Novak Djokovic Has More Ranking Points Than Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal Combined!

Djokovic is less than 2000 points away from qualifying for the year end championships. Number 2 Berdych is about 4500 points away.

April 20th, 2015 at 10:18 am

what do they need ben, 7000?

April 20th, 2015 at 10:27 am

7100

April 20th, 2015 at 11:58 am

What was the earliest qualification for WTF on record?

April 20th, 2015 at 12:21 pm

I wouldnt be surprised if Rafa didnt actually qualify for the WTFs,still hes never done much there anyway,still early days so we will see i suppose?….

April 20th, 2015 at 12:25 pm

Novak’s having a great year so far. I think he’s got a couple (maybe three) years left to get that French title (a relatively big window) and I believe he’ll get it. I think he’ll probably win it this year. With every passing year, it becomes more and more inevitable that Rafa will lose an FO. The next best guy on that surface these days is Novak. Of course Novak should approach this with a sense of urgency because as Rafa (and Andy Murray) know all to well, an injury can change the entire complexion of a career.

April 20th, 2015 at 12:59 pm

SG1 what your saying is true,but Novak himself will be 29 next year,hes dominating now,but theres no telling what the future will bring,im not saying whether he will or will not win the FO at some point,and granted this year could be his,but things get harder each year not easier,so you have to take that into concideration too,still JMO….

April 20th, 2015 at 1:11 pm

Novak goes to both Madrid and Rome and wins one, he could qualify for the WTC even before the FO starts. If he somehow won both, he would match his own (and Rafa’s, and Lendl, Connors, & Laver’s record of 5 a year Master’s titles. Again, even before the French Open.
Currently, he is about 5500 points ahead of Fed, 7500 points ahead of Muzz, and 8500 points ahead of Rafa. Lot of points to defend between Rome and Wimbledon, but knowing Djokovic then didn’t do much on the N American summer swing – the present ranking points gap must be pretty daunting for the other 3 top players.

April 20th, 2015 at 1:38 pm

HC. I just love and admire your positive attitude and kind comments towards Rafa, for example he’s playing cr@p, won’t be surprised if he doesn’t qualify for the WTF, blah, blah, blah. Geez. With fans like you who needs enemies. If you ever happen to make a slightly positive comment towards him it is quickly followed by negativity in abundance. :((((((

April 20th, 2015 at 1:38 pm

sg1, nice post and i hope you’re right!

April 20th, 2015 at 1:42 pm

Just watching a programme entitled Sporting Greats – Rafael Nadal. This programme has been aired dozens of times, I guess reminding the world what a phenomen Rafael Nadal really is.
Vamos Rafa!

April 20th, 2015 at 1:45 pm

The only thing that curtail Nole to NOT win many more titles this year is an unexpected injury of some kind ( fingers crossed…and nooooo! ). He is playing that good.

April 20th, 2015 at 1:50 pm

Novak is the best in the world and looks like theres no stopping him,my post was in regard to whether or not he will win the FO within the next three years,all im saying is that it gets harder each year not easier,if he doesnt win it this year year which is a distinct possibility that he will/could who knows if he will get another chance,not saying he wont but tennis is all about the here and the now,the future well who knows?….

April 20th, 2015 at 1:59 pm

“still he’s never done much there anyway”. So the message is that Rafa should not bother trying to qualify for the WTF cos he’s cr@p there as well. Yes???

April 20th, 2015 at 2:04 pm

Giles sorry im trying believe me its just not easy….

April 20th, 2015 at 2:12 pm

I saw that programme,ive seen it a number of times,Rafa is a true sporting phenomenon no argument there….

April 20th, 2015 at 2:13 pm

HC. Better then not to say anything if all you can come up with is negativity and more negativity. But I guess that would be far too difficult for you, no?

April 20th, 2015 at 2:27 pm

Sorry to gate crash but:
https://instagram.com/p/1ruTLlRlXR/

Yay! Jonas has hung up his dancing shoes and is on his way to coach Murphy! Yes!

April 20th, 2015 at 3:18 pm

I think hes got the numer 1 ranking sewn up for the foreseeable….

April 20th, 2015 at 4:24 pm

What Djokovic is achieving this year is unbelievable. If he goes on like this he could win all 4 slams in a row. But its also very easy to get injured, or tired or too much confident.

I found this poll about who is the best between Roger, Rafa and Nole. Djokovic has still little support but is getting more and more votes.
https://netivist.org/debate/federer-nadal-djokovic-best-tennis-player

April 20th, 2015 at 7:54 pm

2015 will be the year of Novak. At this rate, he might even better his 2011 performance and that is by winning Roland Garros.

April 21st, 2015 at 1:19 am

@ Chick
In my inimitable amateurish fashion I calculated Nole would hold the No.1 ranking for 15 months – I think I posted that early March.

@ Margot
I tried to check up on Jonas’s dance status yesterday and failed – so pleased to hear he’s winging his way to oor wee Andy – (what are we calling him these days – (if he does well he’s Murray, if not Murphy?????)- what do U think.

April 21st, 2015 at 3:27 am

Michael i left you a post on the Rafa best level thread,just wondered if you had read it?….

April 21st, 2015 at 3:57 am

Michael i know your hoping he wins everything and unfortunatly you might be right,but im hoping somewhere along the road my two favorites win some titles and GS,i give Novak huge props for this amazing start to the season,and i dont hate the guy,but not all of us want the same player winning everything,so can we put the crystal ball away your begining to sound like Jamie,i know my posts wont be going down too well lately Okie,Giles and i are the only Rafa fans left here ATM,so it must be quite irritating for everyone else here….

April 21st, 2015 at 4:43 am

Looks like Djokovic will have a season for the ages, and by doing so, surpassing in some and closing the gap with Nadal in the “greatness” stats

April 21st, 2015 at 8:01 am

In some areas he will surpass Nadal,and in some areas he wont,Novak has records that wont be surpassed and so does Rafa,no need to p*ss on one though in favour of the other….

April 21st, 2015 at 8:40 am

I believe the rate at which Nole is going, and his insatiable appetite for victory (that guy is just hungry for success), he is going to end up in the top 3 greatest of all time! I’m a die hard Fed fan, but Djoker is just on fire. I’m even scared for Fed’s 302 weeks at no1. I mean, Nole has more ranking points than Fed and Nadal combined. The closest to dethroning him is still technically Fed, but I dont think Fed has d fire power

April 21st, 2015 at 9:42 am

I think that Nadal will sustain the lead in Slams (its tough to overcome a gap of 6), considering that Nadal is capable of adding a couple more, and maybe in overall titles (65 – 52), but master 1000, year end number 1, weeks as number 1, WTF, even Head to Head, currently 23-20, can realisticaly be in Djokovic favor. Djokovic current Domination is like Federer circa 2004-2006, but he must back that up winning at least another slam this year.

April 21st, 2015 at 9:49 am

I think I’d be surprised if Novak didn’t win 3 slams this year.

