Patty? (Surely Suisse Cuckoo Clock).