I was a low 5.0 a long time ago. I had a 5.5 friend that I practiced with all the time. He was a whole different level. And I also played with a 6.0 a few times. It's freaking ridiculous how the levels increase. From outside the court you see them and think "yeah I can handle that, it doesn't look that different to what I can do". Yeah right.
I'm a 4.5. Even when playing a 5.0 on his good day he can bagel me, but an average game would be 6-2/6-3. 4.5 playing with pro is bagel for 100 set straight.
Hermont played really well considering Clay's ability level. Even though he was fighting for points and staying in them, you can just see Clay's skill in the way he pressures Hermont and stays in rallies that other players would be worn down by.
How can Hermont lose like this??? This must be a mistake?? Hermont is not suppose to lose because he is the channel Champion... Please do rematch in the next video because I think something went wrong here because Hermont was suppose to win here...
A big difference besides the obvious experience and savvy was just the sound of Clay’s feet. He was constantly taking little steps to stay balanced so he rarely looked rushed or out of position for balls. The general court sense was also great. Where to be on the court and recovering your court position after shots. Great for amateurs to watch.
Clay kicked butt at UCLA (Go Bruins!), particularly in his senior year, 2013-14: Enjoyed one of the finest senior seasons in school history … ITA Singles All-American … ITA National Senior Player of the Year … First-Team All-Pac-12 selection … Honorable Mention All-Pac-12 Academic selection … Ranked No. 1 in the nation in singles from Jan. 2 until June 4, when he finished the year ranked No. 2 behind teammate Marcos Giron, who claimed the NCAA Singles Championship … Seeded No. 1 at the season-ending NCAA Championships, falling in the first round to South Florida's Roberto Cid, 6-4, 6-3 … Went 18-1 overall in singles during the fall, claiming the title at the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y. …Defeated Jared Hiltzik of Illinois 6-4, 7-5 in the final … Prior to winning the Indoors, Thompson took home the championship at the USTA/ITA Southwest Regional Championships in Malibu, downing teammate Mackenzie McDonald, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 … Also won the backdraw at the USTA/ITA Men's All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. (def. Daniil Proskura of Alabama, 6-4, 7-5) … During the dual-match season, played at either the No. 1 or No. 2 singles positions all season, going 10-3 at the top spot and 5-2 at No. 2 … Led the team in singles victories, going 37-8 overall on the year … Ranked second on the team in wins over ranked opponents with 17 … Went 18-14 overall in doubles play, teaming mostly with Joseph Di Giulio at the No. 2 spot.
Hermont has such a great serve but Clay has got a great serve and a lot of height. Hermont is used to getting so many free points on serve and I feel Clay got a lot of serves back that most don't. I don't remember Hermont hitting so many chip forehand returns before. Must be Clay's serve forcing him to
Clay is as he is....incredible. Hermont is just crazy good and I think he's considerably better than the average 5.0 player. I could watch these guys play over and over again.
Yeah, 5.0 vs Pro - I'd like to see more. Nice gear. I'd like to hear more about how players tune their sticks, strings. That was the first time I've ever heard 30lb. string tension.
Sucks that tennis at a pro level, even ranked top 500 in the world you are paid pennies compared to the top players. Clay retired because of it being such a financial burden to be a tennis pro. He only made about 30k over his entire career before retiring. I hope he is doing well now
Love hearing the post match breakdowns from these guys! Clay always brings up stuff I would never think about as a recreational player. This alone has helped my game improve!
Amazing difference in levels between a great amateur and a pro. Really astounding. Congrats to Hermont for taking a few games. His serve is looking really good, gave Clay a few stutter steps.
Geezus, Hermont isn't a push over by any means and didn't do badly today when he could work his way past Clay's serve but Clay's serve is insane. His kick serves height is nasty 😮
For a non-trained eye it was a close match but we can see now the difference between a pro with a great amateur. It’s the ability to make 1 or 2 more points consistently
Great match. Definitely on different levels. Even Clay's slices are so good. When you play against a lower level player, you may feel like you can go pro. 😀 I remembered an old friend of mine one time said to me after we played: 'I made you look good today".
Seems like Winston was determined to find someone to beat Hermont! And it sounded like Clay had an actual strategy playing Hermont, as well. Clay is a tough opponent to beat, that's for sure!!
That bucket hat tho! Dude that brand looks interesting 🤔 Yes a match up with Karue and Clay would be amazing! Throw in Winston and hermont, Maybe doubles?!
Beautiful play from Clay- loved how he used his wingspan to open up angles on the court and pounce on opportunities to get to net to finish points. I'm envious of the ability to hit angles on the serve with that height advantage.
