So i just watched some of the AO MS final and MS semifinal and honestly, and i'm not convinced about THW just yet. Yes, he is quite quick, precise footwork and i think he is naturally athletic guy. He seems pretty strong as well, especially at his age. LD, BCL, CJ and CH looked no where near as solid at the same age. He plays a pretty quick game, lots of drives and pushes with an above average smash.
With all that said, the first thing i noticed about him was that he is extremely raw. There is no finesse in his game at all, which i believe you need in todays game to be successful. Over time that can be trained for, aka CL and LD. Especially CL who was very similar in styles when he started out as well and he really learned that "control" part of the game over the years. Smashing, driving and pure speed will only last so long on the pro circuit, he 100% needs to add that other element to his game, which i'm pretty sure his coaches are going to do.
The thing that kinda "bothers" me with him is that he doesn't fully open up his shoulders when he plays his overheads and this is especially noticeable when he goes for his around the head shots. I mean i guess it works for him and has got him to this level but i'm surprised it hasn't been corrected for. Due to the shoulder rotation thing, it seems he has very little overhead deception.
Furthermore, he doesn't seem to have a flexible upper body (very mechanical swing), especially his wrists. That's not to say his wrists aren't strong (they look extremely strong) it just seems like they are always locked into one position and thus it gives the impression he is forcing shots off his racket which again goes back to the deception topic and can potentially affect his shot variety.
I'm not trying to take away anything from this guy as he did something very few people can claim, but it think it's way too early to label this guy the next superstar. The potential is there, he just needs to put it all together. IMHO, he is a young CL right now. In terms of rawness, body type and style. Hopefully he goes in the same direction as CL.
BTW, can someone confirm is he really only 178cm? From the video's he seems quite a bit taller and plays a big mans game too. Thanks