Novak Djokovic: Winning Grand Slam Titles And The No. 1 Ranking Are No Longer My Priority

Pressure is a privalege, and goes with the territory, IMO he handles it all very well ….

September 30th, 2016 at 4:57 pm

Correct me if im wrong, but i thought Novak had 12 GS not 13 staff ? ….

September 30th, 2016 at 4:58 pm

Do you remember what Djokovic said in August 2014? I quote:

“Tennis not my number 1 priority”

http://m.sportskeeda.com/tennis/tennis-not-my-number-1-priority-novak-djokovic

We know what happened afterwards. The level of domination never seen in the Opera era.

September 30th, 2016 at 5:12 pm

No one is buying what Novak is selling.

September 30th, 2016 at 6:17 pm

“No one is buying what Novak is selling.”

He was never good salesman.

September 30th, 2016 at 8:21 pm

VP,
From the other thread, thanks, I’ll make sure to pass the message of support (yours) to Nole once I am there, which will be very soon. Unfortunately those days (14/15) I will still be in the second best country in UK, but I’ll make sure to have a drink (or two) in one of those bohemian “kafanas” in Skadarlija in your name. I’ll let you know here when I do that, cheers.

JK,
From the other thread, thanks, I am sure I’ll enjoy my time in the second best country in UK:)

September 30th, 2016 at 8:29 pm

“Since completing the Career Slam at the French Open…”

It would be nice if you mentioned something more importan and bigger than career slam which nobody since RL achieved, four in a row Tom..four in a row!

I listen his interview in Serbian, I think you are reading too much into in English translation which can never be accurate, particularly in this case. I guess Boris has to do something or maybe he even wrote it for Nole;)

September 30th, 2016 at 9:30 pm

Novak continues to bury his chances of popularity and to be a tennis model the industry would be proud of.
He really needs a experienced tennis professional PR type.
He could call Fed for help. Or maybe Laver. You know, the GOATS.

September 30th, 2016 at 10:58 pm

Skeezer,

Laver was the best player of the 60s, but just barely.
Roger was a true Gulliver among the Lilliputians that faced him Until Nadal arrived in form in late 2007 owned Roger on every surface after that. Rafa probably would have done a lot more without the injuries, but he also battled Djokovic well in 2012 and 2013. But despite Rafa’s 2013 heroics, 2011 onwards has been the time of Novak Djokovic.

No one will argue that Roger is not a great player. He is. It’s just what he faced until the other players of the Big 4 arrived that allowed him to pad his records.

As for tennis, all 4 of the Big 4 have promoted the game well. If you must quibble, Roger is worshipped in N Europe and the Angloshere. Rafa is solid in support in Sain, Latin America, plus the sort of fans strongly attracted to Rafa in his hot longhaired sleeveless pirate suit days. Djokovic is the one promoting tennis in the growing markets of India and Asia, Like Rafa, well liked in Southern Europe and Latin America and obviously lands to the east of Germany..Andy is now second most popular in N Europe and the Anglosphere.

October 1st, 2016 at 1:38 am

The only thing Novak said is that he won’t put pressure on himself to hold #1 at all costs and win titles. He wants to enjoy the game and his time on court. He said that nothing will change in his preparation and routine. Last but not least, he credited Becker for the mental strength and his psychological stability in big matches.

All in all, it’ll be interesting to see how his career progresses from now on.

October 1st, 2016 at 3:18 am

Giving us BS as usual. So what else is new?

October 1st, 2016 at 4:02 am

Danica

One of the versions of the story made me wonder if Becker would be around as much in the future. Does Nole really need him full-time anyway?

WB: OOPS! Never mind, enjoy.

October 1st, 2016 at 4:14 am

WB,

hehe, thank you. I do remember Skadarlija street very well. Was really one of my favorite streets in Beograd, when I was there :)
Please make sure, Nole does not think I am the footballer, when you send him my regards ;)

October 1st, 2016 at 5:43 am

Regarding Novak, it is normal that he feels exhausted. If he will be healthy enough, I am sure he will continue to be very competitive, but do not expect him to be that dominant as he was in 2014-2016.

