Expert picks are back one last time at the 2021 French Open for Sunday’s singles final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. A three-team panel previews the action and makes its predictions.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (5) Stefanos Tsitsipas
Ricky: I wouldn’t pick a non-Big 3 player over any member of the Big 3 in a Grand Slam final even if the Big 3 player was coming off an 11-hour semifinal match and had to be brought onto the court for the final in a wheelchair. Let’s just get that out of the way right now. I’ve seen enough in recent years to know that. Dominic Thiem should have won the 2020 Australian Open but crumbled at the end against Novak Djokovic. Daniil Medvedev was pretty much an even betting favorite with Djokovic in this year’s Aussie final and got blown out. Medvedev had a much better chance against Rafael Nadal at the 2019 U.S. Open, but Nadal was too tough. Other examples are Kevin Anderson (against Djokovic at Wimbledon and Nadal at the U.S. Open) and Marin Cilic (against Federer at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon). Those non-Big 3 failures don’t automatically mean that Stefanos Tsitsipas will roll over on Sunday. But they do indicate just how tough the Big 3 are in these situations. Tsitsipas vs. someone other than Nadal is actually the most competitive matchup we could get…but it still won’t make a difference. Djokovic was incredible against Nadal in the semis and on the stage of a Grand Slam final he will surely be just as good if not better. Djokovic in 4: 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3.
Cheryl: Tsitsipas was in tears after his five-set semifinal win over Alexander Zverev, the importance of having earned a spot in his first Grand Slam final not lost on the Greek. But what he finds when he gets there will be an inspired Djokovic, who dethroned Nadal in a semifinal epic for the ages in their evening match on Friday. Tsitsipas and Djokovic have met seven times already. The world No. 1 lost two of his first three matches against the Greek, but since the 2019 Shanghai Masters it’s been one-way traffic-all going Djokovic’s direction. If the Serb wins on Sunday, he’ll have secured a double-career Grand Slam (at least two titles at each major). Tsitsipas has played well all clay season; he even took out arch rival Medvedev en route to the final, But on Sunday he runs into the unmovable wall that is Djokovic and his record-breaking ambitions. He is just two slam titles away from equalling the record of 20 shared by Nadal and Federer. A first-time slam finalist doesn’t seem like a likely candidate to keep Djokovic from adding No. 19. Djokovic in 5: 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 3-6, 6-4.
Pete: Djokovic, following a 5-0 deficit to begin his semifinal match against Nadal, then steadied his game to win 22 of the next 34 games to advance to the final against Tsitsipas. This euphoric momentum will be able to be carried forward against a first-time major finalist. Tsitsipas will feel fortunate to be in the final after appearing to be in complete control of his semifinal before recovering just in time in the fifth set to withstand a valiant effort by Zverev. Djokovic and Tsitsipas met in the semis of Roland Garros last year, as well as in Rome this year, with the Serb winning both matches despite having to go the distance each time. Match play experience in finals will be on display from Djokovic, as well as his amazing ability to quickly recover from the last three grueling matches. Tsitsipas will have to settle for a string of six impressive consecutive wins and the runner-up trophy, as Djokovic gets within one major title of both Federer and Nadal by winning No. 19. Djokovic in 4: 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
who ya got?
Djoko is 3.
I feel Tsitsipas will make the list of those 1st Slam final winners. Stefanos in 4.
I’m going out on a limb n predicting tsitsipas wins his first tomm .maybe it’s a hope driven prediction but I’ll go with tsitsipas in 4
Just don’t be passive tsitsipas like you tend to be in patches n don’t give Djokovic standard pace..mix it up. See what musetti did first 2 sets
I’m sure he has the resources to do it. Physically he didn’t play more than Novak. He is younger and is generally a strong, fit player.
It’s mainly a mental game here. Again, Stefanos has the resources to win it all. Let’s see how his nerves will hold. At some point the ‘not so new generation’ has to step in and break the ice.
Thiem is 1-3 in Slam finals.
Med is 0-2. Tsitsi can make his start right.
There are 3 things that can undo Djokovic: power hitting, variety, and a pumped up crowd backing his opponent
The crowd isn’t in Tsitsipas’ control, but he has been a fan favourite through this tournament and is likely to be favoured by the fans in tomorrow’s final.
The other two ingredients he possesses in abundance. He has a strong serve, backed up by powerful groundstrokes on both wings, and can unleash the one-handed backhand at will, not unlike a certain Swiss player who has beaten Djokovic on this very occasion. Tsitsipas doesn’t have Stan’s power game, but he is by no means a weak baseline player.
The second part of Tsitsipas’ game is arguably what can win him the match: variety and an all-court presence. He can serve and volley, play amazing drop shots, slice and change the pace of the ball, all of which will throw Djokovic off his rhythm.
