re: The Unofficial 2015 Wimbledon Thread

FWIW, I don't think Raonic moves that poorly for his size. And by all accounts, he's improved that part of his game in the last two years.

He doesn't move that great simply for a top-level tennis player, but that is to be expected.

Cilic/Isner
Kyrgios/Raonic

Lining up to have some really solid 3rd round matches.


And my god, Nadal's quarter of the draw is turning out to be one of the weakest in recent memory at a major, considering each players' game on this surface.

ETA: Stan's quarter in Australia was really easy, too. However, Stan is also a better player than Nadal now, so that elevates the quality of the draw on its own.

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Texted Ryan. Said he runs a 4.51 40 according to the laser timer at IMG academy

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I'd bet ten thousand dollars he wouldn't go sub 4.6 at the nfl combine.

And even if I"m wrong, a 40 isn't a great gauge for court coverage.

I have no idea who would win a 40 yard dash between, Rafa, Fed, Djoke, and Murray, and I actually suspect Murray might win.

But I've never seen a guy move on the court like Rafa in his prime. And, honestly, Rafa was an elite striker as a 12 or 13 year old, so he might have great straight ahead speed, but moving on a tennis court is an agility thing. Five violent steps to the left into a slide as you hit a backhand are already halfway back into the middle of the court before you're barely done following through, and then six violent steps the right into a violent slide stop into a chipped forehand, three hop steps back left, a lunge back right to avoid getting wrong-footed, then a seven yard dead sprint to slide-stop to get a dropshot, followed by a final cross court lunge to get a racquet on the eventual putaway volley.

Rafa's got that kind of speed. Djoker doesn't have the pure quickness, but his crazy ability to slide wide into every shot makes his court coverage just as good. Federer, in his prime, was a damn fine mover and a great defensive player who just didn't necessarily have to play much defense. Fed always gets credit for moving gracefully, and I think that maybe distracts from the fact that he was also moving really really well. Finally, Pete Sampras was a RIDIC athlete. Nobody in history can match him in terms of just straight-head explosiveness towards the net. It's like he just served, did a single focking tiger pounce, and there he was split-stepped and ready to put away your attempted passing shot, or go '88 MJ on anyone who dared attempt a lob.

I don't want to suggest that raw speed and raw agility are mutually exclusive. They say Borg had world class sprinter speed. And it's an actual documented fact that Steffi Graf was the best 400 meter sprinter (women's, of course) in Germany even though she was a tennis player and not a 400 meter sprinter. So, yeah, a lot of guys who are fast are also quick, but not all of them. And in tennis, it's the latter that matters. Steffi wasn't relying on her 400 meter chops in matches.

In sum:
-I question this alleged 4.51
-But it doesn't matter anyway.

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I question this alleged 4.51

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You have questioned alot of shite on Ryan actually. Just kinda tired of watching yall beat up on him really

SystemsGo seems to be quite the know it all armchair quarterback. Got to admire his tenacity though. Reminds me of a pitbull holding on to a piece of rope.

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You have questioned alot of shite on Ryan actually. Just kinda tired of watching yall beat up on him really

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If this has become personal for you, you can't quite blame that on me. I don't think ill of the guy. I've only spoken of his game.

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Berdy moves better than him.
Delpo moves better than him.
Jano moves better than him.
Cilic moves better than him.
Pospisil moves better than him
Safin moved better than him (prolly still does)
Kyrgios moves better than him
Kokkinakis moves better than him
Groth moves better than Raonic
Tomic moves better than Raonic
Kevin Anderson moves better than Raonic

Not sure about Sam Querrey.

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Raonic outweighs every single guy you just named. Literally. Most by 15 pounds, quite a few by 40 pounds.

ETA: I don't think judging Raonic's movement on other tall players is the best way to go about this. I've watched him play. I've read a lot of expert opinions. Most of them seem to think he moves well.

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1)
Raonic outweighs every single guy you just named.

2)
Literally. Most by 15 pounds,

3)
quite a few by 40 pounds.

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1)
I doubt it. Weight listings in tennis are meaningless. They don't update them.

2)
Definitely not. I'd bet Delpo outweighs him. I'd bet Berdy is about five or so pounds lighter. I'd bet Jersey -- who is isted at 201...yeah right -- is the same weight or a smidgeon lighter (though I wouldn't rule out him even being heavier. He's three inches taller.) Cilic and him appear to be about the same weight (there's a picture of them standing side by side...google it. I have no idea how you were you getting Milos Raonic confused with charles barkley).

I mean, were you actually looking at the atp weight listings and taking them as accurate?



You didn't happen to look at a picture of Marin Cilic, note that he's not skinny at all and in fact is well built in his upper body, further note that he's focking 6-6, and begin to doubt the correctness of his weight listing of 198?

Come on, Mcfly.


3)
Okay, you've given me no other choice:





Moreover, even if I were to assume all of the above non-true things you wrote were actually true, it wouldn't make Raonic swift a player of his size. It would simply mean that part of the reason he doesn't move well is because his feet appear to weigh 15 pounds each, and his head is abnormally large and topped by a 15-lb satured coiffe of helmet hair.




Skinny bodied arms. Full bodied hair.

"You know, I bet Milos Raonic outweighs Juan Martin Del Potro," said no one with a fully functioning frontal lobe, ever.