Three Grand Slams. Three Grand Slam finals featuring Novak Djokovic against a non-Big 3 opponent.
That has been the story of 2021, and it adds another chapter in Sunday’s Wimbledon championship match. After Daniil Medvedev (Australian Open) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (French Open) came up short against Djokovic on the biggest stages in tennis, Matteo Berrettini gets a shot this time around.
Although Berrettini has never played in a major final and had previously been to the semis only once (2019 U.S. Open), his current run at the All-England Club has come as no surprise whatsoever. The world No. 9 cemented his status as one of Djokovic’s top threats when he rolled to the Queen’s Club title last month. Remaining undefeated on grass this summer (now 11-0), Berrettini’s Wimbledon fortnight includes wins over Guido Pella, Botic Van de Zandschulp, Aljaz Bedene, Ilya Ivashka, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Hubert Hurkacz.
Berrettini has struck 101 aces throughout this event; nobody else has hit more than 65 (Denis Shapovalov). The Italian has been broken only five times, including just twice in five matches against opponents other than Auger-Aliassime.
Of course, the underdog now has to go up against the best returner–and best player in general–in Djokovic. The top-seeded Serb has reeled off 18 sets in a row since dropping his opening set of the tournament to Jack Draper. He has disposed of Draper, Kevin Anderson, Denis Kudla, Cristian Garin, Marton Fucsovics, and Shapovalov, although Shapovalov at least managed to be competitive during a 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-5 loss.
As the Canadian’s effort indicates, an opponent with a big serve and firepower from the baseline can give Djokovic some problems. As that scoreline also indicates, however, there is nobody on tour who is more clutch than the world No. 1 in the pressure-packed moments.
Berrettini can make this interesting if he serves extremely well, but Djokovic’s return will always get the edge over Berrettini’s serve. And the biggest discrepancy is Djokovic’s experience on this stage versus Berrettini’s inexperience. Mentally, the 19-time Grand Slam champion will be too tough when it matters.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
It’s gone to script pretty much. Djokovic in a competitive 4 sets.
If they’d played Wimbledon last year after Roland Garros then assuming the same thrashing by Rafa it would have been Rafa in the ideal position to win back to back slams. All the momentum would have been with him.
That was in reply to vmk.
Very disappointing level of tennis in the men’s game this year. Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Rublev and Zverev all extremely disappointing.
The young Rafa would have beaten Djokovic today.
Once again very agree anonymous!…
If this is a 1st or 2nd rd we didn’t mind with this s!@# quality…but since it’s the final….We expect more!…Urgh!…very disappointing!
The most disappointing is Tsitsipas, who couldve won the title when he was leading two sets to nil, if he would step on the pedal harder to win the third set. ‘If’ doesn’t count though.
Do you people know what happened five minutes before Tsitsipas took the court at the RG Final?
I posted the story on the “the Rest” page.
Tsitsipas deserves his own pa
Page
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/14/tennis/stefanos-tsitsipas-french-open-final-grandmother-spt-intl/index.html
I agree and very bad for the game.
In the absence of the young players stepping up Rafa needs to come back strong.
The level of men’s tennis at Wimbledon this year was very poor and there is a real void with Medvedev, Tsitsipas and co all underperforming.
Can’t compare them to young Rafa; Rafa is of a different calibre, in a different league. I doubt any of these youngsters could reach Rafa’s level ever during their career.
Can any of these young players win more than 10 slams? Don’t even talk about winning 20!
Sure…
There it is!…Much much congrats to RC & other Novak fans…
Also much congrats to Big Al for winning both Brackets!…hehe…U’re awesome Big Al!👍👍👍
Yes!!! now I can speak, hahaha Thank you, MA!
I was holding my tongue all this week. He did it, and I won’t ask for more. I j🥰🤗 needed him to equal Fedal. He is for me, the best and I hope the future remembers.
Nole, Nole 1.
You’re welcome RC….Enjoy this wonderful moment ok?U deserve it…
Very pleased for you RC. As for Djok, well an amazing achievement and I can see him getting 3 more slams at the least. He seems the physically fittest of the golden oldies, and probably many up and comers, which is a huge advantage
This was a very anxious time for me, Margot. No no, I hope he does not need 3 more. It is enough now, I say. Federer is not going to get more. Okay, who am I to say, I am going on what happened this grass season. Then the upmanship starts all over.