October 1st, 2016 at 5:47 am

Milan are you kidding..domination never seen??come on gimme a break..

October 1st, 2016 at 7:14 am

Novak is lucky enough to not have a rising star during 2015-16..

October 1st, 2016 at 7:15 am

And now Andy is getting closer in rankings..he is feared about no.1 rank

October 1st, 2016 at 7:17 am

Milan are you kidding..domination never seen before??come on give me a break..Novak is lucky enough not enough to have a young rising star during 2015-16..and now as Andy is getting closer in ranking points..he is feared..

October 1st, 2016 at 7:21 am

Don’t recall any GOATs with significant losing records against two key rivals LOL.

Don’t worry though. Fed will be the fan favourite worldwide with little exception for quite some time.

October 1st, 2016 at 7:54 am

I think what Djoko is really trying to say is that he is sick and tired of constantly being asked about winning more MAJORS and staying at #1. He just wants to be left alone so he can focus on tennis and not be hounded with these kinds of questions. I’m sure the desire and motivation is still there and he’ll continue to win the big ones…

October 1st, 2016 at 10:00 am

If you desire to to be the best player in the world, you can’t have your cake and eat it too. Press, public appearances, off court conferences with the tennis world, are a few of many responsibilities as the defacto tennis head of the industry. All that, plus “the grind” of the tour after titles and slams.
I am surprised to hear Novak talk like this, it is not the talk of a Champion of Tennis. Champions yearn for titles and Slams. It is a selfish desire but hopefully you and the ones you love support you on the journey. If you can’t handle it, work on getting your ranking lowered. You’ll be asked less questions.

October 1st, 2016 at 10:32 am

Skeezer, it is your pov. You prefer Roger’ s style, when it comes to press approach.
Personally, I like Novak’s honesty more, never was a fan of platitudes. Roger is not a model for me, but he might be for you, that’s ok.

October 1st, 2016 at 10:45 am

Its just not a about press conference style(twisiting my post), its your desires and hearts intention, and you say you like novaks honesty? Well if he truly means what he says then you won’t be seeing very many titles and Slams fron here on out from Novak. And how fun is that for a tennis fan?
Fed has said the truth when asked about Slams, he desired after then his wholecareer, whilst building a big family and navigating his business .

October 1st, 2016 at 10:57 am

Skeezer, as a Novak fan I was reading so many nasty things from the press about him in the last years….I still am amazed by the way, Novak handled rude crowds, mean articles, and so on.
As a tennis fan, I felt I was unrespected by the media. I was once in a while exhausted by reading some things. Cannot imagine, how Nole dealt with all the sh*t. He is a model for me, coz he achieved something unique, without very much support. So he can tell now what he wants to the press.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:03 am

Many tennis greats have a mid-career crisis in late 20’s only to continue their career runs.

St. Roger won a few more slams after his breaking down in Australia crying “God it’s KILLING me!”

Agassi had his meth moment dropping out of the top 100 before winning more slams.

Nole is only human and no different in this regard. Just more classy and professional about it.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:05 am

VP,
If you want my POV on ND personally, he needs a break. 6 mos at least. He is talking liken he is close to burnout. Problem is, tennis will suffer. Fed is out, Rafa is a long way from getting back still(imo) and that leaves Andy and?
It also gets old quickly if you feel you are playing now cause its your duty vs for youself and your goals. I don’t really know what is going on in his head right now but by what he saying its not good. MPOV.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:08 am

VP nailed it.

Nole has handled the fed-biased media extremely well along with the fed biased crowds peRFectly exemplified in the 2015 USO final.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:09 am

Apologies for interrupting the Nole thread where fans and others give their thoughts on Nole and the ifs and maybes of male tennis.

Meanwhile “The Oregonian” offers an article discussing female tennis after Serena retires. It suggests that sex alone won’t sell tennis then goes on to show parts of a tennis training video starring model Elizabeth Anne.

Ahem, erh, gulp!

