There will be blood - whose remains to be seen.

That may depend on Rafa’s feet, which should be better by now. I like his chances too, since he’s had a little rest. Novak, even though he didn’t play long & hard (!) in the Qs or Semis in Roma, will still be a little more fatigued than Roger or Rafa, who had a little more, em, R & R.

Then there’s Tsonga & Murray; if either strings together a couple of good matches, momentum can work wonders, and they both have some talent, though clay is not either’s specialty surface.

Should be interesting…

“Federer though seems to be healthy and as long as he doesn’t run into a guy who’s engaged or rumored to be engaged (Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, Radek Stepanek) things should look bright for the Swiss”

I must say - this is very very funny :D

“Federer though seems to be healthy and as long as he doesn’t run into a guy who’s engaged or rumored to be engaged (Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick, Radek Stepanek) things should look bright for the Swiss”

federer should bite the bullet and pop the question to his longtime gf then maybe that would help him climb out of his slump lol

unless he’s just using mirka as window dressing for his alternative lifestyle

Sean,
“I think Novak has the only game to beat Nadal on clay when Nadal is on. But I don’t think that happens here.”

On his best day, Djoko has the game to beat anyone on any surface, but you could be right he may not get past Nadal in Hamburg unless Nadal is physically in a bad shape. Also, looking at Djoko’s history, I am not ready to believe yet he will win two big tournaments in a row. Most importantly, according to Djoko, Hamburg is not in his list of must-do-better this year. He will be happy if he makes it to the quarter and be able to retain his points. But that is secondary, as a long term strategy. He stated the other day in his interview that he had Rome and French Open in his sight to do better. So, he has mentally given up Hamburg; instead, he will be focusing on French. If he gets to play a couple of matches at Hamburg, he will take that more as a prep toward French. If Nadal falls early, and if everything goes easy for Djoko and if he starts winning at Hamburg, Djoko’s plan might get disarrayed. So, in normal circumstances, he hopes he can get out of Hamburg early and start preparing for French.

Djokovic played only three full matches in Rome and was fortunate that both Federer and Nadal were dismissed in previous rounds. This was not an admirable win by any stretch. It may as well have been the Costa do Sauipe warm-up.

A Montreal-style victory would have been superb, but alas, “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.” In Novak’s case, a nice lift in ranking points to make up a bit for Miami.

Anything can happen.

I like tennis bullies not tennis sissies,
You are gay

Djoko is a wonderful player and deserves to be world no. 3 at this point in time. Djoko won 3 major tournaments this year. First against unseeded Tsonga, Second against unseeded Mardy Fish, and now against unseeded Wawrinka. Fortunately or unfortunately for him..they were all unseeded first timers in the finals.

To Shital Green, excellent analysis

No. of top 5 players Novak beat on clay this year = 0

No. of top 10 players Novak beat on clay this year = 0

No. of top 15 players Novak beat on clay this year = 0

No. of top 20 players Novak beat on clay this year = 1 (The ever consistent and presently on a super winning streak - andy murray!)

The one time he had a real fight on his hand from a guy who actually knows how to play the big matches, chokovic choked and retired. Hard to this guy win a 3 out of 5 guy against nadal at RG even if nadal is 50% of his actual level. Just in case you dont know, choker is yet to win a set off nadal in 3 matches. He is young so he might still pull the FO like he did rome, but it will not be without a dollop of fortune. It will definitely not be through a federer or nadal playing at their very best.

Let us face it, chokovic is yet to show us that he can survive a top gun’s onslaught and hang around enough to beat a real champion like federer or nadal. Once things start going away from him he has invariably throw in the towel. Cannot imagine another champion who was such a coward that he has to retire the moment he knows a thrashing is in the offering. He is the very definition of a sissy!

It will be so good if murray/baghdatis/gasquet get their head straight and put the chokovic’s abilities in perspective.

On just the facts, Djokovic has no chance against Nadal on clay. They’ve played 3 times over 3 years on clay and Djokovic hasn’t even taken a single set off Nadal, let alone beat him. His win in Rome did give a lot of food for thought, and Kash points out the gist of it.

Djokovic has won two ATP Masters Series this year, Indian Wells & Rome. But when I look at the draw sheets of both tournaments I see something tough to believe. Djokovic played 11 matches in both tournaments and he faced a Top Ten Player only once: Nadal in the IW Semis. That’s it. Can you imagine? Two tournaments at the Masters Series level, and over 11 matches you only have to face a Top Ten guy one time. More to the point, in the Final of each one he was hardly dominant. Djokovic almost blew it at Indian Wells, serving for the championship at 5-3 in the 2nd Set, he promptly got broken twice, lost the last 4 games of the set and had to go to a 3rd Set. And in Rome he had to dig himself out of a hole, based in part to Stan’s already slow movement slowing even further as the match went on.

