Wimbledon Day 13 - Ain't got time to oil the Hingis, nor to mend the window Paes...(lyrics from This Nole House)

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legendkillarV2 wrote:

kemet wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Well done Novak. 9th Slam.

Have to feel that was Feds last chance. So sombre after Friday's performance.

The only way he has a shot next year is if Novak gets eliminated before the final and the effects of aging can be held in temporary abeyance for yet another year

Well he had that at the US Open last year when Nishikori took out Djokovic. He was taken out by Cilic.

This defeat just feels so flat because of how well he played against Murray and even Simon.

Roger's only chance at another slam is going to be at Wimbledon. There are too many players (eg Cilic) who can overpower him on the US hardcourts. He has not made a slam final outside of Wimbledon since the Australian Open in 2010.

He CANNOT deal with big hitters anymore on most surfaces except Wimbledon.

But I concede that my argument seems weak because I did not qualify it by saying that his best chance at a slam remains at Wimbledon

The old man will come back. He might even make another final. But we might have to accept he isn't in a million years going through two top gun players for a slam.

a great effort to drag the second set but novaks response was brilliant they move to 20-20 in the h2h novakleads the slam and grass record now

kemet wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

kemet wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Well done Novak. 9th Slam.

Have to feel that was Feds last chance. So sombre after Friday's performance.

The only way he has a shot next year is if Novak gets eliminated before the final and the effects of aging can be held in temporary abeyance for yet another year

Well he had that at the US Open last year when Nishikori took out Djokovic. He was taken out by Cilic.

This defeat just feels so flat because of how well he played against Murray and even Simon.

Roger's only chance at another slam is going to be at Wimbledon. There are too many players (eg Cilic) who can overpower him on the US hardcourts. He has not made a slam final outside of Wimbledon since the Australian Open in 2010.

He CANNOT deal with big hitters anymore on most surfaces except Wimbledon.

But I concede that my argument seems weak because I did not qualify it by saying that his best chance at a slam remains at Wimbledon

It's not a weak argument. For me his serve didn't hold up today or his BH. Given his vast array of shots, that's a lot to go wrong and puts total reliance on his FH.

He needs a FO 2009 massacre to make the 18.

banbrotam wrote:The elements make such a difference to all the top three. It's now a medium-fast court, whereas last week it was amongst the fastest courts we'd had all year

Roger's not beating Novak when it's like this

Nonsense. Several playrs have said it's slower than last year.

Sadly, the match went much like I expected.  Roger is unable to produce back-to-back performances like he produced on Friday.  In fact, he is usually unable to produce even a single performance like that.

Even so, the dramatic drop in his game between the two matches was still disappointing.  I thought that Nole would win in 3-4 sets, but I still expected it to feel more competitive.  This one was really Nole all-the-way from the moment he broke back in the first set.

Fed barely scraped through that second set but by then it was clear that Nole was far the better player.

While Friday's match was one of the best matches Roger played in years, today's match was worse than some of the matches he played against Nole this year.

Nole did not even have to play all that well, and did not really hit his stride until maybe late in the third set.

Federer served at 67% that is very impressive. The problem is novak'a return was phenomenol. He was hitting the returns back with interest, not much any player can do about that. Djokovic saved his best performance for the final.

Federer with 67% first serve probably would have beaten anybody else today

Federer has only one option now. Which is to win in straight sets. Once the 1st went - and even worse, to a tie break - it was done. The 2nd offered pride but he was gone by early in the 3rd.

Never mind, all good things...... The game has to move on, bigger hitters are needed.

I think the ESPN crew was too harsh on Roger's missed chance in the third set. The otherworldly quality of Novak's returning at that point MADE him go for too much on his forehand at the net in the game he was broken. In fact, this was a constant theme throughout the match.

Novak's brutally efficient game is the playing style to beat in today's game.

Djokovic you have to give credit just went for it after the second set and pounded the returns.

