Djokovic - It's Not all Doom and Gloom

Wow.

Double Fault at match point. Something that would've generated odds of about 1,000,000-1.

I think Novak despite the disappointment of not writing his own piece of history will not frown upon this for weeks or months to come. In fact I think he might be glad that the pressure and attention is now silent. Remember last year when the streak ended and many did speculate the after effects and what happened was 2 Slams in the bank!

Djokovic has to understand he has come along way in the last 18 months. Time is on his side. He and Nadal are the main contenders for Slam success. Federer has hit a wall that even at 31 is impossible to reverse. Murray still stuggles for that consistency that will put him in the bracket with Nadal and Djokovic and then Federer.

I feel a more aggressive Djokovic would've romped RG. I think his match with Tsonga and Seppi reeked of hanging in there than mental fortitude. When you claw a match back from the brink with stunning shots like he has against Federer in recent time, makes you wonder why that mindset and tactic is not used over the whole match and not in passages during a match. Federer had a massive meltdown to Djokovic. There clearly is pattern similar to the Nadal and Federer one. It is a barrier that makes a 17th Slam all the more impossible.

Djokovic at 25 has the world at his feet and has more success laying in front of him. I likened his play as a perfect blend of the attacking flair of Federer and amazing defence of Nadal. In 2011 it was a deadly blend. It seems 2012 he has gone more the way of defensive than attacking. He might address the balance before Wimbledon commences. It is not as if there are massive technical flaws in his game. Maybe an increase in his 1st serve % just needs to be up there to his usual high standards.

I think the emotional stress he recently had with the passing of his grandfather may still be lingering on. In some matches he seemed happy to be a passenger. This is not the Djokovic we have seen in recent times. He was dealing with a lot of pressure being a contender to hold all 4 Slams and complete a stunning Grand Slam achievement.

Djokovic will face a stiff challenge at Wimbledon. Nadal with the added confidence of the FO and Federer being back on his more favoured surface. The US Open he will be the heavy favourite. I can't see past him. Also the Olympics this year and I wonder how much of that will be priority given Federer and Nadal will be gunning for it.

If I was a Novak fan I would be happy. This RG has been a massive step. Reaching the final and nearly looking like a shoe in for the title when Nadal imploded. 4 Consecutive Slam Finals is a great achievement. He is keeping with illustrious company. 5 Slams. He isn't done. It is the beginning. I think he will have the opportunity to win all 4 in a calendar year in the years to come. If he can defend his Wimbledon and US Open crown, it will look even more ominous that he will be here again a year from now bidding to do the same again.

My hope, as a fan of Novak, is that this defeat will release some of the pressure he has been playing under.

From the start of the clay swing, he has seemed so tightly wound. I think this has affected his form but I think the best evidence has been the amount of racquet smashing. That has got totally out of control and has frankly become a bit embarassing. It's a shame because I think he made a great start in the almost ambassadorial role that the #1 ranking comes with post-Federer, but he has let himself down with this level of petulance.

In terms of his form, the worry is that he has been struggling to find his best tennis. The comfort is that, even being below par, he made another slam final and was the only person to take a set from Nadal all tournament. I'm hoping the end of the Novak Slam dream will meet the same response as the unbeaten streak in 2011 and see a return to his best tennis.

My gut feeling for the rest of the year is that the USO will be his if gets anywhere near his best. Wimbledon, he is probably just about the favourite but I wouldn't be surprised if Nadal took it. Sadly I no longer consider Fed to have anything more than an outside chance over 5 sets.

I must admit in terms of racquet smashing, I think if anything was pure frustration at himself and I think he knows just playing another 20% better would've been enough in my view.

I think he will win at the US. Wimbledon I still make him favourite. I think next year he may well find himself in the same position chasing history and also will have that much more experience of winning that may see him see it through.

I called the double before he hit it. It was, after all, the third in the match at bp.

I wonder who will have the next Grand Slam opportunity.

Federer, Serena, Nadal, Djokovic, ....

Djokovic LF.

Nadal has struggled with consistency on the Hardcourt.

I am hoping Murray one day at the seniors!

