Novak Djokovic Becomes 23rd Player To Join 600 Win Club [Chart]

Aw, poor Goran. So close, yet so far…

November 2nd, 2014 at 1:42 pm

Congrats Novak quite the milestone,and a nice club to be in,600 career wins,20 Masters series titles,and becoming a father,lol not a bad year all in all….

November 2nd, 2014 at 1:49 pm

Congrats to Nole and, as he turned pro much later than the other guys on the active player list, and is younger, he has every chance of getting at least to third place.

November 2nd, 2014 at 2:08 pm

well done nole! hope you can win some more before you hang it all up.

November 2nd, 2014 at 2:29 pm

Since there is no proper thread about the match, yet, here are few thoughts about the match from Milos and Nole:

“He neutralized my serve well. Even when I was able to open him on the backhand side, he was moving really well. He was always getting two hands on it,” Raonic explained.

“It just elevated a certain pressure or demand of having to serve close to the lines, which weighs on your shoulders when the guy is playing as well as he did today.”

“The key points of the match today was to get as many returns back in play. It’s easier said than done when somebody serves regularly around 220 kilometres an hour,” Djokovic said.

“He uses that as his big weapon. Throughout the week that was his best shot. He relies on the serve very much in his game.”

November 2nd, 2014 at 7:34 pm

I hope Djokovic wins at least 10 slams. It will be great to have three guys with double digit major wins during that same period when they all played against each other.

November 2nd, 2014 at 7:52 pm

Hearty congratulations to Novak for this superp win at a time when there were some question marks about his motivation and commitment to sport. Novak has once again proved his doubters wrong with this win and has also cemented his place as No.1. Now the question is whether the resurgent Novak is here to stay or it is mere blip ?

November 2nd, 2014 at 7:58 pm

me too polo! :)

thanks wog boy; i do think sometimes players miss more first serves and make more double faults when they’re up against good returners. it must play on their mind when they step up to serve.

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:12 pm

wog boy, for you:

“The most impressive thing about [Nole’s indoor] win streak is that 17 of the 27 wins were against top 10 players and 23 out of 27 were against top 25 players!”

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:17 pm

Polo,

I think he needs another year with multiple Slams. If he keeps this momentum and win London and AO next year it will be a great start. He has won almost all his last finals except RG 2014 to Nadal which is a good indication as Fed and Nadal are losing more and more finals as compared to the past.

Maybe next year he will deliver, who knows. But with lots of potential big perfumers on HC next year AO will be very interesting. A lot of change in rankings, and draw may play a part.

But I also hope he best to at least 10 one of them being RG. 3players with double digits and career Slam less than 10 years apart would be insane and probably never to happen again in our lifetime.

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:21 pm

Thanks jane, pretty good indoor record, isn’t it?

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:23 pm

“But with lots of potential big perfumers on HC next year AO will be very interesting. ”

yes, daniel; i’d imagine the hardcourts will smell very nice with this in mind!

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:30 pm

^^ I am bit slow but I got it :)))

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:33 pm

@jane, WB: difficult to find you; I guess we’re never in the same thread.

Then, I would be very happy if Novak wins another slam. I guess it has become increasingly difficult, and the young players are here. In average, the big boys are still the big boys, but the age is here, and it is more and more difficult to play each and every match at the same level.

I posted some stats in the the other thread to ponder about Novak’s possible tennis longevity. I’ll repost here the essential:

He plays 40mn per set, 41,9sec per point (Querrey 33,1 mn, 35,5 sec; Federer 36,2mn, 38,3sec; Nadal 44,8mn, 46sec; avg. 39,3mn, 40,1sec). This is the stat that is not so favourable.

Time per match: Djokovic 1h49; Federer 1h38; Nadal 1h55, Murray 1h51.

You can find those and many other stats here:

http://www.tennisabstract.com/cgi-bin/leaders.cgi?f=s00t1

Two things could be very important: Novak is playing less in the last year or two. And I guess that he will try to miss a few tournaments more to peak for the slams.