Contrast that to Nadal, who had to beat 3 GUYS IN THE TOP 5 just to win Monte Carlo for the fourth time (Ferrer, Davydenko & Federer). Even getting to the Final in Miami, Nadal had to beat 2 guys in the Top 10 just to make it there (Blake & Berdych). Nadal is 7-3 vs. Top Ten guys this year; Djokovic is 3-3 against them, and in two of the losses he quit without finishing the match (to Federer & Davydenko, while Roddick beat him outright in Dubai). Since Quitovic wants his retirements to these guys to carry the excuse asterisk next to the L he gets, then let’s apply the same standard to his W’s against them: Federer ill in Australia & Nadal with a toe injury in Indian Wells. So his lone legit win this year against a Top Ten guy was against Ferrer in Australia.

Djokovic is still the opportunist at this stage, and he gets the press now because the clay season represents his best chance to gain ranking points. After Hamburg, Djokovic will have lots of defending to do. He has Semis-or-Better Ranking Points to defend for a LONG stretch of the remaining calendar: The French, Wimbledon, Canada, US Open, Vienna, and Madrid. His goal then will be to avoid another early loss like he had in Marseille & Miami in all 6 of these tournaments. He played the clay season with no pressure, but the pressure for him is gonna start intensifying for him once we get to Roland Garros. Lets see how he’s coped with it by the time we get to the ATP Paris event in the Fall.

In 7 tournaments he played this year, Fed did not beat any top 10 players in a real sense on any surface, let alone clay. At Aussie 2008, he lost to Djoko in straight sets; at Dubai, to Murray; at Indian Wells, to Fish in straight sets; at Miami, to Roddick; at Estoril, won because Davydenko retired due to injuries; at Monte Carlo, made it to the Final because Djoko retired due to strip throat; and at Rome, lost to Stepanek in straight sets on clay.
Fed is without a title so far except Estoril, a small tournament with 175 ranking points (Race points 40 only).

Let me repeat once again Djoko is the ATP Race Leader, i.e. he has played better than any one else this year, and that includes one SF and one win at the two clay court Master Series. Fed is behind by a large margin, 186 points. Only if Fed takes over Djoko in Race points this year or any other year in future, I will believe Djoko is no match for him. I firmly believe Djoko will keep his words that he will do better than last year at RG, i.e. he will get to the Final. Let’s just wait until French Open, to make a bit more conclusive comparison between Fed and Djoko in 2008. The symptoms are good for Djoko, but not so good for Fed so far. And end of the year will speak the truth.

Kash,

“choker is yet to win a set off nadal in 3 matches.”

I assume you mean on clay, since Djokovic beat Rafa in IW this year, and of course in Montreal last year.

Tennis-Lover,

You’re right that Novak didn’t face a “seeded” player in those finals, but it’s important to note:

a) that he knocked out Rafa at IW and Roger at AO

and

b) that he played the hot players of each tournamnent in the finals: Tsonga of course knocking out Rafa at AO; Fish knocking out Nalby & Fed at IW; and Wawrinka breaking into the top ten with his win in Roma.

It is obvious he hasnt got the strength to deal with Federer or Nadal during whole year, but I can’t see how can you measure some of his wins by number of matches with Top 10. Sorry for you to hear, but at Australia, Nadal wasn’t number 2 in the world at that moment, Tsonga was, and he proved it. He is supposed to meat Top 10 playes in quaters, semis or in finals.. At AUS that was the case. Ferrer, Federer, and than he faced Tsonga who smashed Nadal… And against Federer, Novak’s game was at high level. It is true that you play well as much as your opponent lets you, but he played well, and he got the game in his hands. It is true that presure on him is great now, but i believe he can achieve quaters at RG, and semis at WBL and US… With more luck, he can get higher. But at this moment, he cannot beat Nadal at clay nor Federer at grass. Also, Nadal isn’t the favour to win matches at high-speeded surfaces against Novak. Hope these 2 months will give us new champions and something more interesting than Federer’s time

Kash,

“chokovic is yet to show us that he can survive a top gun’s onslaught and hang around enough to beat a real champion like federer or nadal. ”

Again, I have to assume you mean on clay, since he’s beaten Fed and Rafa on hardcourts, more than once in each case, and he may’ve had a chance at beating Rafa at Wimbledon if he weren’t injured with blisters like Rafa is now. It’s highly likely if Rafa had to play a 5 setter with those feet, he, too, would’ve had to retire. Djoko took a set off Rafa at Wimbledon and he could barely move.

You’re right in that it does remain to be seen whether Djokovic can beat either of Roger or Rafa on clay.

I am not saying Djokovic is as consistent as Roger or Rafa because he’s not. He’s only 20. We need to see how he develops. But not giving credit where it’s due doesn’t seem right.

He played extremely well in Australia; had he not lost that one set to Tsonga, he would’ve matched Federer by not losing a set to winning the title.