This match wasn't close. Clay was being awfully nice saying the match went down to a few critical points but really Hermont was lucky to get two games. Clay moves remarkably well for someone that tall. His defense was excellent. And what he said about his weakness in his forehand was not noticeable here as he used his forehand a lot. In fact, he dominated with his forehand. A lot of runaround forehands used. If he was playing another pro, then yeah maybe his forehand would look weaker but Hermont clearly couldn't exploit it. He didn't make Clay sweat at all. And Clay's serve was crushing. Clay beat Hermont in every phase of the game. Just a total beat down. Hermont should take solace that it took a pro to destroy him. To make this match competitive, Hermont would have to elevate his game two levels. I don't see that happening anytime soon.
If Hermont had the opportunity to play guys like Clay more often, his level would improve. Maybe he would not get to Clay’s level, but to jump in against a pro like this is a massive leap compared to 99% of even D1 players. Anyway, it was a lot of fun to watch, and both are great players and seem like really good dudes 👍 Thanks!
@@jeffvanderwerf3391 Of course but its more of a separate issue of playstyle and physical ability. Against mere mortals Hermont has everything but against higher level players even players who are taller than him he is just as fast as them. Look how Clay moves for how big he is, secondly Hermonts weight of shot and pace against high level players is not enough. Against everyone lower its enough but against higher players he gets turned into a counter puncher. IDK if you play RPGs or video games but at high level tennis everyone needs to basically be at max stats at 100 for speed, power,footwork everything and only them once you get at a baseline of 100 can you get extra points in somethings
This dude's clapping bombs with a full bed of multis at 39 lbs, I don't ever want to hear another 4.0 keyboard warrior insist that they HAVE to use polys because of their level.
The mental problem with 4.5/5.0 & club league players is the super annoying commentary after EVERY point 🙄 “Good Shot”, “Ahhh”, “No”, “Just Wide”. Guys, learn from the top pros use your arms 🦾 & legs 🦵 more, and STFU and play a good ball 😂
Great content. This shows the real thought processes between a pro and a very good recreational player. A great insight on the mindset of tennis professional during a match.
Former 400 ATP pro . . . So there's: current 400, 100, 50, top 10... Jesus. Just imagine Federer 8-2 this guy too :O Great matchups on this channel to see how levels increase like that!
holy crap the difference is huge, it looked like to me Hermont was playing around 70+ capacity for majority of the match. where as Clay was chilling at around 50ish and turned it up abit for a few games, especially on the last service game, he might've went 80ish. hence the 2 double faults. (hard to turn it up all of a sudden)
Great content, way for thenunderdog to fight. I would like to know Clays racquet specs as he mentioned he uses a heavier racquet. Also lastly we must see Clay play Karue!
Love the strat of Clay kicking it out wide. Nice job to Hermont for hanging in there. The insights at the end were spot on. Keep up the good work Winston.
Excellent match! It's amazing to me how Hermont can look almost unbeatable for many videos, but then runs into someone in Clay that is another level. I felt like Hermont was on the defensive the entire match and was feeling the weight of Clay's shots. No doubt Hermont is an awesome tennis player and probably better than 80-90% of players, but you could see the level difference so easy. Great video again Winston!
I think tennis is a big man's game these days. Although clays not at the elite level anymore at this level it's a bit too much for his opponent today. Herrmont is a great player. But That extra punch in power coming back just kept him on the back foot and out of points.
I watch your shows pretty regularly. It's great to see a former UCLA Bruin, as I am one. LOL What happened to Jennifer Brady (she was #13 on WTA)? What about match between some older (60+) former pros or former college players?
Is that what it's like to play Federer? 🤔 What's it like to play like McEnroe? How 'bout Clay w a Jack Kramer Pro Staff original wood vs. Winston? Lets go!
Stratospheric level of performance. Hermont and Clay, both super humble and extremely professional guys. 5.5 level is high, and then you get a higher level pro to compete against. I must say however that Clay would probably go much higher than his pro ranking previously. Just too solid. Hermont did a great job here as well. Would love to see this match up and even with Clay vs Karue as well. Thanks Winston! You're doing amazing with your channel. M
Firstly, loved the match! Second, Hermont is a very good player and he did great to get two games against a former top 400 pro who can still play futures level tennis. But from my perspective, Clay is in a totally different league to Hermont and has lots of gears to go through if required. I dont mean that disrespectfully to Hermont as he's clearly very good but Clay is a former pro and his extra skills were clear to see. Would love to see Karue v Clay as that would be epic!
Like the others said…. World of difference just between these two levels. As well as Hermont played and great shots, the pace and length and touch of Clay hard to compete with. Thanks for putting this match on.