April 21st, 2015 at 12:37 pm

@Chick 4:43

You’re right. Rafa fans are falling like flies on here. I guess we’ll have to fight the battles with a meager army!! Lol…..I guess I will hang in there…..never was a quitter……I’m a rather stubborn sort……….just ask Okieguy! :)

April 21st, 2015 at 1:59 pm

Djokovic is red hot now, but so was Rafa in 2010. It may not translate into 3 year domination. Didn’t for Nole in 2011, though he has been the best overall player since then..Might be another red hot year, or half year, or start of 4 years of dominance. We just don’t know.
Slam odds are tricky too, as are Grand Slam odds. Fed, Rafa, and Nole have all had shots at a non-calendar year Grand Slam. Odds of each winning 3 in a row were daunting by the math, but then they had 3 straight and the edge and consistency of the champions meant the pure odds, or,bookie odds, were wrong in hindsight somehow. But each was stopped on the 4th leg. For Nole and Fed, the road ended at the French Open. Nadal – in Australia in 2011.
Right now, AO done, the odds are only about the 3 Slams coming. And are still daunting. It was hard for Laver and he had a smaller field of competitors and 2 surfaces to deal with. 1 clay, 3 grass. Now it is 4 surfaces. And for the 3 left, assign probability of a Nole win. Part of that is health, risk of injury.
Say for the sake of argument it is Nole 40% at the French Open, Rafa at 40% based on past performance, rest of the field 20%. Give Nole 35% at Wimbledon. And USO where he has struggled – 25%.
Odds of a Djokovic Grand Slam is by multiplying those fractional odds. 0.4 X 0.35 X 0.25 = 0.035 A little less than 1 in 20 odds.
If you adjust that for intangibles – like Nole’s frightfully good consistency, the confidence he would get from a FO win with a corresponding loss of Rafa’s confidence for the two remaining ones? Add in Fed may tail off some the more tough matches he has at any Slam, Andy’s struggles? Odds if the last week of the FO is cool and rained on? The badly designed AA Stadium for the USO is beset by winds? Maybe the odds are 1 in 16, then.

If Nole wins the FO, the odds then reset to the remaining 2 Slams being won by him. The odds change…

Then there is the Masters and Masters Championship Series outside the Slams many fixate on. A yearly MAsters+WTC Sweep of the 10 is far harder than the Grand Slam of 4 – on paper. But at this point Nole has won 5 straight, inc the WTC. It is so wildly improbable it isn’t being discussed. Just Djokovic getting his career Masters Sweep at Cincinnati – and maybe breaking the yearly record of 5 Masters.
But if he enters both Madrid and Rome and somehow wins..talk will start if just 3 are left.
Especially if Djokovic comes out of the FO and Wimbledon 1 for 2,

April 21st, 2015 at 2:32 pm

Novak’s not even half way to anything yet. Let’s relax.

April 21st, 2015 at 2:39 pm

There isn’t a fixed number that guarantees qualification to the WTFs, it depends on what all the players are doing.
The first 7 players qualify and then one (at most) player who has won a GS if he’s ranked in the top 20.
Usually we get the top 8 players qualifying, because the players with GS are usually in the top 4. Last year we almost had a case in which Cilic would have qualified, being ranked #9 instead of Raonic, who was #8, because he had a GS. When Rafa pulled out, both Cilic and Raonic qualified and there was no need to apply the rule.
That’s why, given that Novak has won Australia, he guarantees his qualification if he guarantees ending the year in the top 8, the other players need to guarantee ending the year in the top 7. So Novak actually needs fewer points than the others to guarantee his qualification.
If he wins Madrid, he will qualify. And it will be the earliest recorded qualification, because nobody else has won Australia plus the 4 first masters of the season. In 2011, Novak qualified after Rome…he didn’t play Monte Carlo that year.
I guess that’s one reason to play Madrid. :-)

April 21st, 2015 at 3:01 pm

Also, as the season progresses, the number of points needed to qualify decreases. By the end of the season, the qualifying number is around 3000 points. One calculates taking into account the worse possible scenario: all points being more or less equally divided among the top 8 players.

April 21st, 2015 at 3:06 pm

@ Yolita

Which Grand Slam did Raonic win? French, Wimbledon, USA, Australia?

April 21st, 2015 at 3:21 pm

I read that with Djokovic’s current ranking points, as a #1 ranked player he has the largest points lead over over a #2 player ever. That is might impressive!

What’s also impressive is how he keeps getting pushed in these finals but still wins. I wonder whether the fact that his opponents are competitive in these finals makes it demoralizing or hopeful for them for future matches?

April 21st, 2015 at 3:25 pm

@ Yolita

Right, I have re-read what you said – it was indeed Cilic and not Raonic who won a GS – and yes, I agree that is the format.

Will Raonic win a GS this year? What do you think?

April 21st, 2015 at 3:31 pm

RZ, for 2 sets, you gotta think they feel hopeful. And then the final set comes about and they find themselves down 0-4 and are like “wtf happened?!”

April 21st, 2015 at 3:42 pm

Ben, exactly. So do they leave the court thinking “If I had won that first set tiebreak, I would/could have won the match”? Or do they leave thinking “He was too good in the 3rd set?” Or both?

April 21st, 2015 at 3:49 pm

What is the Year end championship? It never shows up as important on my calendar.

April 21st, 2015 at 4:13 pm

@RZ 3.25 pm
“I read that with Djokovic’s current ranking points, as a #1 ranked player he has the largest points lead over over a #2 player ever. That is might impressive!”
Nope. Since 2008, IIRC, points are doubled. So, Roger’s gap (for example, as of Dec 2006) over #2 Nadal was 3900 pts – that is, 7800 pts in the current ranking system. Novak, with his present 5460 pts difference, still has quite a work to do. Who knows, maybe he is able to, especially with Roger’s ‘help’.

April 21st, 2015 at 4:21 pm

Yolita – I believe that 7100 is based on total points available. That if you reach that, with the limited # of points available at all the events for any stage of success, mathematically, there is no way 8 other people could get more points than that. And then bump you out of the WTC.
So that is the guarantee.
And the effect is more on the remaining players then able to qualify with less points. In 2013, Rafa and Nole had about 13,000 and 12,250 points, respectively. None of the other six had over 7100 points. Ferrer was the next closest with 5800 points. Stan was 8th selected with only 3330 points, when Andy dropped out,Gasquet was upgraded to 8th with 3300 points.

April 21st, 2015 at 4:32 pm

Novak is a great tennis player but he is no Federer or Nadal if either one of these players were at there best or in their prime he would be lucky to ever win a major so he should enjoy what he has while he has it and by the way I like him. Federer and Nadal the two best players ever love them both.

April 21st, 2015 at 4:44 pm

@Leon – thanks. I had forgotten that the points system had changed. I found this handy explanation: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATP_Rankings#Previous_points_distribution_.28until_2008.29

April 21st, 2015 at 5:06 pm

If Novak does everything in the future that is being predicted……all the ifs. If this come to pass and Novak wins everything…….then will be faced with this dilemma……the weak era theory??

April 21st, 2015 at 5:34 pm

^^^^ correction…..we’ll be faced….

April 21st, 2015 at 5:36 pm

Darren lovely post please stick around….

April 21st, 2015 at 5:37 pm

Darren, I like reading knowledgeable posts on this site as I learn a lot. I don’t think I’ll ever again read yours; what you lack in tennis knowledge you compensate by hating Novak.
Darren, contrary to the poster above please don’t stick around. There’s enough hate on this forum already. You can find plenty of others that would match your skills much better. I rarely post myself as I don’t about tennis nearly as much as others, but I know enough to recognize a hater. I don’t like everybody myself; I can’t stand Eugine and I posted about her recent “handshake” because I had a reason. I’d never post something negative if she was #1 just because I was jealous.

April 21st, 2015 at 6:36 pm

Well, time for wacko fedal to quit, since “lucky nobody” is #1. After all, we don’t want grown unlucky men to suffer at the hands of a junior gumby boy.

April 21st, 2015 at 7:21 pm

@Muhhamad,

You scanned him/her, spot on, thanks!