I am with BB. Federer needs the first set if he is to go on and win a BO5.

I think I said this last year after the Wimbledon Final that Roger may get an 18th slam but needs things to fall right for him. He needs to perhaps navigate through to a final without Novak in it and he'd be hot favourite to win it. Problem is Novak is so rock solid at the moment that more often than not he is reaching the slam final.

Fed losing his serve after breaking Novak's in the first set really cost him that first set, and his chance of winning the match, imo.

Novak not only served and returned well but was hitting his shots with depth and precision. Fed looked half a step slow and was hitting so many shots into the net! I really don't see anyone beating Novak on grass these days, when a top form Fed couldnt. Maybe Novak could aim for Borg's Wimbledon record as his next target there?

In the post-match interview Fed used the words "rock solid" to describe Djoko. Very apt. It was always asking a lot for Fed to produce another serving masterclass in the final, especially against a returner of the class of Djoko.
At nearly 34, Fed should not beat himself up over this. There'll be talk of him missing another GS chance, but he's still number two in the world and getting to big finals. Long may it last.
As for Djoko. Dare we suggest he could actually win more Slams than Rafa, or will the Spaniard come roaring back ?
A top-performing Nadal would be about the only thing that could stop Djoko at the moment.

Nadal act as a 'spoiler' preventing Fed and Novak from winning many more slams. I agree, that a top form Rafa is the only one who could stop Novak at the slams, at least more consistently than Stan could, I do feel this year is very much like 2009,when Rafa was down that year, it benefited Fed the most right up to AO2010. Rafa was playing well at UsO2013 and AO2014 and his misfortune last year to a certain degree had made it easier for Novak at the AO and FO this year, though Novak still couldn't win the FO.

I really hope Rafa can come back hitting top form again, if not there's really no one who can stop Novak.

Good quality match, congrats to Djokovic fans- Nole played great today !!

Commiserations to Fed fans, but he has had a fantastic fortnight overall, and has shown he's not done just yet.

Interesting quote from Roddick on BBC:

"Back in the '04 final, we went off for a pretty significant rain delay and it's never easy. I remember walking behind Roger and I was sweating like I had done something very wrong. I looked on the back of Roger's neck and there was not a drop of sweat on there. I may have lost that match right there."

HM and social, curious to hear your thoughts on the final. I have to admit I thought federer would win this one but Novak definitely delivered his best performance at just the right time. His service returns were incredible and he made so few unforced errors. A really good performance overall.

The only criticism would be that he should have won the 2nd set tie break.

I didn't get to watch it live, so I've only just watched it now. A few thoughts:

1) Federer clearly wasn't at the level he reached on Friday. Some of that was due to Novak, who played very well and seems to have the knack of reading Federer's serve, but Roger had obviously dropped a level too.

2) Novak hit his forehand with more agression than he did in the RG final or in any of the previous 6 matches of Wimbledon. Good to see him raise his game for the final. I wish he'd play with this mindset more often.

3) Novak has now defended titles at two slam events. A good achievement. Winning three titles at two different slams is also something that hasn't been achieved by many.

4) It is bonkers that Novak now has 3 Wimbledons but only 1 USO.

5) Federer was sheer class in his speech in the presentation ceremony.

Overall, not a classic final but still a decent one.

Belovedluckyboy wrote:I really hope Rafa can come back hitting top form again, if not there's really no one who can stop Novak.

I would love to see Djokovic's peer Murray do better at slams, instead of losing to the Old Man in straight sets. Wawrinka is not done yet either.

slashermcguirk wrote:HM and social, curious to hear your thoughts on the final. I have to admit I thought federer would win this one but Novak definitely delivered his best performance at just the right time. His service returns were incredible and he made so few unforced errors. A really good performance overall.

The only criticism would be that he should have won the 2nd set tie break.