I didn’t cut and paste the article because I’d be moderated for ever. Maybe even mentioning it will mean I’m expelled from Tx.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:32 am

Fed biased media? Lol whats next Clinton Trump.biased media?
Sure elina, its all Feds fault, always with you. Divert any negativity towards the greatesti.
Jealousy continues.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:34 am

Fed’s fault?

Talk about twisting words.

Pot and kettle. Something in common with The Donald.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:36 am

J-Kath i will also divert the attention from Novak for a minute, just wanted to say, as we were talking dogs and animal cruelty the other day, there was a nice bit in Novembers Spirit and Destiny magazine, turns out Maggie May Murray has wrote a book entitled How To Look After Your Human ! A Dogs Guide !By Maggie Mayhem and Kim Sears, about dogs and their humans ;-)) ….

October 1st, 2016 at 11:44 am

“Pot and kettle. Something in common with The Donald..
And Clinton. Vote for Novak, he’s your man.

October 1st, 2016 at 11:46 am

Willow:

Great – sounds like a real wow-bow of a read. I’ll look out for it.

October 1st, 2016 at 12:26 pm

J-Kath LOL ;-)) ….

October 1st, 2016 at 1:23 pm

IMO Federer always embraced the challenge of being world number 1, as a Nadal fan i always got the impression he enjoyed the journey of getting there rather than the actuall destination, i always thought Novak was the same as Federer, but not anymore as i now get the feeling hes now finding it all a chore, the pressure of being world number 1 goes with the territory im afraid ….

October 1st, 2016 at 1:28 pm

http://www.sportsrageous.com/featured/tennis-news-novak-djokovic-already-making-excuses-for-not-reaching-roger-federers-all-time-great-level/49039/

October 1st, 2016 at 3:07 pm

Willow – I did not see the dog thread, but I live in california and rescued a red nose pit almost 8 years ago. She is the sweetest, least confrontational dog I have ever met… I heard that in Montreal, pits were just banned…. God knows how many of them in shelters will be killed… statistics show that other breeds are more dangerous… it’s just pits got the bad rap because of Michael Vics…animal cruelty is out of control and what does that say about humans?

October 1st, 2016 at 3:59 pm

Skeez,
I’m voting for Pedro ;)
:))

October 1st, 2016 at 4:00 pm

Hey SKeezer,

Looks like I may be the only other Fed fan on here. SO, to all of you who are saying Novak gets bad press… I do think that has changed, but maybe he was getting bad press, b/c at the time he was retiring from games (no need to get into why, we all know that), plus his attitude. Novak got himself together and changed, but maybe everyone didn’t catch up at the same time. Novak is burnt out. he has every right to be. Let’s get real. Would Novak still be talking about not caring if he had not won the elusive RG trophy? US Open was in September. it is the first of October. that is pretty much a full month with no matches. Should be enough time to recharge his batteries, but maybe not. And I find it ridiculous for people to bring up Roger and bash him every chance they get. this article is about Novak. not roger..I find that so bizarre that no matter who the articles are about, some of you feel the need to trash Federer.

October 1st, 2016 at 4:04 pm

Pamela, it was something J-Kath and i were discussing the other day, and about cruelty to dogs in China and what they do to them, anyway i hate cruelty to animals, and i dont believe there is such a thing as bad dogs either only bad owners, its how they are reared ….

October 1st, 2016 at 4:09 pm

Danica,
Lol!
—
Willow,
👍
Pamela,
Re; Fed
agreed😀

October 1st, 2016 at 4:20 pm

WOW Thanks Skeezer :) ….

October 1st, 2016 at 4:23 pm

And on pets, the failed hard left socialism of Chavezistas in Venezuela has led to wealthy and middle class owners putting down pets or abandoning them in the street to slowly die. Because there is a goods and services crisis happening, with food in very short supply or people, let alone pets. Worse than China.

On Novak – I personally think he will be back and fighting Andy, Stan, Delpo and others with full heart, full health, in short order. 99.9% of the pros would love to have had the year Djokovic has had. 2 Slams, 1 RUP, 4 of 7 Masters played so far. With 2 Masters and the YEC to go. Not as good as 2015, but yet another brilliant year. People dwelling on his losses at Wimbledon and Rio miss that.