April 21st, 2015 at 7:27 pm

I found this, very interesting:

“Author comment by Scoop Malinowski · April 21, 2015 at 10:03 am

Heat of the battle. You didn’t know that at Ashe Kids Day before this US Open Roddick and Djokovic played a tiebreak exo and Roddick drop shotted Djok and then fired a huge forehand at his head. Unbelievable. So these two had a grudge at this time. Djokovic won and rubbed it in a little. Fans didn’t understand the tensions between the two. Then moments after this interview, Roddick assaulted Djokovic and had to be pulled off, then he verbally abused Djokovic to the point that he made him cry tears down his cheeks. From my source inside the locker room who witnessed the attack. Also he said, if the attendant staff wasn’t there to separate the two, Roddick would have beat the **** out of Djokovic. I was told Roddick did something similar to Federer and Nishikori and Spadea in San Jose. So just to give you more of the story behind the fraction of the story. Again, I totally respect how Djokovic handled this and Roddick’s bullying BS. Although Roddick deserved to be knocked out cold IMO.”

http://www.tennis-prose.com/bios/its-called-charisma-dah-ling/

I also heard that Miljan Amanovic presence was the element that calmed Roddick down.

April 21st, 2015 at 7:42 pm

Where in Darren’s post do you get the message that he hates Novak? He or she is just stating an opinion that he thinks Fed and Rafa are better. I don’t get it why people aren’t allowed to have an opinion w/o getting accused of hating. PEOPLE, WE DONT ALL LIKE OR THINK THE SAME!! Darren said he thought he was a great tennis player and liked him, but he likes R n R mo betta!! Just saying…

April 21st, 2015 at 7:46 pm

lol mat4, that feels like eons ago doesn’t it? novak is such a mature young man now. water under the bridge? :)

April 21st, 2015 at 7:48 pm

^^^
“…. but he is no Federer or Nadal if either one of these players were at there best or in their prime he would be lucky to ever win a major so he should enjoy what he has while he has it and by the way I like him.”

It is not a rocket since to work out that this is backhanded compliment of a hater.

April 21st, 2015 at 7:55 pm

^^^that was for Okie.

April 21st, 2015 at 7:56 pm

Hi, jane.

Yes, but at the time I was shocked by Roddick’s interview, not by Novak reaction in the post match interview, when he said that “it is not nice” to say what Roddick said.

Roddick, as often, was bordering the vulgar, and I didn’t find his presser funny. But an American can say whatever he wants in front of the American press. And, of course, this incident, like the ones with Federer and Nishikori, were pushed under the rug by the ATP.

Imagine how you would feel knowing that if you win a match, you could be assaulted by somebody 190 cm tall and 90 kg heavy.

April 21st, 2015 at 7:59 pm

I guess I missed out on this story about Roddick’s locker room antics. I do remember when he bashed Novak for all of his “so called” injuries in his presser. Also Novak called him out on it at his on court interview. Had never heard the locker room abuse. Interesting…..you would think Roddick would have gotten into serious trouble if he actually assaulted him. I guess he could have been fined…..

April 21st, 2015 at 8:03 pm

Oops, mat4…..I was slow getting mine in….I see from your latest post, a good explanation. Thanks.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:05 pm

With years, Novak not only matured, but learned the taboos of media communications.

While he is very objective and nice toward his opponents when speaking of tennis and matches (with his famous verbal tic: “and that’s what I did”), he learned to avoid sensitive questions and takes great care to avoid missteps (the latest was about doping: after his interventions in the case of Viktor Troicki, he stopped commenting doping altogether, probably warned by the ATP).

Sometimes, when I watch his pressers, I recall a scene from The Long Kiss Goodnight, when Mitch said he was always frank and earnest with women: Frank in New York, and Ernest in Chicago.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:08 pm

… I remember… instead of “I recall”.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:09 pm

“The Long Kiss Goodnight, when Mitch said he was always frank and earnest with women: Frank in New York, and Ernest in Chicago.”

ha ha mat4, awesome quote. i’ve never seen that film, but just that quotation makes me want to do so.

yes; i agree. novak knows where the pitfalls are now in interviews; he’s much more media savvy. he’s still forthcoming and honest but he knows when to exercise caution.

both on and off the court, he’s a great champion. :)

April 21st, 2015 at 8:13 pm

@Wog Boy…….I just don’t see that remark as hating. So, I will assume when you make negative remarks about certain players, you hate them?? All righty then…..I get it!!

April 21st, 2015 at 8:18 pm

@jane:

Indeed. I hope that his career will last, and that he will finally get the respect and popularity he deserves.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:18 pm

@mat4,

Roddick admitted later that he backed off when realized that Miljan is walking towards him ready to punch him. It was easy to have a go at Nole but no so brave to have a go at Miljan Amanovic.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:21 pm

@WB:

Now I understand why Fed was so merciless against Roddick for years… And I wonder how Nishikori felt — if Scoop’s informations are dependable.

And yes, Roddick was so stupid to speak about that incident in a radio emission, making it sound like a joke. He attacked a boy and ran from a man. That’s what we call cowardice in my country.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:32 pm

To counter the bad taste in the mouth brought about by Daniel’s comment that Djokovic would not have won any slam had he faced Federer and/or Nadal at their best or prime, here’s an article from the Wall Street Journal Men’s Style issue ( March 2015).

http://www.wsj.com/articles/tennis-champion-novak-djokovics-power-moves-1424874849

In it, Wilander made a comment that “Djokovic may even be better than the other two”. I think I’ll put more weight on Wilander’s opinion than Daniel’s. Nadal and Federer fans, don’t be enraged as I was only quoting. It is a very well written article which was not derogatory at all to those big 2 or any other player.

April 21st, 2015 at 8:36 pm

mat4, me too.

wog boy, methinks some of these comments aren’t worth addressing. obviously suggesting novak is “lucky” to have any slams given that apparently all the slams he won were when fed and rafa were in decline, not at their peaks, etc, is backhanded, as you not.

maybe instead of “the long kiss goodnight” we should be talking about “the long decline of goats”? ;)

April 21st, 2015 at 8:36 pm

hey markus, just to clarify, i think that was “darren”.

“daniel” is one of this sites most excellent longtime posters, a statical and historical wizard! :)

April 21st, 2015 at 8:39 pm

Yikes! Mother of all blunders.That was Darren, not Daniel.

Huge apologies to Daniel.

Thank you, Jane!

April 21st, 2015 at 8:48 pm

I would call Roddick a spoiled brat, but got into all kinds of trouble when l called Roger one, so I’ll decline……. :)

April 21st, 2015 at 8:58 pm

Very clever post, Okiegal.

April 21st, 2015 at 9:04 pm

@Markus Laughter, the best medicine!! It takes more face muscles to frown than smile……

April 21st, 2015 at 9:29 pm

Another weak era??? Just wondering….

April 21st, 2015 at 10:45 pm

Thanks Jane,

No Probs Markus;-)

Kind of shocked by this Roddick news. He was kind of a bully on court but maybe that was how he vented his frustration at umpires. But this thing is intense.

A lot of tennis players detest some of them and there is a lot of “bad blood” we don’t know about.

It would be interesting if some inside journalist of ATP person would published a book throwing all the S&^%t in the fan. That would be a book I would read in a day:-0

April 21st, 2015 at 10:47 pm

The rankings are an accurate reflection of Djokovic’s abilities and greatness, the age and mileage of Federer and Nadal, but also the slowed growth rate of the newer generations. Most are not ready to challenge on a consistent basis for one reason or another. Nishi is trying his best, sure. Cilic and Potro have health issues. Nishi does too. Dimitrov is distracted (Verlander of tennis). Raonic is limited. Tomic is a poor man’s Safin.

Can’t blame Novak for taking full advantage of this opening.

April 21st, 2015 at 10:53 pm

Again, very very very weak era…. Whom is Djokovic really playing against?? These younger ones are just not ready. They win one big one and then they disappear.

In 2011 when Djokovic went on all that winning spree, he had improved drastically physically and in all kinds of ways and it was really great to watch him play. The effort was pretty admirable (given how he used to do things in the earlier years).