Finally, I managed to see his match against Raonic, knowing the result, very calmly, so I could focus a bit more on the game of the players. First, Novak played a lot down the middle of the court. I don’t know why he did that: perhaps he wanted to aim more at Raonic’s BH (and Milos missed a lot from that side), but it is just a guess.

Then, Novak is reading Milos’ serve quite well. His return was superb. He returned a serve flying at 229 kmh, if I remember well. It was spectacular, and, most probably, the key of the match.

Milos was very nervous, lacked free points, and his CC forehand was ineffective. He played especially bad in key moments.

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:39 pm

Congrats to Novak! A baby, a Masters win, and seemingly the year-end number 1 all sewn up in one week. Great effort and if he does finish #1, it will all be well deserved.

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:44 pm

“. First, Novak played a lot down the middle of the court. I don’t know why he did that: perhaps he wanted to aim more at Raonic’s BH (and Milos missed a lot from that side), but it is just a guess.”

hi mat4, I noticed that too. I think he wanted to deny Milos angles, pace and that IOFH that troubled Federer. It worked, Milos wasn’t comfortable with that and was forcing the things and making UE. I don’t know if you noticed that BB was always watching Nole’s next oponent, after or before Nole’s match. It looks like BB/Vajda team did good job to prepare Nole for the matches.

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:49 pm

Race for #1 is not over yet, Nole has to stay focused. Just two bad days at WTF can turn the things aroun in Roger’s favour. Nole is playing for 465 points, that”s what he needs to stay #1 in the case Roger wins everything until the end of the year.

November 2nd, 2014 at 8:54 pm

@WB:

That’s what I guessed too, but I wasn’t sure. Novak did a good job defending against that IO FH, while he played at times a bit too short right in the middle, giving the initiative. I think that he made a good use of Milos’ pace.

I didn’t watch much tennis this week. Only the first set of Novak against Andy, and three games of the Nishikori-Ferrer match, so I didn’t know about Becker.

But watching Novak volleying, I guess Boris did a good job this year. And there is another thing you pointed quite well: Novak won 9 of his last 10 finals.

Nonetheless, he has to continue improving, otherwise he will be passed by the new generation. They needed time to mature, but they are here now, near the top, and they play very, very well.

November 2nd, 2014 at 9:01 pm

About the race: of course, it is not over. A great tournament by Federer, and he still could make it and finish no 1. But the WTF will be a very difficult tournament for everybody, and I think that there will be a lot of surprises.

November 2nd, 2014 at 9:05 pm

But the valley on the match/brake point wasn’t the best one, he could and should finished the match then, without having to serve for the match. It was deja vu from AO match with Stan, with Stan it was FH volley and here it was BH one.

November 2nd, 2014 at 9:10 pm

Oh, I forgot…of the at least 10 majors for Djokovic, I want one of them to be the French. Hopefully 2015 French. He may not reach Federer or even Nadal numbers but a double digit majors with a complete set of slams will keep him in the conversation of the greatest who ever played. Novak is too good not to be included in that discussion.

November 2nd, 2014 at 9:18 pm

Great analysis, Wog, Jane, Matt, Polo, thanks. Y’all see a lot of things I miss. I can recall over the years a number of players of whom the Book said, keep them in the middle of the court, where they can’t kill you with angles. I think Davydenko was one. Perhaps Milos is getting that rep.
With all due respect, I think the race to #1 is over. Novak is going to make the semis at WTF, I believe that will be enough, no?
There’s no arguing at this point that Novak is an all time great, and he’s still at his peak. As I said on the other thread, I think BB has given him a lot more options. His slice looks terrific, and his net play (except for that key point today) is hugely improved.
Hail the King. Though I expect Rafa will have a rebuttal soon enough.

November 2nd, 2014 at 10:06 pm

Wouldn’t it be great if Del Potro were the next #1?