Well slasher you hit the nail on the head when you talked about what a great returning exhibition Novak put on. I saw numerous deliveries by Fed that would have been aces or unreturnables against any other player but many of those serves were not only brought back but brought back with such venom that Federer was put on the defense after coming up with a very good serve. I mean for Fed to serve 68 percent on grass in terms of first serve percentage and to be pressured on his serve like that shows Novak's return quality. Additionally, the Djokovic serve is better this year than it has ever been. People may point to Fed's inability to convert BPs, but that would be a shallow analysis. On most of those BPs Novak leaned back and saved the BP with a huge first serve.

I disagree with those who think this match was decided on fitness. I mean Roger hardly broke a sweat this week and the long rain delay would help him gain some wind if he was fatigued. Really this should have been a three set match because Novak had so many set points in the second losing that second by the razor thinnest of margins.

Not to gloat but I predicted this would be a four setter and Novak would win. Because Novak's serve is so strong and is helped by the added little pace he gets off the grass. Federer also can not attack Novak's second serve the way he can attack Murray's. Novak has a strong kick serve that is much heavier and harder than Murray. That is the biggest qualitative advantage for Novak in comparison to Murray that helps him in this matchup. The serve and return determines most matches. Where Roger has a better serve than Novak, Novak's serve has improved and closed that gap a great deal. But on the return Novak enjoys a bigger superiority and a bigger gap in quality between himself and Roger.

For example, if I was to grade each players serve and return on a hundred point scale it would be something like this.

Fed Serve 90
Djoko serve 85

Fed return 80
Djoko return 92

Avg of both
Fed 85
Djoko 88.5

The problem Roger had was not only was Djokovic winning the battle of the first ball (serve and return) Djoko was also the superior player, mover, and has the better backhand once you get into the medium and longer exchanges. So fed had the double whammy of losing the battle of serve and return and being against a player much better than him from the baseline. Really, this match should have been 3 sets but I rightly predicted a serving brainfart from Djoko giving Fed a set.

Stan is too inconsistent and theres really only so much he could do, I mean hes 2-4 vs Novak at the slams from AO2013 onwards; Rafa was 4-0 vs Novak after AO2012, barring this year. Murray is Murray, after his triumph at Wimbledon 2013, he has been losing to Novak at the slams. In fact Murray had his best chance at the AO this year but he threw it away.

I hope Murray can rise to the occasion at Wimbledon at least, now that Fed couldnt even stop Novak on grass.

Nice analysis social, totally agree with you. Djokovic serve has really improved, he has out a lot more weight on his 2nd serve, regularly clocking at over 100 mph!

He was so dialed in on the return, he has incredible reflexes.hopefully he can kick on now and maybe pus for another us open. As HM said, very surprised to see him with 3 wimbledons and just one us open. That will hopefully change in the years ahead

Very well done by Djokovic! I started watching as a neutral, but when I saw the crowd going berserk as if they were at a Man U match (there is no doubt that is the team they support) for every Federer point, even if it was off a Djoko error I was rooting for the Serb.

The near silence from the glory hunting crowd as Djokovic ruthlessly and stylishly closed out the match was a joy to behold!

I do really like Federer as a player, that backhand in particular is a work of art. But the crowd were so biased it was annoying, I think the Beeb were pretty biased towards Fed as well.

slashermcguirk wrote:Nice analysis social, totally agree with you. Djokovic serve has really improved, he has out a lot more weight on his 2nd serve, regularly clocking at over 100 mph!

He was so dialed in on the return, he has incredible reflexes.hopefully he can kick on now and maybe pus for another us open. As HM said, very surprised to see him with 3 wimbledons and just one us open. That will hopefully change in the years ahead

I could see it happening now that he has put the RG loss to bed with winning the biggest tournament in the world against the games best ever. The one time he won the USO in 2011 he came into the US hardcourt swing with a lot of wind at his sails back in 2011. I feel a similar vibe going on this year. I mean he has owned the major crowns on tour with little exception going back to Paris of last year. He has won 8 of the last 9 first tier tournaments he has entered dating back to Nov. of 2014. The only loss being in the final against an unreal Stan in Paris. So if you were to pick a favorite for New York you would be hard pressed to look passed the serb.