Right now, these ongoing wins are more mental than anything else. There is really no competition at this point. I see how tired Djokovic gets when playing and yet he ends up winning. I mean, go figure. I am sure he is laughing in his sleep. Good for him because, the way I see it, this could be going on for quite a while – I see nobody challenging him anytime soon unless some of these younger ones wake up.. they have taken to long….they play one good match and then they disappear. Djoker, just go on.. win everything… this is your time…

April 21st, 2015 at 11:08 pm

Lol slowed growth rate of new generation. Lets just say none of them are as great as the big 3. It is very rare to have 3 great players to play in the same 5-10 years. In average, there is only one great player per decade. By great player i mean those who have double digit slams, or are capable of obtaining double digit slams.

Basically we are heading into a weaker era, and as a djokovic fan this is great. With the big 4 becoming big 1, nole will dominate the next few years.

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:21 am

People forget that Novak won his first nasters title when he was 19, the same age Kyrgios is now, and that he beat Nadal en route to the title… A few months later, barely 20, he beat Roger in the Canada Masters final, when Roger was still 25, at his absolute peak, having been #1 for more than 180 straight weeks… And that yet a few months later, Novak beat Roger in a grand skam in straight sets… Roger had been #1 for over 200 consecutive weeks.
When Novak won his first skam, Fedal had won 15 slams. They havevwon 16 slams since. So Novsk was right in the middle of the Fedal domination.
People forget how znovsk single-handedly beat Fedal 10 times in 2011 and wrested the #1 from their hands, put and endvto the Fedal Era and gave birth to the Age of Novak.
Novak caught them all big 4 by surprise, but they all regrouped and fought back, they were all strong enough to win slams after that. But Novak did not relinquish his domination for long.
To even suggest that Nole needed a weak era to thrive reflects either a very bad memory or a reluctance to see reality.
Nobody in the history of tennis has had to fight two of the greatest tennis players ever at their peak, with 25 grand slams to their nanes and more to come, yer Nole rose to the occasion and did it
If people want to pretend it didn’t happen, they can pretend… It still happened. . :-).

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:31 am

I apologise for the many typos, I’m on my i-pad, and there is no Edit button.
@KatH You ask me what I think of Raonic’s chances. I have no idea. Of hus generation, he’s the most consistent and is capable of beating anybody… A good draw and he could win a big one.
With respect to the Roddick incident, he has always been a fratboy. It can’t have been easy to see a 19-year-old take the #3 and never give it back… He was envious, plain and simple… But he is now one of Nole’s most fervent supporters

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:38 am

yolita, they don’t forget; i think it’s a little different. :)

“A few months later, barely 20, he beat Roger in the Canada Masters final”

re: canada masters… not just roger: he beat roddick (#3), rafa (#2) and then federer (#1) all back to back to win the title. he was the first guy to do that since becker back in the 80s or 90s in fact.

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:41 am

Well, I guess it can be fun to be a completely obnoxious Novak fan boy too.

“Whether you like it, or don’t like it, learn to live with it. Because it’s the best thing going, woooooo!”

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:12 am

mat4, wog boy, here’s a write up you might enjoy:
http://www.tennischannel.com/news/NewsDetails.aspx?newsid=15129

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:25 am

https://twitter.com/Andy_Murray

Did Andy fans see this? What the heck is Jonas doing and why??????
@KatH
Re your suggestion….but it would mean we never call Andy, “Murphy” and I just love that nick name…;)

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:48 am

I was also wondering what this guy Darren was saying :). Novak was beating both Roger and Rafa in their prime and was the one who played Rafa the closest on clay. And all that while still suffering with his breathing problems. Even Roger was saying something on the lines of being lucky for winning the USO 2007 against young Nole who had something like 8 set points in the first two sets.

So there… How interesting that Nole, who was still far away from his prime, managed to beat multiple times Roger and Rafa in their prime.

April 22nd, 2015 at 3:19 am

What a shame Roddick retired!

April 22nd, 2015 at 3:29 am

Okay doke Margot – your comment great – brimming with confidence for Andy.

No idea what Jonas is doing (would like to change his name actually)…….

April 22nd, 2015 at 3:35 am

Kat, we need that bloke, who kindly introduced “Murphy” to us and the tennis world, on the job. ;)
I didn’t realise, till I checked, that Jonas got to No 4 in the singles rankings, thought he was mainly a doubles player.
That’s a pretty damn good pedigree isn’t it?

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:03 am

@jane, WB:

I just found that there already was a thread on the AR-Nole “misunderstanding”. Scoop Malinowsky described it in a different way, but the new thing for me is that AR did the same thing to Federer, Nishikori and Spadea: verbal abuse, aggression, etc.

How many other players were in such a position? Is something that happens regularly? We know that A-Rod tried the same with Ljubicic, but made a mistake there.

We see tennis as a game of gentlemen. Is it?

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:13 am

To Mat4,Wogboy,Jane,Danica,Yolita etc when i said lovely post from Darren what i meant was him giving Federer and Nadal alot of credit in his post as been two of the greatest players ever,and to add Novak is also one of the greatest ever players and is also in that conversation now carving out his own niche in greatness,so im sorry if posters thought i too was knocking Novak,its just ive heard posters the last few weeks knocking Rafas achievements and Darren posted praising him and Federer was which i enjoyed not the knock on Novak,but just to clarify i never meant to knock Novak in my post….

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:16 am

Andy Roddick never did come close to Novaks achievements so its most probably jealousy on his part….

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:17 am

@Margot:

I hope [NOT!! of course] that JB will incite, make, force… whatever… Murphy to

1. use his power effectively,
2. be even more aggressive from the return,
3. put pressure on his opponents,
4. shorten points (and matches)

In a word, find a coherent strategy in accordance with his power and his skills. But the answer lies in Andy himself, not in his coach. He has to stick to simple and effective patterns (he worked on such, and has a lot of them in his arsenal), to be proactive, not reactive.

I hope he won’t make it — it would be the end of Novak’s domination — but, if he does… that’s sport. And he owes it to himself.

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:21 am

mat4,

This is out of Roddick mouth:

http://sportslivezone.com/roddick-reveals-djoker-locker-fight-5554/

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:21 am

For what its worth i think Ahfi sounds like more of a hater,she was never a fan that gave Novak or Rafa much credit,seems annoyed that these two have got Federers number just lately….

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:25 am

Mat4 and Wogboy sorry but are we still friends,we used to get on pretty well,it seems our friendship has soured lately,i wont post anymore if it has,ive never meant to knock Novak i was only defending my favorite :((….

April 22nd, 2015 at 5:30 am

HC, don’t be silly please, of course we are friends, I just refered to that poster, you are entitled to defend your man so you should.
I just don’t have much time in last two days to be on TX since we have flaads in and around Sydney and last night after third day of mini cyclone woter entered in my garage so I spent day cleaning garage and keeping an eye on water coming from above my house (i am on the slope) and diverting around the house. I am lucky since the water enters from the back and goes out through the front by my neiboroughs below me are on flat, next to the river and the river broke the banks so the water stays in their yard, tonight will be critical during high tide because the flood water from catchments will meet with the tide. Three eldery people, north of Sydney died, they were to old to move out on time, the other old lady didn’t want to leave her little dog behind, she died too, very sad.

April 22nd, 2015 at 6:29 am

“floods”….”water”…and many more typos:(

April 22nd, 2015 at 6:35 am

Wogboy many thanks for getting back to me,and OMG sorry to hear about the floods in your area,i remember the little village where i lived in Yorkshire that got flooded twice when the river Ouse banks burst not to that extent but the families and homes that got destroyed because of it were heart breaking,and so sorry about the elderly people too,and that lady and her little dog,reading your post is now making me cry,indeed there are more important issues going on in the world,tennis is after all only a game,i wish you and your family be safe at this sad and trying time,my thoughts are with you xxxx :(….