You can’t second guess what he needs/wants RC. For all we know he might want 10 more! EEEEEEK! :0
Margot, did you know what Stefanos has been going through since just prior to walking onto the court at RG to play the final?
I am very certain that he would have beat Novak if he was carrying a weight of grief on his mind and body.
It’s a funny joke.
Tsitsi’s beloved Grandma died and family had to tell him just before he took the court for the final at RG.
That is a final he would have won vs Novak.
RC
Was hoping for 3 way tie
😊
That’s what I am talking about, I wish it would stop now, enough is enough.
Thanks MA ! Pity I never picked Barty to win, Id have won a prize on GTL tennis podcast. Check it out on Youtube, its quite fun .
Wow!! Djoko at 20… where is his next gs loss going to come from!!
Novak has the channel slam now too something that fedal had over him… winning three slams on three different surfaces which nadal had over him… in sheer numbers fedal are relegated
Vmk1 says he is a rafa fan first but all he does here is sing hosanas in djokos name and diminish rafa in the process.. Come on. It’s ok to say u like djoko more. No big deal..if you are a real rafa fan you won’t diminish his records all the time by upholding novaks..
Which genuine fan even does such things cmon..
Well that sealed Djoko’s greatness, over both Fed and Nadal. He’s able to win the channel slam at age 34! And, like Rafa did in 2010, he’s able to win slams on three different surfaces consecutively. Also, he has a chance to win the calendar slam plus the Olympics singles gold medal this year, and get to 21 slams, one more than Fed and Nadal.
He’ll most likely end the year as no.1, thus having seven year end no.1 titles, more than anyone else in the open era! What a year that will be for Djoko if he’s able to achieve all that!
N here is one more luckystar .always diminishing rafa and upholding novak .
Ofcourse everyone is free to do what they want but I’m just sick of these double standards.
Sealed his greatness over fedal. Well is anyone God here to pronounce who has sealed anything ? Last I heard , all 3 are still playing and in tennis anything can happen…
I am forever nervous abt rafa and anxious abt him losing, however I atleast dont berate him all the time upholding his rivals stats.
Sorry to everyone for the rant..I just can’t tolerate it ..
Sanju,
Good for you! I am with you all the way! You keep your head up high!
God bless you! You are all heart!
Thank you! I just could not stand it either!
👍
Whats the problem with Luckystar saying that? Double standards? Hardly. At least she can give a balanced view of tennis , unlike the other sour grapes posters on here. It only confirms what I always suspected .Sorry .
As a Nole fan, I actually wouldnt have minded if he’s lost today to a better opponent .
Sanju, should I add ‘for the time being’? At this point you can’t argue with that, when the stats are there!
Why are you so emotional when it comes to Rafa? Rafa is already a legend, and no one could deny his greatness! After Rafa has gotten his 20th slam and 13th FO, I’m at ease with all these stats, anything else he wins or achieves is bonus.
I mean, who can win 13 titles at a single slam, and he has done that across three decades with 4 in a row, 5 in a row and then 4 in a row at the FO. As great as Fed is, he couldnt dominate at Wimbledon the way Rafa could at the FO. As great as Djoko is now, he also couldn’t do it at the AO (it’s unlikely that Djoko could win 13 titles at the AO).
Just think, Djoko has won 12 HC slams, and that’s combining what he has won at both AO and USO, Fed with 11 but Rafa has won 13 slams on clay at a single venue!
The stats now favours Djoko, so he is now greater than Fed and Rafa; but they’re not done yet; Rafa may win more HC slams and the FO, more master’s titles etc, to add on to his own achievements and greatness. (I suspect Rafa is targeting on winning more HC slams too, when he’s now concentrating his effort on winning the USO).
No one knows what lies ahead, whether Djoko could win the calender slam, the Olympics singles gold; or Rafa could win more slams and more YE no.1 etc.
Fed’s one record that will stand a long long time is his consecutive slam finals, slam semifinals and slam QFs. I can now appreciate Fed’s greatness when I see his this record, it’s crazy! And, if not for a young and then at peak Rafa at the FO, Fed could have done the calendar slams twice already in 2006 and 2007. Fed also has the record of having the most weeks inside the top ten.
