Cheryl,
it's such a pleasing analysis. :D
I'm also thrilled about Nalbandian's return!!
I will be happy to see him in the final against Federer! (Fingers crossed!)

Cheryl,

Correct,the AO 2005 semi final was the match to watch (one of the best HC match of last decade)..Safin played really well Fed had match point and just couldnt grab it at the right time..

Poor Safin never really played to his potential(He is still the youngest No 1 Player ever.Right ?)

Nalbandian has played very well during last week and is in good form(murray up next,I think nalbandian will make it to semis).He has won ATP world Tour titles but was unfortunate whereas slams are concerned..(Sometimes he really looks overweight)..

Good to see him back to his good form , he should at least reach at No 32(or better) so that he get a seedin in US.

This will allow other players(like top 8 or 16) a chance to make it R3 before playing him at his current form..

Actually champ, I think Hewitt was the youngest by about a month.

line of the blog: "I call it the David Nalbandian and Marat Safin group. This group consists of David Nalbandian. And Marat Safin. "

although the line "ANDREAS SEPPI" is a close runner-up. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

masterful blog. However, count me as one of the tennis world who is NOT confounded! My conclusion:

Safin underachieved because he wanted to

Nalbandian underachieved because his body wouldn't let him do otherwise

(also Safin has 2 slams)

Marat Safin is a big underachiever and as you pointed out,would have been stranded in a class by himself but for Nalbandian.I remember Safin's US open victory over Sampras in 2000. Wow!How much we expected from him thereafter!And how much he disappointed his fans!

Soon Andy Murray could join that club :)

oi vmk: Andy is only 23!

deuce,

right murray is 23 but now it looks like he is loosing his control from game.After loosing the AO final this year he has failed to perform well (though he reached wimby semis).

It looks like he fired his coach in frustration and even after that he is not playing the way once he used to ..He needs to quickly solve his issues so that he can again concentrate on winning..

champ: I dunno champ, I think people judge Andy very harshly. You know, saying Sod can win a slam, Berdych can, Andy R can another, etc but they're all older than Andy and these "exciting" new players eg Querry, same age, Golubev, only a year younger. I could give you other examples. Andy definately needs to tweak his game and hopefully a new coach will just do this, eg pushing Andy off the baseline when he's made a terrific shot that just begs him to do this. As goodall and Koenig were saying yesterday, quite minor adjustments will make a massive difference.

Nalbandian only plays great tennis when he runs out of money:-)

Ha ha Nothing ... it tends to be a motivating factor for many of us.
Remarkable, though, if he is actually able to call on his talent in that way.

Ricky, I know Safin has two slams; I was making the point that Nalbandian doesn't even have one.

I don't understand why Nalbandian is the way he is. It's not all about fitness, because I've seen him plenty healthy and losing horribly. It's almost as though he can't be bothered some of the time.

i agree with ricky that these:

I call it the David Nalbandian and Marat Safin group. This group consists of David Nalbandian. And Marat Safin.

are possibly my favourite lines of the blog. brilliant :D

and a fantastic blog as always cheryl. never really been much of a fan of nalbandian, but he has been playing fantastic tennis these last couple of weeks and i hope he continues his run in toronto for a bit longer as he's brilliant to watch (until he meets rafa anyways :P)

@cheryl
i think i might know why safin and nalbandian are. They became professionals just to earn a living,and i think they came from relatively modest backgrounds. Thus,there aim was to make a lot of money in their careers. In that sense,they have had successful careers. Guys like Federer and Sampras grew up quite comfortable. For them,tennis is not a job,but a passion. Thats where I think the difference in mindset comes from.

tj: Safin's mother and father, I think, were tennis coaches and, judging the huge ptressure they've put on Safina, quite hard people. I think that's a lot to do with Marat's make up.

Certainly in contrast to his ability Nalbandian is underachieving most of the time. Why?

Why do people underachieve, and not just the most talented in their field? I think that underachievement is extremely common in society and the reasons are usually multiple, layered and more or less complex, like our minds. And if you scratch a little, you could probably conclude that many of the top 100 male players are also underachieving quite a lot, quite often compared to their strongest weeks on tour.

It's just that in some the talent / genius is that much higher and the psychology of over and underachieving that much stronger: Marat and Nalbandian.

You are right chlorostoma...........i mean when you watch Fed and Rafa you see the amount of dedication and discipline they attach to their games (and careers). Like for example, @ Wimby when the Queen came to visit, Rafa opted out to meet Her bcos he said he had to practice!.......this guy is serious about his craft!...............I know if it were me I would certainly have taken the opportunity to meet the Queen..........so no wonder im seated at a desk working till im about 70 while Rafa and Fed can retire even before the reach 30!!!!