April 22nd, 2015 at 6:48 am

Jane, that was a long but good write-up. I think Djokovic might be the best all surface player we’ve seen. I know he’s not the most accomplished, but as far as just playing style goes, I don’t think anyone’s ever transitioned as seemlessly between all surfaces as Djokovic. His natural game fits everywhere. Nadal has to make adjustments on the faster surfaces. Federer has to be more patient on the slower surfaces. Murray sucks on clay. Past players, like Sampras and other power players, struggled on clay. And then clay court specialists struggled outside of clay. But Djokovic just plays the same way on every surface and he’s successful every where.

April 22nd, 2015 at 8:54 am

@HC:

Alison, I didn’t make any comment for such a reaction. I like your posts, and, to me, it is very OK to be a faithful fan of Rafa. I saw that Giles attacked you a few times, but I couldn’t interfere in that, although I wanted to defend you — I thought it would do even more harm.

You are very sad lately. I went through a similar crisis in the last two years, and posting here helped me to stand up.

So. Don’t leave. Even when I don’t comment your posts, I read them.

April 22nd, 2015 at 9:34 am

Hippy Chick…what’s your point…other than to be rude and not have any respect for RAFAEL or other players you do not like?? Guessing you were not taught good manners in your household…this not reflect kindly on you.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:07 am

Thanks Mat4 that was indeed unfair of me to say that,i just always thought i had a good raport with most of the fans on this forum,it just seems things have gone the other way lately,anyway i wont leave but i might take a break,i have alot of stuff going on in the real world ATM,Thanks again for getting back to me….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:08 am

ben, yes all of steve flink’s pieces are long like that, going through all the vicissitudes of a match. but i like what he says, in particular, before and after his match analyses, when he kind of sums up his observations. i guess novak making semis/finals of all slams at the youngest age was telling of his ability to transition.

mat4, yes thanks, although i think that’d i had heard that story before, maybe around when the story came out that wog boy posted, when roddick said it himself. however, from wog boy’s link, i had never here this one!

“Pat Cash once threatened to clobber Ivan Lendl after the world No.1 sliced the young Australian’s laces in a brand new pair of shoes”

wog boy, oh no! sorry to hear about the flooding. hope you are managing okay.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:10 am

@HC:

It’s OK. Although, I just read that you are a Rafa hater… signed Anna Nadal (I thought it should be Cisca?) ;-)

@jane:

I always read Flink’s articles, and I read that one too. I like his choice of words: valiant, generous, lofty…

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:16 am

^ sorry for typos @10:10… still need coffee, zzzz.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:17 am

Annie Nadal just letting you know Rafa is my favorite player,however i dont fawn over everything he or any other player does,i critique them all from time to time on this forum,i also have alot of respect for the achievements of his rivals,i have been blogging here for almost four years now,and most posters or i hope they do know me well enough by now to see i have always been pretty fair,i will be honest though and say i miss read Darrens post,i agree with Roger and Rafa been two of the greatest ever,but the trashing of Novak was unfair,no need to bring my family or upbringing into it though,dont appreciate it….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:20 am

mat4, i agree; nice diction. he’s thoughtful and objective too.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:21 am

funny picture of bjorkman margot… going under a gate by the looks of it? i do recall that he was a character. and still remember a later and long run at wimbledon he had one year in singles.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:24 am

Skeezer/Markus if your reading,surely every GS Rafa wins will enhance his legacy,whether its clay or wherever,ut especially if its clay?….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:29 am

Mat4 well exactly i dont think i actually said anything that could be classed as hatefull about any of the players on this thread,only a misunderstanding about Darrens post,the rest were all merely objective….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:39 am

@ Margot

I don’t remember who first said “Murphy” – I think he’s been frightened off by the merriment he caused —

JONAS – The minute one first hears about him (re Andy) – he seems to pop up all over the place – (Swedish Come Dancing) and then last night on “Pointless” the question was Name a Men’s Singles Tennis Player ranked between No.2 and No. 5 in the world – up comes Jonas Bjorkman as No.4 —-a pointless answer. Hopefully the sporting world will be hearing a lot of him soon…reflected glory if nothing else.

Jonas (alternatively Jonah) a Biblical prophet was a stubborn fellow and defied God – ended up being swallowed by a whale – was spewed up 3 days later after being repentant.

Fast forward – Murphy and the Whale?
or Murphy and Jorkie?
or get lost KatH.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:41 am

Mat4 i believe it was someone called Ron Smith?anyway im looking forward to grass,as Andy always does well there,his game is well suited to grass….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:46 am

KatH LOL i needed a good laugh….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:47 am

oh my goodness wog boy, i just saw this!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-32407859

stay safe please.

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:55 am

^Exactly^….

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:56 am

@WB:

Hope it’s not as terrible as it looks.

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:03 pm

@HC:

Who is Ron Smith?

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:05 pm

@mat4
Here we go:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/mar/14/andy-murray-jonas-bjorkman-coach-tennis-amelie-mauresmo

Jonas talks about what he hopes to bring to Murphy’s game, and he agrees with you!
@Kath
I think Jonas means “destroyer” in Hebrew….Yay!

April 22nd, 2015 at 12:17 pm

@Margot:

I knew I was a kind of genius or whatever, but I wasn’t aware that it was so… obvious. ;-) Murphy should have hired me…

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:04 pm

lol mat4. you know many of us love your posts and analyses right? so clever and grammatical.

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:22 pm

OK, we’ll leave poetry for another time…

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:28 pm

Mat4 i saw a sporadic post from a poster called Ron Smith im sure he was the one that called Murray Murphy….

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:39 pm

OK, then, let’s continue:

Murphy,

Novak=Newman

Rafael:Dr, Doc

Roger: Shakespeare, Rajah… (open)

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:44 pm

Mat4 just re read your post to me from earlier about Annie Nadal yeah maybe it was Xisca lol….

April 22nd, 2015 at 1:55 pm

Hc and Mat4-You are wrong-
Annie Nadal is Giles-He dresses in the evening as a lady
Annie-his favorite film
Nadal-his favorite player

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:15 pm

Courbon lol,but they both posted at the same time on this forum some weeks back,and Giles doesnt defend other players which AN did….

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:27 pm

@Mat and Margot

Jonas/Jonah/Jokio sounds great for Andy/Murphy – after all he got out of the whale – equals semi-finals at the French GS!!!?

PS: I’m only partially kidding – can you rely upon your gut??? – I’m sticking my neck out -Argh argh.

Keep well – and to all Aussies right now – keep strong.

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:31 pm

Courbon i will clariry once and for all though,in that when i said lovely post from Darren what i meant was the praise about Federer and Nadal,although the insult about Novaks achievements was uncalled for….

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:31 pm

@katH:

To clarify first: I am NOT a Murphy fan. So, I am biased, and since he is born a week apart of Newman, they often peak at the same time. An improved Murphy is not something good for Newman.

But, that apart: Rome 2011 was a demonstration of Murphy’s potential on clay. He has a very, very heavy and powerful backhand, and he can execute the same plan as Newman against Humble. There’s no need for a “gut feeling”. The game, he already has it. It’s the choice of an aggressive strategy that is the key for him.

He doesn’t have to improve — he already has all the shots (second serve excepted, where he has to work hard) — just to have the adequate mindset, and to keep repeating the same plan over and over. The players he should try to imitate are Ferrer and Robredo. Everything is simple and efficient. And, as a bonus, he can always unexpectedly rush to the net.

April 22nd, 2015 at 2:40 pm

Courbon from the other day Jimmy Popeye Doyle is one of the best film characters ever,and Mr Gene Hackman is one of the best film actors ever,i will try out the film Heist though too,and if im in a really bad mood Judgement at Nuremberg….

