Tennis 2021

R'hllor

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Imagine thinking Djokovic is some special cnut, in reality push a losing streak at them, have a go with weird questions after defeat and none of those 3 are classy how their fans trying to potrait them. They all showed their full bitter mode faces in the past. People just hating at this point.
 

McGrathsipan

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Imagine thinking Djokovic is some special cnut, in reality push a losing streak at them, have a go with weird questions after defeat and none of those 3 are classy how their fans trying to potrait them. They all showed their full bitter mode faces in the past. People just hating at this point.
I literally have no idea what you are trying to say here
 

Brophs

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Unless Nadal and Federer add a load more slams, which I don’t really see, particularly in Federer’s case, this win makes Dvokovic - if you believe he wasn’t already - the clubhouse leader of the GOAT debate. This, added to his record overall, sends him over the top. You can get into aesthetics etc. but he’ll likely have won more slams and been the best player on the tour for the majority of his peak years. If he has a fruitful last few years he’ll likely put the record out of reach of any current player meaning it’ll stand for the next couple of decades at least. Incredible stuff, really.
 

Raoul

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Unless Nadal and Federer add a load more slams, which I don’t really see, particularly in Federer’s case, this win makes Dvokovic - if you believe he wasn’t already - the clubhouse leader of the GOAT debate. This, added to his record overall, sends him over the top. You can get into aesthetics etc. but he’ll likely have won more slams and been the best player on the tour for the majority of his peak years. If he has a fruitful last few years he’ll likely put the record out of reach of any current player meaning it’ll stand for the next couple of decades at least. Incredible stuff, really.
Agreed. I think he has another 2-3 years left in the tank and will probably finish with 25 or so.
 

Rawls

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I would agree with this. A bulk of djokovic titles have come mostly with Federer and nadal still playing well or at their peak
40% of Djokovic's Grand Slams have come after his 30th birthday, so I'm not sure that this is correct. In that timeframe, he's won 8 GS, Nadal has won 6 GS, and Federer has won 3 GS. Defining peak performance or when players were playing well is difficult but I still don't buy the argument. Some people argue that Federer was lucky to play against Roddick/Hewitt/Safin but for me Djokovic was probably as lucky if not even luckier to play against the current crop of players (2018-2021).
 

sun_tzu

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Do you think anyone imagined someone winning 24 slams 30-40 years ago? Let alone 3 guys hitting 20. These things get said everytime a record is made in any sport.
Since federer won his first slam event there have been 72 gran slams
60 have been won by the big 3

I could certainly envisage a time where one player rather than three dominated so yeah it's possible 20 could be smashed by somebody at some point

As its stands now though novak can finish the year with a golden calander slam as well as topping the most weeks as at no1... for me he's the best ever and has a chance to force that point home over the next few months and years
 

giggs-beckham

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Unless Nadal and Federer add a load more slams, which I don’t really see, particularly in Federer’s case, this win makes Dvokovic - if you believe he wasn’t already - the clubhouse leader of the GOAT debate. This, added to his record overall, sends him over the top. You can get into aesthetics etc. but he’ll likely have won more slams and been the best player on the tour for the majority of his peak years. If he has a fruitful last few years he’ll likely put the record out of reach of any current player meaning it’ll stand for the next couple of decades at least. Incredible stuff, really.
Yea but aesthetics do come into it. Who gets you off your seat. He is just a competitive monster, he keeps you in the rally with low percentage shots and waits for the error, wow how fascinating. Rafa and Roger make this sport beautiful
 

Bole Top

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yep, it's looking like it will end that way: 1. Djokovic, 2. Nadal, 3. Federer.

US Open will be massive. most of younger players are much better than on the grass + literally everyone will give 150% to beat Djokovic and ruin the GS dream. it will also be interesting to see how the last year's disqualification will effect Djoko and in general, how draining chasing all these records will be for him.
 

Skills

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Regardless of him winning the US open, with the Wimbledon win

- Djokovic now holds grand slams on all 3 surfaces at the same time for the 2nd time (Nadal has done this twice too).
- won 3 grand slams in a row 4 times (Federer has done this twice - Nadal once)
- won 3/4 grand slams in a year 3 times (Federer has done this 3x - Nadal once)
 

Desert Eagle

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yep, it's looking like it will end that way: 1. Djokovic, 2. Nadal, 3. Federer.

US Open will be massive. most of younger players are much better than on the grass + literally everyone will give 150% to beat Djokovic and ruin the GS dream. it will also be interesting to see how the last year's disqualification will effect Djoko and in general, how draining chasing all these records will be for him.
I think he'd trade Olympic gold for the calender slam tbh. If he gets that could see a let off from his crazy high level.
 

