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
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
Mary W is going through moderation but Mary is going into limbo.
i would just re-register with username “Mary”
It doesn’t say anything. Nothing happens. Post goes to a blackhole from which nothing can escape!
test again
test – now my posts are somewhere next to Mary’s.
GYOAT:
http://www.newyorker.com/news/sporting-scene/no-athlete-had-a-better-2015-than-novak-djokovic
Was it the greatest year ever in men’s tennis? Let’s repair to the parlor and play the game. John McEnroe had an incredible year in 1984, losing only three times and winning ninety-six per cent of his matches. But he avoided clay, his weakest surface, playing only two matches on the dirt and losing the French Open, devastatingly, after going up two sets against his arch-rival, Ivan Lendl. Jimmy Connors went 99-4 in 1974, but was barred from playing the French Open because of his involvement with World Team Tennis. Roger Federer reached all four Grand Slam finals in 2006, won twelve titles overall, and lost only five matches. Four of those losses were on clay to Rafael Nadal (the other was in Cincinnati to eighteen-year-old Andy Murray). A remarkable season, and most observers consider it the second-greatest in the modern history of the men’s game—second only to Rod Laver’s accomplishing the Grand Slam in 1969, something that no other Open-era men’s player has done.
Weird, I can’t post the next paragraph. It just disappears!
I tried just a few sentences and it still wouldn’t post.
Race to $100M…
Roger Federer is a man used to making history. But when it comes to the race to reach $100 million in prize money, the 17-time major champion may be upstaged by Novak Djokovic.
Federer’s on-court earnings of $97.3 million seemingly put him in pole position to reach the historic mark, compared with Djokovic’s $94.1 million.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellerossingh/2016/01/01/why-novak-djokovic-may-beat-roger-federer-to-become-first-100-million-man-in-tennis/
If Novak continues to play like this, I think its him, not Rafa, who could beat Fed at the slam tally and be the ‘GOAT’.
I’m looking at 18 slams for Novak, about $150m in prize money and >302 weeks at no.1; close to 50 Masters titles and 7 to 8 WTF titles; one or two Olympics gold medals; a career slam.
Rafa may continue to win at the FO and maybe one more other slam, hopefully he could also reach 18 slams, be the undisputed clay court Goat for a long long time; but he’ll not be the leader in the other areas.
but Nadal did most of his work in a stronger era
Novak will be GOAT in five months from now if he is able to hold all four slams simultaneously (on three surfraces), something that no male player has ever done before.
Regardless, unless Rafa solves his mental problem, Nole will be GOAT sooner or later.
Even Rafa solves his ‘mental’ problem, he still wont be able to prevent Novak from becoming the Goat.
Novak will become the Goat unless someone stops him but that someone most likely isnt Rafa. Rafa can set his own records by being the clay Goat by a country mile vs all other clay legends. He can continue to win the FO and many more clay titles. If possible wins one more AO to get to two career slams and prevent Novak from having two career slams if he cant stop Novak from getting one career slam.
Its interesting to see the competition or race between Fed and Novak for the Goat title.
I think Rafa is the only one who could stop him.
While Nole has improved somewhat since 2013, Rafa had his number in slams before injuries, time violation rules and mental problems slowed his progress.
No, I think Rafa could still do it but, without changes/additions to his team, he’s not making it easy on himself and has definitely lowered his chances IMO. It kills me that he didn’t get Darren Cahill when he became available and was immediately snatched up by Jalep.
just posted something along these lines hawks…oh that he could have worked with cahill!! wasted on halep….
really lucky?? if rafa solves his mental problems then he can cause all kinds of problems for nole. over 2013 and 14 he had the clear edge over nole in slams and i think that would have continued if he hadn’t got injured.
he has the capacity to spook nole when he is strong mentally and has his game together…that forehand if it clicks is still capable of giving nole all sorts of problems..especially if he can get into a groove with hitting it down the line…that’s the most destructive shot in tennis and impossible to defend.
In the inimitable words of RITB, oh snap amy!
#WillTheRealSlimRITByPleaseStandUpPleaseStandUpPleaseStandUp
snap hawksy..happy new year btw…hope you have a great 2016
same to you Amy!!!
I fully agree…I firmly believe Rafa will find the way…he has already improved in many areas compared to the 2015 season…he will continue to improve…
it’s really tough to read some of these pessimistic comments this early in the year and when the season has not even started yet…this is the time of the year when we make wishes and build up our expectations…I have all reasons to believe Rafa will solve his issues this year…
I will believe in Rafa and his GOAT chances as long as he is on tour…and I also think that mentally strong Rafa is unbeatable by Nole or any other player on tour…
Vamos Rafa!