I remember a few years ago at Wimby, i think, during the last Football World Cup, it was said that Nalby was very angry the he had a macth scheduled during a match with Argentina, and so he rushed his match at the expense of losing so he could catch some of the football game...............Argentina lost!!!!..............I never forgot that!!!

So at the end of the day, its only down to the decisions that people make about their own lives and what it is they really want. Nalby, of course, would sure like to win a GSlam, but he does not really care to do what it takes..................however, does that mean he is an underachiever, or he simply does not CARE to achieve what many believe he should?!!!

Looks like Muzza's going to put the brakes on the Nalbandian train here. Wow for muzza!

Great read. He certainly has unfulfilled potential to say the least. Let's not forget Nalbandian beat Federer in the finals of the Master's Cup as well.

I do remember that, ts...but I thought I remember hearing that Roger had the flu or some such thing....

Fed was coming back from an ankle injury

I think I mentioned before in one of the other threads, that what separates Rafa/Fed from the likes of Safin/Nalby/Gulbis is the desire to be great. I believe these players have talent (well of course of varying degree) but what makes Rafa and Fed special and so successful is their desire (to be great) - this desire comes with passion, dedication, patience and hard work. If Nalby was more interested in watching a football match than to play a good tennis match, I don't see his desire to be great in tennis. If Safin was into tennis because his parents want him to and not because of his love for the game, then it is understandable why he did not fulfill his potential.

I think it is too early to write off Murray. In his match against Nalby, I can see subtlety in his game. His game is not one of big hitting and all out attacking but clever use of different shots to beat his opponents. Of course Nalby may not be that 'fresh' after playing so many matches, that's why Murray beats him 6-2, 6-2. If both are at their best, I think it will be a close fight and it is hard to tell who will be the winner. This season at the slams, excluding the FO, Murray was beaten by either Fed or Rafa. I believe at present, only Fed and Rafa can stop him at slams not played on clay. Fed and Rafa wont be around forever, so Murray would have his chances to win slam(s). I'm confident that if Murray is at the top of his game, he can beat the likes of Delpo, Sod, Berdych, Cilic, Verdasco, Davy,Gulbis. Against Nalby, it will be a hard fight and only if Nalby is also at the top of his game. So Murray should continue to work hard and fine tune his game and wait for opportunities to arise and seize them as they come.

Oh dear, how can I forget to mention Nole? I think on clay, Nole will beat Murray; on grass Murray will beat Nole; on hard courts, it's 50/50 chances.

I think Murray is the better hard court player -- when he's playing well, that is. Other than that, I agree with your assessment, luckystar.

cheryl- can I vote Gasquet to the fifth category?

orion, I can see why you might be tempted to put Gasquet into the Nalbs/Safin category, but I don't consider him of that caliber. Now don't misunderstand, I LOVE me some Richie, but I've never asked myself, "now WHY hasn't he won a major"...if you know what I mean.

Interesting article. I think the biggest blow to Safin's career were the years 2002 and 2003 - and then the injury period in 2005/06. If Marat had not been with those blondes before the AO 2002 final (can only speculate on what was going on :P) and had played like he wanted to be out there against Ferrero in the French semi - he would have racked up more slams along the way. The injuries didn't help either.


Nalbandian did have a similar moment of truth in that match against Roddick during the USO 2003. Who knows what he would have achieved had he won there? Either way, Federer's era of dominance was robbed of two of the best talents around.

"I think Murray is the better hard court player -- when he's playing well".

Murray never reached Nole's AO 2008 hc play level.

great blog. yeah these are my two fav players... i think nalbandian underachieves because he can't be arsed, he has other interests....

Cheryl, if it hasn't been mentioned yet, darling Marat -- whom I sorely wish was still playing -- has two Slams. He beat Pete Sampras for the USO title in 2001.

Interestingly enough, in his interview with Letterman, when David asked him how he beat Pete, Marat *did* in fact remark at one point "With my eyes closed."

LOL, Marat. We miss you.
*sigh*

Mara - I know he has 2 slams. Saw him play live at the first one he ever won, actually. I was merely saying that Nalbandian doesn't even have a single slam.

And I didn't know that he said "with his eyes closed". HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA So typical of Marat to say something like that. :) Still, it doesn't change the fact that at times he LITERALLY appeared to be playing with his eyes closed. :D

When Safin retired he talked about enjoying the tennis lifestyle: travel the world, stay in luxury hotels, eat in great restaurants, etc, and added "but you have to play tennis". Rafa would say he has to be away from home too much, has to eat out all the time but he GETS to play tennis! Rafa and Roger love tennis, love to play, to compete - and even they sometimes burn out for awhile, mentally and/or physically. It must be much, much worse if playing is just a job.

The one word that explains these two players is 'inconcistency'. This could be as a result of lack of motivation, or simply unable to play at their best most of the time. So they are as good as they produce, and the core group takes the trophy in my opinion as the best of the lot, no ifs, no buts.