April 22nd, 2015 at 3:46 pm

Hc, I haven not read Darrens post-I just had now.Everybody are entitled to opnion-I’m cool with that.
I guess, recent wining on Novak created euphoria among some Novak fans so, “reaction” to that was to be expected.As much I would love to share optimism of some Novak fans , I’m more cautious-we have been there before.Novak starts year great but that not always continues through the year.And every time we think-this year will be THE YEAR!
I do not publicly say’ like other fans, but I secretly also DO hope-
this will be the year …(-:

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:15 pm

@Courbon:

Novak has already won a lot. 8 slams, 23 MS, 52 tournaments… So, yes, let’s hope, but I am already happy with his achievements, and although I would be deceived if he doesn’t win more, especially the FO, it’s very realistic to assume that he has had his fair share of glory.

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:32 pm

Courbon thanks for the feedback,this is already Novaks year whatever happens next would be gravy,he deserves it and im sure that theres even more to come,i would just like my two favorites to have some gravy too lol,Rafa hopefully will start to make some noise again on clay,and i hope also that Andy has a good season on grass,i think hes long over due some good luck and another GS so fingers crossed,we all want success for our favorites,i do admit to getting down in the dumps and probably come across as been bitter when everyone elses favorites are doing well and mine are doing crap,pretty much the same in the real world when i think hell they are doing well so why not me?even though i hate feeling this way,its why i do healing with soiux drums,crystals and Reiki,and meditation i find it all helps….

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:44 pm

mat4, i very much agree.

April 22nd, 2015 at 4:54 pm

@Yolita –

Is Federer at his peak now? What peak? The downward one? Maybe, Nadal is at his peak but not Federer.

Yes, when Djoker won those days against Federer, yes, Federer was at his peak.

The period that Fed won a lot of his slams, we had Hewitt (half of the people here don’t even know his history – he was #1 before Fed), we had Safin – a great great talent (again half of the people here have no clue), Roddick, Agassi were still playing well, Sampras was going down – there were hosts of great players – I can’t remember of the top of my head and I can’t bother to go an look anywhere – AND YET, THE IGNORANT ONES SAID IT WAS A WEAK ERA. Now, the tide has changed and people can’t accept the weak era syndrome? Just watch the matches. Whom is Djokovic playing? If this is not a weak era, I don’t know what is a weak era. He is doing great – kudos to him – at least he is managing to keep fit. Let’s just face the facts.

April 22nd, 2015 at 6:25 pm

@ahfi….

Don’t sell TXers short!! Trust me, everyone on here knows tennis history very well. I’m sure we all remember Hewett, Safin etc and a whole lot more before them…..just saying. A lot of folks on here have their opinions about what constitutes a weak era….their God given right.

April 22nd, 2015 at 7:27 pm

@Okiegal:

Not to mention that some of us remember Peci, Clerc, Vilas, Solomon, Ashe, Orantes, Tanner, Gerulaitis… Forget, Noah, Pioline, Leconte…

Oh, why bother?

April 22nd, 2015 at 7:53 pm

Ahfi -If there is one thing Fedtards HATE!!!! – it is “The Weak Era”.
The Weak Era started in 2002, when a weak runty Aussie that never threatened after early 2003, kept #1 for over a year. Agassi never beat Fed after 2002, never beat Nadal. Roddick never got to Nadal, got a few licks in on Djoker before Nole ousted him when Nole developed emough to play with the big boys in 2007, and Fed ate the powerful big serve jock with bad foodwork for lunch.
The 2002-2007 Weak Era was also formed by some top players falling by the wayside – the best Safin and Haas, went to being an erratic head case and with Haas, a year lost caring for parents trying to come back and losing 2 extra years on his accident. Guga and Coria got hurt, so did Nalbandian.
Until Nadal, there was really no one left to fight Fed. Then Nole got good enough that he was ready to challenge by summer of 2007, then beat Fed in a Slam in early 2008.
2007 was also the last time Roger beat Rafa in a Slam.
2008 marks the end of the Weak Era as Fed was beaten by Nole and then twice by Rafa. And Muzz arrived and started beating Fed (and the other two) in Masters.
Feds resurgence in 2009 only happened because Nole and Rafa took themselves out of the picture by trashing each other for the rest of the year from the War in Madrid.

IN all this, Fed fans need to be reminded that most proponents of The Weak Era view Fed as a legit all-time Great. Just that he padded his stats big-time 2004-2007 before Rafa, Nole, the Andy arrived as all-court threats and risen to 2,3,4 in the rankings.

April 22nd, 2015 at 8:18 pm

@mat4…….I do remember Vilas, Gerulaitis, Noah…..have heard of Ashe, of course, but didn’t watch him. Why, I don’t know. I got interested in tennis when Borg, Mac, Connors, Chris, and Martina were in their hay day. Guess who my fav was?? Borg, are you surprised?? Prolly not…..lol

April 22nd, 2015 at 9:32 pm

@Okiegal AND @mat4, do you remember Jesus Christ? Can’t remember the last match he played but just wondering……

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:19 pm

Ahfi:

Of course you can’t, you’re born seven years ago and just learned to write, but I know for sure that he still plans to make a comeback, although with a modern frame this time…

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:24 pm

Ahfi……
Mind your manners, respect your elders……I would never bring Jesus Christ into a discussion as trivial as tennis……sorry!!

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:36 pm

^^
:))

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:37 pm

^^
That was for mat4

April 22nd, 2015 at 10:38 pm

@Ahfi
You are absolutely right, Hewitt, Safin, Roddick werre wonderful players an I, for one, have not forgotten them.
I’ve never been one to go for weak era arguments, they don’t do the players involved any justice and they ignore the mechanics of our sport.
What I find extrememly amusing is seeing many Federer fans, who in the past ridiculed anybody mentioning a weak era, saying then how there is no such thing, only extreme domination, now doing a U-turn and mentioning weak eras themselves. I think they should be careful and think it through. Do they really want weak arguments? Brcause the same arguments can and will then be applied to anyboy.
Personally, I feel privileged having been part of tennis for the last 10 years: such battles we have witnessed. This will probably go down in history as one of the most exciting tennis periods ever. The level is unreal. Amd to belittle one of the contenders is to belittle the others.
I was just speaking for my guy. I wasn’t belittling anybody else. I’m looking forward to seeing more battles being fought on the courts.

April 22nd, 2015 at 11:14 pm

@ mat4:You said it all.

@ HC: I think you two guys will come back in next two tournament strong.I think ‘Murphy’ will have a good clay season and Rafa…I hope he does not!
(After FO, Rafa can take remaining GS and masters, but before FO I hope he still wobbles… (-:) )

April 23rd, 2015 at 12:41 am

I’m with Okiegal on this…Hey people! Stick to tennis. You may think you’re bring smart to drag other names utterly unrelated to tennis into this but really, it is deranged!

April 23rd, 2015 at 12:42 am

@Markus

I agree 110% with your last sentence…….

April 23rd, 2015 at 12:51 am

Why do posters bring up this whole weak era argument as a way of belittling a player any player thats doing so well,cant we just give them credit and recognize how amazing they all are?…..

April 23rd, 2015 at 1:55 am

Ahfi(Tiapost)it sounds like you are quite bitter that Novak is doing so well and getting the better of Roger just lately?….

April 23rd, 2015 at 1:58 am

HC – The discussion of “Weak Eras” and “Strong Eras” was a natural followup to those that claimed “Slam Count” was the only thing thar mattered. Because obviously, level of competition affects outcomes somewhat.

April 23rd, 2015 at 2:43 am

^ It’s a “weak” argument IMHO and seems to be used entirely to devalue achievement. You play whose in front of you, that’s it!

April 23rd, 2015 at 2:48 am

@Mat4

There ain’t much wrong with what you say – except “my gut feeling” which does have some roots in reality: Andy trained on clay in his youth (but his match success was always less than on grass & hard) – Why? – could it be the slight deformity of one of his ankles with which he was born which makes clay tougher for him? Does it stint/prevent the level of aggressive play needed more than it does on other surfaces?