Not to mention, Tsitsipas has run Djokovic very close recently on clay, and really should’ve won their recent match in Rome from a break up in the third set. Djokovic will feel confident after beating Rafa, likely tired too though as it would’ve required an incredible mental effort. Tsitsipas will probably be relieved that Rafa was knocked out, certainly preferring to play Djokovic in the final. And he’s a confident 22 year old, when he talks about his chances, he genuinely believes he can win this. He did describe himself as exhausted after the semi-final which was a bit concerning, but I have no doubt he will come out firing tomorrow.
Tsitsipas in 4
He said emotionally drained ..not physically as the match was in his control but went too tight at the end
Yep if its just mental exhaustion then he’ll be fine because nothing can pump you up again like a GS final
This is the real anonymous here not the one that’s being used to confuse visitors of this site. Do you guys ever stop playing games?
I have Djokovic winning in 4 but he won’t want this to go 5 sets otherwise the risk of Djoko losing increases exponentially due to potential fatigue.
I think it will be a close 4 sets but Djokovic should be in control for most of the match.
Also ,i think its quite obvious when it’s me or not. I don’t communicate like a superficial dip shit.
How do you know that? You sound just like one to me.
Lol! That was the reply of the day! Well said!
The fact that you took that personally is interesting. It was directed more at people’s deceptive behavior more than anything else.
Or maybe the deception is in your own mind?
Something to do with having multiple personalities (Im no expert)
With all due respect to Tsitsipas improved level of play, if Nole stays focused throughout the match like his SF match against Rafa, I don’t see Stef winning more than a set.
If Nole does start to wander about and have a mental lapse like his last year’s SF, Tsitsipas has a great chance of stretching out the match.
abhirf…
…nails what I am thinking about the match. Nole has to have a laser focus and hold it the entire match. If he can’t do that, Stefanos will run away with the match. Stefanos will not lose focus or intensity. He has his first GS within his grasp, and that thought is fire for the youngster. As a Nole fan, I hope Nole will not let that happen. But I feel the heat from Tsitsi.
Tsitsi in, forget it. I can’t guess sets.
Rc..antijinxing 🙂
Stefanos lost focus even against zverev .how can he be laser focus all match against novak..novak has more experience
Cmon why are u so not confident abt Novak ..even before RG u weren’t. Anything concerning you seeing ?
My eyes have been checked. There is a reason for my skepticism but let’s not discuss it here, okay.
I really did not think Nole would make it past Rafa.
I am not at all convinced Tsitsi can put a pressure on Novak, let alone win this match! Novak has just beaten his biggest rival and is sky high on confidence. He is known for his endurance so I do not expect him to falter in the fifth set if it would go that far, which I doubt..Novak has all the advantages and if he is focused which he will certainly be, Tsitsipas stands no chance….
Tsitsi went to five sets when being two sets up which tells a lot about his mental lapses.. and Novak easily smells fear…
On a different note: I am sad today, after I have been able to digest Rafa’s loss… what worries me about Rafa are two things: first, him admitting being tired in the fourth set ( brings doubts about his fitness) and second: him saying that he lost the most important match of the year…this means he is not optimistic or even enthusiastic about the rest of the season… i fear Rafa has now lost his confidence and we know what it means for his game…
Tiredness part I agree but the second I don’t. Ofcourse it’s known that RG is his most important tournament and he lost it…nothing concerning in that statement ..will he win anything this year ? Not sure. Whenever he lost rg as in 09 or 15, he really did not win anything after that much but does not mean he will not again ..let’s see..can write off this year at worst
Agree w/Eugene….The Greek in 4!
Tsitsipas in four, I hope. If he plays wisely he may win, but if he waste his energy by going wondering around (mentally) during the match then Djoko will win.
Djoko is much tougher mentally and he really wants this title.
Yes, and a huge difference in experience in Slam finals
Idemo Nole!
Nole is not getting any younger. I hope he can win his second RG title.
I have to set my DVR. I don’t think I can watch it live.
I think the oddsmakers are focusing too much on Nole’s victory over Rafa.
Let’s not forget that in 2015, Novak beat Rafa in straight sets, only to lose the final to Stan in 4.
History can repeat itself and Stefanos can win in 4.
He had a marathon SF against Murray that year and Stan is a different animal. He was in good form even before RG as well where he won against Rafa in Rome and Stan always has more firepower than Raf.
I meant Stan has more firepower than Tsi
The key is if Djokovic falls behind. Will he play straight or pretend he is dead n trick the opponent and then spring back to life ?
Thiem fell for this in ao 20 final. Tsitsipas needs to be just smart not to fall for all this and focus on himself
Sanju…so far Novak didn’t get this trick out of AO..i noticed he only had this ‘lack of energy’ problem only at AO..other slams like USO 2016( i think he had a legitimate cramping & torn toe nail)..
Makes me think many times, why the ‘problem’ only arised at AO?The worst against Andy Murray in 2015..but in truth i don’t 100% blame on Novak…his opponents should focus on themselves to win,not on the other side of the net..
