Comments on Tennis Brain | An analytical tennis blog: Murray Ends Dolgopolov's Breakthrough Australian O...

Can't wait to see more of this kid!

2011-01-28T16:57:05.787+10:00

Can't wait to see more of this kid!

Thanks for the links. That's a surprisingly g...

2011-01-28T02:30:28.946+10:00

Thanks for the links. That's a surprisingly good article from Bodo, maybe because there would have been no point writing a controversial article for such a low key player (at the time it was written).

It sounds like Dolgopolov has quite a frustrating disorder. I'm surprised as to the extent at which it affects him. Good thing it didn't affect him in Australia. I suppose he would have to arrive to a continent incredibly early to try to avoid any problems occurring in the big tournaments.

Ok, it wasn't exactly the time zone changes th...

2011-01-27T08:33:00.960+10:00

Ok, it wasn't exactly the time zone changes that were the issue, although they do compound it. Apparently Dolgopolov has a blood disorder that makes it tough, if not impossible to play pro level tennis when the complications flare up.

It's referenced for the Brisbane tournament here: http://www.brisbaneinternational.com.au/2011/01/fast-mover-dolgopolov-ready-for-roddick

...and in more length by Peter Bodo here: http://blogs.tennis.com/tennisworld/2010/08/tk-8.html

I agree that his mental fortitude is quite good. ...

2011-01-27T00:41:39.867+10:00

I agree that his mental fortitude is quite good. That's probably the most promising factor, that makes it possible for him to mix it with the top players. Not only does he get unfazed in a 4th set, but he can raise his level after getting completely outplayed by a top player for a while too. But first he has to address that consistency. I guess right now though he should be happy about his wins, and he's steadily improving at the moment anyway.

I'd love to see him play on clay to see what his movement is like on that surface.

That's some very odd information there about Dologopolov's reaction to time zone changes. I've never heard about that before. Well he seemed to manage it fine in Brisbane.

Dolgo is a stimulating player to watch, for certai...

2011-01-27T00:14:14.998+10:00

Dolgo is a stimulating player to watch, for certain. It's a stretch to call him a paradigm-changing player by any means, but he does bring some rare or unique sensibilities to the baseline game. It's good to see an excellent natural (and lateral) mover to use that skill for both offensive and defensive purposes, and Dolgopolov always seems to be constructing something with his rally shots. As a signature shot, the quickly stabbed backhand service return is a marvel.

The margin of error in his groundstrokes may be too narrow for him to ever win a Slam, but I could see him bolting for a Masters title at some point. The mental fortitude also seems to be there. Dolgopolov's game fluctuates sometimes wildly, but it does so throughout the whole match. When in a leading position in a 5th set against the world #4, the kid seemed totally unfazed.

I recall reading from somewhere that Dolgopolov's body reacts to time zone changes in completely random ways, sometimes it drains him of all energy, sometimes the transition is completely normal.