November 2nd, 2014 at 10:07 pm

Hearty congrats to Nole n fans for this remarkable feat….

The best part is as somebody pointed out….that he is not distracted by the birth of his child and is equally or even more motivated than before.

This is such a fantastic feeling to have, when your family gives you that extra push to do better in life.

Great going Nole….he is in great shape n form to retain the WTF title.

November 2nd, 2014 at 10:50 pm

congrats to raonic for a strong final. novak proving he’s still the man to beat. i think there was some extra motivation for him to do well in paris, with fed nipping at his heels for the #1 spot.

whatever the case, someone needs to design a new trophy for the bercy event. that thing looks like a torture device from the medieval ages.

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:35 am

Well Novak has three good years ahead of him in his already robust and flourishing career if his health and family circumtances permits. He can go places with the right temperament, motivation and goals and soft pedal his career to zooming heights. He has lot of pluses for him right now in terms of competition. An aging Roger, a debilitated Rafa and a struggling Andy. The so-called young guns like Dmitrov, Raonic etc. are still far off fulfilling their potential and other than the top four, the tour looks literally pedestrian. Therefore, for Novak, the cake is for his taking and all that he needs to do is to bake it well. Ofcourse, he has a family today, but they can be better served and compensated after he turns above 30 and it is when Novak would feel the heat in terms of age related pressures.

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:57 am

Novak is already up there with Mcenroe on GS won which is a fantastic achievement,and hes surpassed his coach Becker,Vilas,Guga etc,8 and he would join Agassi,10 and he would join Tilden,and its certainly possible,although things are getting harder every year not easier,he won a GS and it was another 18 months before winning the next,and what about the new guys coming through,whos to say one of them wont go on a tear,and what about Andy whos worked so hard,doesnt he deserve to be up there with multiple GS,well i for one certainly believe he does?….

November 3rd, 2014 at 3:07 am

Alison,

You never know !? Novak might yet replicate an exceedingly good year like 2011 and he would cross count 10 of majors in a single stroke. That is how Tennis works – full of surprises in store and Novak is a player you can always count on who is a Champion material. So, everything is possible including Novak surpassing Laver and Borg. But, it might not be possible for him to equal the record of Sampras or Rafa unless he registers phenomenal success which is only a remote possibility.

As regards Andy, well he has the game to do wonders but he lacks the right temperament, nerves and approach which are playing spoil sport to his high scaled ambitions. He has already won majors twice in his career and it would be interesting if he could win a couple more in his career.

Regarding the new guys, well they can harbour chances of winning a major only after the eclipse of top four.

November 3rd, 2014 at 7:30 am

Andy is certainly not to be taken for granted. After all, he is the only one who has managed to invade the territory of the three guys ahead of him in the Big Four. He has been ranked number 2 on a couple of occasions. Unfortunately for him, those 3 are huge obstacles for him to get double digit majors. He only has 2 and that’s a long way to 10. But Andy will always be the D’Artagnan to those 3 and deservingly so.

November 3rd, 2014 at 9:19 am

Novak still struggles with consistency/nerves at slams. Heat can also be a problem as shown at USO so we will see.

As for No. 1? Still up for grabs. Roger can run the table at WTFs and DC so all it would take is for Nole to lose to say Murray in RR and Fed to beat Nole in SF.

You guys! Fed winning DC at the same time as clinching No. 1 would be an amazing way to end the year!

No sign of the fat lady breaking into song just yet!

November 3rd, 2014 at 10:59 am

Elina, You would be better to look at Nole more then to the fat lady.It is nice for You people to believe so much in Roger,but some times it is really to funny.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:50 am

“so all it would take is for Nole to lose to say Murray in RR”

that’s not possible, since they aren’t on the same side – for once! :)

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:58 am

@jane
U got your wish girl! What were u a-doing, burning entrails, casting runes, making sacrifices to the tennis gods? ;)

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:14 pm

virgins margot, at the altar. ;)

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:06 pm

Michael im not saying Novak wont/cant win double digit majors,i just think its only pertinent if or when it actually happens,and things also get harder with passing years not easier especially with new blood coming through,and although i doubt Andy will win double digit majors i still believe theres more in him yet which i would suggest is more reasonable….