Inigo Montoya

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I think he'd trade Olympic gold for the calender slam tbh. If he gets that could see a let off from his crazy high level.
I doubt it :lol:

The G4 hasn’t been done since Laver though Connors would have done it if he hadn’t been banned. He wants all 5 but the Slams are what he’d love most
 

Bole Top

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Speaking to reporters after beating Matteo Berretini in the grass court grand slam, Djokovic said the lack of spectators as well as the strict Covid-19 restrictions are weighing on whether he'll participate at Tokyo.

"My plan was always to go to Olympic Games, but right now I'm a little bit divided. It's kind of 50-50 because of what I heard in the last couple days. Yeah, that's not a great news. That was really disappointing to hear."

"I also hear that there's going to be a lot of restrictions within the Village. Possibly you would not be able to see other athletes perform live. I can't even have my stringer that is a very important part of my team. I'm limited with the amount of people I can take in my team as well."
 

Desert Eagle

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I doubt it :lol:

The G4 hasn’t been done since Laver though Connors would have done it if he hadn’t been banned. He wants all 5 but the Slams are what he’d love most
He looks like he will have plenty of chances to break the overall slam record. This is probably his last Olympics though. Seems like he's the patriotic type. I could be wrong and of course he wants both but I reckon if you made him choose he probably takes the gold medal. It's not an achievement Federer or Nadal have anyways ( the calendar slam) so I think he might be okay not holding it.
 

Desert Eagle

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Interesting, perhaps Montoya is right and he doesn't hold the gold medal as necessary for his legacy.
 

Rajma

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yep, it's looking like it will end that way: 1. Djokovic, 2. Nadal, 3. Federer.

US Open will be massive. most of younger players are much better than on the grass + literally everyone will give 150% to beat Djokovic and ruin the GS dream. it will also be interesting to see how the last year's disqualification will effect Djoko and in general, how draining chasing all these records will be for him.
If he stays injury free, who’s there from next Gen to really challenge him on the hard courts of US Open in the best of five? In theory Thiem has the tools to overpower him if he plays a perfect match but it’s likely he will have to miss it due to injury concerns. Zverev? Medvedev? Rublev? Not convinced those guys still have it in them to take 3 sets against fired up Novak. Tsitsipas seems to play better on clay currently than on the hard courts...I would guess Shapo and Berrettini (if he builds on the Wimbledon) have got the best chance of making the upset.
 

saivet

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If he stays injury free, who’s there from next Gen to really challenge him on the hard courts of US Open in the best of five? In theory Thiem has the tools to overpower him if he plays a perfect match but it’s likely he will have to miss it due to injury concerns. Zverev? Medvedev? Rublev? Not convinced those guys still have it in them to take 3 sets against fired up Novak. Tsitsipas seems to play better on clay currently than on the hard courts...I would guess Shapo and Berrettini (if he builds on the Wimbledon) have got the best chance of making the upset.
I think all of those names can test him at the US Open as he doesn't have the same aura at the US Open like in Australia. I think the USO has the most realistic contenders and this would be the major where most of them would fancy themselves most against Djokovic (apart from Tsitsipas at RG). To me the biggest obstacle to him winning the title would either be a fresh and firing Nadal (even if he's not done much against him on hard courts for years) or a brutal draw akin to something like this.

1R - Kyrgios
2R - Tiafoe
3R - Khachanov
4R - FAA or Ruud
QF - Zverev or Berrettini
SF - Tsitsipas
F - Medvedev/Nadal
 

ThatsGreat

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He's very lucky that the next generation is useless, no one to challenge him really. Federer would've won 5 more if not for him and Nadal.
 

Zen

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Nadal won't challenge him at the US. His 4 US Opens is very flattering and testament to what makes him great, he's taken full advantage of any opportunity that's come his way... both Djokovic and Fed have left Slams on the table that they will be regretting stuff from as they should of won, though Novak will regret it far less when he ends up so far ahead.

I think the US is massively on his mind.... how he can only have 3 is a bit baffling. But it's no sure thing for me, though I'm obviously I'm predicting him, because it's too safe not too, he's the favourite by an absolute landslide, but he has a tendency to lose focus come the end of summer.
 

Revan

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As much as I love Federer and find him by far the most enjoyable player to watch, there is no doubt that Djokovic is the best player of all time.

Maybe if Fed didn't lose all those championship points in Wimbledon against him, things would have been different. But things evolved as they did, and Djokovic became the greatest.
 

