A page and forum to discuss all things Novak Djokovic.
Current ranking: 1
Last result: Banja Luka quarterfinals (lost to Dusan Lajovic)
Next tournament: Rome Masters
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A page and forum to discuss all things Novak Djokovic.
Current ranking: 1
Last result: Banja Luka quarterfinals (lost to Dusan Lajovic)
Next tournament: Rome Masters
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes
^^^Description from Wiki.
Bodo’s tuppence:
http://espn.go.com/blog/peter-bodo/post/_/id/684/the-mystery-of-djokovics-wrist
Choice quotes:
1. “If you remember, Djokovic had his right wrist strapped during his semifinal loss to Roger Federer in Monte Carlo a few weeks ago. He alarmed fans the day after that tournament ended when he declared that his wrist was in worse shape than he thought.
He rather cryptically said, “I just rest now. I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know. It’s really not in my hands anymore.”
A few days later, the prognosis changed. Djokovic declared that the rest he had on his schedule in any event before the start of Madrid probably would be sufficient to heal his wrist. Thus he was entered in Madrid. But he withdrew shortly after the draw had him going up against another big, physical, hard-hitting player in his first match, Marin Cilic.”
2. “There seem to be a few weird things going on here. For one, this time around Djokovic specifically spoke about an injury to his “arm,” not to his wrist. You have to wonder what that change of emphasis means. For another, these attempts to downplay the severity of the injury seem to be backfiring.”
3. “Djokovic’s comments serve only to obfuscate the issue, and they’re bound to start wild rumors. They raise the question, “Just how badly hurt is he?” And there’s the possibility that the injury is worse than he has been saying (but as bad as he first suggested) and that Djokovic is engaging in some wishful thinking — or is it outright denial? ”
4. “But it’s also possible that this wrist/arm problem is a threat to Djokovic’s short-term goals — or worse.”
Thank goodness for Tenngrand’s high-brow posters who will not stoop so low as to add to the wild rumours by throwing in “silent ban” innuendo, the type we saw thrown at Rafa at erm…….less scrupulous sites when he went off injured.
Bodo had better watch out or the Djoker PC Brigade will be after him. How dare he question Djoker?
When Djoker pulled out of a promo with Rafa in MC, he cited injury to his right ‘hand’, then it turned out to be his right wrist, now he is talking about his right arm. I am veering towards something being lost in translation. We have to remember that English is not his first language. He did say the injury flared up again, so he is talking about the same injury. I think his first statement that he would be out for some time is the truth but he is now trying to pull back on that, why? I don’t know, because he is only fooling himself.
Well, English is not my first language either but my ears pecked up when I heard “arm” when previously I had heard “wrist”………………
Paul Annacone said something interesting sometime ago. He said the top players are reluctant to say exactly what physical ailments they may have……so maybe this is planned obfuscation on Novak’s part.
Bodo was wrong in the above article. His arm was strapped for the SF in Monte Carlo. Not sure if it was just a sweat band or additional strapping for the wrist as well. In any case if there was damage to the wrist it could also cause pain in the arm. He was holding his arm–not the wrist–at the changeovers. I also noticed towards the end of the match he was avoiding using his right hand to unscrew his drink bottles.
^^Correct, Djokovic had his wrist AND arm strapped during the semi against Fed. Bodo’s mistake is to say it was just his wrist. Beyond that, what he is saying is: he is confused about what exactly is ailing Djokovic. Are you confirming that it is the arm that is ailing Djokovic, not the wrist?
The difference might appear semantic, but it really is not. I am not a doctor but I suspect a wrist injury has far more serious ramifications for Djokovic than an arm injury. Just look at Delpo, and a host of other tennis players whose careers have been seriously impacted by such an injury. I have yet to hear of a tennis player being seriously sidelined by an arm injury. Djokovic himself has talked about his wrist and hand, not his arm.
So, for me, the essence of Bodo’s article is, “How serious is Djokovic’s injury?”, not so much which body part was taped during the semi in MC because quite frankly, he does not know!
^^^to clarify, ed251137, if your prognosis is that it is the arm that is ailing Novak then the situation should be better for him than if it were his wrist.