I also agree that it can’t be chalked up anymore to “top ten” since there are so many threats and dark horses throughout the tour, and we’ve seen more evidence of that this year. Federer, at IW, also acknowledged that Fish is a dangerous player, no matter what his ranking, and Rafa has always said that any player can win on any given day. There are also a number of clay-court specialists who are not ranked as highly as they might otherwise be. Andreev is no slouch on clay, for instance.

Jane Says:
“I am not saying Djokovic is as consistent as Roger or Rafa because he’s not. He’s only 20. We need to see how he develops. But not giving credit where it’s due doesn’t seem right.

He played extremely well in Australia; had he not lost that one set to Tsonga, he would’ve matched Federer by not losing a set to winning the title.

I also agree that it can’t be chalked up anymore to “top ten” since there are so many threats and dark horses throughout the tour, and we’ve seen more evidence of that this year. Federer, at IW, also acknowledged that Fish is a dangerous player, no matter what his ranking, and Rafa has always said that any player can win on any given day. There are also a number of clay-court specialists who are not ranked as highly as they might otherwise be. Andreev is no slouch on clay, for instance.”

So what you’re saying in effect Jane is that rankings really don’t matter much. If you beat or lose to #1, it’s not much different overall than beating or losing to #98 (which is what Fish was ranked at the time of Indian Wells). Either rankings matter as a measure of ability or talent or they don’t. And if they don’t matter that much as a measure of ability, then let’s just dispense with them altogether. In fact, we really don’t need to have a discussion on the accomplishments of any player or where they’ll be ranked then, since they can win or lose to any of them, and winning or losing to any of them is no reflection then on how talented one is who beats them or how untalented one is by losing to them.

How utterly egalitarian

Funny that the one time Nadal gets hit with an injury in a clay tournament, Federer isn’t in good enough form to capitalise.

I’ve got a few questions:

If Federer were to win the French Open without having had to go through Nadal, would it still count as a legit victory? or would people piss all over his win?

If Djokovic were to win the French Open without having had to face either Federer or Nadal, would he be praised as a great champion? or would people piss all over his win?

If Nadal were to lose before the French final to someone who played well, would his opponent’s win get pissed all over because Rafa’s supposed to be invincible on the clay or because he maybe had a piece of banana in his throat? Could Rafa actually lose to someone who is “in the zone”?

No I am not saying, Voicemale, that “rankings don’t matter much” - those are your words, not mine. Clearly you’re having some interpretation issues.

What I am saying is that there is depth enough in the tour, in terms of talent and ability, not to mention that on specific surfaces, that it can’t or shouldn’t be overlooked - that was one point I made.

The other was that “consistency” is key to staying at the top of the rankings, and one thing that goes with that is the ability to excel on more than one surface.

But consistency doesn’t mean that number 40 can’t beat number 2 on a given day / surface - does it? Or what would be the point for players ranked lower? If a player in the top ten is beaten by (or beats) players ranked lower than, say, those in the top ten, does that mean that wasn’t a caliber match? Er, no.

Sometimes unseeded or lower ranked players can play BETTER than a top tener. (Case in point - Tsonga at the AO!) The thing that makes the top ten players so exceptional, I will repeat, is consistency.

Sure some are more talented than others - BUT if you’re in the top 20, heck top 50, in the world, you must be pretty damn talented.

Call me “utterly egalitarian” or “pollyannaish” if you’d like, Voicemale, but I wonder if you’re bias against Djokovic might be clouding your perspective of his game & talent?

OK, I realize it’s a little too soon to be elevating Djokovic to great champion status after just one slam title, but (regarding my question above) would he be legitimately recognized as the outright winner at the French, someone who beat every player he faced, or not?

Same question applies to Federer?

Kozmikwunder,

First, great name.

Second, my sentiments exactly. The “in the zone” factor is being overlooked by those hung up by rankings. Of course rankings matter, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t a helluva lot of great players who can challenge the top guys. Nor does it mean that when a top guy beats a lesser ranked player, their win should somehow be seen as illegitimate or unimportant.

Think of someone like Murray - most of us would agree - or certainly most tennis pundits agree - he has immense talent and ability, but thus far he’s not been consistent enough. That may have something to do with injuries / fitness, or coaches, or possibly media / national pressure.

The point is that there are MANY factors that affect a player’s ranking - it’s not simply talent and ability.

Wow, what an eye-opening, fair and unbaised analysis from Kash and Voicemale1.

Jane, yes, it’s about consistency.

Many, many players have the ability to get their games together and really challenge the top dogs when the occasion presents itself. Some win, some lose.
I’m reminded of the Japanese player Takao Suzuki who, in the 2006 Tokyo quarterfinal, stretched Federer to a third-set tiebreak (4-6 7-5 7-6(3)). He was ranked outside the top 1000 at the time!!! He lost, but he gave Federer something to think about.
I use Federer as an example because he’s generally been the most consistent player, maintaining the no.1 spot for 224(?) consecutive weeks. Astonishing. And there have been plenty of tough, challenging matches for him during that span.