Let’s be honest, if Djokovic falls behind far enough he will absolutely play injured and then miraculously recover within an hour
Come on Rafa fans, you give Novak shit all the time about gamesmanship but when you hear anything positive about him on this site you shit all over him. And then you moan that Nole fans aren’t being nice when he wins. It’s hilarious. I got to call a spade a spade.
At the AO he had a muscle tear (medically confirmed) and this site was full of conspiracy theories and tearing down Nole. The great man is going to cement his Goat status today. Idemmooo!!!
Not this AO 2021.we referring to the ao 2020 final against thiem ..read again please ..
Is idemmoo a Serbian word ? And what does it mean ? Come on just like vamos or Allez
Yeah Serbian, though I am not…it means let’s go…yeah like Vamos
Yes I know you weren’t talking about AO 2021 but this site was ridiculous during that time dissing on Nole unfairly
Novak fans have this fake persecution complex! I don’t know whether to laugh or cry listening to their whining!
Nobody is more thin skinned than the obsessive, nasty, vindictive Novak fans here. It is disgusting! How often have we had to hear recently about Novak’s supposed physical ailments? Numbness in his arm and how he kept trying to stretch it out all the time. Hello? What about that? So don’t you dare blane Rafa fans to justify your disgusting behavior! We didn’t start that bullshit about his arm or shoulder or whatever it was. Did not seem to stop him here!
Do not dare to justify your pathetic insults to Rafa by trying to blame Rafa fans for bringing up injuries! We did not do that!
A little bit edgy…
Don’t you think?
Rafa fans on here arent thin skinned? Really !
Djokovic in 4 (Maybe 3)
All this money for Tsitsipas is BS. The market has got this way wrong. Djokovic is back to 2011 form.
Big first game. 3 aces.
I can’t think of anyone who plays more like a robot than Djokovic. It works, but god it is dull to watch
Novak is a versatile player one of the best.
Even though I wanted him to defeat Nadal which he did in the most amazing way 😉😂, I also want him to win the title if he can but if he doesn’t that’s ok tsitsipas deserves it if he can win my a fan of both players.
Stefanos is leading in the tiebreak of the 1st set.
Nny please calm down sweetheart stop being so vicious and combative against Novak fans or anyone who isn’t a rafan, I understand what you’re going through but you going about it the wrong way so please calm down my darling 😍 and be nice even if it’s just for a day.
Stanley , do you understand how impolite is to try and be a nice guy after all you said earlier? And also posting under that nickname.. Where does this need to be accepted comes from? Your behaviour is bipolar… If that’s the case with you, I can only empathize.
Eugene,
Again thanks for your response. But I think we are dealing with a sociopath or a psychopath. He is misogynistic and sexist, angry and intolerant and above all, ignorant.
@Eugene Yesterday you were upset because I said your style of reasoning is like a drunk or junkie now you write this trash if you have nothing better to say just zip it.
As for nny we go back years ago we express our love for each other differently ❤❤❤😂😂😂, I don’t hate I actually like her and troll her a lot just for fun.
As for my nickname that’s between me and Ricky who is well… let’s just say a liberal hack worse than that who can’t handle honesty or truth.
None of this has anything to do with you so plz don’t be a busybody if I’m not referring to you.
Lucky to have such a psychology expert here.
Djokovic is struggling with the high ball from Tsitsipas. He cant get anything on it.
I knew he has the resources. Has to stay gutsy and take his chances. Come on Stefanos!
This match is over. No way Djokovic comes back from this.
Take the 1.45. Free money.
1,000,000 on Tsitsupas @ 1.45 for 450K collect
Against Musetti,Novak went 2 sets down & took bathroom break..and won 3 sets straight..Let’s c whether Tsitsi will lost his momentum like Musetti or not..If he’s able to maintain his concentration & win this match,clearly he’s ready to stand level with the biggest of them all…
MA,
Did he pull the stunt of taking a bathroom break again? I am not watching the match. But I followed the score online.
Very surprising to see Novak down two sets. But then again it seems to be the Rafa curse. He may have taken enough put of Novak to cost him the final. When they played at RG on the semis last time it was in 2013. They were both a lot younger.
Oh yes Nny!..I donno coincidence or not..but Novak leading 4 1 now…AFTER taking bathroom break…Seems momentum broken for Tsitsi..
How do you come out of a bathroom break and suddenly playing so well? So it threw off Tsitsipas.
Err…i donno Nny…it seems Stefanos level has dropped off after that…plus he also got medical time out to tend to maybe some tightness on his hip..and he still not found his early mojo…
Let’s c whether he can make a come back in 4th or 5 sets…if he still has the will & determination that is..
I didn’t know about the MTO. I am not watching the match. Maybe it’s like a rope-a-dope thing. Let them play themselves out and then swoop in for the kill.
The young guys don’t seem to have the conditioning to win these Bof5 set matches.