No I don’t know for sure but my feeling is it was the arm which was/is troubling him. For sure his serve lacked its usual pop but he was not holding back with his BH or FH although he clocked up a lot of errors with both.
I recall in his previous match against GGL his upper forearm was strapped with blue tape.
NB: After the SF Djokovic talked about experiencing a lot of pain in his arm when he serving. In the post match presser he stated categorically “there was no need for surgery……there was no rupture or anything like that.”
We can but wait and see.
As you pointed out, the pain in the arm could be transmitted from the wrist. For his sake, I hope it is not the wrist because wrist injuries tend to become chronic.
It would be ironic if it were to be a wrist injury. I always assumed if he did get injured it would be something to do with the legs. He pushes them to (and beyond) the limit of what seems possible.
Did you see the Bodo insinuation that Novak withdrew immediately after the draw after it was clear he would be facing a big hitte, Cilic, in his first match? Novak did say, in MC, his hand was worsened by that long match he played with the Spaniard (can’t remember his name) before the semi.
It just made me wonder whether, if it is the wrist, is this not the accumulation of the punishment it has absorbed as Novak raised his game post 2011 to, let’s face it, knock Rafa off his perch? Much has been made of how Rafa has had to adjust to keep up with Novak’s challenge post 2011 but not much has been said about the toll on Novak to knock Rafa off his perch.
rafaisthebest@May 5, 2014 at 5:21 pm
–his hand was worsened by that long match he played with the Spaniard (can’t remember his name) before the semi.—
It was Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
My comment on April 19, 2014 at 6:18 pm:
I know that GGL can hit hard shots. I did not watch the match, but I thought to myself, “GGL, please hit the ball as hard as you can!” He obviously did.
RITB@5:21
The innuendo did not go unnoticed.
I wouldn’t read too much into his whole arm being bandaged. If you fracture your ankle you usually end up with a plaster right up to your knee.
what was the deal with Klizan and Fognini wearing those blue arm sleeves yesterday?
^^It was really cold, according to the commentators (I didn’t check the temp, so I don’t know what it was). Saw lots of folks in the crowd with hats and heavy coats. Both Klizan and Fognini were wearing long sleeve shirts under their regular attire. Both shirts just happened to be blue.
Novak on his facebook page, April 24, 2014: ” I could not be a happier person because I AM HEALTHY, I am loved and God blessed me with expecting a new family member with my Jelena”
the emphasis is on : I AM HEALTHY…
sorry to kill all your interesting theories and speculations, but rest assured that Novak will be just fine…he skipped Madrid because he did not train much since he was resting his arm/wrist/whatever and also having fun with his future wife (I don’t blame him for that, he sure deserves it!) and we all know he would not like to lose early and send the wrong message to the world (read Rafa, i.e., unnecessarily building Rafa’s shaken confidence)when he-Nole really has nothing to lose if not playing at all…knowing how Rafa is playing at the moment, Nole is hoping Rafa would beat himself once again which will in return make Nole’s life a lot easier and all he needs to do is to sit in the armchair comfortably enjoying the show…
I read Serbian papers guys…Nole is anything but worried, he is in Belgrade conducting fund raising for his Foundation to provide for some humanitarian activity…
and the most interesting comment from his fans, I quote:
“It’s known in advance that Rafael must win in Madrid, there is no need for Nole to waste his energy. Good idea and he also gets to rest his arm.”
I hope you are right Nolefans…
Vamos Rafa!
^^You have indeed shafted our theories and speculations @natashao2013. We should know better than to second guess his fans………
natashao2013@May 5, 2014 at 7:32 pm
Clear! Just a lot of noise about nothing!
““It’s known in advance that Rafael must win in Madrid, there is no need for Nole to waste his energy. Good idea and he also gets to rest his arm.””
One can almost touch the sneering in that quote.
Sigh…..
true indeed…nothing new though…I hear and read all sorts of comments downplaying Rafa almost on a daily basis…and it comes from Nole’s fan-base but I stoically endure all of those…and then I come here to learn that Rafans are in some kind of war with one side defending Nole from other Rafans…I really find it difficult to understand… 😕
^^@nats, please keep feeding us the news from the Serbian press about Novak’s “rehabilitation”. Appears to be more reliable info coming out of there than we get from the so-called international press. You are our “Serbian @augusta08!”
