Stan Wawrinka Wins The French Open, Denies Novak Djokovic The Career Slam

Congrats Stan.

So Djoker, it’s not that easy to win the FO and Nadal has done it 9 times!

June 7th, 2015 at 1:36 pm

Winning the FO is hard. That’s why may so called top players have 1 or less.

Once you win the FO, you own the world.

June 7th, 2015 at 1:38 pm

Ha ha ha @Humble Rafa, “that’s why many so-called top players have 1 or less”. Love that remark!!

Another tea tray for Nole – well done Stan!

June 7th, 2015 at 1:48 pm

Ya HR, people who are equally good everywhere are born in a Generation. So consider yourself lucky that you got a chance to behold that.
But sometimes the statistics lie big time.

June 7th, 2015 at 1:49 pm

Not surprised by the result to be honest. Well done stanimal. Deserved victory

What to say about novak? He’s probably the classiest player after a defeat no matter what he does during a match. Better luck next time. Hopefully he completes the career slam at some point in his career

And I feel its good in a way for him that he didn’t win today. He might just tear through the rest of the season as like as in 2011.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:00 pm

Tennis is the winner. We get to claim marvels in our sport like Novak Djokovic, Stanislas Wawrinka, Andy Murray. And 2 others by the name of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Apparently they aren’t too shabby according to some either. And one was privileged to see them all do things of absolute wonder that made one experience a variety of sensations due to witness matches that leaves one feeling truly fortunate to have done so. I said it in the other thread: best clay match since Nadal-Djokovic 2013 and truly one of the most astonishing outright. Novak fought like a lion: he goes with all our respect. Wawrinka though goes with our admiration since what he did on either wing would have ANY tennis player at their peak bearing fear on their face. He was just a monster today.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:04 pm

i have noticed djoker didnot applaud any of the winners the animal made in breaking him in third.

backhand outside the post…. he didnot applaud his opponent.
he always applaudes when he is winning the match…. I guess he felt like losing.

such a poser and fake champion.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:08 pm

YAY, Stan, allez, allez, good for you and well deserved victory. I’m so happy for Stan that he has shown he can play on the big stage and was not a flash in the pan.

Stan’s now back to No.4 in the rankings. I hope he does not go away like he did when he won the AO.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:09 pm

It’s a curse to beat Rafa at RG on the way to the final.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:11 pm

Excellent recognition Sean: I saw the other day too that Wawrinka won French Open as Juniors and is first player since Wilander to win both. Amazing feat and shows he’s a genuine clay court talent: even remember he contested novak all the way back in 2008 in Rome: so this is no overnight fluke at all. I must say honestly: the best players of this era are fedal and Andole. But when Wawrinka is locked in and firing like he was today and in AO 14 v tennis legends like Djokovic, fedal too in both events: I think he’s as good as them. I really do. He’s a special talent and this FACT sums it all up and tells us why hes so dangerous: wawrinka pushed Djokovic 5 full feet behind the baseline than his average. 5 full feet. Why? Since his astonishing power on either side. ABSOLUTELY NO PLAYER can live with stanislas wawrinka when he’s inside the baseline and firing like he was today. No one. You just got to say: damn wawa, you’re too good.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:12 pm

@senorita: you maybe on to something. Nadal loses to soderling in 2009= soda loses to a Swiss in the final. Novak beats rafa= loses to a Swiss in the final.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:13 pm

I knew all along that nole will not win FO,when expectation so high and people vote for him to win it,usually things will go the other way around..like situation with rafa last year at aussie open,everybody backed him to clinch 15th slam..they said there is no way he can lost to stan when his record is 10-0 against stan..but clearly we lesser people can’t mess with fate..also in 2010 everybody expect him to complete a calendar year when he goes to aussie open after won at FO,WIMBLEDON and US OPEN,turned out he’ injured when played against ferrer!The situation is the same with nole here..maybe he will win someday,god knows he deserve it..to stan’s fan..congrats he deserve it today.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:15 pm

now , when fans talk about the top 4, Stan is one of them. Lovin it.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:16 pm

skeezer, they talk about the Big 4 and Stan is not one of them.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:19 pm

I posted the same stuff hours ago. It’s obvious my posts are ignored. Lol

June 7th, 2015 at 2:20 pm

Stan denied Rafa the AO to complete a second career GS,and denied Novak the career GS at the FO,he likes to spoil the party for the elite players thats for sure,anyway big congrats to Stan on winning the FO and his second GS title and EMILY THIS ONES FOR YOOOU!

especially EMILY THIS IS FOR YOOOU!….

June 7th, 2015 at 2:21 pm

Sorry about the bottom line which got repeated….

June 7th, 2015 at 2:22 pm

Novak has trouble winning 5 setters against the best players. Still no career slam for him.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:22 pm

senorita,
No, that has changed. Rafa is #10, how can that be?

June 7th, 2015 at 2:25 pm

It’s a curse to beat Rafa at RG on the way to the final.
—
Humble Highness made that point a few days ago. No one who beats Humble at RG has gone on to win the FO. The sample size has just increased.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:30 pm

Skeezers fully absolute right and wrong at the same time. Wawrinka is part of the big 4. Thats right. But he’s wrong: he’s beyond that. He’s part of big 2: him and Novak. Since 2014: Djokovic 2 and wawrinka 2 slams. ONLY player to beat novak- NOT push the him, worry him but actually beat him- is wawrinka. 2-1 to wawrinka. previous since: 2-3 to Djokovic, with ALL wawrinka losses going to 5. That’s called a proper rivalry. Not media hyped affair that is a dud oncourt in reality: but a genuine, real deal rivalry. Novak Djokovic is the world’s absolute best tennis player. Period. Master of defense to offense. Stanislas Wawrinka is the world’s second best player. He’s a 2 time winner in last 18 months, master of offensive tennis and the ONLY player on the biggest stages who can match the best and go toe to toe and win. These 2 > rest. I don’t care what others have done in MS, how to many RU titles they have, whatever else. Bottom line is: the biggest stages, the biggest match: Djokovic and Wawrinka are the 2 colossals in this sport right now. Period.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:31 pm

Also when Humble gets beaten at RG, a Swiss wins the FO.

Atleast this time, the winner had good backhand, not the one that belongs in the juniors.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:32 pm

skeezer, the ‘Big 4’is not the same as the top 4. The Big 4 have stayed at least top 4 for 10 years.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:34 pm

Another majors event over. What an exciting 2 weeks (men’s only because women’s was dreary as usual). Great runs by Wawrinka, Djokovic, Murray and Tsonga. Wawrinka won it by playing the way he could and should always play. The older guys are getting better while the younger generation continues to take backward steps.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:47 pm

Federer already applauding wawrinka online as are many. But the best compliment to wawrinkas astonishing display to me comes from an individual who won grand slam no.20 yesterday and still said this: “Serena Williams on Twitter: Wow! Congrats! Just wow! I wanna play like that!”. Cannot blame Serena. I’ve never seen Federer, Nadal or even Novak unleash screaming winners like that time after time and again in a big match. Reminded me of Del Potro in USO 2009: some unreal hitting that topples legendary players.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:52 pm

Sorry meant to say commies to all the lovely Novak fans Courbon,Mat4,Wogboy,Harry,Jane,Jalep etc,i never saw the match as ive been away for the weekend,he gave it his all, and im sure he will still win the FO at some point,and will be firing on all cylinders come Wimbledon….

June 7th, 2015 at 3:02 pm

sienna Says:
i have noticed djoker didnot applaud any of the winners the animal made in breaking him in third.

backhand outside the post…. he didnot applaud his opponent.
he always applaudes when he is winning the match…. I guess he felt like losing.

such a poser and fake champion.

June 7th, 2015 at 2:08 pm

Sienna,

Unless you watched the match from start to finish, you clearly are talking about some other player in a different slam.

Novak was brilliant. What people like you don’t get is that he sometimes applauds others, he doesn’t have to and most players don’t.

He was in his zone, but someone like you would not have appreciated that.

Haters gonna hate.

A great match today. (hoped for a fifth set, to even it out, wanted it to go on for longer).

June 7th, 2015 at 3:22 pm

Way to go Stan!!! I didn’t have a clear favourite to win, but I am glad Stan has finally rounded out his game in the last 3 years to competing and winning majors. This is great for tennis. I do feel bad for Djokovic, he has come so close so many times at Roland Garros, but I don’t feel bad for his fans, some of whom I read saying disrespectful things to the Wawrinka camp. Anyone who has been watching tennis in the last 3 years had to know that this result could happen. The last 4 matches these 2 have played in Grand Slams have gone to 5 sets. Stan has been the only player to consistently challenge Novak each time they have played recently in majors. This makes the game more unpredictable and exciting to have so many players capable of winning the Slams.

June 7th, 2015 at 3:22 pm

madmax he only applauds when he feels he can win or is in controle of the match. He is an arrogant champion. playing to be aimable….

June 7th, 2015 at 3:30 pm

Dan for the most part the Novak diehards Jane,Jalep,Wogboy,Courbon,Mat4 are a nice bunch here,there is only a couple of bad apples laying claiming that Novak would crush Stan,personally ive never understood some fans who state their own personal opinions out as bona fide facts,only to dissapear in a puff off smoke if their predictions fail….

June 7th, 2015 at 3:37 pm

he should have applauded the TMF special outside the post.

I just dont believe this poser.

June 7th, 2015 at 3:39 pm

60 winners to 30 for Novak. Stan is not a consistent player. He goes from hot to cold…but when he is hot…Oh, boy!
One thing about Stan though, as erratic as he has been with all those early exits, he has had a pretty good record of finding that hot player he can be in the biggest matches in recent years.

June 7th, 2015 at 3:39 pm

Dan Says:
“I do feel bad for Djokovic, he has come so close so many times at Roland Garros,”

—————
Djokovic has only made the final 3 times including this one and he’s never taken the final to 5 sets so how has he come close ‘so many times’? When he took Rafa to 5 sets it was in a SF.

You have to take your hat of to Nadal for winning 9 out of 9 finals.

June 7th, 2015 at 3:43 pm

The 3 times Djoko has made it to the RG final he’s lost in 4 sets.

June 7th, 2015 at 3:45 pm

I think making it to the finals qualifies as “coming close”.

June 7th, 2015 at 4:04 pm

It’s never been easy to win Grand Slams. This just shows how difficult it would have been for Nadal in 2010 and for Federer in 2005,06,07 to win 3 in a year.