He needs a strategy for clay much more than for other surfaces and “my gut feeling” tells me that Jonas will provide it – emphasizing the skills Andy already has as mentioned by your good self.
I think we might see some improved results at RG – semi final success will be a good outcome.

April 23rd, 2015 at 3:22 am

Djoker is the most complete player in the history of tennis. Offensive skills, defensive skills, fitness, hunger for winning… he’s got all of that at the super high level!

Fed defence is average at best, Nadal and Murray lack offence, others lack even more things…

So, bottom line is, Djoker will dominate for a LOOOOONG time. Fed’s fans (generally normal) and Nadal’s fans (generally fanatics) will surely disagree with me and respond accordingly, i.e. Fed fans will mention number 17 while keeping largely civilized tone, and Nadal fanatic will likely attack my statement like rabid dogs and say how dare I to say that Djoker is better than Nads…
However, slowly but surely, time will tell and even the craziest of fans will accept that Djoker is the best player that has ever played the sport of tennis. When that moment comes, these forums will become kind of boring – not a good thing!
Keep the crazies coming and commenting. For instance, I love reading comments from legendary Giles (Simon) of Tennis X. Never fails to bring a smile to my face!

April 23rd, 2015 at 3:59 am

“The discussion of “Weak Eras” and “Strong Eras” was a natural followup to those that claimed “Slam Count” was the only thing that mattered.”…Chris Ford1.

I don’t think people who put weight on the Slams are necessarily saying that they are the only thing that mattered. Slams just happen to be the more obviously big tournaments and are easier to count because they occur only four times a year. It is similar to the Olympics to other athletes where an Olympic gold is what matters most. You can win all the other events but without an Olympic gold, you still haven’t reached the top in your sport.

Besides, who else are winning all those smaller events but mostly the same people who win the Slams anyway?

So this “weak era” theory cannot be a natural offshoot of the valuation of the Slams over smaller events. It is only a theory used to misinterpret reality to discredit the deserving.

April 23rd, 2015 at 8:29 am

@Ahfi
Those were great players indeed, all the ones you mentioned.
I have never mentioned a weak era, nor ever will. I thnk it is unfair to players and ignores the subtleties in our sport
My only point is: people cannot have it both ways. Many Federer fans answered comments about a weak era saying that you can only beat whoever is in front of you. That talking about weak eras was not on… It is funny to me to see them now doing what they complained about other people doing.
I think wevare reslly fortunate to be able to witness these great battles over the last years. The last 10 years have been absolutely mesmerising.
To belittle one of the warrioirs is to belittle the others. They make each other greater.
I was defending my man, mentioning everything that he has done, not belittling anybody else.

April 23rd, 2015 at 8:52 am

There is no such thing as weak era, at least not since tennis stopped to be a sport of privileged few.
It’s the rare exceptional players like Roger and Novak that make the field appear to be weak, but it never is. Novak was lucky the other day to beat dog that was a better player for most of the match, Roger had a few bad days recently and lost matches that he should have won. My point is that it’s never easy.

By the way, this Ahfi troll with his style of writing reminds me of “Darren”, “Novak looks good only because everybody else is crap”. I just wonder if it’s the same person. I think it is.

April 23rd, 2015 at 8:54 am

I^^^^^
I apologise for posting that. Imstarted writing it in my i-pad when I was at the doctors, I couldn’t post it, I left it and then I wrote my post on my lap-top when I got home. I am on my ipad again, and As soon as I opened this site it posted itself and I can’t see a delete button. Please ignore it…

April 23rd, 2015 at 8:57 am

Alison, Forgive me for the belated response.

Well, we are all a product of time. Now in Tennis, it is Novak’s time where he seems to be invincible at least for the moment. We make conjectures bases on the present performance. What will exactly be the future, nobody can say for certain. But Novak looks head and shoulders above the rest. We had the Fedal and it is now Novak’s era in Tennis. Time waits for no one. The wheel has turned full circle. It is not my desire or hope which is going to make Novak to touch every thing which turns to Gold. He is the one who has faced the challenge and created the opportunity for himself. All you can do is to only appreciate his efforts rather than envy it. It is true that certainty in Sport or even life robs it of its interest, but still there is every thing to play for and nothing is taken for granted. Mines was just an assumption based on Novak’s fantastic performance so far. Although, I favour Novak, I do not have a crude against the other players and respect their efforts and achievements. Above all, I love Tennis more than individual players. What I really want is only a gripping match which keeps me on the edge of excitement. Of course, I do not want to hide the fact that I relish the prospect of success of my favourite players namely Roger and Novak. But a Rafa win will not despair me and I would feel happy for him because I respect him as a great Champion who has made the Sport proud by his stellar achievements.

April 23rd, 2015 at 9:55 am

Nothing to apologize for in that post, Yolita.

Before it gets any further though, I don’t really keep track of what people say but are there really Federer fans who did not believe the weak era theory before and then all of a sudden switch gears and invoke it because Djokovic is dominating the game? That sounds illogical because Federer still actively belongs in this era. I want names to support that contention. “They” is too non-specific to really mean anything.

April 23rd, 2015 at 10:00 am

“could it be the slight deformity of one of his ankles with which he was born” – kath, i know that andy was born with a split patella or kneecap, but i’ve never heard anything about an ankle deformity. is it on the same leg?

April 23rd, 2015 at 10:13 am

Markus, I reiterate. The emphasis on trophy production as the sine qua non of tennis excellence beginning with Sampras led to some look at the competition level. This intensified when the same adulation –PLUS—-was given to Federer as God in the mid 2000s based on trophy production rate, when looking back his rate dropped like a stone when Rafa and Nole became all-court threats.
Fed got 12 Slams, 13 Masters, and 4 WTF trophies in the weak era. 5, 10, and 2 in the 7 1/2 years after. (and two of those Slams and 2 Masters happened in 2009 when Rafa and Nole wrecked each other for many months after Madrid)
It wasn’t just Feds fortunes that changed once a stronger group of players arrived. Poor Lleyton Hewitt thrived in the early years of the weak era before Fed got in form at 23, 75 straight weeks as the undisputed #1.
Anyone in business and in sports knows “The Numbers” are affected by level of competition. A business may be just as good if not better than before, but see market share shrink . An athlete can “pad” numbers in a weak era, be a true great still as the numbers decrease, even better a player perhaps. But in that, some people aggregate easy times with tougher times results. Saying a biz “leads in market share 6 of the last 12 years” is not the most salient fact if they lost leadership 6 years ago.

Why didn’t John McEnroe go Slam-happy? Oh little issues named Connors, Borg, and Lendl had something to do with it. Why didn’t Borg end up with 18-20 Slams? Well, little factors like Connors and McEnroe, plus retiring at 16, plus many like Borg considered the Australian Open a low pay, low priority, hassle to get to, skippable event.

April 23rd, 2015 at 10:17 am

And now there is a weak era before Fed? LOL.

April 23rd, 2015 at 10:53 am

(Retire at 26, not 16!)
Borg retired young, but not THAT young.

April 23rd, 2015 at 10:53 am

@chris ford1:

Following your line of thought about the weak era, I can conclude that all eras are weak and that there has never ever been a strong era. Nobody has dominated because he is good but simply by the sheer luck of playing in a weak era.

Federer: he accumulated all his victories in slams and other tournaments not because he was really good but he played against weaklings like Hewitt, Safin, Roddick et al.

Nadal: all those slams etc. are largely due to the weakest era in clay. I could not even pick a decent clay court player during that era because none could get past Nadal. How else can you explain all those titles in clay? Not because Nadal was good but rather because all the others were weak, of course! No, Nadal is not really good on clay. He just happened to have played in the weakest clay era ever. So shall we invoke his dominance over Federer as a claim to greatness? No! How can it because by the weak era theory, Federer is not even really good tennis player.