Vamos!
I rest my case.
@natashao,
Well I find it hard to understand why anyone would try to shut down those of us who may not believe the worst about Novak. This kind of ganging up, the comments about the “pc brigade” are quite disturbing.
People should be free here to say what they think. This strange idea that defending or saying something supportive about Novak, is in some way disloyal to Rafa, is quite simply inaccurate and wrong, One has nothing to do with the other.
Maybe we need a set of rules here to tell us what we can and cannot say. As far as I know, Ricky has not indicated that there is any rule that specifically states that a Rafa fan must never say anything positive about any of his rivals. Maybe Ricky can correct me if I am wrong in that regard. I also wasn’t aware that there is any rule that states that no one can ever criticize Rafa in any way. Someone here was critical of Rafa’s game, someone who has been a longtime Rafa fan. That person was subjected to personal attacks and has left the forum. Is this what it’s going to be like? Shutting people down because they say something that others don’t like? That’s not what a tennis forum is supposed to be about as far as I am concerned.
I know that I didn’t start this war. It started on TT when I was called out and attacked for saying that I believed Novak had an ankle injury. Then it started up here all over again. But I am not about to let someone tell me what to say or what to think. If I have an opinion or belief about something, then I should have a right to say without fear of retribution.
I think if Rafa ever came on here and read some of the attacks on his own fans, he would not appreciate it at all. Rafa doesn’t do revenge. He doesn’t lower himself to the level of others. Those who presume to defend him and personally attack others in his name, are doing a real disservice to a great player.
NNY: ^^^^^Referring to open warfare is somewhat OTT. Maybe I’m obtuse and missing something but nowhere do I see personal attacks on this thread or attempts to ‘gag’ people from speaking their minds. There are two schools of thought and a certain amount of jousting: that’s the nature of blogging. You are leaning over backwards to give Djokovic the benefit of the doubt which in itself is laudable. I and others are not so charitable based on his ‘form’ over the years.
As a matter of interest, with hindsight, do you still believe the 2013 ankle issue was exaggerated?
Let me rephrase the final paragraph.
Do you not agree the 2013 ankle issue was exaggerated?
Ed, first of all, you are not being referred to when talking about personal attacks.Secondly, that reference is not at all associated with this particular thread. If you still have not been able to notice what we are referring to, I am surprised. Someone as netural as Luckystar was, she left the forum ! if your definition of ‘personal attacks’ is using abusive language only, then its a diff thing.
Very honestly put, i am very much in favor of having different opinions. I like it when people don’t agree with me because it allows me go engage in good discussions on tennis. I welcome disagreements but what I am referring to has not been disagreements. Do you think I deserve to be called a rafa detractor? or a rafa critic? LOL.. or for that matter luckystar or NNY? saying anything critical about rafa in a constructive way or showing respect to his opponents makes you a disloyal rafa fan?? I am not referring to you but you can find plenty of references regarding what I am saying !! How the heck can someone claim they are a more loyal rafa fan than I am ?
I REPEAT, i have absolutely no issues if anyone disagrees with me on ANY topic . But, calling me a rafa detractor, rafa critic or too sensitive for novak is just rubbish and leads to these pointless exchanges that are becoming commonplace on this site now. Detailed discussions on tennis are becoming less frequent and that’s a pity. I AM VERY MUCH FOR LENGHTY DISCUSSIONS ON TENNIS…I hope the difference is clear !
whether the injury is being exaggerated or not, I don’t know. But, I am more than willing to give the benefit of the doubt to a good sportsman and show respect because I am 100% sure this is how my man, rafa view it too ! I know djokovic has a shaky history with injuries, but nobody knows the severity of this. Do you guys remember rafa’s abdominal tear in 2009 USO? I THINK entering into the tournament rafa did not speak much about it ! As the tournament went on, it was then reported how bad it was ! Mat cronin reported how deep/thick the tear was and then it was manifest in the USO SF against Delpo how badly hampered rafa was ! It’s never easy with these injuries. too much uncertainty…
The guy is obsessed with becoming world no.1, the idea that he would miss a tournament where he can very well gain 1000 points? Makes no sense. For me this carries the same weight as those ridiculous speculations around Wimb 2009 when rafa did not play. Besides, I have just been trying to answer some of the points being raised in a logical manner. Saying that novak was delivering breadsticks and bagels with a sore wrist was obviously not speculation but accusation that he was faking !! I disagreed with it and gave examples from rafa’s career ! I am bemused why would anyone miss a practice session before a SF of a MS 1000 against Roger Federer and then missing a tournament where he could have gained 1000 points potentially ! If someone has an issue with this reasoning, please feel free to express it and I will be happy to answer and will be interested in knowing the other views. But please, anything but questioning my loyalty towards rafa !! For me, That is the only source of these futile exchanges that have ensued ! If there are other reasons, let me know !