June 7th, 2015 at 4:09 pm

I saw Novak as the clear favorite to win this final, but got it apparently wrong.
Some write or wrote that Novak played like a lion.
I don’t see it that way, unless you’re talking about a wounded or depleted lion. I’m a lion myself and should know what I’m talking about.
Novak appeared to play more – to me at least – without any courage or belief in himself, like someone with an egg in his pants like we say it here in my country.
I frankly don’t understand why he didn’t go more for his for his shots, and kept waiting for Stan to make mistakes instead of playing his own game. This type of game allowed his opponent to find his groove and impose his game.
That’s the way I perceived this match, and not the other way around.
Novak played for my liking way too defensively from the start and resorted too often to the drop shot as well, even when he had some momentum in the 4th set, only to get once more a reality check from Stan.
Some people on this blog seem to rejoice in his defeat and have schadenfreude.
Very sad and unjustified I think.
Djokovic is a tremendous person in my opinion, the most gracious in defeat of all the top players, and not a faker like some people suggest here.
Congrats to the fans of Stan. He played a remarkable match.

June 7th, 2015 at 4:17 pm

Sorry Nole fans…He gave you all so much happiness for almost an year by winning everything..Wimby, All indoor titles, AO, all masters of this year.. You should be proud of him.

June 7th, 2015 at 4:45 pm

Great job Stan! Couldn’t be happier the Serb lost. Maybe the loss deflates his ego. Nadal grow some balls!!!! Getting tired of watching u WIMP! Get your $hit together or quit…

June 7th, 2015 at 4:47 pm

WOW Such classy talk coming from a lady,anything else to add?….

June 7th, 2015 at 4:55 pm

I can understand Novak saying he was more nervous than usual. I’ve seen Nadal nervous in Grand Slam finals. Ditto Federer.

Because they are Grand Slam finals.

But on this front what I thought was impressive today was:

How rock solid Wawrinka was. Unbelievably solid and close to no let downs mentally. I was waiting for him to crack but nothing:

Unbelievable mental strength.

When Wawa went 0-3 down in the 4th I thought he honestly f’d things up royally and was lose the 4th and get blitzed in the 5th.

But no:

He toughed it and won the set. And the number of times he served amazing on BP’s was amazing. To be honest: even Novak was amazing when facing BP.

Bottom Line:

Neither guy choked, wilted or collapsed mentally. BOTH go home knowing they gave their all and left it all out there.

Why did Wawrinka win out though?

When you are uber aggressive and can produce it time and time again on big points-60 winners in total in 4 mere sets- you will beat anyone and anywhere.

He was just too damn good!

June 7th, 2015 at 4:55 pm

@wilfried,
Agree, that is more or less how I saw the match.

Thanks to all for commiserations, can’t be more proud of my man. Head up Nole, everything in life happens for a reason.

There are some sick people here, what this young man did to you apart of beating your favorites.

June 7th, 2015 at 5:15 pm

Congrats to Stan and his fans.

June 7th, 2015 at 5:20 pm

Wogboy sorry for Nole today,best thing to do with a troll is not to give them any air time,dont give them the satisfaction….

June 7th, 2015 at 5:20 pm

Congratulations Wawrinka and all his fans (if there are any?) !!!
Too bad he does not have more fans because he is a great player and a great person. Looks like only people cheering for him are the folks who want Novak to lose, and there are many of those everywhere, including this site.
Wawrinka thoroughly deserved the victory. A clean win as it can be!
I wanted Novak to win and get that elusive RG, but no shame in losing to a better player on a given day. The only thing I think Novak could have done better was to be more aggressive after he got the first set – go more for the lines like in the fifth against Murray. Especially in that game in the fourth set when he had 0-40 on Wawrinka’s serve. But, he didn’t for the reasons only he knows – perhaps fatigue from playing the third day in a row, perhaps nerves, or perhaps simply Wawrinka was to good and did not allow him to be aggressive. Likely combination of all of those factors.
The final result – deserved victory for Wawrinka! If Novak had to lose to someone, I would always vote it to be either Del Potro or Wawrinka…

June 7th, 2015 at 5:27 pm

Yeah I agree with the suggestion that Djokovic should have maybe tried bei is more aggressive but to that theory: IF he had the chance. Wawrinka was pretty much firing the ball at the first possible chance. It’s hard to attack when the opponent is swinging from the first instance. Novak is also like Nadal, Murray: a point constructor. These guys build their points. Players like Wawrinka though attack pretty much immediately in a rally. Defense only exists for them if a winner ain’t quite on. Look at what wawa did to a guy who has great offense himself: Federer. Best him straights and hit him off the court. To be honest the ONLY player I can think of who would beat this wawrinka fighting aggression for aggression: Juan Martin Del Potro. Delpo can go toe to toe with wawa on power and big hitting. Plus Juan Martin has a lion heart and big serve. Miss Juan Martin!

June 7th, 2015 at 5:40 pm

TB,

I don’t think it was fatigue, I think the other two reasons, Stan and nerves, and yes, second set was the decider, he should hsve been more aggressive and his serve dropped down, but then again, Stan wasn’t backing of, so credit to Stan.

HC, thanks, as much as I am gutted for Nole, Stan was just in the zone, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, it was Nole’s turn to lose, “jebiga” :(

June 7th, 2015 at 5:43 pm

Interesting words from wawrinka, very honest: With a new world ranking of four, Wawrinka is now firmly among the favourites heading to Wimbledon, but he continues to see himself behind the likes of Djokovic, Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal.
“I’m not as strong as the ‘big four’,” he said. “They are winning everything. But I’m strong enough to win some big titles sometimes during the years.
“I didn’t find the way to play my best game every tournament, but I’m still OK and satisfied with my career so far.”

June 7th, 2015 at 5:53 pm

Wawrinka can be satisfied with his career: VERY satisfied: 2 grand slams, master series title, 500 point title, 250 point title, davis cup, Olympics gold medal. He’s won something special on every level barring WTF and even there he was a point away from the final v Djokovic. Outstanding late bloomer for sure!

June 7th, 2015 at 5:56 pm

Nole is a great player , probably the best baseliner. We have today.Unfortunately today exposed some holes in his game.
He’s often weak the the net ; doesn’t instinctively attack and lacks variety. Sometime baseline play isn’t just enough.

Nole needs to get back to the drawing board and see how we wants to reset his game for the next 3-4 years. With age catching up , he needs to move more forward , shorten points

June 7th, 2015 at 6:00 pm

just wanna say, cheers to wog boy. wise words.

also thanks to all the kind commiserations, tennis-xers. nice of you.

June 7th, 2015 at 6:10 pm

People talk about age catching up on Djokovic, also Nadal, but take notice, Wawrinka is 30 and looks like he can win some more. Federer is 33 and contiinues to play well. Djokovic Nadal, Murray are all about the same age, 1-2 years younger than Wawrinka. These 4 will continue to battle each other out in the majors for a good numbet of years ahead.Federer may be too old to contend now and younger group is a bunch of first week only players.

June 7th, 2015 at 6:56 pm

Hard to believe Stan has the same number of slams as Murray. I’m sure it helped Stan today, that he already won a slam.
Djokovic puts to much pressure on himself of having to win RG. Plus all this talk of the media already seeing him as the winner before the tournament even started didn’t help. Quarterfinal with Rafa was made out as the crucial match, even though everyone knew Rafa wasn’t in his usual form. Listen to him when he says it’s only a quarterfinal, not the most important match of the year. This year was definitely Djokovic’s best chance to win it. No one knows what will happen next year, except the same media hype for the career slam.

June 7th, 2015 at 7:07 pm

@Dc,

Those are not the reasons Nole lost to Stan, Roger can do all those things you mentioned better than anybody else and yet he hasn’t won a set against Stan. TB and Alexandra summed it up, more or less.

June 7th, 2015 at 7:32 pm

^^and Wilfried said it all.

June 7th, 2015 at 7:35 pm

I was of the opinion that the French may be the glaring omission in Novak’s brilliant career. I have been proven wrong on very many occasions. I hope I am wrong in this one, too.

June 7th, 2015 at 7:44 pm

@Hippy Chick, thanks but this one’s for Stan, though I hope me wearing my nerdy “Stan The Man” t-shirt during the match sent some good vibes.

I wasn’t surprised at his level of play or game plan to be aggressive, that’s always what he does when he plays Nole. I thought he was so collected and maybe it was Novak that felt the nerves. He looked so nervous against Tsonga, and admitted it, but Stan does much better when he just swings and doesn’t overthink things. He was being very patient and wasn’t pulling the trigger too early. In their AO semi, that’s what he did and the UEs contributed to that loss.

What is staggering is the fact that he had to beat the #1 and #2 player to get both of his slams and he was the #8 seed both times. I don’t think he puts himself in the category w/ the other three b/c he knows he can be inconsistent. He had been pretty awful since Rotterdam, but when I saw him win that tiebreak against Nadal in Rome, I thought it was starting to click again. Of course, he then got trounced by Federer, but he picked up the pieces and just played his game in Paris. He much prefers the slams, and if he wants to be in that top tier, he has to win at the smaller tournaments. However, so happy today and a truly amazing feat from, as my shirt reads, Stan the Man

In terms of predicting the winner, I voted for Stan in the poll, don’t know if i was the only one

June 7th, 2015 at 7:49 pm

Saw a quick replay of today’s match and got sad, every time I think of it I feel sad, must be really bad for Djoko now. Hope he regroups soon, having thought of Wimbledon last year when he also lost RG final and went on to have a great Wimbledon, he has a lot of good memories to drag energy for.

But agree that he couldn’t be aggressive today. As much as Wawrinka was being the greaser, there were several chances in points where he just played safe where Wawa was taking almost all the risks whenever he could.

June 7th, 2015 at 7:54 pm

Also, this is now my favorite line in any article I’ve read on tennis-x:

“In tennis, it’s always something. This something is Stan Wawrinka.”

Could not have said it better myself

June 7th, 2015 at 8:05 pm

Stan played amazing today.

He played closer to the baseline or inside the line and he pushed Djokovic back pinning Nole behind the baseline for much of the match.

Took time away from Djokovic on so many points it made it very difficult for Djokovic to get the upper hand in point construction.

Stan executed his game plan with precision and guts – start to finish.

Well played.

June 7th, 2015 at 9:04 pm

To Daniel,last year was a bit different,he lost to 8th time champion,king of clay..some said he was supposed to lose..given how dominant rafa’s there.. but this year,he’s already swallowed rafa..he’s supposed to win and he still choked!his spirit and will a double broken right now than last year..if he can still win wimbledon after this,i will applaud him greater than rafa and roger.