VTR wrote:Very well done by Djokovic! I started watching as a neutral, but when I saw the crowd going berserk as if they were at a Man U match (there is no doubt that is the team they support) for every Federer point, even if it was off a Djoko error I was rooting for the Serb.

The near silence from the glory hunting crowd as Djokovic ruthlessly and stylishly closed out the match was a joy to behold!

I do really like Federer as a player, that backhand in particular is a work of art. But the crowd were so biased it was annoying, I think the Beeb were pretty biased towards Fed as well.

I loved Djokovic's level in the fourth set. He was the better player throughout but in that fourth set with the wind at his sails he really stamped his mark on the match. Yes you do get a feeling that he was the odd man out in terms of appreciation this Wimbeldon. But the understated brilliance of his game and what some might call lack of love he receives for what he gives only makes me as a true fan appreciate him more. He certainly is not the trendy pick in any slam final.

VTR wrote:Very well done by Djokovic! I started watching as a neutral, but when I saw the crowd going berserk as if they were at a Man U match (there is no doubt that is the team they support) for every Federer point, even if it was off a Djoko error I was rooting for the Serb.

The near silence from the glory hunting crowd as Djokovic ruthlessly and stylishly closed out the match was a joy to behold!

I do really like Federer as a player, that backhand in particular is a work of art. But the crowd were so biased it was annoying, I think the Beeb were pretty biased towards Fed as well.

Harsh on the crowd; Wimbledon tends to love it's old greats (see the love for Martina, Steffi, Pete, etc.) plus Fed plays a game that many including me just love. Novak also doesn't help himself some of the time (what the Hell was he up to blowing up at someone late in the match?).

I won't be defending the BBC, their coverage has become barely watchable.

socal - I think the 4th set was against a knackered opponent, it got easy. In some ways it was an exaggerated version of W 2012 when Murray was wilting in the 4th against Federer and the game stopped looking close. His more impressive tennis came earlier imo.

bogbrush wrote:

VTR wrote:Very well done by Djokovic! I started watching as a neutral, but when I saw the crowd going berserk as if they were at a Man U match (there is no doubt that is the team they support) for every Federer point, even if it was off a Djoko error I was rooting for the Serb.

The near silence from the glory hunting crowd as Djokovic ruthlessly and stylishly closed out the match was a joy to behold!

I do really like Federer as a player, that backhand in particular is a work of art. But the crowd were so biased it was annoying, I think the Beeb were pretty biased towards Fed as well.

Harsh on the crowd; Wimbledon tends to love it's old greats (see the love for Martina, Steffi, Pete, etc.) plus Fed plays a game that many including me just love. Novak also doesn't help himself some of the time (what the Hell was he up to blowing up at someone late in the match?).

I won't be defending the BBC, their coverage has become barely watchable.

socal - I think the 4th set was against a knackered opponent, it got easy. In some ways it was an exaggerated version of W 2012 when Murray was wilting in the 4th against Federer and the game stopped looking close. His more impressive tennis came earlier imo.

I really don't understand this fed exhaustion thing in the 4th set. To be fair you aren't the only one making this argument on Espn most of the commentators are pointing to that as well. For me you just had a significant respite with the rain delay. Despite a few long points it wasn't a particularly physical match, Fed hadn't been pushed very much in previous rounds so I just don't see it. I think what did cause Federer to lose his roll if you would say by the fourth set was the consistent depth of Novak off the ground and his own inability to get enough free points off the serve. Yes there were a couple of 20 plus shot rallies but there were also a lot of routine holds and the dominant pattern of play was short games and short points. I thought honestly coming into this match Fed would need a similar serving performance like he had against Murray where he was into the 70s for first serve percentage with quality first serves. He was a bit short of that mark and tired or not was not going to beat Novak without a lot of success on serve and a lot of quicker points.

