Congratulations Fedor

Cuebuddy

Cuebuddy

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Fedor shows that he is a class act. With the things he has accomplished at his age is truly impressive.
I couldn't be happier for him. Shane also took the loss, like the champion he is. Thanks also to Matchroom sports for another enjoyable event.

One more year until retirement and then I will be able to attend these tournaments.
 
Gorst is the best I’ve ever seen. But he has to do it consistently for years to join the ranks of the great.

there is no guarantee. Just look at Josh Filler. Great player, but he has not really won anything big in the last few years. He seems to have lost his focus. I don’t see that happening with Fedor.
 
Josh is a force and I feel he will be the man to beat for a long time. Fedor and Josh will no doubt have many epic battles and we will be the winners of those.

Shane has showed the world he is still the man and by coming in second today will not take anything away from his position as my favorite player of all time.

And what about Niels Feijen? Wow he played so good. I have been watching for decades and it was great to see him playing strong.
 
jbart65 said:
Gorst is the best I’ve ever seen. But he has to do it consistently for years to join the ranks of the great.

there is no guarantee. Just look at Josh Filler. Great player, but he has not really won anything big in the last few years. He seems to have lost his focus. I don’t see that happening with Fedor.
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last year was a bit weird in that the german federation exercised influence on where filler would play. didn't play hanoi, but played qatar and china open, etc. those weren't attended by the best competition but he won 50k in each. the year before that he won the UK open, this year he won 3 of the 4 DCC disciplines. so i would say it's more nuanced than not having won anything big the last few years.

to me he didn't look impressive this tournament. he missed the kind of shots he hangs his game on, the long position shots. if that part of his game breaks down he's in trouble. i guess we'll see going forward if that trend continues.
 
skogstokig said:
last year was a bit weird in that the german federation exercised influence on where filler would play. didn't play hanoi, but played qatar and china open, etc. those weren't attended by the best competition but he won 50k in each. the year before that he won the UK open, this year he won 3 of the 4 DCC disciplines. so i would say it's more nuanced than not having won anything big the last few years.

to me he didn't look impressive this tournament. he missed the kind of shots he hangs his game on, the long position shots. if that part of his game breaks down he's in trouble. i guess we'll see going forward if that trend continues.
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You might be right, but I want to see the "old" Filler. Wasn’t that long ago I thought he would win every time he played. Now he seems very mortal to me.

Of course, he is still going far in most tourneys. I have to expect that he gets back to the top of his game. He’s too good not to.
 
I see Gorst as being as mechanically sound as any player that I have witnessed on the grand stage- in terms of high level consistency. If he maintains that and his strong mental make- up--- he should be a force for as long as the game truly means something to him. I think that he could master any billiard related game- Snooker, 3 cushion, any one of them if he desired - he is a great cueist in addition to great ball pocketing, game strategy, and mental toughness.
 
jbart65 said:
You might be right, but I want to see the "old" Filler. Wasn’t that long ago I thought he would win every time he played. Now he seems very mortal to me.

Of course, he is still going far in most tourneys. I have to expect that he gets back to the top of his game. He’s too good not to.
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You have to understand that this game at the top level is only about 15% skill. Now, having the skill is a prerequisite, but most of it at the top is mental.

You see this a lot with younger players. I call it Young gun syndrome. They become immensely skilled at a young age and they have the supreme confidence and focus that comes from the ignorance of youth. Filler, Wu Chia Ching are just a couple of examples.

There comes a time when that ignorance goes away, they realize that they CAN and WILL occassionally lose and they have to work through the mental deficit that that realization causes.

Only time will tell if Filler can get back to how he was playing before. he has to work through his demons. He has seemed to mellow out, which makes him more likeable, but not sure how it will translate to his competitive edge.

Jaden
 
I’d probably give a bit more weight to skill, but excellent post.

I wonder about the young studs. They’re been playing from a very young age in a more professional setting. They must think to themselves, I’ll be doing this for the next 20 years. Is that all there is to life? What if I don’t win any titles? Where do I go from here?

That said, all the great young Euro players, at least, know they can lose. They play in a structured environment from a young age and compete with peers who also become pros. I just watched a match in which Gorst, then 14 years old, lost the match to 16-year-old Eklent Kaci.

***

SVB is a different beast than most. He lives, breathes, eats and drinks pool. He is not married. To him pool is life.

It’s pretty close to that for Gorst, but he’s getting married soon. Someday I imagine he will have a child. Filler too. Then what?

Niels Feijin - who showed he can still play at 47 - is someone who has figured it out. He can still play at a high level, but family considerations have taken over since COVID. He’s really just a part-time player now.

Can any of these guys match SVB’s lifetime achievements? I don’t know, but if I had a bet, Gorst will be the one. I just don’t know if he wants to. He is already very entrepreneurial …
 
Jaden said:
You have to understand that this game at the top level is only about 15% skill. Now, having the skill is a prerequisite, but most of it at the top is mental.

You see this a lot with younger players. I call it Young gun syndrome. They become immensely skilled at a young age and they have the supreme confidence and focus that comes from the ignorance of youth. Filler, Wu Chia Ching are just a couple of examples.

There comes a time when that ignorance goes away, they realize that they CAN and WILL occassionally lose and they have to work through the mental deficit that that realization causes.

Only time will tell if Filler can get back to how he was playing before. he has to work through his demons. He has seemed to mellow out, which makes him more likeable, but not sure how it will translate to his competitive edge.

Jaden
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for josh, yes time will tell. someone said he was a bit under the ice in the beginning of the tournament. and his manager, pia, wasn't there.

wu jiaqing got some mean health scares after his record young WC win, but what little we've seen of him since 2016 hasn't been cause for concern when it comes to confidence. it's just a pity we don't see him more. he switched to heyball for a while and within a year or so won a tournament against one of their absolute best. i think he's gone awol again since then.
 
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