June 7th, 2015 at 9:06 pm

I’ve been busy with family and just saw the first and fourth sets, and couldn’t post, so I had a few thoughts.

First of all, I want to say how class I felt Novak was in taking this loss. From their handshake hug at the net, on, and on, he was a gentleman and a sportsman. I was watching with my 6 year old son, who has become a Novak fan, and during the trophy presentation, when Novak spoke, I told him, That is a champion. Whether you win or lose, the way you behave is what shows if you’re a real champion, and that is what the people who you care about will remember about you.

This is not to take away from Stan’s behaviour, which was exemplary, but its much harder in defeat, I think.

On the tennis: As I said, I didn’t see the whole match, but I saw enough to see the tennis was at an extremely high level, and Stan was incredible and fearless, and his nerves in coming back from 0-40 in the 4th set, and closing out, was very impressive. A few people have said Novak wasn’t aggressive enough. That may be – but remember it’s always in the eye of the beholder. Many though Rafa had things he wasn’t doing well, others thought Novak wouldn’t LET him do anything well. Same here, I think: partly, Novak should have been more aggressive, partly, Stan is a genuinely stronger offensive player, so if he’s clicking, it’s not easy to reply against.

As much as Novak looked more aggressive against Rafa, who is really an extremely defensive, low-risk player at his core, Murray had his success, and Stan, by making Novak seem defensive. As much as Novak has become an all-round, all-purpose player, he is not naturally an offensive type, and once in a while he’ll balance out on the losing side.

I really feel for Novak. I’m so impressed by the composure he showed, but his words really spoke to a great maturity and perspective. (And with regards his French: OK, it’s not great. But he is smart enough to construct sensible sentences and paragraphs with a very limited vocabulary!)
Stan’s words from Brando are also nice to hear.

Of course, I don’t know these guys. But they seem like two good guys slugging it out out there, neither choking much, both playing great.

All in all, as Brando said, it makes me really happy to be watching tennis right now. I like Novak, but I can’t say I’m a fan in the sense of wanting him to dominate and enjoying that. I was hoping for competition, and between the Andy match and this one, I think, OK, Novak’s on top, but he’s got his challengers.
In fact, I think those last two matches have made me more excited about the tour than I’ve been for a few years.

This is gonna be fun.

On to grass!

June 7th, 2015 at 9:14 pm

jane

Went for a long bike ride…was listening to Don Giovanni and marriage of figaro. Impossible to stay sad. Life goes on…to the grass courts.

Thanks for kind words and happy you’re posting @Hippy Chick.

June 7th, 2015 at 9:47 pm

Another 4 set loss..but,it didn’t end with double fault.

June 7th, 2015 at 10:26 pm

AndyMira, agree in parts, nobody knows how and how fast will Novak recovery from this loss, so far is his biggest loss to date because he was the clear favorite. I was just pointing out that he has good memories to search motivation from.

June 7th, 2015 at 10:47 pm

Great win for Wawa and just what amazing tennis he played! Hearty congratulations to his fans for a title and a thoroughly deserved win. That BH of his is probably my favorite shot in men’s game today.

Nole played good, not great. He seemed to be both mentally (win over Rafa) and physically tired (win over Andy). He was just a tad slower than usual and less precise. But no excuses. Stan was simply better . He is a great player. His inconsistency is the only thing that keeps him from being right at the top. Well done Stan!

June 8th, 2015 at 12:12 am

There is nobody better deserving to win Rolland Garros than Novak having made so many finals and semi final appearances in this tournament. But, it was definitely not his day. I thought he was tentative and allowed Wawarinka to dictate the match blasting off winners from either flanks. Novak was just content in keeping the ball in play rather than giving that extra push to win the point. He was afraid to take risks on the court sensing the big moment and he paid for it. Once you allow a player like Wawarinka to get into his rhythm then it is hard time for you as he manages to find the lines from impossible angles given his breath taking back hand which is one of the finest and fabulous the Tennis World has seen.

Probably, Novak will live for another day. But, nothing is certain. He becomes 29 next year and we never know how the fortunes of Rafa would turn out over the course of the year ? If he manages to find his feet on Clay, then it will really be hard time. I think once an opportunity or opening arises, he should grab it sensing that there is no tomorrow. Roger did that in 2009 with all the pressure that he faced when critics and commentators dubbed it as his only chance to win the title. He made best use of Rafa’s exit early and won the Championships after surviving many scares during his progress in the tournament. You need some luck too as Roger was looking down the barrel against Haas and even Del Potro, but somehow managed to survive and win the most coveted trophy that he yearned for all through his career. Will Novak have similar luck ? Perhaps time will tell. But year after year, those chances are diminishing because in Tennis it is necessary that you should not only give your best, but you should also be fit to keep your game going. One wrist or ankle injury and the whole plan will go hay wire.

June 8th, 2015 at 12:19 am

And this guy Wawarinka lost in the first round last year and he manages to win it this year. Tennis is indeed mysterious like life !?

June 8th, 2015 at 12:24 am

Sienna,
Novak is not obliged to applaud any of his opponent’s great moments and he is equally not obliged to give points to opponents where no one else would. I don’t recall Andy applauding Nole when he made the same shot in their match. You clearly do not watch Novak enough to know that he applauds when he feels an outstanding shot has been made, no matter whether he is on a losing or winning end. He also gives thumbs up or yells “bravo!”. He is not a poser but a genuine guy who appreciates the great game when he recognizes it. How many others do that?

You are entitled to your opinion but how someone can perceive him as being arrogant or a fake or a poser or whatever is really beyond me.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:08 am

Senorita,

No, indeed, it’s not easy winning RG. It’s not easy winning any GS. Rafa has 9 RGs and Nole has 5 AOs. Only shows how great both are on those surfaces ( I won’t even go into Roger’s Wimbledons). So, what was your point?

As for Novak being close, I do think he was and I do think he was cheated of more finals. He was constantly put onto Rafa’s path so no wonder he didn’t play the finals in 2013 or 2008 where he played a tighter and better match than Roger in the finals. I do feel that from 2011 onwards, he had great chances to win. There were circumstances that prevented him from doing so and I will not go there now. I just hope that Nole will overcome all the adversity and despite everything and everyone win this elusive title to cement his legacy.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:25 am

Good job Stan! Now, if only Federer is as nice and down to earth as this guy….

June 8th, 2015 at 1:41 am

nadal has never had this much time to prepare for the grass. could be interesting. usually he’s squeezing in queens on a few days notice or some exos.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:59 am

i am not sure if anyone posted these stats, but wow. what a shift for wawrinka in the final:

Stan’s 1st serve percentage for the tournament – 1st Serve %

Rd128 58%
Rd 64 44%
Rd 32 54%
Rd 16 43%
Qtrs 54%
Semi 52%

Final v Nole = 67%

He served way better in the final than he did for 6 rounds

June 8th, 2015 at 2:08 am

@Emily
You must be thrilled! Especially nice after that post you made about supporting a player through thick and thin.
@elina
Lots of us on here like Monfils very much. Such a beautiful face he’s got, how could you not?….. Me and jalep for starters and I think he’s Sean’s favourite, always writes, “my man Monfils.” But, you’re really living on the edge if he’s your favourite! Almost as bad as supporting Andy!

June 8th, 2015 at 2:13 am

Michael im sorry that Novak lost,but i dont think anyone deserves anything in this life,you have to get out there and earn it,if we are saying about players deserving to win this or that i would say by the same token Andy Murray deserves to win the AO after 4 losses,or Lucie Safarova deserved to win the womens final against Serena,but unfortunatly life isnt like that….

June 8th, 2015 at 2:16 am

Jalep your welcome,i left my comiserations for the nice Nole fans among you,forgot to mention Danica and Michael too,your a pretty cool bunch,you only have a couple of fans that irritate me,who arent worth my air time so can whistle for all i care….

June 8th, 2015 at 2:21 am

Happy Chick,

thanks! ;) We’ll survive this loss and move on. Nole has Cincy to win this year :).

June 8th, 2015 at 3:21 am

“I don’t have to do anything special to be successful here.” – Novak Djokovic.

June 8th, 2015 at 3:32 am

@TV: Excellent post and I agree. Had Novak won I think many would have said there’s novak and then there’s the rest. As Ben put it: the big one. One guy dominating with the rest just minnows. Now obviously if your a fan of Novak then that’s just a beautiful scenario. As any fan would wish it to be. But for the rest: I think the SF and F have shown he has competition and things will be interesting in the future. I think for none novak fans had he won many would have been like: he’s too good, there’s no one to challenge him and the years a right off. Very negative about the competition. But now I think many feel: novaks top dog. No doubt. But he has a real challenger in wawrinka. A hard working contender who’s willing to graft hard to find a solution in Murray. He pushed him to 5 on clay: could he do better elsewhere on grass, fast HC? Who knows. We know for sure he favour those courts over clay. So it’s kinda exciting. The future looks unpredictable and curious. We no longer feel that theres a inevitable conclusion to events. Things are alot more up in the air.

June 8th, 2015 at 4:13 am

Well done Wawrinka !
You played the best tennis of your life and you deserved to win
Good luck for the rest of the year

June 8th, 2015 at 4:31 am

To WTF,as soon as i read those line at the start of tournament,i immediately post here and said nole sound a little bit arrogant and we’ll see about that..and it’s turned out that i’m right and i hope he learned the lesson well cause in tennis or other sport the inevitable is always lurks in the corner.

June 8th, 2015 at 4:51 am

I think the moment he beat Nadal, he had one hand around the trophy already. The biggest hurdle had been overcome, the rest should have been a formality.

He’d gone in favorite against Rafa every year since 2011 and he’d been humbled every time, and this time he didn’t get overconfident against Rafa. However, after beating Rafa and he saw that his next two opponents would be guys he has owned in H2H, he went back to his old mentality of, ‘it’s mine to lose’. And it was.

June 8th, 2015 at 5:13 am

Alison @ 2.16 am,

You are right. Life isn’t a bed of a roses, when it is a bush of thorns. You need to earn it. Making so many semi finals and finals never matters. History never is generous and gracious to the finalists and semi finalists. It only remembers the winners and that is how cruel Sport is. You rightly quoted Andy who deserves to win the Australian Open atleast once. But the fact is he still has not and you can well imagine the agony he undergoes with every final appearance which makes his desperation even more bigger.

I am not sure if Novak will at all win the French Open ? Although he is still only 28, yet the dynamics keep changing and with every passing year, the pressure only gets even bigger.