Tsitsipas has been pretty much flawless this match. Amazing for a first GS final.
But he knew he had a big physical edge going into this match and a strategy he knew would work. He just had to execute it.
Djokovic has raised his game this set though.
Djokovic’s energy levels just increased 10-fold. Wonder what he had at the end of set 2.
Cannot believe how much this match has turned.
This will go down as one of Djokovic’s greatest Houdini acts ever.
no it wont
He was completely gone. Had no answer for Tsitsipas. Didn’t even move to the ball on set point in set 2.
Comes back from toilet break and starts playing like he’s been winning 62 62 62 Lol
That’s not normal, I don’t care what anyone says. This guy has a rare ability in that department.,
Yes he does
He already won the real final , so maybe not .
Yes it will.
There was 2 Djokovic’s in this match and they were like chalk and cheese.
What a battle whoever both players are amazing.
I’m glad Nadal lost 🙂 sorry
The most annoying thing is how all this guys, young one and also Fed and Rafa, just melt mentally and cannot paly at their level. Just gifting to Novak around 6-7 slams. Fyyk that meekness. You play the match of your career and you’re crumbling. break a racket, shout or do meditate, do something to wake your up.
Olé, Olé, Olé Olé, Olé, Novak, Novak
Olé, Olé, Olé Olé, Olé, Novak, Novak
Vamooooosssss
Listen you sick mushroom, in 2 hours after having enjoyed the match, I’m returning to my life and feel good about it. You don’t know what’s that, loser. Vamos!
Junkie you don’t have a life you pathetic miserable loser in all things.
Get help and get a life dumbtard.
pet your cat you lifeless retard
The biggest mistake was to let people off the court in the QF. Who knows what Berettini might have done.
Tsitsipas must be peaking. Had this match in the bag,
Should have screamed at 1:2 in the third, not now Tsitsi. You fk late 2 sets.
SOrry, another meek loser. Had the match in the bag.
THE GS finals should be called ‘How a bunch of losers donate slams to Djoko’
Dumb dumb no one donated anything to Novak.
Stop doing drugs junkie it’s messing with you xd😂
Hehe…Agree eugene!..
Of course you wouldn’t know. Because you’re creating hate and misery. I’m not expecting you to know that Fed was the biggest donor and also Thiem.
Moron Berettini won’t have done anything crowd or no crowd the champ would still have won.
It’s pathetic seeing your reasoning hoping for Nadal to meet Berettini lmao sore miserable loser 😔.
Keep crying idiot!
Berettini was destroying with his FH you bipolar mushroom. Until the Frenchies decided to something stupid.
You can see what a miserable algae you are, just by observing when you show up and change your retarded usernames.
So, what does he do to them? It’s a mental bullying. Credit to Djoko for being able to do that. How does he make them anxious and decrease their level by 1/3?
It’s because his fitness level is far greater than all these young players. Tsitsipas level went down because he was hurting and Novak knows once he has him there hurting and doubting he will just get stronger. The one guy he couldn’t do that to in GS finals is Stan Wawrinka. He always could match his fitness and mental toughness on that stage. Great Match! Number 19.
There frankly isnt any argument left anymore.. djoko >>fedal on stats
A huge salute to Nole
But Rafa and Fed had to fight for their slams and actually WIN them. In Novak’s case, half of them are lost by his opponent. Did you see any great tennis from Novak today? Pretty soft to be honest.
Congrats Djoko .coming from 2 sets down to win really needs resolve ..19 n counting n double career grand slam ..
Tsitsi had it and just blew it , will really find it tough to recover from this.
Congrats to all novak fans
Thanks, Sanju. I am finally watching the match. In the first set, I noticed Novak was having a very hard time with his contact lenses. My guess is if he didn’t go for a time out to clean them, that would definitely explain taking extra time in the bathroom. I had contacts for years, getting into dust was the worst.
Incredible performance.
Someone said that Fed was lucky…had it easy with Roddick, Hewitt etc. Look at Djoko, he gets Thiem, Med and Tsitsi and has to just show up for the warm up. They lose it just by seeing him. Have some respect for tennis, you are supposed to actually PLAY in a final.
Sure, not to mention Andy and Fed – the biggest donor, having consecutive Slam points…
Congrats to RC,Big Al for their man’s victory…
For me,GOAT debate has been settled!
Unfortunately or Fortunately, IF there is a GOAT is Djoko.
Don’t be so quick mira..let all finish playing ..ofcourse it will be novak once he gets 20 n crosses other 2, there will be no debate but what if one of the other 2 win 2-3 more and novak does not.
Sigh, as expected, Tsitsipas is fond of throwing away a winnable match. How often he does that! He really needs a head shrinker to help him solve this mental issue of always going wandering mid match and especially when he’s about to win his matches.
As expected, when the match goes five sets, Djoko will win. Tsitsipas has himself to blame for this loss. Djoko is the iron man here, no matter how long the match lasts, he always finds his away to win.
