Fastest Player on Tour? what do you think, you pick

[dawgs012]

Who is the fastest player on tour?

[Amazing Matheja]

If you put Blake, you should have put Arnaud Clément !

And why no Djokovic ? I believe he's faster than a Federer, a Monfils...
My vote goes to Djokovic...

In that list, I hesitate between Nadal and Ferrer...

Edit : And Tipsarevic ?... I'm sure this guy is one of the fastest too !...

[Corbon]

Based on reaction time and running down shots, I'd say Rafa.

[maximo]

In a 100 meter race:

1. Ferrer.
2. Nadal.
3. Murray.

[beltic caldy]

Surprised no-one's mentioned Dolgopolov....he has the appearance to me of having an extra step or even two on the other players - seems like he could get to the ball, meet a girl, pop out of a few kids, put them through University, go for a wee walk, have a cig......and then hit the ball.....

[Corbon]

In a 100 meter race:

1. Ferrer.
2. Nadal.
3. Murray.

Since you've brought this up, anyone remember Mecir? He was considered the fastest player on court back in his days and when some reporter asked him about how fast he could run the 100m, he responded "I don't know, I have never run that far"

Being a good 100m runner isn't a good indicator of how fast you are on the tennis court. You might have trouble coming out of the blocks because your reaction time sucks or your start isn't good in general for whatever reasons but then you make up for it by having a great finish. But on a tennis court, only the first 10-20 meters count.

[djarvik]

Surprised no-one's mentioned Dolgopolov....he has the appearance to me of having an extra step or even two on the other players - seems like he could get to the ball, meet a girl, pop out of a few kids, put them through University, go for a wee walk, have a cig......and then hit the ball.....

Yep. Dolgo is up there if not the fastest. He is a risk taker hence makes more errors then other "fast" boys, buy damn he is lighting fast.

[maximo]

In a 100 meter race:

1. Ferrer.
2. Nadal.
3. Murray.

Since you've brought this up, anyone remember Mecir? He was considered the fastest player on court back in his days and when some reporter asked him about how fast he could run the 100m, he responded "I don't know, I have never run that far"

Being a good 100m runner isn't a good indicator of how fast you are on the tennis court. You might have trouble coming out of the blocks because your reaction time sucks or your start isn't good in general for whatever reasons but then you make up for it by having a great finish. But on a tennis court, only the first 10-20 meters count.

I was expecting an answer like this, and all that you say is true.
I didn´t know Mecir, but i remember that Borg was an excellent middle and long distance athlete, so my point of view was , who is the fastest player in my opinion running at his maximum level (for example during 100 m) ,moving around a tennis court the best is Djokovic.

[Corbon]

Most if not all players mentioned could prolly run the 100m in 12.x sec or less. Somebody check their school records.

Del Potro may as well be an excellent 100-200m runner but on the court...

[Corbon]

I think Borg was the first player who actually had a modern fitness schedule. He was considered the fittest player on tour. Lendl was also known for his somewhat extreme training methods but for both of them it definitely paid off. McEnroe made up for his lack of fitness by having the "touch" but his (successful) career didn't last that long.

[fedfan]

Murray in terms of foot speed.

[L Sanchez MD]

I think Murray doesn't even come close to Dolgopolov.
Murray probably gets to more balls because he hangs 3 metres behind the baseline and has good anticipation, but Dolgo is lightning fast. He reminds me of a young Fed.

Feds is still pretty quick. I've seen him play a bunch of points like this in the last few months
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qVDJl2KfHI
but he's obviously lost a step or two since his peak.
Rafa is also noticeably slower than his prime.

[C4iLL]

Djokovic is at least the most flexible with Monfils. And potentially they are the fastest.

Nadal was clearly the fastest before, but I think Djoko equalls him now

[djarvik]

I think "fastest" need a more precise definition. In terms of tennis fast, I think Djokovic is the fastest. This includes the foot speed, footwork, stroke productions, anticipation.

In terms sheer foot speed, I will go with Dolgo. Lighting fast first step and top speed, trouble for him is his stroke production, footwork and anticipation. They are still all phenomenal, but there are players better in these departments.

Footwork, well, no secret here, Federer. Nothing extra, just the right amount. There are more then a few guys who are faster then him when running, or making the first step...but they tend to waste precious steps that Fed doesn't.

Stroke production will have to be Ferrer. Compact and lighting fast. If he would be 2-3 inches taller - he would be a multiple grand slam winner.

Anticipation is Federers forte as well. He reads the game better then anyone, and it is the only part of his game that started from great and got better over time and still gets better. He may lose his foot speed, but ability to read the game will stay.


I don't think Djokovic is better in any catego9ry, but he is close 2nd or 3rd in all, making him a "total package" fast.

[emate007]

WTF?

Ferrer is clearly the fastest guy in tennis terms. His strokes are world class, but it's his speed+determination that wins him so many matches.