Jane:

“Call me “utterly egalitarian” or “pollyannaish” if you’d like, Voicemale, but I wonder if you’re bias against Djokovic might be clouding your perspective of his game & talent?”.

The issue about talent is what we’ve been talking about. Djokovic’s talent is measured by how he handles the best guys - not just any guys. If you say rankings don’t necessarily determine who’s “best”, then you can make any arbitrary claim you want about any of them and simple declare they have “talent”. My point is that overall, the ranking system is a good indication of talent and ability; you say not necessarily so. Therefore, you can make any claim you like because, well..what that ranking number says doens’t really mean what it says it does. Oy vay.

Djokovic’s game is fairly straight forward. He bashes the ball hard and accurately (most times) from all sides: serve, forehand, backhand - the kind of stuff rewarded by hard courts. He grinds, as opposed to someone with a first-class attacking game like Federer, and therefore is more steady. He doesn’t have a first rate weapon like Federer’s Forehand, or even Nadal’s forehand on clay. His serve is good, but it’s not Sampras-like. Watching his Rome match it struck me: he doesn’t have a slice backhand either. He just hits a two-handed topspin backhand as hard as he can every time you go there. Thats why that side can break down, which is what Wawrinka did in the first set and half of the second; and its what Federer did at last years US Open. There’s no variance on his backhand side, so he has to have the timing down precisely to always hit it hard with accuracy, otherwise the errors start to pile up in a hurry. Once his timing goes on that side he’s uber-vulnerable, because he can’t do anything else with it except hit hard and hope it goes in. When someone can slice low and short to the Djokovic backhand, and especially on the natural surfaces like clay & grass where it stays low anyway, they’ll reap many bonanzas. He’ll have to hit up for safety from a mid-court position rather than hard from the back of the court for pace. His priority would be to get it over the net, so there’ll be less pace on it. It’s the kind of reply a Top Ten guy can coax from him a lot more often than a 50 ranked guy. See?

In short Jane, I get what his game is all about. He beats up a lot on a bunch of lower ranked guys (which I sure hope he can being ranked 3rd in the world). But he still has decidedly losing records to both Federer & Nadal. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

“At Aussie 2008, he lost to Djoko in straight sets”

“at Monte Carlo, made it to the Final because Djoko retired due to strip throat”

This, my friends, is how you make an UNBIASED argument. Fed played the AO semi-final with a cloud of ill-ness and any objective fan would agree he was a step slower than his usual self. Yet to this utterly FAIR poster such a energy-sapping disease deserves no mention. While in the very same post, he/she makes it a point to mention on the most dangerous disease known to humans - “STRIP THROAT”.

This is exactly the reason why chokovic made that cowardly move of retiring - to deny a clean win to fed-ex! He has enough classless fans who will do the rest for him. You cannot expect more from a moron who retires 2 sets and a break down to rafa on clay and claims he was in control of the match! Ditto fans!

Strip throat is a horrible disease that comes from hanging out in low class bars. It usually affects low class men who do all sorts of unmentionables.

It is highly contagious but usually requires physical contact, but not always. So never kiss your opponent after a match. Also, be careful of the French Open where kissing the cheek is a matter of protocol.

Love “chockovic” btw, Kash.

Kozmikwunder

Excellent questions, I was thinking the same!

We are so used to Fed and Nadal that a player not beating them in a big tourney is not consider a “real” win. Last year Djoko shine in Toronto and Nalby in Madrid/Paris because they won categorically.
If a player win RG and don’t face Nadal, people will diminish the victorie, the same if someone wins Wimbledon without beating Fed. Their aura is set and will be hard to get back to “normal” standards!

And, I agree with Jane, we have to put credit where it is! Novak is putting in facts what he said last year. He is the best player this year, so far.

We are so used to Fed and Nadal that a player not beating them in a big tourney is not consider a “real” win. Last year Djoko shine in Toronto and Nalby in Madrid/Paris because they won categorically. No one can diminsh that!

But, Nadal’s big moment of the year will be next week when he will have to survive the first real treat in his rankings in years. And Fed’s is yet to come, since he shines after RG!

Jane:

The 1st question you asked was on clay, as another poster mentioned.

The other thing, Djokovic is yet to convince me that he will put up a fight against a top-flight champion when things are not going his way on any court. He needs fed/nad to be off their game. It doesn’t look like he will put up a fight if those two champs come out with their A game. I hope he will tough out victories against either of them, when either of them is playing at their very best.

I do agree he is young, but by the same token, let us wait till he achieves the outright dominance fed/nadal have achieved the last 2 yrs. So far it is still a dog-fight out there. Fed and nadal did not have the best starts to the year, but who knows what the rest of year holds?