Agree Lucky!…That’s why the other day,IF rafa win against Novak,i will not worry much if he is to play Tsitsi in the final…i knew he is incapable of challenging Rafa much..
But,alas!…Rafa himself don’t want to be in the final!..hehe🙉
Mira, Rafa has his own problems to solve before he can win another slam.
If his serve is clicking, he can shorten points when playing on grass. He’s good when he’s at the net, and on grass he tends to play close to the baseline. He just needs to shorten points and conserve energy.
Imo theres no favourite on grass this year – Fed is lacking in match play so I don’t know how he’ll fare at Wimbledon; Djoko has played for eight plus hours these last two matches, I don’t think he is the favourite to win at Wimbledon this year as fatigue may really set in.
The other youngsters are yet to prove that they can win on grass let alone winning at Wimbledon for the first time.
So let’s hope Rafa can play at Wimbledon if he’s physically fit and healthy after two weeks break, and can play well there.
Well if Rafa is not winning wimby or uso lets hope we see a cygs.. that will be cool
The next gen are honestly a joke. An utter disgrace. One of the worst chokes in history especially in a grand slam final. Let’s just have the big 3 playing in grand slam finals with wawrinka and the older ones in the mix. Not the next gen or whatever they call themselves.
Congrats to Nole, As expected. And before the usual djoko is the goat brigade which has already started here, he’s 19 not 20 slams and until he reaches or surpasses 20 he’s not greater than fedal. (Though he may eventually be)
Congrats to RC n all the good Nole fans.
I realised how much I miss Wawrinka 🙂 That guy stepped in like an alpha male and just play tennis. It didn’t go his way many times, but he was great, at least fought.
Happy…At least Tsitsi turned up for the 1st 2 sets compared to Meddy who didn’t turned up at all!
I knew next gen were unreliable!
Oh, my. Thank you, Happy. 😊
Olé, Olé, Olé Olé, Olé, Novak, Novak
Olé, Olé, Olé Olé, Olé, Novak, Novak
🏆
Nny,eugene the junkie, Amy etc let’s party 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😘😘😘 it’s on me, let’s go.
you’re a real misery. The type of guy that kisses a$$ face to face, being nice and soft. This is the only place you can ne your hero. Fk loser :)))))
People like us, would never party with junkie like you.
Come on junkie let’s celebrate, today is a good day for all tennis lovers don’t be sore man.
I gotta go will read your other trash later cya 😘👋
Congrats RC, Big Al etc, and the nice Novak fans, Novak was a deserved winner today, tough one to take for the young pretender,but pretty sure he’ll
get his chance soon….
Thanks for all the kind wishes from all the TG ladies too 😘❤️
Stanley, Ha Ha, or whatever your bloody monikor is at the moment, stop been such a moron your ruining this site, I’ll go get my marbles https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OGC.84b18e8f35ca5226be7992a415d1dcb1&pid=Api&rurl=https%3a%2f%2fmedia.giphy.com%2fmedia%2f6LF2h82ldvTqw%2fgiphy.gif&ehk=MbN4syKhvELfO%2bfCpITlb4lpgOZYPODxiPJ5woqTk70%3d
Sorry Alison don’t have time for idiots I have been done with you for over year now not interested sorry.
Great achievement for Novak! Respect! Nole’s fans can now look forward to the Wimby with high expectations.,. Nole definitely turns the GOAT debate into his favor..
Congrats!
I am pretty sure if there was Rafa on the other side of the net Tsitsipas would be fighting till the last point leaving his all on the court…unlike today…
Why?
Why? Luckystar you ask. It’s quite Simple really. It’s because tsitsipas is a joke and an utter disgrace along wit the rest of the “choke” gen. They only want to beat Rafa with their all but conveniently choke against the “almighty” Djokovic even wen Djoko is just average. Remember Medvedev, pushed Rafa to five sets in the US but basically falls asleep against Djoko in Aus Open. The same script as always. The choke gen are just laughable. They will win a slam after the big 3 retires in the next 3-4 years with this chokeathon they are running at the moment.
Natashao, you touch an important point I am trying to make. Tsitsi is not ‘afraid’ of Rafa. It’s not 100% that he’d have lost to Rafa as well. How do you explain the ‘fear’ Fed, Tsitsi and some others have when facing him? I feel like this factor is a major one which decides the winner soo often when someone plays vs Novak.
I think it has something to do with Djoko’s game. He’s good at controlling the court, changing directions at will as he’s good at both wings and he really can hit well from all directions – BH and FH, CC or DTL.
His court position is something that I admire a lot, he stands at the middle of the baseline most of the time hence he’s quick enough to get to balls at both wings， he rarely camp at any corner of his court, unlike Fed or Rafa. His movement too is unbelievable, at 34 he’s still very quick around the court. I feel that had it not for the numerous injuries Rafa had with his knees, Rafa could match this Djoko in terms of speed and stamina. Another one is Murray minus the injuries. Monfils is quick too but lacks the stamina to match Djoko’s.