Andy_Cole

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Watched him live yesterday. First time I’ve ever been to Wimbledon, and watched tennis live. Wow he’s won me over. From someone who never wanted to admit he was the GOAT (huge Federer fan), he surely is now. Especially if he wins US Open now.
 

Daysleeper

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Yea but aesthetics do come into it. Who gets you off your seat. He is just a competitive monster, he keeps you in the rally with low percentage shots and waits for the error, wow how fascinating. Rafa and Roger make this sport beautiful
bullshit, Novak has played plenty of attacking tennis and saying he doesn’t play beautiful tennis is just wrong. Novak has a superior h2h against Rafa and Federer as well. His 2011 season was fun to watch than their peaks
 

Daysleeper

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He's very lucky that the next generation is useless, no one to challenge him really. Federer would've won 5 more if not for him and Nadal.
Djokovic isn’t lucky, he’s just good. He was beating nadal and Federer in their primes. Federer gets clobbered by next gen right now
 

giggs-beckham

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bullshit, Novak has played plenty of attacking tennis and saying he doesn’t play beautiful tennis is just wrong. Novak has a superior h2h against Rafa and Federer as well. His 2011 season was fun to watch than their peaks
I've seen enough of the 3 of them over the last 20 years mate to know what their games are about. Of course Novak is capable of the sublime, but his game is different to the other 3 (at their respective peaks) and is in the main a hard to get past wall and bullet proof mental strength.
And the best return ever obviously.
 

Desert Eagle

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If you divide tennis into 4 parts physical, technique, mental and tactical here is how i'd score the big three:

Novak- 9, 9, 10, 10
Rafa- 10, 9, 9, 8
Roger- 8, 10, 9, 9
 

Revan

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Djokovic isn’t lucky, he’s just good. He was beating nadal and Federer in their primes. Federer gets clobbered by next gen right now
I think Federer was already past his prime when Djokovic started to beat him regularly.

Nevertheless, he is going to end with most GS (might even end with most GS in 3 out of 4 GS), positive H2H with the other two, most weeks in No.1, potentially winning again all four GS in a calendar year, has the highest ever Elo score. Honestly, the pre-burnout Djokovic was the best player ever, and career-wise, it is hard, downright impossible to argue that he is not the greatest player of all time.

Fed will always be my favorite, but Djokovic is the best and the greatest. Nadal is way behind them (very skewed stats cause of one GS). With the next generation being shit, Djokovic might well build a record that won’t ever be broken. Unless he has another meltdown, I just cannot see anyone beating him for another couple of years, so he can easily reach 25.
 

saivet

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Federer is out of the Olympics citing a setback with his knee, hoping to return to the tour in the summer. I do wonder if he even plays the USO this year.
 

Kevin

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He's very lucky that the next generation is useless, no one to challenge him really. Federer would've won 5 more if not for him and Nadal.
Federer had a period when roddick, hewitt and safin were the best to offer. He had his feast too.
 

ThatsGreat

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Federer had a period when roddick, hewitt and safin were the best to offer. He had his feast too.
Yeah, but I'd say that 2010-15 was Djokovic's feasting period. 2015 onwards his wins are doubled because there's no Djokovic to challenge him.
 

Nani Nana

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He's very lucky that the next generation is useless, no one to challenge him really. Federer would've won 5 more if not for him and Nadal.
They really are terrible. Zverev should have taken the lead but he cannot sort himself out.

Mentally they are not consistent. Look at how they fare in consecutive Majors.

It will take 50 years at least for another player to win the first 3 Majors of the year.
 

ThatsGreat

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They really are terrible. Zverev should have taken the lead but he cannot sort himself out.

Mentally they are not consistent. Look at how they fare in consecutive Majors.

It will take 50 years at least for another player to win the first 3 Majors of the year.
Zverev, thiem, tsisipas. All very underwhelming. Even Berretini, he was making two handed net shots. Not one standout player.
 

Nani Nana

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Zverev, thiem, tsisipas. All very underwhelming. Even Berretini, he was making two handed net shots. Not one standout player.
Not sure I share your sentiment regarding Fed though, he had a few very easy draws pre-2006
 

Kevin

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Yeah, but I'd say that 2010-15 was Djokovic's feasting period. 2015 onwards his wins are doubled because there's no Djokovic to challenge him.
Wait wah? 2010-2015 the two other goat candidates were still competing hard. He ‘feasted’ by beating the best.

Your initial post seemed to insinuate that Djoko is living it large right now because there is no competition. I merely highlighted the fact that federer got a fair share of slams in weaker eras too. 2010-2015 certainly isn’t one of these, djokovic was successful by being better than the other two big guns and Murray who was holding his own back then against the big three.