June 8th, 2015 at 5:57 am

Alison @ 2.16 am,

You are right. Life isn’t a bed of a roses, when it is a bush of thorns. You need to earn it. Making so many semi finals and finals never matters. History never is generous and gracious to the finalists and semi finalists. It only remembers the winners and that is how cruel Sport is. You rightly quoted Andy who deserves to win the Australian Open atleast once. But the fact is he still has not and you can well imagine the agony he undergoes with every final appearance which makes his desperation even more bigger.

I am not sure if Novak will at all win the French Open ? Although he is still only 28, yet the dynamics keep changing and with every passing year, the pressure only gets that much bigger.

June 8th, 2015 at 5:58 am

https://twitter.com/stroppadel/status/607835009362362368
Brain Game, Craig O’Shannessy

June 8th, 2015 at 6:33 am

Danica
its clear to me that he only acknowledge great shots when he is under the assumption to be better then his opponent.

I find it very arrogant and am entitled to call someone who does that an imposer.
clearly when he gets a feeling that he isbeing overclassed he doesnt acknowledge any points his opponent makes.

a fake

June 8th, 2015 at 6:58 am

I call that fake applauding gamesmenship. Rather a player minds his own bussines instead of applauding a point from opponent. He isnt genuine at all.

June 8th, 2015 at 7:01 am

Now I am more convinced about how insignificant the Masters titles are as compared with the Majors. They become worthless without it. I’m sure Djokovic would gladly trade any number of them for one French.

I watched again the last set of yesterday’s finals and although it was clear how magnificently Wawrinka played and was fully deserving of the title, I still could not believe that Djokovic lost. Stan probably woke up today thinking it was a dream and for Novak, a nightmare.

June 8th, 2015 at 7:14 am

Wawrinka is now in the Safin category, but i doubt that Stan can be number 1. 2 Slams, master 1000, davis cup and double digit tournament trophies in his cabinet. He has also the mercurial, appealing and fearless play, powerfull groundstrokes, inconsistent brilliance, that, when on, is capable of beating everybody.
Wawrinka said that he is not a big four, since he is not consistent enough, but that he knows that he can win big trophies from time to time.
One thing is for sure, non of the top dogs want to face him in a slam, since wawa usually plays his best tennis there.
Now, according to some people who think that only slams matters, Wawrinka is on par whit Murray and, of course, since 2013 this era is the strongest beacause we have multiple slams winners (3 Nadal / 3 Djokovic / 2 Wawrinka / 1 Murray / 1 Cilic)

June 8th, 2015 at 8:11 am

@Jane 2:08…..Firstly, sorry for the loss, I think I’ve said that already. You are an avid fan and also very fair. Regarding your 1st serve percentage post……look at it this way Stan had to up that stat a whole lot to beat your guy! Beating Novak is not easy. I believe the 2 day Andy match took a lot out of him and rightfully so. Not to mention the pressure resting on his shoulders of being number one and highly favored to lift the trophy. It takes all hands and the cook to beat Novak and Stan had all the tools to do it yesterday. Not to worry about Novak ……He will be fit and ready for grass, me thinks! Oh, what an amazing athlete he is, in victory and defeat! I’ve not watched the replay yet, just saw the first set……but Stan must have been doing everything right……congrats to all his fans and he does have a beautiful backhand, BTW! On to grass and anxious to see how the warm up grass tournaments play out too.

I JUST LOVE TENNIS!! Bring it in, Wimby!

June 8th, 2015 at 8:13 am

From the look on Djokovic’s face after he lost, only the Majors matters. The Masters are good consolation prizes, good to have but no amount of Masters title will equal one in any of the Majors. Wawrinka fared poorly in the Masters preceding the French, but who between them is happier now?

June 8th, 2015 at 8:33 am

danica Says:
“Senorita,

As for Novak being close, I do think he was and I do think he was cheated of more finals. He was constantly put onto Rafa’s path so no wonder he didn’t play the finals in 2013 or 2008 where he played a tighter and better match than Roger in the finals.
June 8th, 2015 at 1:25 am

—————–
Had Novak met Rafa in the final in 2008 he would still have lost. Anyway who beat him in the SF in 2013? The King himself.

June 8th, 2015 at 8:50 am

It is good to see aggressive tennis beat defensive tennis. I am getting sick and tired of the defenders winning with supremely boring tennis.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:10 am

I think Djokovic’s five set match with Murray contibuted to his defeat in the finals not because of physical fatigue but rather from the mental aspect, jolt in suddenly realizing that he could be beaten. If Murray can take two sets out of him, maybe he’s not that invincible. Then, of all people, he was to face Wawrinka who in the past few years has been giving him a lot of trouble, very capable of beating him. It simply added to the pressure. He probably also had a bit of a letdown after beating Nadal in the quarterfinals. Too bad that that encounter happened too soon. It’s hard to maintain a 100% intensity for so long.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:24 am

@danica,

Please ignore the attention-seeker Sienna. She is a hater and a loser.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:29 am

there are posters here who try desperately to up the stakes for masters compaired to slamwins.

the last 2 weeks has proven the contrairy. slams are pulling away even further compaired to other tournements.

after the dust of garros settles Chrissy Ford will try to enhance master wins again in order to make a point about djokovic which he is reluctant to share with us.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:38 am

ngentot
I havent lost anything. So why do you get so personal? the hate comes from within yourself. My comments are more sinscere then Djokovic applauding an opponents winner.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:43 am

Djokovich was blasted off the court with power and placement. RF can learn something from Stan on redirecting Djokovich backhand crosscourt shots with a backhand DTL as it disrupts Novak’s flow. Stan did that effectively.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:51 am

@Elina

Here’s an interesting wee stat. re. Gael Monfils

He has the best winning percentage on tie-breaks among current players over the past 52 weeks.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:55 am

Congrats to Stan the Man! That was some impressive hitting!

June 8th, 2015 at 10:22 am

Regarding tennis tactics: it was very interesting how Stan used the backhand to set Novak up for the forehand, forcing Novak farther and farther off the deuce court before turning the ball to the ad side.

This was precisely where some posters were recently claiming Novak was STRONGEST, in fighting against Rafa, in that he could successfully “exit” the cross-court battle by switching to his BHDTL.

So my question would be: was this an inaccurate guess as to why Novak has been more successful than others against Rafa on clay? Or was there something different in the Stan set-up shots that were more difficult for Novak to turn down the line?

June 8th, 2015 at 10:29 am

Power was the difference. While Rafa has more spin, Stan shots carry a lot more power. He literally blasted Fed and Novak off the courts.

June 8th, 2015 at 10:37 am

TV,

Nadalmpretty much defends and play safe, plus his balls go up first so unless he hits the strongest he can Novak always has time to postion himself for a stroke. Only when Nadal hit deep to Djoko’s FH that he causes him trouble. Stan was hitring more flat, more powerfull and go DTL from both wings without having to run away hos BH as Nadal does.

Baiscally Nadla and Murray defended and Djoko was the agressor hence he won but against Wawa he was defending and Wawa was the agressor and he won. This is interesting because now we are seeing that the attackers are winning the matches (something Fed did forever) and with Cilic win as well this shows that maybe the era of grinding is getting over. Becauss Stan won innone of the slowest courts on the planet playing as agressive as you can on clay. 60 winners is a lot in 4 sets that not even went the distance (tiebreak or 7-5).

June 8th, 2015 at 10:49 am

Daniel, the prophesy of the end of defensive tennis’ rule may be a bit premature. Novak is still #1 by a country mile. Andy will most likely move to #2 this year. As Stan said, he is not consistent enough.

He won Oz two years ago, and it didn’t usher in the Wawrinka Era. We still haven’t seen much from Cilic since USO, though he’s had injury problems.

For the longest time, tennis has been ruled by the 5 quickest/ best moversin the sport: in Fed, Rafa, Novak, Andy and Ferrer. So I agree with your premise that in the modern era, speed kills.

I’m just not sure we’re emerging from it yet. It’s really up to Stan and Marin, isn’t it?

June 8th, 2015 at 11:17 am

You guys! Congrats to Stan at 30 years of age proving that there is indeed slam success after the age of 29.

He even won his first slam mere weeks before his 29th birthday.

Agassi won 5 of 8 slams after his 29th as well!!!

June 8th, 2015 at 11:26 am

I think one key thing in this match up is that, whenever there are backhand cross exchanges, Stan can keep going as long as it takes without being on the defensive, unlike Roger or any other guys, especially one handed ones. For Rafa same thing, after 2-3 cross court BH from Novak, Rafa is totally on the defensive (though, in his case its because of his FH technique itself which can not handle that hard flat balls very well).
But with Stan, his back hand is so solid and powerful that often after a few of those shots, actually Novak has to be on the defensive. And if he gives some angle on it, Stan sends back with even more acute angle- and more power. That is the reason Novak can’t simply direct it down the line as he does with others. And he knows that he will be in trouble if he can’t get enough pace on that BH DTL because the next ball will be like a bullet going away from him on the FH.
We see that in almost every match they played (in recent years).Even against Rafa at AO14, he handled that cross court FH the same way, including those high bouncing top-spins. Makes me think, that’s the ultimate backhand shot in tennis, probably more dangerous than Nishikori’s(I thinkk best BH right now, or Novak’s or Murray’s) by a pretty good margin.

I think there will never be any OHBH shot that is equally, if not more, powerful and consistent than the 2-handed. Truly amazing talent.

June 8th, 2015 at 11:27 am

Padon some typos and structural deficiency in my english. Had no time to review :)

June 8th, 2015 at 11:27 am

https://twitter.com/trolltennis/status/607777954945503232
Rafa was right!

June 8th, 2015 at 11:29 am

Perfect analysis. One handed backhand gets you great angles at the expense of power; two handed BH gets you power at the expense of exquisite angles. Stan is a freak that get generate two handed power with one handed BH, while getting the crazy angles.

June 8th, 2015 at 11:34 am

@Senorita, yes Djokovic has “only” lost in 3 finals at Roland Garros, but in 2013 when he was a couple of service games away from beating Nadal in the Semis, he would have faced David Ferrer in the final. Unless he broke a leg, he would have won that final, we all know that. So those finals combined with that semi definitely qualify as being very close. Also, in the last 4 years, he has clearly been the best on the European clay tournaments coming into Roland Garros. As for Nadal, I think it is great to see 2 attacking players fight it out for the French men’s title. The fans have had to live through the best defensive play for almost a complete decade, so the change has been great for fans viewing at Roland Garros and watching worldwide.

June 8th, 2015 at 11:51 am

Stan’s, that’s the one-handed backhand that is not overrated.