I will always live with regret, about Rafa’s 2009. It brought me so much heartache at that time; when Rafa imo could achieve the calender slam, if he had not made some dumb decisions of playing at Rotterdam and gotten himself injured in the final there; that year he’s hitting his peak, without the injury, he could be the one dominating at the FO and Wimbledon (being defending champion at these two slams). He had a mental edge over Fed at that time. I’m also sure that a peak Rafa won’t get beaten by Soderling at the FO (the same Soderling who had beaten Fed in the QF and then lost to Rafa in the final in 2010 FO).
As for the USO, I think Rafa would then stand a good chance against Delpo, a green horn at that time at the USO, and then against Fed in another slam final!
Another regret is Rafa’s 2011 at the AO, when he’s going for his four in a row non calendar grand slams, where he was injured in the QF against Ferrer. If Rafa was fit, he might have a chance in the final against Djoko imo(Rafa has beaten Djoko at the USO in 2010 so he might have a mental edge too). Rafa was the no.1 player at that time, and who knows, if Rafa had done that, Djoko’s dominance in the tour might be delayed for a year or two!
Mental edge?
You mean similar how Rafa was lucky that Fed took out Novak in RG semifinals 2011, because in the finals Novak would have had the “mental edge” against Rafa, after bludgeoning him all over earlier that year?
Yes, Lucky, you’re right, that makes sense.
Anything wrong about mental edge?
Nothing wrong with mental edge.
Just funny how everybody conveniently forgets to remember the mental edge that would have contributed to a potential 2011 RG triumph for Djokovic (if it wasn’t for Fed).
Basically, Fed gifted Rafa that RG trophy 😉
Nah, never forget about mental edge, and Djoko has his fair share of that edge, in both AO2012 final and Wimbledon 2019 Final.
Rafa will get at least 2 more, that’s my guess.
My nerves can’t take another😯😫
Hope Rafa gets one more at least.. will be good to go clear of Roger on gs titles at least
hahaha
It never stops 🤐
I think there’s an excellent chance he’ll get at least one more, but you guys are going to on pins when USOpen/RG come round!
Surely Nole deserves another chance to win the US Open after being defaulted last year, other players have hit a ball in anger much harder than he did, he was unlucky , though it should never happen.
Are you kidding with this? Really? Just because the lines woman fortunately did not get hurt seriously, is no reason to somehow dismiss it as no big deal. I remember when Shapo hit the ball and the chair umpire was hit in the eye. I believe he needed eye surgery.
If you have to have a stupid temper tantrum, then maybe don’t hit the ball! There are people around and it’s dangerous.
Yet now I have to read that Novak deserves another chance this year? That is the most insensitive thing I have ever heard of! He was rightfully defaulted as the rules require. Sorry, but there are no exceptions for Novak’s infantile temper tantrums!
He deserves another chance because he paid his penalty, or do you want him barred for life? I did say it should never happen.
So, where you cheering for Shapo then? Or Novak? Both guilty .
Who’s rattling your cage?
Ron,
I have one word fir your stupid comment about Fed gifting Rafa the trophy!
Bullshit! And what’s more, you know it! So why couldn’t Fed beat Rafa in the final? Nobody gives anything to anybody in this sport! But you are a piece of garbage for even going there. That was 2011! Duh! What about all the other RG titles Rafa has won since? Were these gifted?
Do you really want to go there with this? Because I could bring up a lot of examples. How long have I been reading here about some supposed injury with Novak and why he wouldn’t win RG? I saw no evidence of injury. But he was gifted with draws that allowed him to sleepwalk to the final!
Don’t go there and play that game. It’s not going to work.
Is the G.O.A.T debate settled now?
Asking for a friend 😜
Tell your friend not to be so silly 😉
@Margot,
I don’t think my friend is being silly 😂😜😉 but I will tell my friend what you said 🙂
There is NO GOAT! Period!
Hahaha…
Same logic like with the new Rolex commercial with Roger.
“How do you measure greatness?”
My love 😍😘 how have you been?
Goat is the one with most sportmanship awards
I am unaware of any official or body in charge of anointing a GOAT for tennis. No other sport has such a thing either. It’s going to continue to be a matter of opinion/argument. I’m a little puzzled by this question. I believe Djoker has TIED for the record number of slams, a record Federer has held for donkey’s years and recently tied by Nadal. A tie is not a win. All of these guys are still playing. None of them are young or particularly healthy.
