General / Matthew Walton / 14 August 2007 / Leave a comment

"Magical" Matt Walton takes a look at the triers, quitters and hot prospects of the mens' game

Faced with a player whose name looks like a bad hand at Scrabble? Not sure if your man has the stomach for the fight? Unsure as to whether the new kid on the block has the where-with-all to defeat the veteran?

An introduction to some of the leading streetfighters and white flag wavers on the ATP Tour. Which players have what it takes to land you the odds and which guys just roll over and take your money with them.

Fighters are guys to depend upon. The requirement isn't to be the best player, rather to be the best competitor. They play consistently to 100% of their ability, don't lose sloppy matches to lesser opponents and generate reliable, backable form for us to profit from :-

Lleyton Hewitt - has real Jimmy Connors fist-pumping machismo. Any player who can beat Gustavo Kuerten in his own backyard in the Davis Cup is one tough cookie.

Novak Djokovic - 15 events this year with 10 finishes of QF's or better (only one R1 loss). Ultra-consistent and a future Grand Slam winner.

Rafael Nadal - respected not for his clay court success but the tenacity he shows in trying to master grass. That's determination for you.

Guillermo Canas - recent back-to-back wins over Federer show his mettle. The Argentine has made finals on clay, hard, grass and carpet which is no mean feat.

Fabrice Santoro - A masterful player with guile and touch who frequently belittles mightier opponents, another finalist on all four surfaces.

Flakes aren't to be trusted. All have ability but each is prone to inexplicable losses. Listed at short odds in match betting do not think you are buying money if you pawn the family silver and lump on quotes of 1.5 (or less). Likewise be cautious if they appear as short-priced favourites to win events :-

David Nalbandian - heads the list (by some margin). Great on his day but very poor tournament/win ratio for the once top ten performer.

Marat Safin - huge talent. Injuries have done the Russian no favours but no win since the Australian Open 2005, what a waste.

Richard Gasquet - the Frenchman has great ability but lacks the killer instinct. Recent brilliance against Roddick at Wimbledon just goes to show what he could achieve.

Mario Ancic - another prone to injury but needs opportunities presented to him on a plate in order to win titles. Another monstrous under-achiever.

Juan Carlos Ferrero - who turned out the lights on a talent that made 21 finals between 1999 and 2003? Without a win in nearly four years.

The final category is ones for the future. Players to keep in the notebook. All are yet to win a tournament but are under 21 (age shown in brackets) and each one has shown enough potential to suggest bigger and better things await them :-

Kei Nishikori (17) - Japanese player with very little experience but already made QF's at Indianapolis.

Juan Martin Del Potro (18) - tall, powerful Argentine, regarded within the game as a fine prospect.

Evgeny Korolev (19) - SF in Las Vegas on hard courts but has also shown decent clay form, looks a good player in the making.

Sam Querrey (19) - made SF's recently at Indianapolis, the 6'6'' American has the look of a new Todd Martin.

Robin Haase (20) - Dutch player reached SF's in Amersfoort on clay but has shown form in Challengers on both hard and carpet.

All these players should be entered in your notebook and we'll be adding to the list in due course. Next week's article 'Bouncebackability - fact or fiction? Does the market tell the whole story' ?

Tags: Nadal, tennis quitters, Tennis triers