June 8th, 2015 at 11:54 am

Agassi won 5 of 8 slams after his 29th as well!!!
—
Weak era.

June 8th, 2015 at 11:56 am

TV, i believe it was robbie koenig who said novak just didnt use his backhand down-the-line nearly enough in the final, or hardly at all.

he kept getting caught in cross-court backhand battles with stan and losing those because he’d get pulled too far off the court by the sharp angles, as you note. novak is generally good at tactically adjusting during a match, at least imo. he can often switch from defense to offense at the drop of a hat.

but yesterday he wasn’t thinking too clearly. he didnt adjust. for example, he kept using drop shot-lob combos even though they were not working. i think he lost every one of those points. yet he didnt change things up. maybe he was a bit mentally fatigued from all the thoughts leading up to (and even after) finally beating rafa at roland garros, and then that was followed with a spirited battle versus andy over 2 days. so he went to bed friday night not even knowing if he’d be playing on sunday. all that had to wear on him mentally.

then in the final stan comes out and plays his best match of the tournament, upping his first serve by 10% more than in any other match he played at the FO, and blasting winners. i just don’t think novak was clear-headed, with all the pressure, etc, and thus he didnt make the adjustments he needed to. in virtually every match he played he’d hit more winners than errors, but in the final it was the opposite. meanwhile, stan hit out and stan won.

however, i don’t think this means that novak’s backhand tactic versus rafa was misread. it was successful in those scenarios. but he didn’t even use his backhand dtl versus stan, maybe partly because stan didn’t let him, but also partly because he wasn’t feeling it and/or he wasn’t thinking out there. i don’t know precisely of course.

anyhow, i sure hope he stops thinking about roland garros too much. it’s unnecessary. i didn’t even like the streak going in there. i’d rather he just go there, not as a fav, with less pressure, and just enjoy the event. it’s like with wimbledon; novak almost always goes there with less pressure, and he’s won it twice. it’s like the pressure valve building up through the clay season is released and he can just enjoy the green grass.

June 8th, 2015 at 12:15 pm

all of a sudden hell beat ferrer after being pummeld by wawrinka.
if fed played wawrinka in hot condition like semi / final he

June 8th, 2015 at 12:23 pm

all of a sudden hell beat ferrer after being pummeld by wawrinka.
if fed played wawrinka in hot condition like semi / final he would taken #18 himself against Nole.

June 8th, 2015 at 12:25 pm

@Jane:

‘i didn’t even like the streak going in there.’:

LOL, what? Wish Rafa went into FO with Novak’s winning streak. Bet he would have loved motoring into RG with that instead of losing streak. Trust me: winning streak > losing streak ANY TIME.

Besides: there is no guarantee a losing streak would help. Lst year Novak posted his worst USO run pre NY and he did not win there did he? So I think his preparation was ideal and A plus.

– ‘ i’d rather he just go there, not as a fav, with less pressure, and just enjoy the event.’:

Impossible. Absolutely impossible.

He can go into RG not as favourite or one of favourite’. Rafa was a 9 time winner and he did not even get listed top 2 fav for some people. So that can happen.

BUT Nadal still had self imposed pressure to win. And so will Novak: its impossible not to. Until he wins he’ll ALWAYS be desperate and fueled to do so. And public will be the same: will he win or not etc.

And I don’t even see that as a problem:

He DID NOT crack under the pressure at all. He just faced a sensational power hitting performance that would have beaten any defender on a given day.

– ‘it’s like with wimbledon; novak almost always goes there with less pressure, and he’s won it twice.’:

Is that even correct?

He won in 2011: surely he most easily have been top 3 favourite. He won in 2014: again must have been top 3 favourite. On both occasions he was top 2 ranked in the world, one he was dominating the tour (2011) so no doubt he would have been a favourite.

The other (2014) he just reached a Slam final, won Rome and is Novak Djokovic, aka pre-eminent player of this era.

So the less pressure theory I just don’t buy at all.

The difference between RG and Wimbledon is:

At RG the question is ‘is this his year?’ and at Wimbledon it’s ‘Will he win again?’ both have their own expectation and pressure.

Bottom Line:

He’s the world number 1. An elite player in his sport for over 7 years. NO MATTER who you are, or your field of sport, if you have such a lofty position in it:

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PRESSURE. Period. It comes with the territory.

June 8th, 2015 at 12:32 pm

Joker is the bookies’ favourite for every single tournament till the end of the year. Now that’s pressure whether he likes it or not!

June 8th, 2015 at 12:38 pm

Agree Brando, pressure wise it is impossible for Novak to not feel it in RG, unless he enters the tournament just out of injury and even so, there will be the question: could this be the year. He will have to overcome it or got a little bit of luck to have an oponent in the final who is not playng almost superhuman. In this regatd he got a bit unlucky here. With his HxH with Stan and his self proclaim inconsistancy, it could easily have been a 3 set affair if Stan served under 60 % (as Jane pointed out) or have some lapses. But it wasn’t to be.

Maybe that is what caught Djoko by surprise, he ketp waiitng Stan to implode or “give him the macth” and id didn’t happen. It almost happen a few times but euther Stan was great or Djoko didn’t deliver, as was FH on BP in final game. Had he not misses that ball anything could change. That is the beauty in tennis, 1 point and voila you can turn a match away. And we saw ot from Djoko before.

But Stan was relentess yesterday. C’est la vie.

Better luck next time.

June 8th, 2015 at 12:51 pm

@ Jane June 8th, 2015 at 12:15 pm
Concerning Novak’s tactics against STan, I just read an interesting article, written in French, from a Belgian journalist who is a pretty good player himself.
He writes on his blog to us readers – in French – that Djokovic probably adopted the wrong tactics by playing deliberately more behind the baseline to go toe to toe with Stan, like the Spanish players used to play in the eighties, and that he got caught by the risks of his own tactics.
Can’t explain as well as that guy does, as I’m not much of a tactician.
Perhaps Mat4 can translate the article for you or explain that guy’s view here.
Here’s the link to his article.
http://blog.lesoir.be/amortieetlob/2015/06/08/un-exceptionnel-wawrinka-vient-a-bout-de-djokovic-lespagnol/

June 8th, 2015 at 12:57 pm

@Daniel:

I see what you are saying but I disagree with vehemently with the ‘poor Novak was unlucky theory’ regarding Wawrinka’s performance:

NO MATTER WHAT your opponent produces, your endeavor is to beat him and prove you are better and the deserving winner. IF you cannot:

Then go gotta man up and say you lost to the better guy. Which is exactly what Novak did.

Saying he was unlucky Wawrinka produced a high class performance is ludicrous. What were people expecting: a half assed Wawa performance? LOL.

Wawrinka said it to the world pre-match: I need to step up my performance and that is exactly what he did. He won fair and square.

I mean as a Nadal fan I could do the same:

Poor Rafa. He would have won 3 slams in 2011 had Novak performed like he did in 2010. He was so unlucky that Novak stepped up from his 2010 performance where he was inconsistent. Poor Rafa.

LOL: that just sounds ridiculous. And it is. Not going at you Daniel but that unlucky Novak theory that Wawa unfairly produced the goods:

Is ridiculously erronous. As a champion you have to adapt to whatever your opponent throws at you, and if you cannot then you know you got beat by a better player on the day. I think Novak got it spot on:

I know Wawrinka is great player, a fighter and he gave a courageous performance that was better than mine.

Perfectly summed up the affair for me. Wawrinka just gave a masterclass in offense that would topple pretty much all.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:04 pm

daniel, yes i agree. there will always be pressure because of the fact that it’s the one missing slam.

but it’s just a personal thing; i don’t like streaks because they add the pressure of maintaining them.

in the end, i agree with you most re: “c’est la vie”.
indeed.

brando, because of novak’s ranking, he’s considered a favourite and/or contender at most slams. this is true.

but remember that in 2011, he had won only 2 slams before wimbledon that year. just 2. a lot of people were unsure how he’d bounce back after the streak ending at roland garros, so mostly he was under the radar at wimbledon, relatively speaking. certainly he was behind rafa, the defending champ; fed, the multiple winner and coming off french finals; and even andy, the nation’s hope.

and then there’s the fact that most or many people consider grass novak’s worst surface.

again, entering wimbledon in 2014, novak had been floundering. he’d not won any big titles since AO 2013, he’d lost earlier than at any slam in ages at AO 2014 (to stan!), and once again he’d failed at roland garros. so i think novak went into wimbledon with less pressure.

that’s how i see it. who can actually say if it’s “true.” it’s just an opinion. it seems he plays more freely there to me.

people expect him to do well at the hard court slams. they expect him to battle for roland garros since he’s been so close to winning it and because of his recent results versus rafa on clay and on the surface generally. but he’s never been at the top of people’s lists for grass contenders.

maybe that will change now that he’s won it twice.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:09 pm

awesome wilfred. thanks for that. yes, i thought novak played too defensively. but stan was on fire and his shots also pushed nole back and also off the sidelines with sharp angles.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:11 pm

Of course Brando, the better player on the day always wins. My point on luck is that for example Both Fed abd Nadal had win Slam finals where the oponent was not up to the task. And this could happen to Novak, but it didn’t.

It was not the case that he was playing poorly, Stan that was too good.

My view on luck was pre match we were all saying that for Stan to have a chance he would have to produce his A+ game and Novak to be a bit sub par. This is a kind of 25 % chance of happening. We could have, Stan and Djoko producong their vest level; Stan of Djoko on and both off. But insted of this other 3 scenarios the one that happen was the one who favored Stan the most. All credit to him because he play his best match when it matter the most and Djoko was so foccused on solving Nadal issue in RG that he played his best in Quarters.

There were inumerous oportunities for Djoko to play beter during points that had nothig to do with Stan (maybe only in a mental level), several FH that Djoko just did not do anything with the ball. He missed all lobs whereas in all previous meetings the drop lob combo was wroking. Of course when you are tense, you miss by inches.

But is not that “Stan was luck” is more like Djoko was a bit unlucky because Stan was on fire on that day. There were not many players who could beat Djoko the way Stan had.
And knwoing that Stan can play hot and cold any tournament Djoko must somehow wondering: “gosh did he really had to play that good?!” Just a bit lesser and it could have been enough for Djoko to beat him. This is a bit of unlucky. At least is how I see it because if it had happen to me I would be cursing the tennis gods. LOL

Of course, it was marvelous to watch tennis wise Stan performance but with what was at stake luck always play a part.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:18 pm

@Daniel:

– ‘Both Fed abd Nadal had win Slam finals where the oponent was not up to the task. And this could happen to Novak, but it didn’t.’:

eh? Don’t know how you got that one. I didn’t hurt Novak to have the Murray meltdown in AO this year. Or having Tsonga in 2008. He got his share of luck like Fedal.