Dr. Death

Excellent timing!

Dr. Death:

“Chokovic” is quite funny, but I am not the one who came up with it It is quite pathetic that I dont even remember where I picked it from.

And I love your take on “strip throat”. I have to check with my doc if I have it already, coz your description sounds too familiar too me

I hope you are safely far enough from that disastrous earthquake in china. I kind of remember you talking about being in/around that part of the world in some of your posts!

Last but not the least, I am a huge fan of your posts. (the ones I can comprehend, anyway! my knowledge of literature and music/poetry and their appreciation is abysmal!) So stick around for as long as you can.

“Novak is putting in facts what he said last year.”

>>>>> That is no good Daniel. If you really want to talk the talk make sure they happen the moment you talk and not the next year or a decade later. Choker said “Fed was going down” in the aus open 07 4th round and get his behind handed to him that match

His mom then talked about the King being dead only to see her immature son quit from a real fight at MC. There is no middle ground here. If you talk crap, make sure you have the results to back that up.

Kash - do you work for me? Butt kissing will take you far!

Not near Chengdu fortunately. HK is home for me. It appears the current generation of leadership in China is reacting in a much more Western fashion - sending in a lot of police and military, and speaking openly on tv etc. Looks like a major disaster and this does put tennis into perspective.

Kash,
If I were to follow your “unbiased” example, I could say the same thing that Fed/Nad beat or can beat Djoko only on his off day. I am not making that argument.

Next, I would not enjoy Djoko’s or anyone’s utter domination. I just have a different taste.

You can belong to whatever class you want to. I don’t and will not look down upon your “classy” taste. But don’t try to impose your idea of class (or classiness or class-full) on others. I don’t subscribe to Orientalism, in Edward Said’s sense, or to the neo-colonially homogenized idea of Western classy standard that finds the rest of the world philistine, savage, thus sub-human. I rather prefer to remain classless than be pigeonholed to some “class.” I just happen to have a different taste and resist to buy into the product that you cherish so much as a consumer.

Kash

I think being misunderstood. I meant concerning that he wanted to be number one, and he is wining as he wants to. Sorry!

The other side of him I find of very poor taste! When he first appear I liked his game and thought, this will be a future n. 1, but them the success came and we all know what happened. Not to mention the retiring thing, that makes me feel sad.

I too agree with you in several of your points. To me he is not ready to win Grand Slam matches against Fed and Nadal in their territories. He will have to prove it first. But this year so far he is better than Fed and Nadal, 3 title (1 GS and 2 MS).

But, Fed highligths of the year is yet to come, and as he has done in the last years, when the time came he will prevail!

Voicemale,

“My point is that overall, the ranking system is a good indication of talent and ability; you say not necessarily so. ”

No, that’s not what i said; I said any player in the top 50, say, has talent, but what sets the top, top dogs apart may be a number of factors, one of which could include more talent, but other factors come into play, like how they handle pressure, how many tournaments they play, how consistent they are.

You keep skirting these facts. Yes, the ranking system denotes talent, BUT it also is determined by a number of other relevant factors that should not be overlooked in a fair analysis of the rankings and / or the players themselves.

Voicemale,

1. “he can’t do anything else [from his backhand side] except hit hard and hope it goes in. ”

Hmmm… I’ve seen some great touch backhand volleys from Djoko, does that count? He also attacked the net more as the match wore on against Stan. Also, your comment that he has to “hope it goes in” is interesting, considering how many commentators have noted his accuracy off the backhand wing.

“He beats up a lot on a bunch of lower ranked guys (which I sure hope he can being ranked 3rd in the world). But he still has decidedly losing records to both Federer & Nadal. And I don’t see that changing anytime soon”

Maybe his “losing records” (2:6 Fed & 3:6 Rafa) won’t change immediately but nor should we expect them to. He’s only really been a contender since last year; what he’s achieved in that timeframe is, in my view anyhow, pretty remarkable.

Daniel: “If a player win RG and don’t face Nadal, people will diminish the victorie, the same if someone wins Wimbledon without beating Fed. Their aura is set and will be hard to get back to “normal” standards!”

It does not seem right for people to take that view. If Nadal loses before the French final, isn’t that his problem for not getting there? The winner will have beaten the players he had to face and deservedly held up the trophy.
Same for Federer. If he loses before the Wimbledon final, the blame goes to him for not getting there, right? The winner beats whoever he has to face and gets the trophy.

It is in the realm of possibility for Djokovic to get a win over Federer and/or Nadal on clay, though it would be rare. That’s why I’d have liked for him to be able to face either of them in Rome. I would have appreciated his title win more that way. It seemed too easy for him, but it counts because Federer and/or Nadal, the top two claycourters in the tournament, should have been around for the encounter and weren’t, while Djokovic beat his opposition and was last man standing.

Kash,

“I hope he will tough out victories against either of them, when either of them is playing at their very best.”