What just boggles my mind, is that last year after Rafa won RG again and tied Fed fir 20 slams, people were calling him the GOAT! It’s like freaking reflex! Enough already!
I have made my feelings clear over the years about this GOAT nonsense. I believe it to be a vanity argument for certain fans who need to feel that their favorite is the GOAT! I have never said Rafa is the GOAT. I never said Fed was the GOAT. I am not about to start now.
These three are still playing. More records to be broken. I will not stop standing up for the greats who came before and who contributed so much to this sport. Without them tennis would not be what it is today.
Thats a great balanced comment and I agree. I cant take anything away from Laver or Borg while comparing with todays big three.They were all great in their own era.
Al,
Don’t twist my words. Of course Novak can try again at the USO! I was not okay with what Shapo did. It was horrifying to watch the video of it. It’s a reminder that you have to think before you just mindlessly smash the ball in frustration because there are people in the venue.
Shapo was defaulted. So was Novak. That is the rule. I am just grateful that the lines woman was not seriously hurt. The chair umpire was not so lucky.
OK,NNY. Novak was totally in the wrong and correctly defaulted .His own fault he didnt get the chance to win the Wimby-US Double. I can make allowances for Shapos youth.
I guess Im getting at the fact that if he does get to 21 in the US , he might have deserved it this time . As for cakewalk draws in every Slam, Ive seen Fed accused of the same thing , doesnt it happen to them all at some point? Its quite literally the luck of the draw.
https://twitter.com/BenRothenberg/status/1414211060488417287?s=20
Hope Rafa takes the uso.. if not, let it be Nole.. what a statement it would be to take the majors lead at the venue where he was dq ed last year
One more ..haha
Can’t be more obvious 🙂
Sanju,
Rafa is the one who will ultimately go out on the court and determine how many more slams he wins.
Until then, who gives a damn about what anyone gere says he will win? They don’t know anymore than anybody else.
NNY Agree its disrespectful to the other two players to say that ….
Alison , NNY..well the so called rafa fans only are saying it and 2 are on this site all the time doing it. So why blame others when your own flock is doing so.. why put on this pretense I just don’t understand .
Sanju,
I am certainly not writing Rafa off! No way! As far as who is saying what here, I can only be responsible for what I say. If Rafa fans want to trash him then that is on them. Nothing is set in stone while these three p are still playing, Rafa has been put down and written off so many times. But he always comes back strong. He is not done yet,
Sanju…Don’t do that!…Just bcoz Lucky & VMK1 praised Novak,that doesn’t mean they’re not Rafan enuff!….Don’t do that Sanju!Let them speak whatever they want!..Ok??Just bcoz we have a different opinions,that doesn’t mean we’re not Rafans Sanju!
Yeah!….The truth is hurt…but u can’t control what peoples wanna say or think or speak u know!….Don’t be a bully Sanju!…U’re much better than that!
I’m not a bully Mira..but if I have to put up with something that I feel is pretense ( it’s regularly happening and not a one off ) , then I will put my thoughts too. And if anyone does not want to read them, don’t ..just like I have an option not to read theirs which I won’t too from now on 🙂
Sorry calling oneself a fan and then nonstop berating a person upholding his competitors is not pleasant atleast to me and maybe lot more real and genuine fans.
I respect very much what u’re saying & what u stand for Sanju….and i hate it when i have to spar with my own Rafans that i love very much!…I’m sorry if i ever hurt yor feelings Sanju!…
But i have to stick with Lucky coz what she said is what i have in my mind too ..sometimes i was very amazed bcoz she wrote as if she knew what’s in my mind!…It’s as if she knew what i was thinking about!..and what she wrote below once again reflected every single bit of my thoughts too!….But i will try to tone down any critics that i sometimes feel towards Rafa or his game for my Rafans sake!😁👍…Have a gud day Sanju!
Sanju,
You don’t have to explain yourself. If others have a right to run down Rafa as a Rafa fan, then you have the right to give your opinion.
I have noticed what you are talking about for a while. It has bothered me but I kept quiet until just recently. What bothers me the most is the writing off of Rafa before his career is over. That is appalling. As long as these three are playing there is more of the story to be told.