I tend to agree with amy. Rafa has been able to find a way to get the better of Novak in the past. Rafa was getting the better of Novak in 2013 and 2014 and most likely would have continued if not for the injury.
Rafa does need that DTL forehand in order to beat Novak. I am just going to watch it all play out and hope for good things for Rafa in this new year! You can never write him off or underestimate what he is capable of doing!
Fed has an outside chance at 18 and a real solid chance (read co-favourite) at Olympic Singles Gold.
BTW, people, Happy New Year!!!
I hope all your wishes come true! And please be careful what you wish for (don’t waste your precious wishes on irrelevant or less relevant things 🙂 Make sure you make some wish that involves our Rafa! )
I wish you all the best in 2016! And I wish we get together more often here to celebrate Rafa’s successes in 2016!
Feliz Año Nuevo! 🙂
happy new year nats!! hope that rafito turns things round this year…if he gets his mental strength back then i believe he will…
his dtl forehand is still an unbelievable shot and gives nole the heebie jeebies when it’s on…
but not the same way Stan’s backhand does!
is that you stan?? good to see you here!
not good form to talk up your own backhand so much, even if it is an amazing shot….!
no mam, just his #fan
Dont think its pessimistic to say that Rafa couldnt stop Novak from becoming the Goat. Its being realistic. Rafa can win more FOs and may even reach 18 slams too but in terms of weeks at no.1, winning more masters and winning the WTF etc and etc, Novak clearly is at an advantage as his game works best on the HCs. He’s even getting so good on grass now.
Rafa beats Novak mainly on clay surfaces, he’s not going to stop Novak on the other surfaces, at least not that often.
Rafa being the clay Goat is something to be proud of; if all three get to 17 slams, and each has some edge over the other two, people can argue endlessly about who should be the Goat. However there wont be any argument over who’s the clay Goat.
If Rafa ends his career with more slams than Nole and Nole doesn’t hold all four slams simultaneously, then Nole won’t succeed Rafa as GOAT.
Clay GOAT has already been decided several years ago.
that^^
The more FOs that Rafa gets, the more untouchable his record is, and the more likely he remains as THE clay Goat.
Imagine Rafa having more than 10 FOs, that is to say he spends >10 years dominating and successfully wins all those FOs! How many player(s) could dominate on a surface for >10 years? So, its highly unlikely that anyone would come close to surpass him as THE ULTIMATE CLAY GOAT! Fed and Sampras couldnt dominate on grass for that long, each winning 7 and Fed lost a few finals, that’s how difficult it is dominating on a surface for so long.
Winning 18 to 20 slams may propel anyone to Goat status, but that may eventually be surpassed, just like Serena is now threatening to surpass Steffi Graf’s 22
slams record, and may even threaten Margaret Courts 24 slams record!
Djoko…No signs of rust. Luckystar is pessimistic, natashao is optimistic, amy is trojan horse. A Djoko fan calling Rafa rafito? Ugh! Ricky rightly pointed out that Rafa accumulated his record in a stronger era. Prime Djoko no match for prime Fed.
I highly doubt that Djoko will pass Fed’s 17 though he may pass Rafa’s count if he can dominate in 2016.
Rafa is already the clay GOAT.He doesn’t have to win more RGs or clay tournaments to get that title.
I say ULTIMATE Clay Goat. I want to see Rafa not being surpassed on clay by anyone, at least during my lifetime!
Having 9 FOs seems unsurpassable but who knows? And if Novak gets to 8 or even 9 AOs, then Rafa’s 9 FOs may not seem that unique. Fed may even get to 8 Wimbledon too and be the Grass Goat.
If Rafa cant be the Goat, at least he be the unlikely being surpassed Clay Goat and be remembered as such for a long long time.
In all likelihood, the overall Goat changes hand all the time (from Sampras to Fed, it took only 7 years for Sampras to be surpassed – from 2002 to 2009). Fed may in turn be surpassed in just a few years time, probably another 7 years from 2012.
“If Rafa cant be the Goat,”
He already is IMO and according to Agassi. Even Murray and Nole himself have said same.
(Hint: It’s more than just slam count.)
If Djoko doesn’t win at least 2 slams in 2016, his chances of passing Rafa are remote.
Except he will.
You have a crystal ball?
Two.
hahaha…
Boris Becker Retweeted
Brad Gilbert @bgtennisnation 43m43 minutes ago
Meant how efficient Djoker is match in and match out, playing so much more offensive tennis that his coach @TheBorisBecker wants more of