Well done to Novak. Better player on the day. Think that first set was vital. Federer losing serve immediately after breaking was a big turning point. Also he was serving under 60% first serves in during that set and then played a poor tie break. The second set tie break was pretty brutal and I think as others have found out this year the effort that Federer had to put in to stay in the set and win that tie break was hugely draining. Once Djokovic got established into set 3 and won it there was very little chance Federer would win even if he took it to 5. As the commentators said Djokovic's ability to quickly overcome the disappointment of losing the second set after having so many set points was impressive.

socal you should have watched the BBc. Fatigue was first mentioned midway through the second set.

Fourth set ...hmm maybe fatigue but therefore what happened in the first and third set which were won by Djokovic? End of the day Roger (I think said as much post-match) and his fans should follow suit and just agree Novak was just too good just as Roger was too good on Friday. It happens.

Novak made Fed run a lot yesterday. I felt he took Fed's legs out from under him by dictating the match behind his serve. Whenever they got in a baseline rally it was Novak who was the primary aggressor. I'm not sure what the final stats were but Fed had done more running than Novak midway through the 3rd. I agree with those who felt Fed was running on empty in the 4th - although I suspect there was also a mental element to it as well.

I don't think Federer was physically fatigued in the sense that he was exhausted.

But at nearly 34, I think he knows he's not going to turn around the momentum and lead that Djokovic had. He needed that first set.

It's a by-product of his being older. He may not be pooped but he knows he can't summon the energy to turn around the particular match situation he was in.

Tough to sustain the energy and motivation in those circumstances.

Djokovic was the better player, and when they meet in a match of any consequence in the next 1-2 years he is likely to continue to be the better player.

He put far more pressure, physical and, crucially, mental on the aspects of Fed's game that win him matches.  Getting the immediate break back in the 1st set when Fed did not play a particularly bad service game was all I needed to believe that Fed would need a miracle.

I agree with those who say Fed got knackered as the game wore on - not due to a physical beating, but mentally.  Fed knew that unless Djoko's level dropped his best was not good enough, in the opposite way Djoko got more confident as he realised that the match was on his racquet and, like the great champion he is, relished that fact rather than got unnerved by it.

As Krajicek said this morning, Fed is still a Wimbledon possibility for the next couple of years, but like RG in 2009 he needs someone else to dispose of his nemesis.

Federer can't play amazing in a final like he can in the QF/SF the pressure and expectation infests on him as he's gotten older. Nearly 34 years old and still higher ranked than Nadal and Murray. We'll see how Djokovic is playing in his 30's my guess is he won't get beyond the 3rd round too often when he ages

Born Slippy wrote:Novak made Fed run a lot yesterday. I felt he took Fed's legs out from under him by dictating the match behind his serve. Whenever they got in a baseline rally it was Novak who was the primary aggressor. I'm not sure what the final stats were  but Fed had done more running than Novak midway through the 3rd. I agree with those who felt Fed was running on empty in the 4th - although I suspect there was also a mental element to it as well.

I'm certain it was a factor, you could see it on some returns and in playing squash shots at "inappropriate" times.

That said it's no kind of excuse ort anything, just a fact(or). I saw it in reverse in 2012; Murray looked really drained by the 4th set because Federer made him change direction almost continually during that match.

CaledonianCraig wrote:socal you should have watched the BBc. Fatigue was first mentioned midway through the second set.

Fourth set ...hmm maybe fatigue but therefore what happened in the first and third set which were won by Djokovic? End of the day Roger (I think said as much post-match) and his fans should follow suit and just agree Novak was just too good just as Roger was too good on Friday. It happens.

