The demons he has slain (what 3 good months of tennis can do)

It is interesting to look back on all that Nole has accomplished with just 20 straight wins. Going into the Davis Cup final Djokovic was seen by many as the most fragile of the top echelon of players. His serve was attackable, his conditioning suspect. He didn't win a master's title since Paris of 09 and hadn't won a grandslam in three years. He had lost three straight to Andy Murray, 3 straight to Roger, and hadn't beaten Nadal since the WTFs in 09. But in sports what a difference a few months can make.

Davis Cup final: He becomes maybe the biggest sports hero in Serbian history and wins the tiny nation its most important international sporting title. More importantly his old serve came back and he found his comfort zone on what had been his biggest liability.

Australian Open: He becomes only the 4th active multislam winner along with Hewitt, Fed, and Nadal. In many ways this finally relieved the pressure and the media attention that he had received since his maiden slam. He could no longer be seen as one slam wonder, a guy who got lucky because Roger had Mono. (as ridiculous as this argument is). In short, the doubters and critics had to keep quiet and Novak got the monkey off his back. He also beat a healthy Roger and Andy Murray on way to the crown ending his abysmal record against the very top of the game.

Dubai: another win over Roger and collecting the richest ATP 500 event in the calendar, and a record tying 3 dubai crowns in a row.

Indian Wells: He beats roger for the third straight time and collects his first win over Super Rafa in nearly 18 months and his first win ever over Rafa in a final. Also jumps past Fed for the #2 ranking.

20 straight wins dating back to Davis Cup

8-0 against top ten players

5-0 against top 5 players.

It is not just the win streak that is impressive, but the quality of the wins as well. He is no longer the weakling in the Fed, Nadal, Murray stratus of players. And with his serve back, imporved volleys and conditioning there doesn't seem to be a weakness in his game. Lets hope he can keep up the form and make this year even more interesting.

He has had his problems varying from health issues to equipment change but things seem to have sorted themselves out now and he is going from strength to strength.

It will not last forever and he will get beat at some stage but I think he will secure his new No.2 spot for a long time to come.

Can he eventually move up to the No.1 spot! - never say never.

Novak has been impressive since the DC.. its amazing what confidence can do. "success breeds success" Though his conditioning has definitely been an issue, (and I still believe his breathing is suspect) I think a major factor is that he has "grown up" his maturity is evident now on and off court and that too has reflected in his game. Also to be remembered that his run of success has been on hard court... can he "bring it on" on clay.. his wins against Rafa have mainly been 3 sets on hard court. Now the test begins We know he has the game for it but so has Rafa .


Interesting to note though (that whilst I am fully aware that it was a friendly match) in Columbia... Rafa got his "revenge"

Sportslover Djoko chainged his racquet in 2009 then when he got used to the new racquet he changed his serve motion and then went back to the old motion. This process set him back on his serve for about 18 months. He still finished as #3 in the world with possibly the worst serve of any top twenty player last year. Now it seems the serve is no longer a liability although I wouldn't call it a weapon yet either. But the rest of the game is so good that all he needs right now is solid consistent serving. Especially, with the groundstrokes, returns and speed that he possesses.

Haddie, nobody is better than Rafa on clay, and I have no doubt he will reassert himself on the red dirt, by the way Novak's loss to Rafa in colombia was a close one and also on clay. I think if Novak wants to be #1 he has to do well at RG (at least semis) and win at least one of the master's events on clay. Monaco is too slow, but Rome is a quicker and smaller court and Madrid is also a quick clay court at altitude, so I could see him sneaking one of those two.

You may well be right... but Rafa loves both Rome and Madrid..and I think he would have one foot in the grave if he never gave his all in Madrid.. he thrives in front of a home crowd. But hey Socal.. its gonna be great fun watching them fight it out..much to look forward to

No question Haddie, I would favor Rafa to win all the MS clay events and Roland Garros if he is even reasonably healthy. To me this a new Djokovic, and a player that can trouble him on the red stuff. I certainly wouldn't be surprised if Rafa went unbeaten again this year on the clay. But if Djoko wants to challenge for #1 he has to find a way to sneak a MS event off Rafa on clay. It aint gonna happen at Monaco, his best chance is at Rome or Madrid, where he will still be the underdog.