His game is quite complete now, when he’s good at the net and knows how to pick the right moments to come to the net. There’s hardly any loopholes in his game, so he’s hard to beat if you’re going shot for shot with him.
You need to overpower him the way Stan could, and do it consistently throughout the match in order to beat him. If not, you need to vary your game and play with unpredictability – varying of pace, net rushing, S&V, one two punch, cat and mouse, etc to outwit him.
His big four rivals (I include Murray here) could do all that, at varying degrees so his matches with them were usually hard fought ones. Stan OTOH, was the only one who could overpower him consistently throughout a match.
lucky, I think Tsitsi should serve and volley more. His physique is perfect for that.
Yes Eugene, and I’m surprised that Tsitsipas wasn’t doing that, at least in the third set, when he was about to win the match in straight sets. He could play with some unpredictability, S&V and one two punch to shorten points if he’s starting to feel any physical or mental strain.
I dislike Tsitsipas’ and his team’s approach to the match, or any important match. It seems like they don’t have any clear game plan, they just let Tsitsipas get out there to play and let him solve his own problems. They’ll fail most of the times esp when playing against the big three, because Tsitsipas is not that experienced yet and so needs some specific game plans to deal with different players.
I absolutely agree with Lucky’s analysis!…Of coz it’s got to do with Novak’s reputation & perfomance that makes next gen choke happy!..Roger choked too at Wimby 19..and many2 older gen too for that matter..
I understand as a Rafa fan,we don’t want Novak to win & close the gap to Rafa..but boy!..he’s sooo deserved the win yesterday & got a full credit from us Happy!..It’s just the sheer greatness of perfomance from Novak from every aspect that makes Stefanos choked last nite…That’s my take..
It has absolutely nothing to do with djokos game. Lucky, please don’t start that rubbish about the wonders of Djoko again. No top 5 player chokes a grand slam final when 2 sets up having been playing great tennis in the first 2 sets. Djoko’s game my foot.
It was all mental from Stefanos. He had the tools. Needed to close the gate. Have some balls and close it in 3. Djoko was done at the end of the 2nd.
Happy, I’m not talking about Tsitsipas; Eugene mentioned Fed and some others, so my thought is Djoko has a complete or close to complete game.
Tsitsipas choke here no doubt, and I already expected that from him, judging from his past performances. It’s a shame for him, as Djoko wasn’t playing well the first two sets, I think the match vs Rafa took a lot out of him. It’s just that Tsitsipas started playing worse than Djoko from the third set onwards, throwing a lifeline to Djoko and so Djoko gladly took it.
Thank you, Luckystar, for your non-bias and sensible analysis.
Eugene best thing to do with a troll is ignore them and hopefully they will go away
Dear Alison, thanks for your message. It’s funny actually. I was just thinking the same. I was like ‘man, I can’t believe you’re arguing with someone like him’ That was the last I ever responded to ‘it’- that poor thing.
Mira Andi lol please no Goat talk 🙏
Alison,
Yes, please stop with the GOAT talk! Enough! There is no GOAT and never will be! The top three have to retire and then their careers can be analyzed. There is more tennis to be played.
Maybe I won’t have to hear anymore about Novak’s phantom injuries! Spare me! I would feel better if he behaved like a champion and did not go around kicking things, hitting a linesperson and screaming like a madman. Unfortunate behavior.
I agree completely with your last paragraph. Unfortunate indeed.
“Maybe I won’t have to hear anymore about Novak’s phantom injuries!”. LMAO!! Thank you NNY, I needed a good laugh to forget about that very painful semifinal on Friday. Laughter doeth good like medicine. Let’s thank God that maybe those phantom injuries will finally disappear and we won’t have to hear about them again. 😂
Happy,
I am glad to guide you a laugh! Anything to deal with the semifinal loss! I just had to say it because that’s all I have been hearing. Over and over, Yet Novak is playing and winning.
You can’t have it both ways. He can’t be struggling with an injury and then be able to come back in five sets. Battling Rafa in four hours. I mean let’s be real!
Sorry it should happy to GIVE you a laugh!
Al…like i said up there..FOR ME..ok?FOR ME..(sure i have a right to say anything right Al?)..GOAT debate is done…Also for me Rafa is the GOAT,Roger is the GOAT,Serena is the GOAT,Rod Laver is the GOAT..but to me..Novak is the stand out GOAT from them all..His records proved it Al..Now,i will stop talking about GOAT Al!..😃👋
I think Tsitsi should have closed earlier. Djoker takes it to other level once he regains momentum. I thought Tsitsi showed a lot of heart in the end. Djoker is 35-10 in 5 set matches, this is ridiculous stat.
