Dementieva and Gasquet head the list of those who have wasted their talent

Wonderful World of Tennis / Mandeep / 15 November 2007 / 2

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Mandeep takes a look at the great underachievers in tennis

This week I will be taking a look some of the talented players on the tour who have not quite fulfilled their potential so far. Why have some men and women not progressed as they should have? Is it too late for these players to become true champions?

What has happened to ..... ?

I have selected some players who had been hyped up to go all the way to the top, but have somehow not quite lived up to expectations.

Richard Gasquet
Gasquet typifies so many French teams and sportsmen - mercurial talent, but totally inconsistent. When he is hot, he can blow anyone off court with sublime forehands, and incredible backhand winners. But playing great for one set or match does not win you major tournaments. When he is cold, the errors fly at an alarming rate. Mental strength and discipline is the solution to his success.

Marat Safin

Some may argue that Safin has won two majors, so it is harsh to suggest he has wasted his talent. I would argue that with the level of ability Safin has, many more majors should have been won. On his best day, Safin is arguably the only player on tour who can compete with Federer at his peak in a major tournament (French Open excluded). Marat's problems are simply motivation. He simply does not care about winning as much as he did, and certainly not as much as the top players of today. Is it too late for him to win another major? It saddens me to say.......yes.

Tommy Haas

A characteristic the very best sportsmen have in abundance is controlled focus. Haas is another who has a superb all round game, but often gets very frustrated with himself. He expects himself to play at his best all the time, and can lose his mental control even if he is winning a match easily. The solution - don't expect too much of yourself, and keep calm. This can aid thinking on court, and help you to find solution to any problems you may encounter.

Tomas Berdych

A big serve and big groundstrokes do not however make up for a lack of consistency and mental weakness. If he is losing, his head often goes down. In the modern men's game, simply drilling groundstrokes is not enough. Berdych has not been able to break into the elite few because he lacks variety and some mobility. He needs to develop changes of pace, and shorter angle strokes.

Gael Monfils

Monfils is a fantastic flashy player who occasionally plays like a lunatic. Although capable of huge pace on his groundstrokes, he seems content to rally with soft shots. Until Monfils learns how to take the game to his opponent, he will have no chance against the big boys.

Daniela Hantuchova
When she arrived on the scene, she was heralded as a potential top class player. As the women's game developed she got left behind due to a lack of power and consistency. In recent months however the signs are there that she has got stronger, and appears to believe she can beat the top players. Further development in strength, and continued improvement could see her reach a grand slam final, but she doesn't quite have the game to win. Her competitors are simply just that bit better.

Elena Dementieva

Firstly it is incredible she is able to compete with anyone considering she probably has the worst serve in professional tennis. What that also demonstrates is that she has a superb return game. She has reached a grand slam final, but in order to compete for a major, she has to improve her serve. Top players get many free points on there serve. Since Dementieva does not, the intensity of her matches is much higher, and she has no room to breathe. It feels as though every point is crucial, which is bound to take its toll mentally. Learn how to serve Elena, and a grand slam is yours for the taking!

Who else do you believe is a wasted talent? Why do the above player's frustrate you? Feel free to send through your thoughts! Until next week .....

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Chris | 02 December 2007

Dementieva reached two slam finals, and if you had seen any of her matches in the second half of 2007, you would have seen her serve has improved drastically. It's still not consistent, but she served like a demon for much of the hardcourt season and indoors.

And since Gasquet is still so young I'm not that concerned with him yet. When he's 26 and his results are barely better than what he has now--THEN get worried.

The rest you mentioned are extremely disappointing as well, particularly Safin.
Aaron | 17 January 2008

Safin's biggest problem, aside from being soft in the head, is a lack of mobility. True, he moves better than some of his large-size forebears, but he is still a stiff. Look how many bad misses he has simply because he can't get his feet untangled. Yes, with his huge serve and groundstrokes, he is a threat to beat anyone on any given day, but day in and day out, his clumsiness afoot is too much of a handicap to allow him to consistently challenge for the big titles.