Well I agree, in that I hope this occurs, too, but I’ll also say that I hope he’s given credit when he does, for who’s to say when a player is at their “very best” - seems tough to judge.

Usually very best means winning. So if Djokovic wins, then that automatically could mean Rafa or Roger were not at their very best. Do you see how it’s a “catch 22″ for Djoko?

If you mean a classic, dog-fight 5 setter, like Roger & Rafa had at Wimbledon last year, well then, yeah, bring it on.

But we seem to forget that Djokovic ONLY broke onto the scene last year in April when he won Miami. Since then, look at what he’s accomplished. In terms of wins only, last year he got 2 MS shields and this year already 2 MS shields and a Grand Slam. And that’s not even mentioning his semi and final appearances in 3 of the 4 grand slams last year. Why can’t people see that?

So what if Roger and Federer have eluded him -other than his 4 wins against them, that is - they’ve dominated the sport for a long time. Do we suddenly expect Djokovic to beat them every time he plays them?

And please, look at Djokovic’s retirements in 2007, when he played his heart out. He retired ONCE in the semi against Rafa in Wimbledon with the same injury Rafa has now, and as I’ve said already, if Rafa had to play a 5 setter against Ferrero, he also would’ve had to retire. (I am not counting Djoko’s Davis Cup match when he was winning by a large margin b.t.w.).

“So what if Roger and Federer have eluded him” - sorry, obviously I meant Rafa and Fed…

Hi all
i think Djokovic’d got the Fed figure out
1: everytime Roger slice the BH Djokovic will step in and hit it deep cross-court with angle to move Roger back and out then look to hit it down the line( he does not need to hit it hard ) or if lucky will get a short ball to run around and whoop it down the line too, but the key word is to step in ( another word is to attack it, that’s for the slice backhand of Roger)
2: if you can’t out hit the forehand or he’ got you on the run with the forehand either down the line or cross-court shot give him an looping topspin to the backhand to reset the point or to get something soft that you can attack with
this is my fisrt post so that’ll be enough for now

Kash & Dr. Death:

“And I love your take on “strip throat”. I have to check with my doc if I have it already, coz your description sounds too familiar too me.”

Don’t you two guys have anything better to do — I’ve had my quota of laughs for today just reading your posts. Shame on you!! :) Anyway, far be it from me to stop you. Keep it coming!!

Kash:

D not follow Dr. Death’s lead, he’ll submerge you 20,000 leagues below the sea in his poetry. Do so at your own risk. Tsk, tsk, tsk. A tisket, a tasket, a white and yellow basket ….

____________
jane:

Hang in there girl, these guys are ganging — too much cheek kissing.

I think the tension regarding Djokovic here is between the idealist (Jane) and the realists (Djokovic’s non-fans). I think both parties should agree that Djokovic cannot beat Federer or Nadal if Federer or Nadal are at their best at this time, or perhaps even next year. Both parties should also agree that Djokovic COULD improve, and maybe several years from now actually deserve the status of “Number one” (which currently or anytime soon, IMHO, he certainly does not).

With Djokovic, I don’t like some of his aspects but I have to like his game. Joker holds his nerves so well in big matches. He can produce aces back-to-back when he’s in dangerous situation, so he can save a lot of break points. I won’t be surprise if Joker will be no.1 soon as he totally deserves it. Don’t call him an opportunist. It’s hard to have chances but it’s harder to take these.

I love Rafa. I don’t care whether Rafa is no.2 or no.3. Nadal must win clay tournaments to be the real Nadal. Hope he’ll be well next week.

Has Djokovic actually expressed an opinion about possibly surpassing Nadal?

I remember seeing an interview with Nadal wherein he stated he doesn’t even think about his ranking. He doesn’t play for points, he doesn’t play for the glory - he just loves to play the game. THAT is what I call athletic character!!!

Von - what do you mean Kash and I have nothing to do?

But at the end of the year, will Roger say?

I dropped it, I dropped it
Yes, on the way I dropped it
A little girlie picked it up
And took it to the market
She was truckin’ on down the avenue
Without a single thing to do

Dr. Death:

“Von - what do you mean Kash and I have nothing to do?”

Do I detect an exposed nerve? I said:

“Don’t you two guys have anything better to do?” I realize that you had to change my words to work your poetry into the mix. I’m a step ahead of you. Carry on smartly — the operative word being ’smartly’. Get it? :)

Jane - agree with you that the rankings don’t always tell the full story.

One thing rankings don’t tell you is whether a player has lost time to injury. Tsonga, for example, was off the tour for an extended period so while he appeared to come from nowhere in Australia other players probably realized better than us just how good he can be. Consistency is his biggest problem so the chances of him staying at the top maybe aren’t so great.

Ancic and Stepanek are 2 others who have been top 10 but then suffered through injury. They come back into the game with a ranking that doesn’t reflect their true ability.

