“This Marcelo Rios has got a special sort of a genius”, ESPN commentator Cliff Drsydale said during the 2002 Aussie Open quarter-final match between Marcelo Rios (CHI) and Tommy Haas (GER). It was a vintage Rios performance throughout the entire tournament. Hitting magical winners that only he could, hitting shots between the legs and returning serves behind his back. Rios lost to Haas in 4 sets, in typical Rios fashion. flashy with no substance, not surprising anyone, he continued his disappointing results in Grand Slams. The enigma that was Marcelo Rios is one that I will never understand. Granted, Rios did make it to number 1, the finals of the Aussie Open in 1998 as well as winning a number of Masters Series Tournaments. But with the talent level that Rios possessed, those career stats are clearly one of an underachiever.

I know there will be those of you that comment, there is no such thing as an underachiever, and that you only get what you deserve and you get out of life what you put in. But for those of you who watched Rios play live or on T.V. the ability that he had was on the level of Roger Federer. The Genius that Drsydale was referring to, was based on the creativity, talent, feel and more importantly the lack of mental focus that Rios had. Rios was one of the only players that could make other players look utterly stupid on court, constantly changing the height, spin, and speed of the ball. If anyone remembers him playing Agassi the few times that they met, you know exactly what I mean. So why the lack of focus? How could such a gifted player, who knows hes gifted not try harder and focus more on the sport? The answer is simple really, the same factors that motivate a talent such as Roger Federer, un-motivate a player like Marcelo Rios.

The factors for Rios were his talent did not need to be translated into results. He was a legend in his own mind and that was good enough. Federer on the other hand, constantly needs to remind us of his greatness and his place in history. R-Fed, unlike Rios, is determined not the let his talent go to waste. Is talent Boring? Well Rios and Federer certainly have different opinions. I remember when Rios 1st came on tour, after breezing through the challenger circuit, he was quoted as saying “these guys on the ATP are not that good. I honestly thought they would be better”. Well Marcelo, was right, in terms of talent they were not better. Players such as Jim Courier (USA), who did not have half the talent of Rios made up for it with 100% more mental and physical focus. Courier was results oriented and that ended up earning him 4 grand slam titles. If anything, talent is a huge hindrance in sport. It even took Federer years to figure this out, now that he has, the results are overwhelming. Players who have average talent like a David Ferrer (ESP) or a Jim Courier are more likely to succeed over someone who is mega talented like Rios.

There are other similar players that have underachieved like Rios, and have squandered their talents. Most notably Mark Philippoussis (AUS) and Marat Safin (RUS). Again both have had good careers, reaching the top 4 in the world with Marat being number 1; reaching a number of grand slam finals, while winning 1. In comparison to their talents both underachieved. Philippoussis and Safin will best be remembered for their on court antics and their off court theatrics in T.V. shows. Not exactly greatest of all time material.

Andre Agassi is the best example of a talented player who had traits that compared to Rios, Safin etc, as well as Federer. He embodied both sides of the spectrum. The 1st half of Agassi’s career was riddled with flashy and inconsistent “Rios” like results. Then in 1997 when he had plummeted to 141 in the world he decided that it was time to take action and that he was wasting his talents. Agassi proceeded to win all 4 majors and regain the number 1 rank while becoming one of the fittest players on tour, ala Roger Federer. I am sure if Agassi could turn back the clock and apply the same work ethic that he developed in his mid 20’s he would. Surely trying to improve on his 8-15 win-loss career record in grand slam finals.

Now, I’m not saying that an average talent like a David Ferrer can turn into the number 1 player in the world based on hard work alone. Ferrer is very well aware of what he has and what he needs to do. He knows that his ability alone will not win him matches and that he must work as hard as possible to succeed. For Ferrer the only option is too work hard, otherwise he will not be competitive. Rios on the other hand knew he had a lot of talent, and thought that he could win on that alone. Seemingly having no game plan when he played, he would either be on his game and look like a genius or be off his game and have that “special sort of a genius” that Drysdale was referring to. His attitude was very complacent and complex, I always got the impression that he was so cocky that knowing in his mind that he was so talented out weighed the actual results he was capable of.

From a fans perspective, talent can be boring as well. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say “I’m sick of this Roger Federer winning everything, its boring, I don’t even need to watch anymore.” Or by contrast, how many times Ive heard people say, “that Safin is so stupid, all this talent and he is always losing, I cant watch him, it’s boring. I know he’s gonna lose.” It Seems as though talent never wins? You are either talented and work hard and people get bored with seeing you win alot; or, you are talented do not work hard and get scrutinized, and people are still bored with you. I think this is the reason why Andre Agassi had such mass appeal throughout his career. From his low points of all talent and no drive, to his transformation as a player that transcended hard work, grit and determination, Agassi’s roller coaster career kept his fan base interested.

So it seems that the solution to this whole talent issue is balance. Federer would need to lose more and Safin and Rios would need to win more? But then wouldn’t Federer need to start winning again and Safin and Rios would need to start losing? Clearly you can see that even I am confused. Federer commented earlier this year after his semi-final loss to Djokovic at the Australian Open, “I’ve created a monster, so I know I need to always win every tournament. Well, winning every other week, you know, lose a set and people say I’m playing bad. So it’s my own mistake, I guess.” Don’t worry Roger, your just getting boring. One thing is for certain, talent is a rare trait, those who have it be warned, a lot will be expected from you. It will be impossible to satisfy everyone, but the ability to have ups and downs will certainly help your cause. Perhaps if your lucky you might even be recognized as interesting.

Technorati Tags: Andre Agassi, Australian Open, Cliff Drysdale, David Ferrer, Jim Courier, Marat Safin, Marcelo Rios, Mark Philippoussis, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Tommy Haas

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