October 1st, 2016 at 4:26 pm

“And I find it ridiculous for people to bring up Roger…”

Why don’t you check your facts before posting or you just do it for sake of posting and bashing non federer fans? It was Roger fan, the leader of fedfanatcis who brought Roger into discussion as he always does trying to pick up fight and fishing around for argument, he is even bringing him on WTA threads, so you are barking up the wrong tree.

October 1st, 2016 at 5:16 pm

One more thing about pit bulls (that includes American pit bulls) , they are dangerous dogs, the breed is meant to be dangerous since it is product of human greediness and nastiness, it is in their DNA to be dangerous and unpredictable. They should be phased out as a breed, there is more bad than good about them and in them, as much as people try to say otherwise. and don’t confuse them with English Staffordshire Bull Terrier who are great dogs and pets.

October 1st, 2016 at 5:30 pm

Federer must be the best of them all, otherwise, why would people continue to target him and try to shoot him down for evrything that happens in tennis? Djokovic says something personal and all of a sudden it’s Federer’s fault? I can’t really get mad about that. Just tells me Federer is the main guy to go after. Roger is the yardstick.

October 1st, 2016 at 5:34 pm

I am Novak’s fan but I would never spit on Roger or any other player as some of you do. I think every player should be respected.

Van Persie: I am going to Belgrade and I might see Novak. Do you have a message for him? And of course I might visit Skadarlija because of some exhibition.

October 1st, 2016 at 5:41 pm

Emilia,
Can I buy you a drink in Belgrade?

October 1st, 2016 at 5:43 pm

Skeezer

I read the article re. Nole and Fed which you highlighted : Nole is reported as having said:

“and has no doubts if he will ever reach the Federer’s level”.

…strikes me as contradictory?

October 1st, 2016 at 5:58 pm

“And I find it ridiculous for people to bring up Roger…”
That is not what she said…she said this:
“And I find it ridiculous for people to bring up Roger and bash him every chance they get.”
You know who does that, right WB?

October 1st, 2016 at 6:02 pm

No I don’t, try to quote somebody from this thread who was bashing him?

The first one who rushed on Nole’s thread to bring Roger in and bash Nole is…who? and kept doing it again and again, on this thread, WTA threads and so on, you got you Mini-Me here now so keep talking to him, you are fitting pair.

October 1st, 2016 at 6:16 pm

Novak is evidently at a point in his life where his thoughts are on matters beyond Tennis wins – or so articles indicate.

I suggest Andy also will have swirling thoughts about issues related to his remaining tennis life. Tomorrow the PM Teresa May will negate GB’s membership of the EU in terms of English law at the Tory Conference (before they formally advise the EU). However, the Act of Union between England and Scotland states that one nation cannot act in a manner that is not agreed by the other nation!!!!

Depends on the degree of the furor following this, Andy and Jamie may have a conundrum re. next Davis Cup.

October 1st, 2016 at 6:21 pm

C’mon WB 10:45,11:05-09

October 1st, 2016 at 6:27 pm

elina at 11:05, yes, and novak is an introspective / philosophical type. he’s not single-minded like many top athletes are. thus, it makes sense he’d go through a little crisis after winning the FO (holding 4 slams in a row, like no one since laver, and completing a long sought-after goal), and then to top it off, suffering some niggling injuries, and experiencing difficulties off court. all of these things combined, in my view, caused him to pull back and do some soul-searching.

to wit: here’s a beautiful article by chris oddo for other novak fans. mr. oddo “gets” novak like so many (stupid) tennis journos don’t. ;)

well worth a read. enjoy peeps.
hope everyone is well and welcoming october and the searing fall colours:

http://www.tennisnow.com/News/2016/September/Djokovic-in-Soul-Search-Mode.aspx

October 1st, 2016 at 7:37 pm

jane,

Thanks for sharing, really nice read and great aproach from the writer of the article.