Conversely: Fedal had their share of Wawrinka style bad luck. I think of Del Potro in 2009. Or Rafa in AO 14.

Heavy favorites at start. RU trophy at end.

I don’t think any of them has been overly lucky LOL.

-‘But is not that “Stan was luck” is more like Djoko was a bit unlucky because Stan was on fire on that day.’:

Fair enough.

I guess if you were rooting for Novak you could feel he’s unlucky. As in ‘damn why did wawrinka do this on today of all days?’. I get that.

It’s history now though:

Novak moves on as 8 time major winner. Wawrinka as 2. I think Wawa might say I don’t think i’m lucky one out of us 2 with that stat, lol!

June 8th, 2015 at 1:27 pm

This tweet from esteemed coach Nick Bolleterri sums it all up for me:

‘Wow! Congrats to @stanwawrinka @normansweden and team. @DjokerNole didn’t play badly. Stan just played incredible display of power tennis.’

Could not agree anymore.

Novak did not play badly at all. I personally felt he was excellent and turned up and produced a very good performance. It’s just Wawrinka produced a power hitting masterclass that really will make you win v any opponent on any court.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:31 pm

The problem with joker IMO is that he doesn’t respect his opponents sufficiently. He thinks that just because he is the #1 player he is invincible and unbeatable. Not so. Let this be a lesson for him.

June 8th, 2015 at 1:38 pm

I don’t think it’s a matter of Djokovic being unlucky. It’s simply that Stan brought his best to play the match. I’ve always felt he had the game to trouble the top guys, but in his mind he almost always seemed to let his negative thoughts rule his game. Stan, when asked about the change in his performance, stated that Magnus Norman kept instilling into him that he’s got everything to beat the top guys, but he needs to believe in himself and his match play. It’s the reason he had that tatoo inscribed on his arm as a reminder of what his coach told him and what he can do.

If anyone was unlucky going into the finals, I’d say it was Stan. OMG, the guy had to play for 4 hours in that blistering heat, and face Tsonga, and the French crowd. OTOH, Djoko got to play in the evening when the sun had died down and it was very much cooller. Playing such a gruelling sport as tennis in such horrible heat was more than enough to render any human being listless for several days. I don’t know how Stan was able to come back and play such a fantastic match and beat the No. 1 player. He was simply awesome.

I remember the occasions when Stan played against Djoko and gave his all, only to lose, how much he cried. As a fan, or just another human being, it was not a happy sight to watch. Anyway, Stan has used those matches as a stepping stone to playing the bigger points better, and to remain consistent. Yesterday, we saw a guy who firmly believed he could win, and win he did. He could have easily mentally checked out after losing the first set, but he showed a resolve to put it behind him, and began playing to his ability.

There are no asterisks to his win. Stan played the match on his terms against the No.1 player, and he won. It’s as simple as that.

June 8th, 2015 at 2:25 pm

Another tactic Stan really stuck with throughout the entire match was that he didn’t rush to pull the plug on DTL BH. Most of the matches Stan lost in the earlier rounds clearly show that he tends to go for that DTL BH far too early and indiscreetly, beating himself in the process. But this time around, he kept on calmly hitting the cross-court rally and, even, on many occasions, just hitting on the middle(no-angle shots) showing a great patience which is obviously key on clay. To me this gave Novak the taste of his own medicine. That would still be ok for Novak but the big problem was that he was getting on the backfoot on majority of those BH exchanges.This led Novak to pulling the drop-shot far too often with significantly lower success rate than previous matches.
I am pretty sure this was Magnus Norman’s mind out there. What an awesome job he has done. A guy noone thought would even win a M1000 event has now all levels of ATP titles plus multiple slams under his belt.

Wimbledon is going to be extra exciting now. I have never paid much attention on how they seed at the wimbledon but if Stan is seeded 4 then they could meet at the semis. And if Stan from RG final shows up there, it will be easy peasy Japanesey.

June 8th, 2015 at 2:32 pm

@2:32pm: “it will be easy peasy Japanesey.” This is a funny one. I’ve never heard it before, but it’s good. lol.

BTW, I agree with you. Stan played patiently but, he also showed a lot of agression. It was a very nice mix of power, patience, and aggression. A very winning combination. I don’t think the other top players would like to see him on their side of the draw. At No. 4, he could end up on Djokovic’s or Fed’s side, and this victory will play in either guy’s head.

June 8th, 2015 at 2:46 pm

@Snowbird, That’s my favorite quote from “The Shawshank Redemption”.
Stan naturally has had more power on his shots but what was lacking was patience and discretion on shot selection. He had all of them amazingly come together on Sunday.
Also, depending on how consistent he looks going into grass, I would put Stan as one of the potential winners there. I hope he won’t go down the 2014 road again.

June 8th, 2015 at 2:56 pm

I’m happy for Stan’s second slam title. It was not just a French Open win. It was also a validation of his Australian Open title over Rafa which some naysayers tried to diminish by saying it was Rafa’s injury that allowed him to win. Double victory!

June 8th, 2015 at 3:50 pm

I feel better today than I did last week. My ownership is unquestioned.

June 8th, 2015 at 3:57 pm

I believe Stan WILL be seeded 4 at Wimbledon –changes to the ranking are adjusted only if required based on grass results over the previous 2 years

Nole is currently No. 1 – is No. 1 and also won last year’s W final and was finalist year before.
Feder is currently No. 2 – will remain so as he was last year’s Wfinalist + won Halle
Andy is currently no. 3 – will remain so as he won in 2013 – (nobody else in contention re. Grass gains other than the above).
Stan – While he has not achieved as much as he might have on grass over the last 2 years – there is nobody below his No. 4 ranking with sufficiently strong results on grass to affect his No. 4 placement.

So, if I’m right, and I think I am – We already have the 4 quarter-finalists. Once again, it is likely that the no. 3 player (Andy in this case) is in Novak’s half of the draw and the no. 4 player (Stan) is in Fed’s half of the draw.

I doubt that Queen’s or Halle 2015 will affect the above (even though Dimitrov won Queen’s (I think) last year – but it was a 250 then – and even if he wins Queens again (now a 500) – it is unlikely to affect the above because his ATP ranking is so much lower than the above 4.

If I’m wrong – will welcome correction.

June 8th, 2015 at 4:12 pm

Im happy for Stan, as i dont care for the term 1 slam wonder,and its interesting for the game to have more players getting in the mix,shame that Delpos still out of competition too,as i believe fully fit and back to his best,he also would have more slams in him,and fantastic to see Andy getting back to his best again,i think he has a real shot at another W title,and its a surface that really suits his game….

June 8th, 2015 at 4:19 pm

@Wog boy
Sorry mate! Stan was in the zone. Got to love Stan when he is hot! Bravo Stan! and Nole will be back next year… and he will still have great chance as Rafa and Roger are declining. Unless Stan gonna be in the zone again…

@jalep
For your sorrow: https://youtu.be/FngWzmxK0z8

June 8th, 2015 at 5:13 pm

@RogNadFan and KatH – Wimbledon seeds the men based on a formula: In addition to their 52-week ranking points (cut-off is usually a week or two before the tournament begins), they add 100 percent points earned for all grass court tournaments in past 12 months. Then they add 75 percent points earned for best grass court tournament in 12 months before that.

Without doing any math, I would expect Djokovic, Federer, and Murray to stay in the top 3. Chances are that Wawrinka would hold on to the #4 spot but it depends on the grass court points some of the other guys over the past 2 years. (Off the top of my head, Raonic should get a nice bump from the grass court points, but he’s probably not close enough in overall points to catch Stan)

June 8th, 2015 at 5:40 pm

@RZ,
Thanks for that info. Its going to be extremely interesting grass season with a ruthless killer named Stan lurking around. I am sure none of the top players want to face him.

June 8th, 2015 at 6:23 pm

Lots of interesting analysis now that we’ve had a day to step back and break down the match, apart from how emotional it was. I wrote the night before that I thought Stan was the worst-case scenario for Novak (no disrespect to Rafa, but he’s not at his best right now). After Stan destroyed Federer and played such a close match against Novak in Australia, this was not the guy he wanted to see in the final. Stan kept to his aggressive game plan from Australia, but this time he was very patient and didn’t get nervous and try to end points w/ a winner. I didn’t think he would be able to stay in the rallies w/ Novak as long as he did, but he really believed he could win and wouldn’t back down from that baseline.

I did question Novak’s use of the dropshot. While it worked at times, and he used it very well against Nadal, Stan started anticipating it. By playing those defensive rallies, he was often never able to diffuse his aggressive play. Dragging Stan inside the baseline is a tactic I’ve seen work really well against him, and Federer was trying to do that, but I think his shots were just too heavy in both matches.

I’m also so happy for Magnus Norman, who people credit so much, but I think this win is particularly special b/c it’s the French Open. He was a runner up himself and then had to watch Soderling lose twice in the final. To have his guy actually win, he looked positively shocked, and he never shows emotion. Stan was right to dedicate the win to him and it’s one of the best coach/player stories around.

June 8th, 2015 at 6:30 pm

rz, i too suspect stan will stay were he is. he reached quarters last year and i am not sure who else could pass him? if so, that means fed and novak with either stan or andy each of their sides. last year stan and fed were on the same side and novak and andy were on the other. the wild card in this is rafa, again.

but there are lots of other potentially strong grass players and question marks: cilic, dimitrov and even tsonga come to mind. tsonga played well at the french and he likes grass. cilic and dimitrov have both won queens. cilic took novak to a 5th last year, and grigor took out andy.

then there are more dark horses like delpo, if he’s back, and the young guys like kyrgios and 4-k.

it’s a very difficult slam to predict right now.

June 8th, 2015 at 6:39 pm

@lapinroyal,

No worries mate, Stan was the Man, there is always next year.
Your pick won, you know tennis.
There is a saying in my country “after the battle everybody is a General”, I can see we have quite a few Generals on this thread:)
You mentioned here you are going to visit Serbia sometimes this year, this is what we (Serbs) do here in the heart of Sydney, multiply that ten times in every aspect and that is what is waiting for you in Serbia, I used this video to calm down after Nole lost to Stan who was The Man:, enjoy it my friend:

http://youtu.be/aF8h7ox4cSc

jalep, this is not “Fiddler on the roof” but I am sure you would enjoy this atmosphere with my people, when we are happy, when we are sad, when tragedy struck..when Nole lost we say “e jebiga” and start singig, dancing…drinking, take five minutes of your time and watch this video, cheers.