Well good post by LK and murdoch, I agree this will maybe put all the streak pressure and things like that aside and Novak can just focus on his main job which is winning slams. All good things come to an end, Nadal was the better man on the day and losing in a tough match to the greatest clay courter of all time there is no dishonor.

As I said before the match there was already a lot of positives:

-showed the heart in great comebacks
-beat Fed to make sure Roger lost some points and Novak gained some points in this tournament
-gave Nadal his biggest fight in a clay court final and picked himself off the deck

Either way it is a big loss can't minimize it but a pro tennis player at the highest level has is much like a high stakes poker player, you have to live with ups and downs. You have to deal with pushing all your chips and seeing the exact card you don't want come up. Onto wimby and the olympics and hopefully more glory.

socal1976 wrote: As I said before the match there was already a lot of positives:

-showed the heart in great comebacks
-beat Fed to make sure Roger lost some points and Novak gained some points in this tournament
-gave Nadal his biggest fight in a clay court final and picked himself off the deck

I wouldn't get ahead of yourself here socal. Djokovic gained 480 and Fed lost the same number (net 960 gap). However, it's more than feasible that Djokovic could lose the No.1 spot to either Federer or Nadal if he bows out of Wimbledon in the semis (provided Fed/Nadal take part and gain points in Halle).

Djokovic needed those extra points but it doesn't change the fact he needs to hold onto both Wimbledon and the USO. Loses either one and it's a question of when, not if, he becomes No.2.

I can't believe the points haul Federer got for just three clay events. He walks away having given only 500 points to Djokovic and has had a good holiday in advance of this demanding Summer.

Realistically, it could hardly have gone better.

Lucius, if it happens it happens. I am a big picture thinker, I look at the subtleties in his game and Novak is still working very hard and you can tell. If you have closely observed his development. For example, look at his volleys he didn't have these a couple of years ago. He volleys against Nadal much more effectively than Federer or Murray ever have. So yes you can lose battles but Novak I think is a bit off form but is still working hard and adding things to his game. Whether fed can grab a couple of weeks at number 1 and break sampras record or not may be a big deal to you fed fans it isn't really that big a deal to me.

socal1976 wrote:Lucius, if it happens it happens. I am a big picture thinker, I look at the subtleties in his game and Novak is still working very hard and you can tell. If you have closely observed his development. For example, look at his volleys he didn't have these a couple of years ago. He volleys against Nadal much more effectively than Federer or Murray ever have. So yes you can lose battles but Novak I think is a bit off form but is still working hard and adding things to his game. Whether fed can grab a couple of weeks at number 1 and break sampras record or not may be a big deal to you fed fans it isn't really that big a deal to me.

I see your perspective socal, after all there are important things Novak still needs to do as he's 25 and has 2 to 3 more of his peak years left. Federer's situation is slightly different, everything he now does is setting a new record of some sort. Hence why the more important ones matter to Fed fans especially the weeks at No.1 among others. In an ideal world, my wish list for Fed would be, for this year:

a) Win Wimbledon, USO & Halle
b) Win Olympic Gold
c) Take No.1 spot

I'd be happy for Fed to retire after achieving these feats. As you can see, taking the No.1 spot isn't the top of the list but I'm more than aware of the seeding advantages which is crucial for Fed to get, especially for the USO. If Fed gets No.2 spot and Nadal is drawn on Djokovic's side of the draw and they have another Super Saturday (or Stupid Saturday, whatever you prefer) then Fed stands a good chance of winning.

Yes lucius all very plausible I talked about the same possibility of a golden draw opening up like that for fed if he can get to number 2 or 1. But lets see in the scenario you post I would still favor Nadal and Djoko even if they played a tough match the day before. But that is just the way that I see it. At the same time I would not be surprised to see Roger win another slam, his level of play while off of his best is still very high.

At the USO? If Djokovic and Nadal played a tough 5 setter on super Saturday in the semis, I'd think Fed stands the better chance of taking out Djokovic in the final. Fed has twice had two match points. Will Fed let it slip by a third time? Unless he's fallen in form even more in the grand slams, I hope not. We'll see where his form is @ Wimbledon. If he can make the semis, I'm hopeful. One thing I am immensely happy about is that Fed will get No.2 spot in the next few months and will get that potentially critical No.2 seed for the USO.