October 1st, 2016 at 8:39 pm

But isn’t the media Fed biased? Oh wait….guess not.
Nice article.

October 1st, 2016 at 9:49 pm

Pamela,

It all started on 30 September, 10:58 pm on this thread, so pls, there is no need to play the victim, as Roger fan :)

October 2nd, 2016 at 12:51 am

And Novak changed a lot starting 2011, it is still very hard for many to accept that. The problem perhaps is more: he improved to much? :)

October 2nd, 2016 at 12:55 am

Emilia,

Have a good time in Beograd.
Hugs and kisses from VP to Novak ;)

October 2nd, 2016 at 12:58 am

“I am surprised to hear Novak talk like this, it is not the talk of a Champion of Tennis. Champions yearn for titles and Slams. It is a selfish desire but hopefully you and the ones you love support you on the journey. If you can’t handle it, work on getting your ranking lowered. You’ll be asked less questions.”

Spoken like a true nobody. Tennis is a mentally challenging sport, and Novak’s personality isn’t naturally made for the stress of it all. You can see it by how often he has lapses during a match. He should be proud of what he has achieved, and really, what he does from here is up to him. There is no need to be the greatest player of all time, as it will always be a point of debate anyway.

October 2nd, 2016 at 1:46 am

Van Persie:
If I see Novak at all, I’ll do what you say.

Wog Boy:
Thanks for inviting me for a drink. It all depends when Icome to Beograd.

Reading all comments about Novak, I can only say that we forget he is a father and husband now and he must devote some time to his family. Being a top sportsman is a hell of life sacrificing small pleasures real life consists of. He is not a robot and his body and mind have to be rested for some time. But I am sure he will give us more performances and get more trophies.
Roger and Rafa calmed down too. It is so natural. Only Andy is in full swing now. I think the time of the Big 4 is gradually passing. Of course, if this is true, we can only regret the natural course.

October 2nd, 2016 at 3:41 am

Pressure is a real bummer! As Willow said, it goes with the territory…….but WOW, what player on the circuit wouldn’t want to have to deal with this problem. Main thing now is the injury he is having to deal with. Back off awhile and get healed.

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:01 am

VP nailed it. First mention of St. Roger from his protector.

The only player put down anywhere on this thread was Nole which started with the same said protector.

Reusable.

October 2nd, 2016 at 11:06 am

I actually think Novak enjoyed spitting back at the Fed media propaganda and weak era puppet Roddick. Novak isn’t selfish enough so he sometimes forgets that life isn’t all about sharing happiness & constantly talking about fixing what’s wrong around you. Sometimes, it’s good to do nothing, then you can see that you can be calm & important to the Federer fanatics for the rest of their lives.

Oh, don’t hurt darling angel Fed. Fed, the one that bragged about being dominant in 2011-2012, due to his bitter jealousy at being ignored by the Novak-loving media.
Fed, the supposedly honest and sweet hero to his “rivals” from 2003-2006.
Since there was nothing humble to hear from Fed, he blurted that Roddick losing to him was the same as Fed losing to Nadal. Lmao

Oh, yeah, Fed had so many mental meltdowns over “Novak’s misbehavior”. If Novak was Roddick, the Swiss manbag carrier never would’ve mentioned Novak or his “game improvements”. I can’t imagine a better “friend” to Roddick than Fed.

October 2nd, 2016 at 11:52 am

Gosh, oh gosh – Andy, please don’t become no. 1 – not even for 5 minutes.

October 2nd, 2016 at 3:03 pm

“It all started on 30 September, 10:58 pm on this thread”
Not, it started here;
“Novak Djokovic: Winning Grand Slam Titles And The No. 1 Ranking Are No Longer My Priority
by Tom Gainey | September 30th, 2016, 4:49 pm”
@elina,
Whom it protecting whom on this thread?
Ketlle meet black.

October 2nd, 2016 at 3:36 pm

Why don’t you ask the person you quoted lol.

You put down Nole. First put down on this thread. Own it already.

October 2nd, 2016 at 4:23 pm

@elina,
Whom it protecting whom on this thread?
Ketlle meet black.