The pic they are showing this morning of the two of them nattering wearing their Columbian hats is very reminiscent of the past pictures of Rafa and Fed.. the birth of the new rivalry with Novak showing the same respect to Rafa as Rafa does to Fed... great stuff and I love it. Even more so because they are so close in age and have come through a very competitive field.. which is now really hotting up with the new youngsters breathing down their necks. What a treat we should be in for now with an injection of new talent. So exciting

I agree, and I still think Fed has a swan song in him at wimbeldon maybe this year or next. It is interesting now with the rivalries between all of the top three guys really heating up. When any of these three play at the latter stages of a tournament the level of play is something special. I would really like to see if Novak can take it to the next level on clay. He should be able to, he has the speed, very heavy topsin groundies off both sides. It remains to be seen how well he can handle a lengthy five setter on the clay due to past conditioning problems.

Im not convinced about Roger to be honest, sadly we are seeing too many unforced errors creeping into his game.. he appears unaccountably to lose focus during a match.. he did against Novak.. had control in that second set and then fell apart.
I agree about Novak .. I think he has the game for clay but ... 5 Sets ??? not so sure. It is well documented how Novak suffers with respitory problems.. and the clay season coincides with the hay fever and asthma season. coupled with the heat.. I do believe this has a bearing on Novaks performance as much as anything else.
Rafa on the other hand looks so comfortable when he is on his beloved clay .. its though he has "come home".
I cant see Rafa managing to repeat 2010 but he still has room on his bedpost to make a few more notches

Haddie, Roger doesn't look good but how awful did Sampras look before he made his epic us open swan song and won his last slam. I think for roger to have his swan song he will need to serve exceptionally, be playing on his favorite surface (grass), and to have the draw open up for him with maybe someone knocking Rafa out before the final. I think it can happen, he has dropped off but his only three losses of the year so far come to the hottest guy on tour. But I think he will need a spot of luck as well.

"Rafa got his "revenge""
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Novak's winning streak is broken...

If Novak is ever going to beat Nadal on clay, it's gotta be this season.
Just once, that's all I ask...

I don't care where, but Madrid would be nice for multiple reasons, one of which is the fact that Novak has 0 points to defend there!

Novak's win streak isn't broken with all due respect an exhibition in columbia on clay doesn't count. Not the same level of intensity, Colombia is not an atp event. Green, Madrid is a quick clay court and at altitude who could forget the epic 2009 semifinal with 3 sets taking 4 hours and with Djoko having match points.

With respect Socal I think we have allowed for the fact that it was an exhibition match. (Though I would suggest there was a certain psychological value to it for Rafa).As for the match in 2009 ... two years is a long time in tennis... both men have made adaptions to their game. Both have speeded up the service preparation apart from anything else. Rafa has been working on his service (still not his main weapon..but certainly an improvement).. Anything can (and probably will) happen

No question Haddie, Nadal is a much better server and both players have improved a great deal. Nadal in my mind is the greatest clay court player of all time. But he has a lot of points to defend from here on out. I hope he stays healthy all year and we see the best from both guys. Still, I think that Djokovic will play much better this year on the clay, it may not be enough to unseat Nadal in any of the big events, but it will be interesting.

Absolutely cant disagree with your analysis one bit. I think both of them bring the best out in each other.Their games match up beautifully and make for exciting viewing. Both have great on court presence and demeanour. Both gracious and both a credit to the game. Cant say more. We as fans and spectators have been very lucky to have witnessed the rivalry between the top 3 over the last 2 or 3 yrs ... but fasten your seat belts because I smell the wind of change

What both players bring that is rare is no weaknesses off of either wing and great speed. Two fast guys that can hit big shots off either the forehand or backhand. The quality of their groundstroke exchanges when they play is simply unmatched. Roger has been there as well although in the last 12 months we have seen a subtle drop off.

"As for the match in 2009 ... two years is a long time in tennis..."
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That's actually good, cause it took them some time to recover from that match!

As for the "winning streak", I was counting Novak's wins at the Hopman Cup in it, so that streak is broken, but the official one - not yet!
We'll see what will happen to it in Miami...

I really expect this to be Novak's best clay court season. How can it not?

glad your glass is half full at any rate

Yes, Green the 2009 semi in madrid was epic and it was a long time ago, if anything both guys are better than they were back then and have added to their games. So if they meet again it should be another instant classic.

glad your glass is half full at any rate
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Ahem... The only way for Novak is up!



:run2:

Worst case scenario is that Novak doesn't do well at any of the clay events.

So what ?

He can bounce back at Wimbly and still go on the USO with an enormous amount of confidence.

Don't see him losing any kudos if the clay season doesn't realise any inroads for him, as its still an area he can improve in and he's still young enough to do that.

Hi Jubbahey!

Actually, Novak is very good on clay and he likes playing on that surface. He didn't do well on clay last year, but the surface wasn't the reason.