Yeah CC, I didn't see fatigue as really being a big part of the defeat but it seems to always be an issue whenever Fed loses a match to a younger player it seems to be part of reasoning that fatigue or tiredness played a role. That is fine if people argue that, I mean one man's excuse is another man's analysis. And certainly loss fitness does play into the results of 5 set matches. However I don't think that this match was a particularly draining or tiring affair with the delay and a lot of free points on serve and short points in general.

I haven't read a lot of what was said about the match yesterday, I was on Henman hill to watch it so didn't have commentary. However, I thought it was pretty simple, Federer had to serve like he did against Murray and he didn't. If he did, the first set would have been over as soon as he broke. As soon as the rally went more than 5 shots I was just waiting for a Federer shank or error.

This might be controversial but I think Murray would have beaten the Federer who played in the final, Federer played grass court tennis of the 90s in the SF, he was made to play with Novaks strengths on Sunday.

I mean, Federer was somewhat lucky to have not lost in straight sets. It had a sense of inevitability about if around 4-4 in the first set, in Shanghai and Dubai Federer played amazing attacking tennis with great serving and excellent approaches. He didn't yesterday, that being said he certainly didn't serve badly he just had to be flawless, Novak on the other hand served superbly.

on a side note, at the end of Wimbledon '12 who would have thought 3 years on Novak wouldn't have won the US open again but had 3 Wimbledons?!?! It's an interesting one.

Well I thought fed did looked tired, which us a big worry as he had only 9 hours of tennis coming into the match but tbh he was well beaten in all respects anyway

I too also think Federer became a bit tired, I couldn't believe that stat that came up that said he had run a lot more than Novak. He lost the first set because he's playing the number 1  in the world and was out of his comfort zone not because of tiredness, but the 4th set he looked cooked. Even though it was 'just' 4 sets he hadn't had to do anything like that kind of running before the final, he let his tennis not his legs do the work. Novak made him do both and he was getting to shots too late, moving out to his forehand on the run was the point over in his prime, it was point over yesterday too because he got there too late!

That is not saying Novak only won because he's the younger man (that being said 6 years in sport is a lot) Novak made Federer do more because he is the greatest mover the game has ever seen, and he's an awesome ball striker where he rarely misses.

The greatest mover part is a bit of an exaggeration imo; Ive seen both Fed and Rafa moved as well if not better during their peak and on all surfaces. Novak slides around makes him quick but he slips more often on grass (even on clay) than the other two.

The current Novak is on top of his game whilst Fed and Rafa arent and to me that's the difference During their heydays, Fed and Rafa rarely misses too, Fed was well known for his laser like precision tennis, Rafa for his unbelievable topspin heavy shots which dropped in on the lines just when we thought the ball was going out.

Novak played the right game vs Fed; as I mentioned earlier on, Novak could extend Fed for another set whilst Murray couldnt. Novak has/had the ability to move Fed all over the place and pinned Fed at the baseline with his deep penetrating shots.

I do feel Fed was nervous facing Novak, couldnt repeat his great serving of his SF, perhaps the demon of last year's close loss in the final was haunting him. His costly mistake was losing his serve after he broke Novak's in the first set, maybe if his won the first set, Novak would be under pressure to win the second set and might start missing.

Not a chance.

I am no Novak fan, but his movement and flexibility on the court surpasses anyone I have ever seen.

Nah, watch both Fed's and Rafa's matches of their earlier days, they're just so quick!

Rafa on clay especially, which is why he was able to run around his BH to hit his FH so often; even as recent as last year FO, Rafa was still so quick leaving Murray and Novak not much chances to get past him.

Fed on grass during his peak, I doubt Novak could surpass him. Novak has his flexibility no doubt but as I said, on clay and on grass, he tends to slip more. Rafa and Fed, their movements on any surface were just so good, rarely slipped - I'm talking about their movements during their heydays. Both Fed and Rafa are half a step slow these days, when they are slow getting to shots and thus the shanking/mis-hits.

I would also say Monfils and Murray are also very quick around the courts. The retrieving Novak made during the final, Ive seen similar ones done by Rafa, Monfils and Murray.