October 2nd, 2016 at 4:56 pm

“You put down Nole”
Your POV. It was an observation, not a put down.. You don’t like it? Don’t read it.
I could say the same ….You put down Fed every chance his name gets mentioned. But I digress, this topic is Tom Gaineys’, with Novaks words. I believe his honesty.

October 2nd, 2016 at 5:04 pm

The girls went yesterday to do shoping and they visited Uniqlo amongst other shop. They saw Spring Summer 2016 broshure and Nole on the front page, very smartly dressed in off white tops and beige pants. There is really nice interview with him in the broshure, this part strikes me and says all about Nole:

“One of my greatest moments ever, right there with the birth of my son and winning Wimbledon, was when I lost at Roland Garros in 2015. I had given everything and I lost. I have never felt so connected to the game, and to my opponent.”

Then he added:

“There are things that are better than winning.”

Nole fans, if you have Uniqlo shop in your town go and grab one broshure, apart of Nole looking really smart his interview is great reading and shows true Nole even me disagreeing with him and being vegetarian as he stressed in that interview, but who is me to disagree if he is happy that way?

October 2nd, 2016 at 5:56 pm

Tom didn’t put down Nole or any other player nor did anyone else before you put him down.

Jealous much?

October 2nd, 2016 at 6:04 pm

And I repeat, I wasn’t the one who called you out on it.

As far as complaining about my posts, take your own advise and don’t read it.

October 2nd, 2016 at 6:06 pm

elina,

I wouldn’t waste my time with provocateur, I would just ignore him, I don’t know Miks poster (or maybe I missed his posts before), but he called him rightfully on one on his put down posts and called him right name ” true nobody”, because that’s what he became with his posts, true nobody.
Maybe TX is part of his prescribed therapy, so let him do it for medical benefits and purposes and his own wellbeing, we have to be compassionate, no?

October 2nd, 2016 at 6:09 pm

Good point WB. Cheers.

October 2nd, 2016 at 6:12 pm

It is true that old skeezer has been rather bitter lately. His contributions to discussions on this forum used to be decent up until six months ago or so.
These days, almost every time he posts here he spews bile! Many times his posts don’t make sense at all…
It appears he is taking Federer’s decline/semi-retirement/silent-ban super hard. I’ve genuinely suggested him to take a hiatus from posting until his state of mind returns to normalcy, but looks like he ignored my (friendly) advice. He keeps following tennis without Fed and it’s killing him – other players keep winning, giving interviews, being in the spotlight and he is so sad Federer is not around.
Just wait for skeezer’s posts when ATP Final tournament in London comes around next month and Federer is not among Top 8 competing for the title – expect lots of bile, envy, nonsense and irrationality from poor skeezer. On top of everything, Federer fanatics’ website “rf.com” has been shut down – the one ‘safe’ place where skeezer and his friends could congregate and share their fanaticism! Now some of them will start coming to reasonably normal sites such as this one…
I am starting to get worried for skeezer’s cats… are they being mistreated and underfed as we speak… I hope not ;-)

October 2nd, 2016 at 8:21 pm

Arriving late to the party here but Novak deserves a break after all the tennis he’s played the last few years. And considering how hard to worked to win the French, it makes sense that he wants some time to decompress. A break will probably help him. He’ll come back strong.

October 2nd, 2016 at 10:27 pm

Love the attention “Church”, keep the jealousy comin. Just remember, its Novaks words, not mine. The worlds #1 speaks;
““It doesn’t mean I no longer want to contribute to the sport but I also don’t want to keep on playing just for the sake of winning titles.””
Ain’t it a B!

October 2nd, 2016 at 11:25 pm

I Didnt attack Novak personally, i made an obsevation which i stand by, which was at 1.28 pm October 1st, it wasnt about comparing Novak with Roger or Rafa as such, but merely saying how they have all reacted to the pressure of being world number 1, Roger relished it, Rafa enjoyed the chase of getting there, Novak seems to be finding it a chore now ….