I give you credit for speaking up. You are probably the last person I would call a bully. Vmk1 does not sound like a Rafa fan. But I just try to ignore it.
I do think you can praise another player for his achievements and respect him. Big I try not to run down Rafa because I don’t think he deserves that.
I respect and appreciate the top three and all that they have done in this sport. I also respect and honor the greats who came before.
It’s OK Mira, he can say what he want and I can say what I want to say too! I need no one to judge whether I’m a Rafa fan or not.
I can appreciate the big three even though my fave is always Rafa; Rafa is not a saint, he’s human and so he has his weaknesses and as a public figure, he will be subjected to praises and criticism more so than any common people. Likewise for Fed and Djoko, and I don’t see why as fan we can’t even criticise our own fave if we think he should be doing better if he’s playing poorly.
I would also criticise Fed or Djoko or any other player if they’re poor in their performance, though I get more frustrated with Rafa if he doesn’t play well, because I/we always want him to win. Still, I’ll overcome the frustration quickly nowadays, and move on and hope for better results from Rafa in the future.
Lucky!…😁👍👌
I can understand frustration when Rafa does not play his best. It was difficult to watch him double faulting so much at RG. Being unable to rely on his serve customers him along Ruth an ugly draw.
I think it’s natural to be disappointed. I do appreciate the acknowledgment that Rafa has won 13 titles at RG. No other men’s player has ever done that. I remember when Rafa broke Borg’s record of 6 titles. We all thought that was a big deal. That is why I feel it or important to acknowledge the singular achievements of these three.
I also appreciated the mention of Fed’s consecutive semifinal appearances at slams. Rafa mentioned that in an interview some years ago regarding what Fed has done. It is so important to recognize the records they have. That is why I despise the GOAT nonsense. People live vicariously through these champions and feel they have to big themselves up by declaring their guy as the Almighty.
I do think lucky is a Rafa fan. We have had many great discussions about tennis over the years. We may not always agree, even in the way we deal with Rafa’s losses, but I know that she is a fan of Rafa.
Autocorrect garbled one whole sentence. Being unable to rely on his serve cost him! That was what I was trying to say!
Congrats to Djokovic for his 20th slam .he has a determination and focus that is the strongest ever and that’s why he is so successful..He works very hard and deserves every bit of his success .
It’s amazing to see how he tied the numbers with rafa and fed . Let’s see what happens at uso and what happens next year ..right now the whole world and their grandma is getting on novak completing the calendar and going to minimum 23-24 slams 🙂 As for fed ,everyone is saying he is done and as far as rafa goes, they are saying max 1. Let’s see how all these prophecies pan out
there is GOAT, his name is Novak Djokovic
https://www.ultimatetennisstatistics.com/goatList
There is NO GOAT! I am standing up for the great champions who have made their mark and have the records to prove it. No one can ever take away what they have done!
of course there is. all respect to great champions but the link ^^ says it all.
Rc…congrats. I’m sure you are very happy..
There are some crazy diehard fans of novak on Twitter going by yolitatennis and pavyg..maybe you can celebrate with them..they have all gone crazy 🙂
Thank you, Sanju. I am happy, happy for Novak, his team, especially delightful was seeing the huge smile on big old Goran Ivanisevic’s face. His team is truly devoted to him.
oh, dear…I forgot to put my name on the above post!
From RC aka Elizabeth
Sanju ive always tried my best to be fair to all 3, and thats what im doing now, i just think its disrespectful to the other two men, and i stand by that, and theres no pretense about it ….
Sanyu and i agree with what you said to luckystar ….
And i love Rafa, and would never write him off, have a good evening onto football for me, come on England 🙂
GOATkovic!!! 🏆🎊❤💪😂
Dear God, this thread sucks in so many places!
Amen to that!
Let’s face it, the GOAT debate is toxic as are overzealous tennis fans who confuse virtue with sport excellence.
It is toxic and destructive. That is another reason why I do not bemused in it. I think it’s just a real shame that we can’t celebrate three greats who have rewritten the record books.
I do not BELIEVE in it!
I came across an article just now on Microsoft news that said tennis fans had voted Fed as GOAT(55%) and Rafa only 7% .