I remember Djokovic’s win agains Fed in Montreal. Did Rafa beat Novak on hard court after IW 2007? I do not remember, refresh my memory.. Also I would like to say that he played a tormenting set for him vs Davidenko at Davis, he was 2-0 up, he lost that 3rd set which was hard for me to watch, and retired. He was BETTER IN THAT MATCH! But he needed to rest. I believe he will stay nu.3 this year. Fed wont give his crown yet, and Rafa will win both incomin’ tours if he is in good health. I can’t say same about Fed’s Wimbledon win, he has more chances to break this year than Rafa on clay.

Jane and Shital, great posts as usual ;). Like you guys very much.

While I was quite disappointed by Nole’s retirement against Fed, in his defense, I must say that strap throat is not something you should play with specially if you are an athlete. Today, it’s cured with antibiotics but not that long ago, people were dying from it. The famous example that comes to my mind is Gustav Malher.

In my own days of competing in track and field, I remember doctor not allowing me to compete until I bring the proof from the lab that I was strap A clean. Need I stress that I was practicing as usual, feeling quite fine, not at all dizzy… I can well imagine that frequent travel, changing of time zones and rigorous practice can deteriorate the health of someone who is a carrier of that particular bacteria. In that respect, I see why someone would quit the fight. However, I still think that 10 extra minutes of play would not jeopardize his career. There is no shame in loosing to Fed

BolevnZ

Nadal beat Djokovic in Shanghai last year, but Djokovic claimed he was tired and couldn’t play his best, but I thought it was a good match.

BolevnZ

Nadal beat Djokovic in Shanghai last year: 6-4, 6-4 but Djokovic claimed he was tired and couldn’t play his best, but I thought it was a good match.

I will be delighted when Djokovic is No. 1. Actually, anybody but R. F. would be good but we know R. F. doesn’t like Nole. That would make it even better.

Does anyone give Andy Roddick a chance at this years French. Ha has had a good year so far, you know.

the fed is sounding desperate lately lol

——-
“The more you lose, the more they believe they can beat me,” said Federer. “But believing is not enough, you still have to beat me.”
——-

I must be confused but didnt Stepanek just beat him by his unshakeable belief that he would? ..lol

I’d like to see Tsonga & Federer play; they never have. I know Fed has a better chance against him on clay, but if the two should meet on grass, I’d could be a great match. Tsonga, if he’s fit, really should be a threat at Wimbledon this year.

In fact, Wimbledon has more contenders than the French this year, I’d think - Murray, Djokovic, Rafa, Tsonga, Gasquet, Roddick, Nalbandian and Fed.

CDB - I certainly hope to see Roddick do better at the French this year. I don’t think he’s ever gotten past the second round.

Here’s one thing Djoko said in Hamburg:

“Novak Djokovic says he is in no particular hurry to dethrone Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal atop the men’s tennis rankings because he has time on his side. “I turn 21 soon. I am still young and don’t have to push myself to the limit. I will take it step by step”

Here’s what Rafa said:

“He is going to be number two. He is close and I have to defend a lot of points,” said the three-time reigning French Open champion Nadal.”

Here’s one thing Federer said:

“I don’t feel more vulnerable. I haven’t been all that bad this year. The others still have to beat me,” said Federer.”

————————————————

Admittedly these are mere “sound bites” from their interviews (if anyone has the links to the full pressers I’d like it), but it seems as though Djoko isn’t in a hurry to dethrone anyone, Rafa is maybe feeling some pressure since the season is compacted and he has so many points to defend, and Roger’s not too concerned.

I must be confused but didnt Stepanek just beat him by his unshakeable belief that he would? ..lol

Come on man, don’t you know Roger has mono on some days?

CDB - the way he was playing in Rome the second week would be a possibility for Roddick at the FO. However, a lot will depend on the shoulder/back injury he needs, by his own admission, to be fully fit and in confident mood to do well on clay.

What is wrong with the lot of you? Who cares who thinks Djokovic can or can’t beat anyone on a particular surface or when somebody is at their “best”. This is all hypothetical. What we have are the results. This guy beat #3, then #2, then #1 back to back to back to win Masters Series Canada last year. He is the most improved player 2 years in a row as awarded by the ATP. He just turned 21. He is incredible. Whether you like him or not, he is a very good player coming out of far less than ideal childhood tennis training, which makes his story more compelling. He is finally somebody who is actually challenging the dynasty of Nadal and Federer and it should be appreciated by you supposed “sportsfans”. He is also, unlike Davydenko (nothing against him) a bit of an interesting character for better or worse that makes the audience want to follow him. He is doing the sport a huge favor and I wish him well. He also helps make your favorites (Federer and Nadal) to be better. Just enjoy it folks - it’s a great time to be a tennis fan!