Nadal on clay is deffo faster than Novak. You watch their matches in the past and Novak doesn't push off as well, as he has to keep on sliding and Rafa can take advantage. He dpesn't have Rafa's footspeed but makes up for it on hard courts with the sliding.
Rafa is at one with clay.

Your talking speed rather than actual movement.

The fact Novak can make up yards with his sliding is beyond freakish! Hell most would break their ankles at the mere attempt of it. To translate that over different surfaces is superb.

Yes Nadal and Federer have clean footwork, granted I give them that, but to see someone stretch their body like Djokovic does, scary!

Come on Fed, crush himmm......oh wait sh1t wtf happened?

Congrats to 3 of Djoko fans here, compared to last year where Djoko was a little lucky, this year he beat Fed fair and square, no doubt there, well deserved.

I'll give Djoko one thing, he is the most unloved players at the top ever, crowd is against him everywhere (mostly due to his animal/annoying/antipathy behavior), but he still fights and wins, which is no small feat, rage is a big bonus in sports, and that helps him a lot.

Tennis crowds can be a bit well snobby somtimes, in the nicest sense of the word. They wanted the old champion to do it again... and often do, Wimby in particular have always gone for that. Novak had every right to shout t that guy near the end, he tried to put him off his second serve because he coudnt stand him winning, which is a basic disrespect to the match.

Federer, amongst everything else of course, is very cosmopolitan, easily likable especially to the British, Novaks manner is a bit more rough round the edges, which crowds dont like, but hes very well liked in general. He also never gets much national support, with no really big tourny in Estern Europe

Jahu wrote:Come on Fed, crush himmm......oh wait sh1t wtf happened?

Congrats to 3 of Djoko fans here, compared to last year where Djoko was a little lucky, this year he beat Fed fair and square, no doubt there, well deserved.

I'll give Djoko one thing, he is the most unloved players at the top ever, crowd is against him everywhere (mostly due to his animal/annoying/antipathy behavior), but he still fights and wins, which is no small feat, rage is a big bonus in sports, and that helps him a lot.

I see your touched by the hand of a woman again as you are making full sentences!!

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Jahu wrote:Come on Fed, crush himmm......oh wait sh1t wtf happened?

Congrats to 3 of Djoko fans here, compared to last year where Djoko was a little lucky, this year he beat Fed fair and square, no doubt there, well deserved.

I'll give Djoko one thing, he is the most unloved players at the top ever, crowd is against him everywhere (mostly due to his animal/annoying/antipathy behavior), but he still fights and wins, which is no small feat, rage is a big bonus in sports, and that helps him a lot.

I see your touched by the hand of a woman again as you are making full sentences!!

Hahahahah, was on little trip to Italian seaside with lovely poor italian girls (no emotions involved)

Don't poke me now

temporary21 wrote:Tennis crowds can be a bit well snobby somtimes, in the nicest sense of the word. They wanted the old champion to do it again... and often do, Wimby in particular have always gone for that. Novak had every right to shout t that guy near the end, he tried to put him off his second serve because he coudnt stand him winning, which is a basic disrespect to the match.

Federer, amongst everything else of course, is very cosmopolitan, easily likable especially to the British, Novaks manner is a bit more rough round the edges, which crowds dont like, but hes very well liked in general. He also never gets much national support, with no really big tourny in Estern Europe

Agreed with you on Novak yelling at the fan. The fan's behaviour was utterly disrespectful, boorish and crass and was intended to put Novak off his game. So you will not hear any disagreements from me there.

As for Novak's demeanour, he is just a really intense guy, and this is what it takes for him to win.

This is why as much as I was very happy with Roger's performance in the Wimbledon semi, I knew that to beat Andy is one thing, but to beat Novak, a play at the absolute pinnacle of his game would have been an altogether different proposition.

Novak is simply the number one player from the baseline with a very effective serve.