Its so ridiculous I wont even post a link…
Nole will have 26 to 27 slams.
Rafa 23 to 24
Roger remains 20.
No Goat talk please!
The big three each has his own greatness, and having seen how their careers play out this far, I can appreciate each of them.
I can appreciate Fed for being so consistently good at the slams, his consecutive QFs, SFs and Finals, after seeing how both Rafa and Djoko, as great as they are, couldn’t match Fed’s records. Fed has 36 consecutive slam QFs, 23 SFs and 10Fs and then another 8 Fs!
Fed also came so close to winning his 21st slam at Wimbledon in 2019, when he’s almost 38 years old! There are those who call for Fed’s retirement after he lost at Wimbledon this year in straight sets; I initially thought so too, but after giving it more thoughts, Fed was able to reach a QF when he wasn’t playing that much tennis beforehand, and who could say for sure, that he couldnt get better once he regained his fitness. Who knows, he may be winning the Wimbledon next year if the draw favours him a bit.
Rafa will have his chances at no.14 at the FO next year, and I really hope for Rafa to get his no.5 USO title this year, and another chance of a double at the AO next year.
Another Wimbledon title seems a long shot for Rafa, but hope that Rafa will keep trying since he’s able to reach the SF the last two times he tried.
Djoko may still get a few more slams, who knows! Come to think of it, there’re still so much more tennis to be played, just hope that next year, it’ll be a full normal season, unlike 2020/2021.
Now, I really believe that the big three can and will last another few more seasons, after seeing how the players born in the 90’s and those born in and after 1995 keep faltering at the slams especially in the finals. They are just no match for the three ‘old’ men at the slams.
A very interesting last point lucky.Why do you think that is? I think Berretinni is simply not such an all round player as Djoko and was unlikely to beat him, but Med and Tsit, both very talented, especially, but there are others, just can’t seem to step up. I am all too aware how difficult Andy found it, but he at least managed 3 slams in an era when the big 3 were younger.
Hi Margot,
I was discussing with my brother about Djoko, the big three and the younger players. He had the belief that Djoko would most likely win the calendar slam this year as he thought no one could stop Djoko at the USO, not even Rafa. I argued that Djoko wasn’t doing well in the last two USOs, and Rafa was 2-1 Vs Djoko at the USO. He mentioned that Rafa wasn’t at his best and might not be come the USO, and knowing Djoko, he would be very determined to win the Olympics singles gold plus the USO, doing something that no male player had ever done before.
My argument against was that Djoko might be physically tired, after his exploits at Wimbledon and then two weeks later at the Tokyo Olympics, and then the US Masters before the USO. My brother believed Djoko would overcome all these as these are HC tournaments, building up his preparation for the USO.
As a Rafa fan, I certainly hope that won’t happen! We then discussed about the young players, who could stop Djoko, at the Olympics at least, as it’s Bo3, and I knew Tsitsipas and Meddy would be there.
The problem with these young players is that not only are they inexperienced compared to the big three, imo they may not be as driven or as hungry for success. They may be thinking they’re still young! Of course we can also say that in tennis terms, they’re simply not made of the same material as the big three, so we may be expecting too much from them too soon.
The thing about the big three plus Murray that amazes me is that they simply have the precision of their shots! I mean how often they could hit their shots on the run yet their shots touched the lines time and again, whilst players like Shapo, Berrettini, Meddy just couldn’t do the same. Tsitsipas is a bit better but definitely not good as those four ‘old’ men.
The big three plus Murray have very complete games, good in defence and offence, good in their serve and ROS, good at the baseline and at the net, practically good at everything! And, they’re physically very fit and mentally tough, and good at their court craft, able to change their tactics and game plan if plan A couldn’t work for them, for example, and decisive in making the changes.
I say it again, I’m disappointed with Tsitsipas, the way he played against Djoko at the FO last year and this year. I mean he himself said he knew he had the game to beat Djoko last year, yet he made the decision to change his game plan only after losing the first two sets, and then ran out of steam after winning the next two sets when he changed things up. I mean when your game won’t work in the first set, why then you kept sticking with it and hoped to get a different result? Why hoped (which is being passive) when you could be more proactive and took things into your own hands by being more aggressive? You’re against the no.1 player, not against any Tom, Dick or Harry, why hesitated to change things when your game was clearly not bothering the no.1 player?