Djokovic: Nah, he is not good either. He is winning a lot because he is probably in the weakest era in tennis in general. Federer is old and really he is not good by the weak era theory. Nadal is injured a lot and as some people claim, he is not really good in any surface other than clay (which in itself is debatable because it is a long stretch of weak clay era). Was 2011 a great year for Djokovic? No, most of his victories were over somebody who allegedly could not even play in any surface outside of clay. Djokovic may even win a calendar slam this year but I don’t think that’s something to be proud of because this year is shaping up to be another weak era.

Conclusion: Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, they are all average players who were lucky enough to be at their peaks during some of the weakest eras in tennis.

April 23rd, 2015 at 11:07 am

@Jane

Yes he has a split patella discovered when he was 16. He also the ankle issue which he says: “it is already so chronic, there’s no chance to improve….”

He wears a couple of ankle stabilizers — there’s some sort of medical info on
http://www.physioroom.com/products/ankle_braces.php
Cheers

April 23rd, 2015 at 11:40 am

Muhammad Rafa is also a rare and exceptional player you dont win what hes won if your not….

April 23rd, 2015 at 11:42 am

yes, i’ve seen him wearing the stabilizers kat-h, thanks for the link! i didn’t know he was born with an ankle “deformity.” that article seems to imply he just has issues with his ankles in general. i wonder if they take extra strain or are less stable (one in particular), because of the split patella? it would make sense. what these athletes go through hey?

April 23rd, 2015 at 12:01 pm

Michael @9.55am April 23rd thanks for the reply,you missed the point but nevermind….

April 23rd, 2015 at 1:24 pm

@ Jane

It took 16 years to discover the patella – I’ve always assumed it was one ankle given that they seem to indicate that there are 2 stabilizers on the one ankle — open to question though…

What is clear that he has been a bit unfortunate to have these “minor bone” issues – did one cause the other – I don’t know. It’s probable that both started at the same time – albeit not life-threatening and might have been nothing more than an irritation if he’d chosen a different career.

Anyways, he may not be no. 1, but he’s doing pretty good.

April 23rd, 2015 at 1:52 pm

Muhammad 8.54am 23rd April, Ahfi is female she had a link to her own column about a year ago called Tiah Post.com for posters to blog on however nobody did,so go figure?….

April 23rd, 2015 at 2:55 pm

@Margot, Alleluia! You can only play those in front of you. Finally, somebody recognized! It is NOT any player’s fault that they have a certain person across the net. If your toughest competitor loses in the second round, it shouldn’t be your business to justify your win. But such is the stupidity of arguments we have seen in the past. As Yolita rightfully pointed out, all these arguments can be applied to anybody and then people cannot take it if their favorite is brought into the picture. This idea that this and that person did not pass through so so and so before winning a grand slam and therefore there should be an asterisk is the craziest idea I ever heard of. There are quite a number of slam wins that did not necessarily pass through the big ‘one’ or big 4 or big six and that is nobody’s fault but the person(s) who lost early if anybody wants to put an asterisk. Let’s just enjoy great tennis – these people are not going to be there forever. Just waiting for the younger ones to ‘do something’…

April 23rd, 2015 at 3:02 pm

Travis Bickle Novak is the best player in the world right now,but is some way off been the best player ever,he is still behind Fedal in GS and the GS are what holds the most prestige when it comes to tennis,granted hes dominating now but next year could well be a very different story,lets not get too carried away?….

April 23rd, 2015 at 3:17 pm

I mention Roger and Novak in the same sentence without Rafael and his fans feel that that’s not right. Well, in my book Rafael is great and nobody can dispute that. I don’t feel like I need to state that all the time just because I like the other two guys better.
I like Rafael as a person as there’s something so naive (in a good sense) and pure about his personality. Strangely, at the same time there’s also so much circumstantial evidence out there about his PED usage (by this same pure guy). I don’t know if that’s true but it sure makes me wonder. Roger used to praise Rafael but he stopped doing that long time ago. Novak is also much less worm about Rafael nowadays. They both of course must please the sponsors and watch what they say. There’s something definitely smelly in the pro tennis locker room. When you feel rejected by your peers bad things happen.

April 23rd, 2015 at 5:26 pm

Hippy Chick, your days must really really be dark if the only way your sadness goes away is to launch this kind of negativity towards other people who do NOT even have you at the bottom of their list. What has my blog site got to do with you? This is a tennis blog and people are writing about tennis players. You, on the other hand, think you are so smart that you come up with all this negative stuff and when people get on your case, then you start with this whiny sorry ail about how you have been writing nice things about everybody. When I was on here two years ago, you were even too cowardly to admit that you were a Nadal supporter for whatever reason, Lord knows. Nobody here is interested in your imaginary enemies. How did you know nobody is interested in my blog site? You must have gone to the site, right? What did you see there? There were three articles I wrote about figure skating during the winter Olympics in February 2014. I had one article about tennis shortly after that. We are in April 2015. Common sense should tell you that if no articles have been written by the owner of a blog for 13 months, then it is NOT an active blog. That is just plain common sense. An inactive blog means the owner is not writing anything there. If one does not write anything on their blog, what would people go there for? It’s time to get that stupid hatred out of your system. You are a Nadal supporter. I am a Federer supporter. That does not mean anytime you see my name, you get into a frenzy – even after a whole year of absence. Something is seriously wrong with you or your brains!!

April 23rd, 2015 at 9:02 pm

^^^
That is called picking the soft target, bullying, cyber bulling, why didn’t you pick on other posters who ridiculed your posts? Because they will make you look silly, as they already did. Federer doesn’t deserve fans like you.

April 23rd, 2015 at 9:23 pm

@Markus

Well if these are all weak eras which era is strong then?

Weak and stong are relative terms. U havent compared BETWEEN the eras, thats the problem. Once u compare them, then u realise which era is strong, which is weak.

Yes its not the winners fault that he played in a weak era. But just take note, you only need to beat the best player in your era to win. Eg. Federer only needs to play better than bagdatis to win the AO. While djokovic needs to play better than murray to win. So when comparing slam count, its naive to just look at the numbers, while the level of tennis required to win is not factored in. Bring weak era no.2 roddick to this era, hes not even as good as Andy, the no.4 in this era.

While federer dominated a weak era (03~07), he did not dominate a stronger era (08~13), neither were nadal or djokovic able to dominate the stronger era. Now we are entering a weaker era and djoKovic, if he is in the same league as fedal, needs to prove it by dominating.

April 23rd, 2015 at 11:24 pm

Wogboy thanks for defending me….

April 24th, 2015 at 4:21 am

Muhammad they are there to win matches not friends,personally i wouldnt rule out any of the players from doping,if Nadals doing something fishy i wouldnt bet against alot more players doing exactly the same….

April 24th, 2015 at 4:44 am

Ahfi fine feel free to insult me all you want,and i hope it makes you feel better,not exactly in keeping with the tennis-x guidelines though is it?….

April 24th, 2015 at 4:47 am

It amazes me how enamored the world is with Nadal and Federer. Novak,not so much. Why? Could it be he is less representative of the world and its anit-christian values. I think it is something like this.

April 24th, 2015 at 7:37 am

Djokovic came at a time when Federer and Nadal already have amassed a majority of tennis lovers between them. It would not be easy to replace these two once you have decided to like them. Everybody’s reaction towards Novak is to dislike him when he beats your favorite and like him when he beats your favorite’s rival. So for the longest time, the reaction towards Novak is largely dependent on how he plays against those two. But from the beginning, Novak’s talent is undeniable and he has increasingly commanded respect. I think he aims to reach the level of universal respect accorded those two. I have no doubt he will achieve that.

April 24th, 2015 at 8:33 am