If this year has taught us anything it’s that predictions of who will play in the semi’s and finals of any grand slam or master’s series is a complete shot in the dark. All three of them have to get through the rest of the draw for this discussion to begin, and clearly there are no longer any guarantees of that.

The condensed schedule combined with changes in Djokovic’s and Federer’s form make this year’s FO very interesting indeed.

Come on man, don’t you know Roger has mono on some days?
———

he has mono only on the days that he loses

Mono is no longer the issue.
Federer is climbing out of that illness which had clearly affected his movement earlier this year. Harder to tell his condition on clay because the ball has a slower return. Wimbledon may indicate more.
He’s going to need to be more wise about his shotmaking for a while.

Guga76,

Good post. Thanks for that.

Guga76,

Most objective and sensible post I have read here so far.

Did you watch the tournament? Did you know that Roger and Nadal didn’t play against Nole? Did you know that two players retired against him? What do you mean “impressive performance? Besides Wawrinka (who is not a top ten player) almost win, I think he couldn’t do it because his lack of experience, but he was too close, Nole didn’t dominate the match.

Did you know that two players retired against him?

and did you see at Estoril, Mr Mono was handed the trophy by Davydenko?

Guga76,

When I watch Tennis with my kids on TV, I want them to have someone to look up to - people with class and sportsmanship. The only ones I can think of right now who fit the bill of “heroes” are Nadal, Wawrinka, Bolleli, Fish, Kohlschreiber, Blake and Federer (in that order; I wish I could include Gasquet, but he doesn’t even seem to be trying right now). So I would not be happy at THIS time if Djokovic was in the top spot, because Djokovic does not have those “hero” qualities (perhaps he will in the future). He’s pompous and self-aggrandizing, and those are not qualities I appreciate in a sportsfigure, and not someone I would want my kids to emulate.

Well, that’s just my personal take on it as a dad.

How can someone say that Djokovic’s wins aren’t good enough??? It’s not his fault that Rafa lost to Ferero. And how can you say that Djokovic won in Roma just because Almagro and Stepanek retired. He won first set against Almagro 6:1 and against Stepanek 6:0!!! And if Djokovic don’t beat Rafa on RG and wins it, you would say that it’s not a real win, but if Rafa wins RG beating players under TOP50, it would still be a legitimate win!!! Djokovic has to beat Rafa or Fed to be a winner but Fed can be a winner beating just anybody… Who does Rafa needs to beat on clay to be a ‘real’ winner?? Just like Davidenko… He has a 1-3 record against Rafa and 0-12 (!!!!!) against Federer but he is a consistent player and he is a No.4 and he deserves it!! He even has 1-5 record against Roddick.(Wins on Rafa and Andy came on the same tournament. He played that IW like never in his life!!!) And 1-0 agains Nole because Nole retired in the Davis Cup(Nole was leading 6-4 6-3 4-6 ) If it was on 2 sets he would win!!! Sick Nole is better than healthy world No. 4 playing in front of his home croud!!!!! Nole is a Winner and a consistant player and you will see that at the and of the year.

i did not post here since that novak retirement.
One thing just to remind many of you.
Federer had tommy retire in wimbly last year, same player at iw this year, i dont know who in miami, and finals at estoril too. Cmon, nobody would tell a thing against him if he won all that tournaments. That is quite surprising how much you are blinded with that man.
I dont know exactly why?
But who am i to judge.
Nobody is perfect, neither one of them (both as a persons and players).
Season is very intersting and i like it…
Be cool and enjoy watching them battle it out.
And a few smiles for sake of that :)

Glenn,

I have to disagree!!

Djokovic is an idol in his home country. He is a human guy. He is building 2 tennis centars in Serbia for kids to have where to make their first tennis steps. He is fer when playing tennis. A sports-man. He acting like showman with elegance. He speaks Serbian, English, German and Italian (maybe some language more but i dont know…). He is very polite, caring person. He is well educated as well.

Attenhut!

Ok all bloggers. Forgetaboutit.

My book(y,ie?) tells me that the future of tennis is………….

Steve Darcis.

Give that a think, if you please.

All this discussion about federer going down is without perspective.

Federer, in 2008, is performing about as badly (or as well) as Sampras did in his peak years (1993-95). Sampras would routinely lose 14-15 matches a year during his best times. His 7 wimbledons really catapulted him to where he reached. There’s nothing to suggest that Fed wouldn’t win another few wimbledon titles.

Check out this website for perspective:

http://www.tennis28.com/studies/Federer_Sampras.html

It really shows the comparison, and how federer, even though he started winning so much later than sampras (in terms of age), is actually already ahead of sampras by almost any statistic.

people forget that after the 2000 wimbledon, sampras went 28 tournaments without a title before winning the US open.

If federer “limps” along from now on, losing 14-15 matches a year for the next few years, winning 1-2 slams per year, just like sampras did, he would be GOAT by 2009, and GOD by 2012 (assuming he retires the same age Sampras did)

And 230 w