June 8th, 2015 at 6:46 pm

wog boy, that’s a great saying; i’d never heard it before. :)

June 8th, 2015 at 7:03 pm

@Emily:

‘I did question Novak’s use of the dropshot.’:

I think Novak used his dropshots understandably and excellently. I got to admit, Novak’s drop shot’s impressed me big time in the event. Some of them were unreal and uber effective. He maybe the best drop shot player in the game and the worst thing for the competition is:

He’s near impossible to beat with a drop shot due to his movement.

But yes he did play alot of them and more frequently as the match wore on since it was a tiring battle out there and these guys need a respite. For Wawrinka that meant pulling the trigger and power hitting. For Novak, hitting more dropshots.

Alot of people say this loss will be hard for him to get over but IMO it will be WAY EASIER than RG 14 for 2 big reasons:

1. He’s in way better form generally this year:

He’s only lost 3 matches in 8 month’s. That’s it. This infact is his first big match loss since Shanghai v Federer, since the 2 others losses were in 500, 250 events, i.e. small potatoes as they come on tour.

So when this loss is a rare hiccup: it’s way more easier to get over.

2. He has no regrets since he left it all out there and recognises Wawa did something unique:

He knows Stanimal produced a performace for the ages. Post match on Twitter both he and Becker applauded Wawa and called it as it is: just too damn good from Wawa. So it’s a easier pill to swallow.

In 13′ maybe he regretted the net moment, 14′ maybe not sustaining it. But yesterday he knew: he got hit by a phenomenal performance.

So for me mentally that’s easier to get over.

Bottom Line:

For me Novak is the favourite for Wimbledon.

When I look at the field and think he looks best for Wimbledon right now and i’d still put all my money on Novak Djokovic since who else?

Wawrinka? He called it a one in a lifetime performance and famously Stan does not do consecutive wins. So I rather back the 2 time Champion and Mr Consistent instead.

Murray? 0-8 v Djokovic. I do not see Andy getting his first win v Novak in 2 years in a Grand Slam. I just don’t.

And the rest really are not on his level when it get’s down to winning right now.

So for me: Novak is still the man to beat and the top dog without any shadow of a doubt since no one particularly comes close. He won a GS and was RU to a hurricane performance in the other. And he’s won every single MS he entered.

So he’s EASILY the Wimbledon favourite and top dog until someone worthy put’s a better case forward on merit not sneaking suspicion.

June 8th, 2015 at 7:39 pm

funches Says:
I’m amazing anyone thought Murray might win that match, and I’m a Murray guy who has argued here in the past it is a Big Four instead of a Big Three.

I stand by that, but Djokovic is a winner with more game than Murray and more motivation to win this year. There was no way he was going to lose that match, and there is no way he is going to lose to Wawrinka.

June 6th, 2015 at 9:26 am
—————————————————————

This know-it-all idiot always throws in his stupid comments around the end of the 2nd week of each slam. If he’s smart he will wait until the final is over next time and then say how he knew all along who was going to win.

June 8th, 2015 at 7:56 pm

I’m not taking anything away from Novak’s play, I just think that he was using the dropshot as a bail out shot. Stan was better at the net and while there were some great examples of the dropper, and he really used it well against Rafa, it was less effective as the final went on.

Novak is still probably the favorite at Wimbledon, and he is indisputably the number #1 player in the world. There’s not a lot he could have done yesterday to stop Stan and I don’t really disagree w/ your reasonings. TBH, I’m not lining up all the players for SW19 just yet, but it will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks.

June 8th, 2015 at 8:17 pm

Brando,

Now that you putted this way, actually this loss may be easier to overcome. But it was his third and he beat Rafa, so maybe he was more ready to finally win now, but Stanimal was there.

Also agree completely with him being favorite for Wimbledon, mUrray now enter that phase when we can only count him to beta Novak when he actually does it because Novak is favorite for me overmatch they play until he betas him. And if he loses arts set, 100% victory for Novak.

Fed will need help for a good draw (he kind of have this RG, but Stan found his gear in that match with him). The others don’t see making a push. But in thing is almost certain, can’t see a new Wimbledon champion this year, it will be one of the usual suspects.

June 8th, 2015 at 8:34 pm

Wimbledon is the only truly Big 4 major. Since 2003, only the Big 4 have won this event. Will this be the year that an outsider will finally be able to crash their party?

June 8th, 2015 at 8:53 pm

wimbledon is an interesting case, because you guys are right that it is the sole major that the big 4 have been sharing for years now: no one has won it besides fed, nadal, novak and andy since when? 2003?

however, it’s also the slam where we’ve seen the big for upset earlier than expected at times. novak lost really early in 2008 and then relatively early in 09; rafa has lost early a few time now; fed lost early in 2011 and 2013; andy went out earlier than expected last year in the quarters. i guess that’s why it “feels” a little bit unpredictable, even though the big 4 have been consistently winning it.

meanwhile, there have been surprise winners at the other slams (but usually with the big 4 reaching the second week rather consistently). on hard court stan and cilic, of course, and now this year with stan at the french (although he won that title as a junior and has always been good on clay – reached rome finals in 2008, won monte carlo last year, etc).

like markus, i do wonder if we will see a surprise wimbledon winner one of these years, maybe even sooner than later, or whether one of the big 4 will come through again.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:08 pm

“big four” not “for,’ sheesh

June 8th, 2015 at 9:10 pm

brando i hope you’re right about novak getting over the loss fairly quickly. you make valid points for sure. i guess i was wondering if he’ll have more regrets this time, insofar as he finally got past that huge rafa nadal hurdle at roland garros but then still lost! hopefully he just moves on with an “it is what it is” attitude. novak’s a pretty philosophical guy who’s been through tough losses before, so i have faith that he can do it again.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:16 pm

To have a new winner outside the big 4, all of them need to go out early,say before the Semi.If anyone of them is still in the Semis,there is a very high chance that they will win the whole thing.The chance of these dark horses actually knocking the big guys off diminishes exponentially as the grass wears down as SW19.

June 8th, 2015 at 9:32 pm

If they keep low bouncing balls at Wimbledon, don’t count the old man out (Roger) who already make changes of the racquet tension (more power for the grass)… so no out gonna out hit him.

Stan not been doing well on grass due to the low bounce… but his serve is improving, who know. But i don’t think Stan will do well for Wimbledon.

@WB
I sense that I will have a blast in Belgrade! Nice music… there always be nextime!

June 9th, 2015 at 3:07 am

So no one thinks someone like Berdych can be a dark horse at Wimbledon?

June 9th, 2015 at 3:28 am

If I may digress a bit and just answer a few things:

Sienna,
like I said, you’re entitled to your opinion. I disagree with it. Do you know Novak personally or are your conclusions based on some careful psychological analysis? Maybe I know more about him. Maybe I know things you don’t. Belgrade is after all not that big of a city.

Sennorita,
Indeed, in 2008. Novak would have lost the final just like he lost the semis. I was just saying that his record at FO should be taken within the context namely, being in Rafa’s half something like all the time while giving a better performances than the finalist (ex: 2008) . As for the semis of 2013, c’mon, you know very well just like everybody else that it was close and that he could have won it. Ferrer would’ve not stand a chance.

Wog Boy,
thanks for a nice video. I have cousins in Sydney ;).
And good that you mentioned the word “jebiga” because Nole says it during his matches and he is then being accused of swearing and throwing f-bombs. Although it is a literal translation, it totally does not have the same strength and if one wants a translation that is true to the feeling and meaning, then it is “what a heck!” or “damn”. So, there :)

June 9th, 2015 at 3:58 am

RZ

Agree – we are both saying the same — Stan’s no.4 ranking will hold at Wimbledon – there’s nobody lower than him who has done well enough to overcome his seeding.

What interests me is that no. 1 and no. 3 will be in one half of the draw and no.2 & no.4 in the bottom half — as is the pattern….So
if seedings hold, Stan will face Roger in semis and Andy face Nole in semis —could the final repeat the French Open final?

Long way to go – will be fascinating to watch..

June 9th, 2015 at 4:11 am

As for quotes:

1. “I don’t have to do anything special to be successful here.” – Nole
2. “This is the toughest QF for me. The winner of this match is not the winner of RG.” – Rafa

I hope you who posted these are joking. Both are completely taken out of context and you know it very well.
Novak said that he won’t change anything in his preparation for RG and that he won’t do anything special in his practices. His statement has a totally different meaning from that line above. Same is true of Rafa’s words. Translation: “winning over me does not necessarily mean winning the tournament.” Everyone realistic and reasonable enough knew it immediately after that match.

June 9th, 2015 at 4:15 am

KatH,

I don’t think there is the pattern. Number 1 seed can draw number 4 seed in semis, while #2 can play #3.

June 9th, 2015 at 4:17 am

@danica. ” Everyone realistic and reasonable enough knew it after that match”. Are you sure? What everyone assumed after that match was that joker would win the tournament having taken Rafa out.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:03 am

@Jane, Brando: I think he will get over it. The one thing about Novak is: he has a high tennis IQ. He won’t dwell on that loss since he knows a hurricane hit him on court. And another positive is: he was never close to the winning line since wawa won 3 sets in a row. So had it been a 5th set or one he had a lot of momentum going his way then yes I can see that being a bitter pill to swallow. But one I don’t think of as a tough loss to be honest. It kind of reminds me of Nadal v Tsonga in AO 08. Rafa was heavy favourite. But got blasted off court. He said what can I say or do other than recognize the other guy produced a unbelievable performance. Ditto Novak here. He recognized that it was a unbelievable performance. I agree with Jane though: Wimbledon has had a new winner every year since 2007 and it is an event more than the others where big surprises can happen. The thing people overlook at RG due to wawrinka win, rafa loss is:how ALOT of the young guns made it almost to week 2: kyrgios, kokkanakis, coric. Even thiem won in Nice 2 days prior to his match. For me that is arguably as big a story as any: next generation stepped up big in the last few weeks. So I can see a kyrgios, Kokkanakis being a tough, tough prospect to handle. Novak is the clear unanimous favourite…….. BUT there’s a host of viable contenders that makes it a very deep field. You know it’s deep when rafael Nadal is not a top 8 contender for this poster. It’s very deep. I have Novak as pre-event favourite but for me really it’s D Day for Andy Murray: he has to win now to cement he’s playing well, is back since there is no use for me to prop yourself up saying your close to top when you just lost the 8th time to your main rival in a row. Sure he won Madrid but that’s not where he’s expected to perform or dominate. Grass and hardcourts are where he’s supposed to excel so for me this is a vital summer for him and his future prospects at the very top. More important than for Novak (who will win future slams) or even Nadal (everyone knows his grass court issues, and even then: hell he’s a 14 major winner: his legacy in tennis is long secured). So for me Muzza has to produce. No I’m improving stories. Its time to step up and win. PS: also major summer for Dimitrov since if he doesn’t do something of note then I think he’s wasting his talent big time.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:37 am

Lmao meant to type Daniel not brando. Lol.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:38 am

@danica,

“Jebiga” is philosophy, state of mind, it’s a life, it’s a science, it’s everything else but the swear word, people don’t get it and never will.