Even if Big 3 stop here, Djoker is the GOAT. He has beaten Rafa and Fed 5 times in their respective favorite slams.
The 4th game in the 3rd was the KEY.
Tsitsi could have left the door closed. Instead, he opened it.
So, at the end of the day it was the Greek in 3 or Novak in 5.
RC ..I said at begining of tourney itself that novak will win RG .rem..I just felt it strong ..
I’m just predicting now novak won’t win wimby or surely won’t win both wimby n uso .rem he is going for touching 20 now. The pressure will be huge
He may just exit early at wimby too n fed shld sieze this oppty ( the last one he has )..not sure if rafa will even play n which rafa turns up
I agree with you Sanju your feelings are cannier than mine. I did not feel that Novak would win.
I highly doubt that he would win Wimby and agree he should go out early there. USO? I am against him even going there. It will have to be AO if he gets 20.
Tsitsipas injured his left hip area, according to Jim Courier. That is why he could not move as well and lost the power pushing off his foot. Usually, Stephanos has a lot of power pushing off both feet in his matches. So, he was down to one good leg/foot. He certainly had enough adrenaline to keep going and fighting.
Oh, I disagree with TC commentators, Chandra and Paul Annacone. They are crediting Novak with breaking the Tsitsipas spirit. After seeing what happened, Tsitsipas would have been more frustrated with injuring himself and not making it over the finish line.
People can stop talking about how Tststpas gave it away. Also, they can shut up about Novak doing something nefarious in the bathroom. The momentum shift in the match was real. The sun wasn’t glaring, Novak fixed his eye/contacts problem, Tsitsi had a tumble and the pain decreased his movement eventually on the left leg. The MTO Stefanos took did not help anything. This all happened during the third and fourth set.
Now for the fifth set. Tsitsipas has a great BH one-hander and could put a lot of power on it even in the fifth. But he was not hitting his marks like before the fall and injury. But fairly good match quality even though both were looking rough. I have seen worse five-set matches!
What? commies are saying that no one has come back from 2 sets down at RG? Federer was 2 sets down to Frenchman Mattieu in 2009 and Fed made it back to win the match.
https://www.tennis365.com/t365-recall/t365-recall-how-roger-federer-magically-won-the-2009-french-open-title/
Maybe they meant in the Final?
Correction: Fed was only down a set, apparently in the win over Matthieu. Apologies to commies. They were right on that point.
https://youtu.be/c7O8a68d_xM
Enjoy 🎊🏆
Thanks, I will use that link later! 🏆 🥂
Big commiserations to Stefanos Tsitsipas. Such a hard loss! Don’t let it get you down too long.
It did remind me of how poor Rublev looked when he lost to Tsitsipas at Monte Carlo a few months ago. I Hope Tsitsipas does not take as long to get his awesome confidence back. I hope to see Andrey have his confidence return soon too. I think some don’t ever get over such a loss if it is dealt out year after year.
Rafa, Nole, Roger, and Andy Murray all had to learn to get confidence back in their tennis after huge losses.
I didn’t expect this, Nole winning a second RG. I was more hoping to see him win another Wimbledon and AO. I hate the reception he gets at USO. The crowd there has no shame. They have been particularly rude to him. USO is the worst GS!
Congratulations Novak Djokovic! 19 GS and 2 of them at Roland Garros.
I’m so proud of him and happy for his family. Congrats to all Novak fans, even the ones I knew at a different time and did not believe me. Congrats to Big Al and love to all. Thanks for the kind words from everyone.
Time for grass bracket picking!
I’m excited about the new generation of tennis stars in both WTA and ATP
No doubt to me that Stefanos will be a multi-slam champion. His level for first two sets was unbelievable; even in the 3rd it was pretty high. He’ll learn from this, improve his fitness, and continue to get better. He’s only 22. It won’t be long.
I know, Joe. Tsitsipas is incredible in so many ways. He has a very beautiful and powerful game. He has to keep working on his fitness over 5 sets. It won’t take long, I agree. He’s a positive fellow.
That’s not enough Joe. He may win a few slams, but he is not what the top 3 were at 22 unfortunately. The history is built brick by brick. Well, today’s chance is gone, and will never come back to Tsitsi. He just had to stay strong and push even harder in the 3rd.
It’s a loser’s generation. It’s 2021 and nobody from the young gen managed to beat the top 3 in a final.
After years, when the top 3 will be retired – Thiem, Med and Tsitsi will know they played finals against Novak in his mid 30’s and they still lost. Their chance to become superstars or GOAT candidates is gone just for that reason. And many more reasons will follow. They were never GOAT candidates you may say, but it was nice to dream and hope before their first couple of slams finals.
When Fed was like 15 slams, Novak had 1. Nobody thought back then he would exceed 10. Same with Tsitsi, he would have gotten 1 already today. You never now. Loser’s generation. They will share between then 3-4 slams each, live well, but that’s all. Sad and boring.