The only question now is will he or will he not - finally - beat Nadal on clay, at least once. I reckon... why not?

Yes, Djokovic actually has a master's series title on clay I believe, I think he won Rome in 09 when Nadal got knocked out by Ferrero, not certain of that and he has gotten to numerous finals. He also has won in Belgrade and Estoril before that although those are 250 events. This year I think he will give Nadal a run on clay. Although I don't see him getting to the point where he can get to even footing on that surface with Nadal. Rafa in my mind is the best clay court tennis player ever.

"not certain of that"
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It was Rome 2008, you're right about the rest.

Of course that Nadal is the best on clay (ever!), no one can dispute that! I was just saying that Djokovic is too good on clay not to have more titles on that surface, given the number of titles he has on HC. Whenever he got close, he was stopped by Nadal... And he already gave Nadal run on clay in 2009 : Monte Carlo and Rome finals, and Madrid semifinal.

This year Novak's playing much better than he played in 2009. We have yet to see how he'll do on clay, but I really don't think that the surface transition will present much of a problem for him. All I'm saying is that if he's ever gonna beat Nadal on clay, this year is his best chance...

Certainly Green, I think he probably will have a three set victory over Nadal on Clay this year. I think his best chance is either Rome or Madrid. Monaco is the slowest court of all the big clay court events, Nadal has never lost there so I don't think that will be the place. But madrid is really quick conditions for a clay court due to the altitude, and Rome is also a relatively quick clay court. Roland Garros is a little slower and Monaco is really slow, and in five sets I don't see it.

I think he takes Belgrade on clay this year in his sleep. He has to be a busy bee during the clay court season this year if he wants to upstage Nadal, I would even consider entering Barcelona a good 500 point event that Nadal skipped last year.

If he can take Belgrade, Barcelona, and do a semi and final in Rome and Monaco, and then possibly win Madrid and get to the final of Roland Garros. A very tough ask no doubt. But if he can manage that he gets 3500 points out of the clay court season and even if Nadal wins 2 masters and Roland Garros he would virtually gain as many points as Nadal in the clay court season, and that would make his getting year end #1 really doable. But I don't know if anyone has the juice to play that many tournaments and do that well in them. Maybe Barcelona is a bridge too far and he skips that like he did last year and still could get 3000 points.

Recap=Monaco semi 250, Rome final 500, Belgrade win 250, Madrid win 1000, RG final 1000, optional Barcelona win 500

Fighting talk.

He is, of course, a very gifted clay court player but his season last year wasn't that great, so why was that?

I'd be interested to see how his fitness goes and if he can maintain the stamina to persistently be at the semi/final stages of the clay tournaments. Also ... how will his ranking be an integral part of all this? If he slips back to No.3 at any point and gets drawn against Rafa in the semi's of a tournie, he may get past him once, but not them all. That could impact on socal's prediction.

There is no way Novak will be playing Barcelona, unless he skips Belgrade .
He is to play Belgrade, Madrid and Rome over three consecutive weeks, and Barcelona is the week before that! (That's a terrible ATP schedule, BTW!)
For that reason, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't do well in Belgrade. Madrid and Rome should be more important to him (whatever he says ).


"but his season last year wasn't that great, so why was that?"
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Last season he had different issues to deal with, which probably had nothing to do with clay. He has admitted that he also, besides his allergies and problems with his serve, had some personal problems which affected his game. I had suspected that at the time and I thought that his fitness problems weren't just fitness problems.

He has obviously solved all that - it looks like it's pretty hot and humid in Miami, wouldn't you say?




As for the rankings, I think it's too early to talk about that. Novak would have to win either Roland Garros or Wimbledon to get close to Nadal, I think, and those are still too far away...

Green, he just needs to be close to Nadal on Clay. If he wins a second grandslam it will be at the Open, plus lets remember Nadal has never played particularly well indoors, and the indoor swing of Beijing/Japan, Shanghai, Basel, Paris, and London is another area were Djokovic needs to make up ground. Personally, I don't see him dropping back to #3, I can't see Fed having a groundbreaking clay court season with the amount of easy errors he is giving up.

I don't know just thought it would be fun to look at his old thread from 2011 before we witnessed the coming of Djokovic in his entirety later at wimby and the USO. Haddie was on here back then supporting her guy and nothing has changed in that respect.

socal1976 wrote:Certainly Green, I think he probably will have a three set victory over Nadal on Clay this year. I think his best chance is either Rome or Madrid. Monaco is the slowest court of all the big clay court events, Nadal has never lost there so I don't think that will be the place. But madrid is really quick conditions for a clay court due to the altitude, and Rome is also a relatively quick clay court. Roland Garros is a little slower and Monaco is really slow, and in five sets I don't see it.