Vamosfara: I was speaking about this particular thread, not in general. To be honest I had not picked up on you being targeted either here or elsewhere although I am well aware of the jibes directed at NNY. IMO there is a difference between the concerted ganging up on somebody over a period of time and the odd slanging match which takes place in the heat of the moment.
You are right in saying too many column inches are being devoted to these back and forth arguments at the expense of informed debate about the actual tennis. I fear I am one of the culprits for banging the drum about Djokovic and his injuries and prolonging this particular topic. I will shut up from now on 😉
I don’t like to copy paste stuff from other threads so not going to do it…haha…but being someone who has always refrained from making personal remarks about anyone, I am shocked to read comments that say I am a rafa detractor ! so I have no doubts as for the roots of all this drivel.
Its okay, sometimes it is natural to have discussions not discussing tennis in detail , esp when a tournament has not started. However, I am sure the tennis discussions have become way too less frequent now ! if you aggressively start questioning people as to why they even dare criticize rafa or his coach or praise his rivals, I presume there won’t be many tennis discussions happening , esp having lost Luckystar too !
i said I don’t like copy pasting stuff to extend these futile exchanges, but to be clear to you on what I have been saying, here is an example :
“Bodo had better watch out or the Djoker PC Brigade will be after him. How dare he question Djoker?”
So now I am part of a djoker PC brigade ! ahh, and its just a matter of time before someone will make me look like a fool by playing the innocent ‘ some people need to get a sense of humor’.
anyway, I am totally FOR ending all this. tennis discussions (no matter how many disagreements they have) is what I prefer BY FAR and is supposed to be the purpose of these blogs.
nativenewyorker7@May 5, 2014 at 11:36 pm
—Maybe we need a set of rules here to tell us what we can and cannot say.—
The rule should be that people commenting here shouldn’t make themselves the center of attention. Rafa is all that matters to me (here).
I’m taking it all with a large pinch of salt.
But on which version will you sprinkle the salt Nadline?
#BluffOrDoubleBluff
“I cannot play tennis for some time. How long, I don’t know,” Djokovic said
“Fortunately, the situat
ion with the injury is better than it first seemed. Doctors assured me that I will be ready for Madrid, then Rome and Roland Garros, just as it has been planned. However, I need to continue with the recovery process and full medical treatments. It means I will have to take a short break in order to recover as soon as possible,” Novak said.
World number two Novak Djokovic has pulled out of the Madrid Masters as his right wrist injury has “flared up again”.
” I could not be a happier person because I AM HEALTHY,”
ed, all of it!
we’ll soon know…Rome is around the corner… 😉
Do any of you remember two blogs by Cheryl in 2008?
one was the ‘Sore Throat’ http://preview.tinyurl.com/k8bcvd3
the other ‘Think Before You Speak’. http://preview.tinyurl.com/pq3ssaa
They make interesting reading in the light of the current discussion.
#LeopardsDon’tChangeTheirSpots
^^Okay, ed251137, you asked for it, here it is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G4O5AMSevc
2008? Where was I back then 😀
How did you know I admire Cher – the role model for all women who refuse to grow old gracefully. Great song too.
Whoopsadaisy. Way off topic.
^^I didn’t! You are the one who turned back time with those ol’d TT threads, and of course the song just appeared!
Yes, my role model too…………except, I draw the line on those skimpy get-ups she wangles so well!