We are so lucky to witness the 3 greats playing at the same time.
GOATkovic 💪💪💪
Congratulations the Cheryl! She picked it perfect🤗
Congratulations to Novak Djokovic and his fans! As a Federer fan, I am ready to say that after Novak’s last two matches, his accomplishments make him deserving of the GOAT title, at least for now. Beating a healthy Rafa at RG really is the hardest challenge in sport, and to follow it up by coming back from 2 sets down to win the final is incredible. Whatever one thinks of Novak’s behavior on court, he is always gracious to his opponents afterwards, whether in victory or defeat. Well done!
Well if you want to be a great champion, it helps if you act like one!
I am so proud of Rafa! A great champion and a great person! I am so glad that the crowd let him feel how much he is loved! He talked about it after the match! Rafa has nothing left to prove! He has records that will stand the test of time!
Love you Rafa, always! Your tennis has inspired me, but also who you are and how you live your life!
😍
Oh and again, there is no GOAT!
Nny we all know you love rafa that’s good but today in tennis has nothing to do with Rafa it’s all about GOATkovic please spare some time and say something nice about instead of being negative.
Novak fans love you and if you are ever lucky to meet Novak you will like him maybe even more than rafa, Novak is a great Athlete and person.
Today is precisely what I want it to be about. I get to have my day here. After what I read when Rafa lost from Novak fans, I felt it important to stand up for him. I do not take trashing my favorite player after a loss lightly at all.
I read a comment thanking someone for an unbiased analysis of the match. Well I can’t do that because I did not watch the match.
I would not feel so disgusted if I had not read some of the garbage posted by some Novak fans going after Rafa and his fans. So I am not feeling generous right now. I will remember what they said.
I don’t expect you meet Novak. Maybe I would like him. More than Rafa? Uh just no! I do not debate his greatness as an athlete. Not at all.
Enjoy your celebration. There are nice Novak favs here and I choose to remember that. It is better that I focus on huscgood fans today.
I don’t expect TO meet Novak! Autocorrect!
Ok dear 😘👍.
Well said Uncle Joe 👍😅
Sweetstan,
😀👍
And having beaten Fed in the last few Wimby finals they played, as well as dominated hardcourts, its hard not to say he’s the GOAT right now.
The problem is that he rarely beats someone. Usually his opponents beat themselves. Fed did it twice at USO, twice at Wimbledon. Thiem once, Tsitsi once and so far.
Eugene, you sounded so disappointed with Tsitsipas and his generation of players. Well you can’t expect them to be like Fed/Rafa/Djoko. The trio are special; Tsitsipas &Co may just be like the rest of the other slam winners – they may be multiple slam winners but not legendary.
None of them showed any potential to be a Sampras, a Borg, McEnroe or Lendl, whom were the next tier just below the big three. These players were the greats too, started winning slams at young age and beating the greats from the previous generation to win their slams. Rafa is still the last teenager to win a slam, after Sampras, 16 years have past since 2005 and we are still waiting.
Yeah, it’s sad that a guy hitting his prime in the early 20s couldn’t even beat a guy in his 30s; worse still when he had the chance to do so but let it slipped away. Both Thiem and Tsitsipas had their chances when they’re up two sets against Djoko in a slam final at AO and FO respectively but they faltered and lost.
Medvedev against Rafa at the USO at least was a little different, when he was down two sets but gave chase to push it to five sets. Thiem could at least beat Djoko at the FO in a SF and Rafa at the AO QF; Tsitsipas could beat Fed or Rafa in a slam QF but none of them could do so in a slam final! The next generation would just have to wait, for the big three are not done yet and are determined not to be stopped by the next generation, at least not so soon.
The big 3 made it look easy to win 5 set slams and it sure as heck isn’t. it a different animal altogether.
Well played Nole!
I’ve to add that to date, none of the next generation players has beaten any of the big three in a slam final; they may beat them before the slam final but when in a final, the big boys are different animals! By hook or by crook, the big boys would find ways to win in the final(s).
Thiem failed three times in slam finals – once vs Djoko at AO; twice vs Rafa at FO;
Medvedev twice – once to Rafa at USO and once to Djoko at AO;
Tsitsipas – at the FO now, to Djoko.
These are the best of the younger crop, still can’t break the big three dominance!
Idemmooo!!! While we are the luckiest tennis fans to have seen the 3 greatest players play at the same time, I am super happy that Nole came back from 2-0 today! My personal view is that clearly sets him up for Goat… we wait and keep watching the drama but djokovic is the most likely to win multiple slams from here on. Amazing!!
I read somewhere they said –
Rafa is the king of Clay
R. Federer is the king of Grass
N. Djokovic is the king of Tennis
What do you guys think?
https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/tennis-star-stefanos-tsitsipas-learned-of-death-minutes-before-french-open-final/news-story/852511672405c94bf1a941dd0a12680b
That explains the highs and the lows.