His FO final this year was even worse, when you’re up two sets against the no.1 player, you should step on the pedal even harder to finish off your opponent the no.1 player as quickly as possible, instead of throwing a lifeline to him. You simply couldn’t take a breather against the no.1 player when you’re ahead, unlike against any other Tom, Dick or Harry player.
Thank you lucky, such an interesting response, always. I’m disappointed too and, long term, it’s not very good for the game either.
RC pointed out that Tsitsipas was told of the death of his grandmother right before the final. I have to believe that it had an effect on him. These young guys are human. It’s a devastating loss.
I think that the young guys are simply not in the same class as the top three. Also I do want to be sure that Andy Murray is not forgotten. If he came up in any other era he would have had more than 3 slams. I dearly wish he could have continued and not needed the hip replacement.
Fed’s record of consecutive appearances at semis and funded of slams is quite extraordinary. If he is able physically and can regroup from this loss at Wimbledon, I would like to see him continue playing.
We have been incredibly blessed to watch these three greats.
Now this is the lucky I know! Well said!
Thanks NNY. I’m sorry that I might seem harsh about my comments on Rafa, especially after a loss.
I tend to hold Rafa at a high standard, and even though nowadays (after Rafa achieved his 20th slam and 13th FO), I’m ‘less worried’ about Rafa, I’m still critical about his performance (perhaps because I eagerly want him to win every match!). But, I could then quickly overcome my frustration after the loss.
I’m sorry that my comments upset you, Sanju and Amy, I’ll try to refrain from posting insensitive comments if Rafa loses. Maybe, you all are still expecting more from Rafa, and not as contented as I’m now with Rafa’s achievements.
I believe Rafa has his own plans, so I’m OK when he has decided to withdraw from Wimbledon and is not going to the Tokyo Olympics. Rafa knows himself, whether he’s physically or mentally prepared to play at a slam or not and I respect his decision.
I’m also sorry that my comment about Djoko sealed his greatness over Fed and Rafa, that I did not make it clear. I mean, at this point, there’s no argument anymore when in the past people argued about number of slams won by Djoko. Djoko’s stats turn out to be better than both Fed and Rafa’s in most categories, except at the FO (Rafa) and Wimbledon(Fed). Of course Rafa has his consecutive weeks inside top ten that I’m so proud of, not even Fed could do that and Rafa has overtaken Connors for the record. Fed has his consecutive weeks at no 1 and incredible consecutive slam QFs, SFs and Fs records too. And, I understand fully that they are still active in their tennis career, so the stats etc may still change in future.
No matter what happens in future, as I’ve already mentioned, Rafa has already confirmed or sealed his place as a legend in tennis history. His 13 or maybe more FO titles may not be surpassed for a long long time, and he will always be remembered as a member of the big three in the golden era of tennis.
lucky,
We have been around a long time. I don’t know if you saw it, but amy and I were having a discussion and she apologized to you. I also said that I was wrong to be so harsh with you. I meant it. I think we all react in different ways when Rafa loses. Sometimes during his matches I am screaming at the tv, trying to urge him on. It’s hard to see him unable to be at his best at RG. But then I think of last year when it looked like such a difficult task to win RG after being off so long and then losing in the quarterfinals in Rome. So little match play and then RG was held in the fall when the weather is so much worse. But Rafa triumphed in the end. It was a wonderful gift. This year it just did not seem to come together for him. The problems with the serve were especially frustrating. So many double faults. A really ugly draw.
I can be tough on Rafa when I am sitting there watching his matches. Usually by the time I get around to posting a comment, I have calmed down. But I can see it both ways. You get upset because you know what he is capable of producing. The brilliant tennis that we have seen from him. But I also understand amy and sanju. They feel so raw that any criticism of Rafa in that moment is like a dagger in the heart.
It was really upsetting to see the trolls come out here after Rafa lost. That just made it worse. So it’s even harder to hear the criticism when trolls are throwing out cheap shots at Rafa. Because they have nothing else in their lives. They are not real tennis fans.
I appreciate you clarifying everything. I get it. I will always enjoy talking tennis with you! We need to support each other now. I hope Rafa still has great moments before he hangs up his racket.
NNY, 👍🙂