I bet she is a Rafan too!
ed251137 says: May 6, 2014 at 7:27 am
Whoopsadaisy indeed! Kind of mood I woke up in today! #Happy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6Sxv-sUYtM
I’m not claiming to know what Rafa would or would not do, what he is thinking or which of his fans he would be ashamed of. I just find it most strange that one Rafan ALWAYS agrees with any criticisms of Rafa but would bend backwards to defend any other player if they were criticised. Seemingly to be appreciated by the other side.
It’s understandable if fans like more than one player, or are more broad minded, vamosrafa, I admire you for that. But to constantly jump a Rafa detractors bandwagon then stick you neck out to defend every other player, to me, is bizarre.
I put my hand up as a one dimensional Rafan but one thing I am not is sanctimonious by any stretch of the imagination. I am not going to pretend that I wish his rivals a speedy recovery to come back on tour and make things harder for him. I’m sure they in turn were grateful to have a 7 months Rafa-free tour. As Davy said when asked, he didn’t think the locker room missed Rafa because that gave them a chance to win something.
Obviously, if they were ILL, that’s a different matter, of course I would wish them all the best then and hope they recover asap; but being unfit to play is quite different. When Rafa’s fans try to make excuses for him because of injury we are firmly told that it’s all part of the game.
firstly, why is it so hard for you to know what rafa thinks of his rivals? unless you think he is falsely respectful of his rivals(which is of course you don’t think), there is no other reason to cause any confusion in interpretation here ! rafa defends his fellow rivals …he has done that countless times !
Plus, let me make my take very clear. I am rafa fan, in fact a rafa fanatic …I have defended him countless times and will continue to do so. From the other players, i don’t LIKE any player ! however, i respect federer and djokovic and I personally prefer it this way because i see rafa respecting his fiercest rivals !
“I just find it most strange that one Rafan ALWAYS agrees with any criticisms of Rafa but would bend backwards to defend any other player if they were criticised. Seemingly to be appreciated by the other side.”
are you referring this to me??? I ALWAYS agree to any criticism on rafa? are you sure you are talking about me? I am HOPING it is not pointed at me… IF it is, then its extremely pitiful … as I told augusta before, I have defended rafa ‘more’ than you guys have done ! the reason I am claiming it? the long ,detailed essays i have written to defend rafa from the attacks launched by the likes of maxi, torres9, chr18 and many more !
Plus, if you really are making a claim about something, make sure to hold on to it consistently.
I have mentioned in this comment.
vamosrafa, try to concentrate on Rafa, not on yourself
vamosrafa, I am most certainly not referring to yo, NNY knows full well I am referring to her because I have called her out on this many times.
what are you talking about? makes absolutely no sense. Nadline is talking to me, I have to reply. should i reply to nadline by mentioning rafa’s age? or his date of birth?
it wud be much better if you could start engaging others and yourself in healthy discussions about rafa and tennis and stop pointing out ‘disloyal’ behavior (as you see it )
i can’t speak on behalf of NNY, she will do that herself. but personally, I have NOT seen any such behavior from NNY either, I am very sure. Plus, though not as frequently, I have been called out on this multiple times so I do feel I have to have my say in this.rafa detractors were abundant on TT and are present in huge numbers on diff sites. HOW on earth are those detractors even comparable to hardcore rafa fans like me or NNY?! This is beyond my comprehension so please elaborate.
I have had my say now and if anyone issue regarding it, feel free to discuss.
vamosrafa@May 6, 2014 at 9:45 am
Whom are you talking to?
I responded to your comment , Augusta.
vamosrafa@May 6, 2014 at 10:13 am
Please give me a link to my comment(s) you referred to at 9:45 am.
by the way, which ‘every player’ have i defended? from where are you getting all this information from? please don’t present these lies. Besides, even if I am defending a player , or more appropriately put, when I am giving my opinions on another player, I am not doing it at the cost of rafa ! Uncle Toni criticizes rafa often so nadline, you shud start calling him a rafa detractor ! how on earth you interpret analyzing rafa’s loss as behaving like a rafa detractor is beyond me ! and stop making these indirect claims as to being a more loyal rafa fan. blind hero worship does not make you the most loyal fan.sorry.
vamosrafa, I specifically said I admired you for being broad-minded so you should have deduced from that that the rest of my comments were not directed at you. NNY, to me, always seems to be playing to the gallery and it just smirks of ingenuity to me.