November 3rd, 2014 at 12:15 pm

Michael also in the era of the top 3,Delpo,Andy,Wawrinka,Cilic have all won GS in the Fedalovic era,Wawrinka and Cilic this year,the elite were there abouts still,but new blood made a breakthrough this year,whos to say that the same thing wont happen again next year?….

November 3rd, 2014 at 4:33 pm

Jane, yes it is less likely now for Federer after that draw.

I was quite surprised by it!

Surprised to see Andy in Roger’s half!

November 3rd, 2014 at 8:48 pm

Alison @ 12,15 and 4.33 PM,

True, unless something translates into reality, imagining can just be labelled as wishful thinking. But, normally we make some evaluations based on the prevailing reality and if that is taken as the yardstick, then Novak really has a good chance to become highly productive in the next few years considering the totality of circumstances.

Well, regarding the new blood, I do not think Wawarinka can be considered as one, although you can count upon Del Potro and Cilic. The former is literally out of the equation due to physical issues and we never know when he will be returning to the tour, while the later so far has proved to be a one slam wonder with his abymsal results after the US Open. In these last 10 years, there have been just three players out of the top four who have managed to win majors and that tells you something about the total domination of the top four and the inability of the young guns to breakthrough in a big way. Moreover, there are also some question marks on Wawarinka’s win at the Australian Open when he managed to tame only a physically challenged Rafa. If Rafa had been fit, you never really know and with his experience and endurance on tour, he would be the overwhelming favourite.

As regards Andy, I have already made my point clear that he is a great player, but in my evaluation, he lacks the big match temperament although he has won majors twice in his career which is really great. I think his oncourt brilliance managed to overcome his psychological limitations.

November 3rd, 2014 at 11:43 pm

Michael no point anyone else bothering to play then,Rogers old,Rafa unwell,Andys never been the same since the surgery,Stan only won the AO because Rafa was hurting(your words,not mine),Cilics USO i suppose was merely a fluke then,just to say though Novaks having a good run,but he didnt dominate the year,newsflash nobody did….

November 4th, 2014 at 3:38 am

Alison,

“Everybody lives for tomorrow”. Just because somebody is No.1 and by virtue of it automatically becomes the favourite in every tournament he plays, it lacks common sense to suggest that the lower ranked players should be reconciled to the prospect of defeat and even consider pull out ? I just explained why Novak enjoys an advantage ahead considering the totality of circumstances and that includes the truncated competition. Novak definitely didn’t enjoy a good year relatively speaking. But still, his achievements this year would be the envy of lower ranked players. Two Master titles and a Wimbledon title is no mean feat. But still expectations are much greater and it is obvious that Novak has not lived upto it. The next successful player was ofcourse Roger, but come next year he would be nearing 34 and that is a major impediment irrespective of the spin you try to give to it by saying age is a mere number. Ofcourse I brought forth the injury of Rafa in Australian Open finals which played a major part in Wawarinka’s victory. I am no way trying to undermine his victory by bringing Rafa’s physical distress into equation. But, facts are facts and you can never convincingly argue that Wawarinka won it fair and square and there are indeed hash tags to his victory. In case Wawarinka had a phenomenal success after that Australian Open win, it would be justified to abstain from casting such aspersions on his victory. However, now that he has not followed up well with his success it can be well argued that he was lucky in a way Rafa was injured in that finals which earned him a victory. Ditto applies to Cilic too.

November 4th, 2014 at 5:01 am

Disagree on Cilic. Less time has passed and he had an injury. WTF and AO will give a better picture.

I believe that Cilic has become the real deal (i.e., can win another slam or two) but the jury is still out whereas I don’t believe the same for Stan.

November 4th, 2014 at 10:53 am