BTW, tell your cousins to join Serbian Festival in Sydney next year, we always need volunteers, it can’t be done without them, I am proud to say that my family is proudly volunteering and always will, you (your cousins) can find more on Serbian Festival Sydney FB.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:51 am

So spot on by Koenig: Rob Koenig ‏@RobKoenigTennis Jun 7
R
Would you rather have Wawrinka’s career or Berdych’s?? Better to win big, than be consistent, any Pro will tell u..

June 9th, 2015 at 6:24 am

Wawrinka’s win at Roland Garros has liberated us from 3 myths: 1) H2H records are mentally insurmountable 2) the 1-handed backhand is an insurmountable disadvantage 3) if you haven’t won a major by the time you turn 24 you never will.

I am so thankful to him for all 3.

June 9th, 2015 at 8:25 am

@MMT: agree fully. You could also had being 30 is not a hindrance to winning at Roland Garros. Just checked number of winners aged 29 or over at Roland Garros from 1980 onwards (tail end of wooden racquets to modern era): 3. Wawrinka and Gomez aged 30. Agassi aged 29. Based on that I’d say Novak has 2 excellent chances still left at Roland garros. But aged 31 and over would start getting tricky for sure then. I think Federer’s a good example on that front: legendary player: talent and fitness that excels on clay. Post 2011 (age 30), at Roland garros on calendar years fed entered his 31st year and so forth he’s been: SF, QF, QF, R16. That does indicate it does get tougher with the passage of time. BUT very doable aged 29,30.

June 9th, 2015 at 8:40 am

Great posts Brando and MMT. Thanks for those.

I do think there a lot more true challengers for Wimbledon, and more spoilers as well. (However, before French 95% of us said there were only TWO true challengers there, so its all just hot air, but anyway…)

Legit challengers:
Novak, Andy, Roger, Cilic, Rafa, Wawrinka

Spoilers: Raonic, Kyrgios, Dmitrov, Berdych, Tsonga, Isner and possibly Nishikori.

I could see slipping Rafa down to the Spoiler category given recent Wimbledon results, but having won twice and made five finals, I wouldn’t soil my pants in a shocked stupor if he won. I probably would for the others on that list!

By the way, has anyone noticed David The Boffin Goffin is up to #15??

June 9th, 2015 at 8:52 am

Wimbledon will be wide open. Rafa has no chance and wont be around after week 1. I reckon Andy would be a slight favorite, followed by Novak and Fed in that order. Raonic will need watching, especially after recent infury. Stan will be a flop; his game needs slow court and high bounce. First week of Wimby will be treacherous for him; if he survives that, then anything is possible.

June 9th, 2015 at 8:56 am

Chances of Rafa winning Wimbledon are as remote as Elvis coming alive. He has been done on grass for over 3 years.

June 9th, 2015 at 8:58 am

Agree with pitchaboy but I would lessen the hyperbole re: Rafa from “no chance” to “small chance”. But then again, that’s his prediction so, let it be.

June 9th, 2015 at 9:15 am

@MMT
..Stan has liberated us from the myth that “H2H records are mentally insurmountable.”
Thank you :)

June 9th, 2015 at 12:37 pm

Danica – You well be right – No.1 doesn’t always get no.3 – but it is at least a 50% possibility.

@ Margot – I wrote to myself a wee piece “so-called funny” entitled “Margot talks to Amelie” – I daren’t put it on line here as our Scottish humour will likely be trashed…peaceful life!!!

Have fun at Queens – find that empty seat next to Amelie at an Andy practice!!!!!!!

June 9th, 2015 at 1:38 pm

Lapinroyal

Put that piece right on my playlist! Thanks…

Wish there was a ‘cafe’ general topic thread here for posters to share what music they are listening to now…Would be quite fun and interesting :D

June 9th, 2015 at 3:04 pm

Wog Boy

Absolutely no doubt I’d love the atmosphere and warmth of your culture! Enjoyed that video very much. The closest I’ve been to the Balkans is Greece and that remains top of my list as places visited goes for food, drink, history, atmosphere.

So is “e jebiga” sort of a “ce la vie” philosophy?

June 9th, 2015 at 3:21 pm

Spare a moment when thinking of #15 David Goffin. He is aptly named.

See Goffin’s Cockatoo. Bird description fits ;)

June 9th, 2015 at 3:36 pm

Danica
To express a good shot for opponent you simply acknowledge the shot by knotting your head or saying briefly good shot or to good….Aussies always give a mate call with it.
But the way Novak keeps on applauding time and time again. Raising his racket and arm to such hights that everyone in the stadium sees the acknowledgement, combined with the fact he only does it when he wins the match or is on top in the match makes him a fraude. A stinker, poser, fake person only play acting etc you can see what I mean . Pick a few names yourself.

June 9th, 2015 at 3:51 pm

@jalep,
Yes, “ce la vie” in a Balkan way.

June 9th, 2015 at 4:16 pm

“knotting your head” would be very difficult.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:24 pm

Sienna, I wonder why you even watch tennis when everything that goes on there seems to annoy you so much.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:42 pm

Sienna, I wonder why you even watch tennis when everything that goes on there seems to annoy you so much.

June 9th, 2015 at 5:42 pm

Markus,

Because that is the only way she can exist and function, through the hate she feeds her rotten soul.

June 9th, 2015 at 6:31 pm

@Markus,
It’s most probably because she is not watching the real tennis there, you know what I mean? Just watching who won the set and the match may be? It seems doubtful that she knows how a competitive sport such as Tennis is actually played.
One can applaud the opponent whenever he/she likes or only when he feels like a shot is worthy of applauding. During a game, sometimes even with a great shot from the opponent, you feel like you should have gotten to it. Hence you end up getting mad at yourself and not necessarily applauding.

No one should applaud just to show the spectators or the opponents. But….some never get that.

June 9th, 2015 at 6:47 pm

should not

June 9th, 2015 at 6:53 pm

Big “ups” to Stan and Serena. Both earned the French Open grail. Serena added more proof that she has no true rivals. Stan proved his win in last year’s AO was no fluke.
https://martinstake128.wordpress.com/2015/06/09/for-the-very-best-its-all-about-the-test/

June 9th, 2015 at 7:57 pm

Wog boy don’t pay attention to komsija. Lol

June 9th, 2015 at 8:00 pm

sienna,
Chillax. It’s a sincere gesture showing appreciation. When a shot against you is that good, an applause like that is very appropriate and respected.

June 9th, 2015 at 8:21 pm

I think the racquet claps are genuine among all the players. We see great shots in all the matches and I’m sure they are astounded by some of those gets as the fans are…..they simply want to acknowledge that fact…..I think it’s cool!!

June 9th, 2015 at 8:53 pm

Sienna,
no one wrote a manifesto of a proper acknowledging of a great shot.

Giles,
@danica. ” Everyone realistic and reasonable enough knew it after that match”. Are you sure? What everyone assumed after that match was that joker would win the tournament having taken Rafa out.

That’s why I sad “everyone REALISTIC and REASONABLE” :)). I certainly didn’t assume Nole would win. Having a Murray in semis and possibly Stan or Tsonga in finals, didn’t seem like smooth sailing. Tsonga beat Nole last summer pretty convincingly while matches with Andy and Stan are traditionally hard for him.

June 10th, 2015 at 12:38 am

i’d like to second django and danica. seconded! :)

June 10th, 2015 at 1:21 am

@TV
The total ranking points of my compatriot David Goffin (1,915 points at the moment) include still the 9 best tournaments results instead of the 6 best results outside the Slams and the Masters (see the rules that apply to top 30 players). So his total ranking points include 250 points that should drop off soon, which would place him around the 21st place and not the 15th in the ATP ranking.
@MMT
If I recall correctly you once wrote a nice article on your website about the dominance of the DH backhand over the single handed BH, and didn’t call it a myth back than.

June 10th, 2015 at 4:19 am

Djoker makes aan mockery of thee clapping for opponent.

he is doing it constantly and not even only on extraordinairy points.
he does it so often youd think hè loses more matches.

but no he only does it White he thinks hes winning the match. Im repeating myself.
I know it is appropiated to give praise to opponent. But it should be used descreet and hè shouldnot always make aan big poeha about it. you can just not your head or call it.

he will do it in melodramatic way.
always staring in disbelief or awe like to say well this is inpossible to play… or never was that better then this. its aan poser aan fake. He is good but not that good. He hasnot won a slam dominating everymatch. Federer/Nadal they have slams won where they truly were dominant. Cilic has done that. Novak hasnot.

but he makes it his trademark to get somekind of aura over him that is not there.
the good shot acknowledging is just one aspect he uses.

June 10th, 2015 at 6:54 am

Wilfried, thanks. He’ll still be seeded, which seems quite incredible. Hope he continues rising.

June 10th, 2015 at 7:57 am

The ONLY moment sienna will relax is the day nadal and Djokovic retire. Even then it will be temporary. She’ll soon start hating on the next individual who threatens her idols records. That’s the kind of individual she is: bitter to the core. But sadly for her the damage has already been done on a permanent basis. Since no matter what she clings on for a temporary moment of joy at the misfortune of others, where she turns for comfort that lies in the sadness of others she shall ALWAYS have to confront the reality, and know deep in her vacant: her idol was the pigeon of Nadal. His favorite whipping boy bar none. The one who tormented all around the world, all the time, any time, it’s all fine since when I’m on my grind: his ass is mine. A commonly accepted social fact in the community of tennis. And that fact just burns her: the one she wishes to extol as something so great…….was also reduced to being a punchbag unlike other by his greatest rival. That’s some eternal butthurt for sienna right there. And boy am I glad has rafa handed it out to such a rotten soul. I think rafa gets a vamos from everyone to reduce sienna like that. Vamos rafa!

June 10th, 2015 at 8:43 am