NNY: “I think if Rafa ever came on here and read some of the attacks on his own fans, he would not appreciate it at all. Rafa doesn’t do revenge. He doesn’t LOWER himself to the level of others. Those who presume to defend him and personally attack others in his name, are doing a real disservice to a great player.”
This was what I responded to when I said no one can claim to know what Rafa will or will not approve of. To say that Rafa would not LOWER himself to the level of others is crossing the line.
You are getting uptight about comments that are not directed at you, so calm down.
like i said, NNY will respond for herself. However, what’s common between what NNY said and what I have said is : rafa never criticizes/attacks his opponents. He has been seen countless times defending his fellow rivals…be it federer, be it djokovic, be it gasquet ..be it murray .. so regarding that, there should be no doubts as to how rafa treats his rivals… not everyone can be like rafa, but his response to the venom spitted by Rochus is a prime example of CLASS. Respect for Rafa. there is much more in him than being a great tennis player that inspires me tremendously.
I don’t want to prolong this discussion as both of us know it’s futile. I have clearly expressed what I think. I can;t remember who was involved but deucy, being a very good murray fan, was attacked for saying something critical when analyzing rafa’s prospects. If a troll/Fedbot attacks rafa, thats a totally diff scenario. But decent fans like deucy ..thats a diff thing….
anyway, I have said what I wanted to say. This is the MOST i have ever talked not related to tennis …haha….i really hope to see healthy tennis discussions, centered on rafa…
Oh no…..the Pharell Williams video I posted above? Him lounging on that car brought back memories of Novak’s car humping victory jig after his 2011 win at Madrid. Upside? He is not around to repeat if he won!
#SmallMercies
vamosrafa@May 6, 2014 at 10:11 am
—l can;t remember who was involved but deucy, being a very good murray fan, was attacked for saying something critical when analyzing rafa’s prospects.—
You should write concretely who & when & how attacked her, not blame generally.
I asked her not to worry about Rafa&Toni’s relationships and argued against the diagnosis OCD given Rafa by the Federazzi. She believes the diagnosis.
I’ll repeat the same in the future!!!
I also believe that Rafa has OCD. I must be a federazzi.
#WhoKnew
#Ironic
hawkeye63@May 6, 2014 at 12:25 pm
You have let the Federazzi influence you.
Oh woe is me.
I just hope I can be saved.
^^ 🙂
Stand firm against the schemes of the devil! 👿
Oh don’t worry about me. I always do. And the devil wears many faces. 🙄
^^No, the devil wears prada……….. ❓
The latest on the arm/hand/wrist:
PR NOVAK DJKOKOVIC PRESS!
“We wish to inform you that Novak Djokovic of yesterday in Belgrade, where he will spend the next few days. Staying at home is our best tennis player will use primarily to continue with the process of recovery from the violation of the right hand, or therapies that have been prescribed by his doctors” !
Yesterday I read here that there’s nothing wrong with him!
(natashao2013 says:
May 5, 2014 at 7:32 pm)
Natashao’s post was dated 24th May, the above was posted 11 hrs ago. On Sunday this is what was on his FB page:
“Our best tennis player will not participate in the Masters Tournament , which is currently playing in Madrid .
Despite all the measures taken , therapy and rest, another arm of the racket of the world is not yet sufficiently recovered . It showed today examinations by a doctor , where it is estimated that the performances in the capital of Spain wore a considerable risk that the worsening health situation . Therefore , in order to avoid serious consequences, and that would not jeopardize the season slag , primarily grand slam in Paris , Novak decided to miss Madrid , and try to get ready for Rome , which is played from 11 to 18 May .”
Natashao’s post was dated 24th Apr,
Natashao commented on May 5.
It was from his FB page of the 24th April
natashao2013 says:
May 5, 2014 at 7:32 pm
Novak on his facebook page, April 24, 2014: ” I could not be a happier person because I AM HEALTHY, I am loved and God blessed me with expecting a new family member with my Jelena”
nadline@7:21pm
natashao read FRESH Serbian newspapers!
“I read Serbian papers guys…Nole is anything but worried, he is in Belgrade conducting fund raising for his Foundation to provide for some humanitarian activity…”
#BluffAndDoubleBluff
#TakeYourPick
So Nole should be in Rome by Friday practising.