I think he takes Belgrade on clay this year in his sleep. He has to be a busy bee during the clay court season this year if he wants to upstage Nadal, I would even consider entering Barcelona a good 500 point event that Nadal skipped last year.

If he can take Belgrade, Barcelona, and do a semi and final in Rome and Monaco, and then possibly win Madrid and get to the final of Roland Garros. A very tough ask no doubt. But if he can manage that he gets 3500 points out of the clay court season and even if Nadal wins 2 masters and Roland Garros he would virtually gain as many points as Nadal in the clay court season, and that would make his getting year end #1 really doable. But I don't know if anyone has the juice to play that many tournaments and do that well in them. Maybe Barcelona is a bridge too far and he skips that like he did last year and still could get 3000 points.

Recap=Monaco semi 250, Rome final 500, Belgrade win 250, Madrid win 1000, RG final 1000, optional Barcelona win 500
         

Who is this guy with his predictions he is a freaking a genius, oh wait it is me.

What is this thread, self-pleasure Djoko time? Or trying to numb the pain you are in from RG draw?

Either one will do you good 

I am not in any pain over the draw it just reinforces what I have known forever about the little extra help Fed gets in the draws.

It would help to know whether this draw thing is an old joke or a symptom of something more unfortunate.

It's an unfortunate old joke.

But socal will forget it the moment Djoko wins the RG and all back to normal.

Nice blast from the past. But given the current context is this year's FO, maybe you could rename it to "the demons he has yet to slay".

Nice to see constructive stuff from most of us here.  Novaks the main man if tennis now, and he's carrying the mantle with just as much class as fedal have

temporary21 wrote:Nice to see constructive stuff from most of us here.

The integrity of the sport does need defending.

The draws aren't done by name. They're fine by seed number. Hence when you have players who swap high seed places a lot, they're quite likely to get drawn a lot on the long term. Tennis' integrity has never really been soo good. It's too players are model sportsmen, the rules as they are apparently written are being well enforced, and I've never seen players so respectful of one another. It's in rude good health, with the main issue being sorting out the schedule to include bigger faster tournies.

Djoko will never carry the mantle in same way as Fedal, beacuse he is not loved or interesting for global audience as Fedal are.

Now temp21, you being a mod you got to keep us in line here and all smooth, but you do need a reality check sometime 

Reality check? Last time I saw Novak WAS the big cheese. He's on a huge run and making mockery of his biggest rivals. He's like what federer was when Agassi was in his elder years. The new big thing who takes over when sentiment for the elder statesman dies out when he retires.  Credit where credits due quite frankly

All true what you said that he is doing all that and kicking ass, but carry the mantle of the No:1 like Fedal did when they were on Top?

Not really, he needs style, aura, be loved and marketable, and he never will be in same level.

So thats the mantle, and not his results.

He's got all those to most of the world. He's not for you of course, which is fair enough   I thought little of him till about 12 months ago.  He's grown up proper, and he's the new king.  Not for everyone but not even fedal was fit everyone. Once fed gives up the elder statesman sentiment will end and it'll become much more apparent

He will break every record, money etc, but will be forgotten next day he quits tennis.

People will remeber only the Fed and Nadal for next 50 years, and that Djoko achieved whatever he will just because Fed got old and Nadal's body expired, true story this one 

If he is winning multiple titles each year, is that not carrying the mantle??

No, he is just wining, carrying the mantle of the worlds best tennis player, is also done outside of the court, and its nowhere near the magic that Fed and Nadal did it with.

He is just not an interesting player for the world man, its simple stuff, nothing against him, just reality.

A career grand slam. More Aussies than roger.  He'll be well remembered.  He's the big man, the head honcho, the big cheese, Mr big, Lord of the rings, the Bourne identity, erm jaws  I forgot the point sorry

I think one can safely say that Novak has earned his success. He has matured greatly over the last year, and in particular since becoming a father.Success has a different meaning for him now.
According to some we shouldn't view these players as humans, merely tennis machines.. so whether he is loved is not in question is it?
Its whether he is a deserving No.1 and to that it has to be a resounding yes. He has earned his place as a top tennis player not a popularity contest

tempo, your point is related to food and big/strong things 

Djoko is happy what he has achieved, he knows he will never be looked as Fed or Nadal, he is fine, trust me, he done more then he ever dreamed, so all good, no panic please!!

I would be impressed if people knew where that came from

One day, one day...