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:03 am

@Willow^^^ I think you make an excellent point……

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:21 am

^^ do not agree with the above. From 2011-2014 Novak proved, ghat he enjoyed more to be the hunter, then the hunted one. He was very good with that. He was a very dominant Nr 1 from 2014 until now. He does not say, he did not enjoy being Nr. 1. He tells only that he felt a lot of pressure after winning the FO.
Rafa was never Nr. 1 for an entire calendaristic year, that tells perhaps something about him feeling also the pressure.

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:53 am

Novak reminds me of Serena’s approach. Serena did also complain sometimes about feeling pressure, but it does not mean, she did not like being Nr. 1.

October 3rd, 2016 at 3:16 am

hehe, just found this article, by googeling “Rafael Nadal about being Nr. 1”:

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2014-12-28/17890.php

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:50 am

^^^ And what’s so funny?

October 3rd, 2016 at 5:26 am

I hope the casual fan is not misinformed by Djokovic’s comments and writers and fans comments into thinking he doesn’t like being #1, would rather be #2,3,7…..and winning is not that important to Novak anymore.
Janko Tipsarevic said in 2014 that he knows Novak very well, and that Novak likes being #1, and plans on being #1 a very long time. That his pal is not a person that gets swell-headed about it or treats others based on how high they are ranked. He just really likes being the world’s best at something and meeting other highly successful people because of it and learning how to become even better as an athlete and person.

It’s been almost 3 years since Tipsarevic said that. Things could have changed, but I doubt it. He was speaking about his friends basic nature.

As time goes by, as Djokovic is pretty honest and straightforward, more clarification will come on what troubled him the last 3 months.

And we will all see if he plays with commitment. Shanghai, Paris, London await.

October 3rd, 2016 at 6:05 am

Reading from the article from VP’s link,it sounds to me that Nole and Rafa have a similar thinking regarding the nr.1..Rafa’s tone changed completely about this topic after he got seriously injured in 2014..maybe knowing how less his body be able to give to achieve the nr 1..as for Nole..for 5 incredible years,he’s so dominant..been blessed with his amazing and incredible free-injury physical[Thanks to his superb daily routine and of course his amazing team]..and now,i think this is the 1st time he got seriously injured..and when injury start to visit you,it’s normal to hear a statement like this..although i’m very surprised to hear that from Nole’s mouth because he’s not the kind of person who likes to reveal about his injury or his other personal matter and i respect him very much because of that..Even though plaguing with his injury body,i think he’s very much capable of tying rafa’s 14th..maybe surpass it in the future..

October 3rd, 2016 at 8:20 am

Giles,

The similariy of the situation amused me, as AM pointed out.

AM,

Well, I hope Nole will be better at slams winning then Rafa was since 2015 started, but we’ll see :D

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:07 am

VP..The big 4 are a very special species..Even when they were haunted by injuries or other things,they’re still can come out on top and win a titles as they already proved it over the years..The difference between Nole and Rafa is that..Nole is still strong in his mind and still not tarnish by ‘injury’ there..also his incredible legs still can produce a powerful speed to chase the ball around the court..To me this is Nole’s greatest assets..The opponent usually crumbled helplessly in the end because of this quality..So,yeah..i will say..Nole do have a better chance at slams compared to Rafa..

For my dear fellow Rafa fan whom i like,love and respect very very much,Okie,Willow and Giles..A THOUSAND SORRY’S for saying that okay?

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:50 am

Van persie i never claimed that Novak didnt enjoy the hunt, didnt enjoy being number 1, and that Rafa didnt feel the pressure of being number 1, what i said was that i now feel he sees it as a bit of a chore, so please dont put words into my mouth, as i dont appreciate it ….

October 3rd, 2016 at 12:24 pm

Andy Mira no apology deemed necassary, ive always said that if Novak surpasses Rafa and wins however many more GS he does then it will be richly deserved, ive never thought of records being any one players personal property or something they have a god given right to anyway, its something that people sometimes get too fixated on IMO, i just would rather sit back, enjoy, and let it all unfold ….

October 3rd, 2016 at 12:30 pm

Willow, with all my consideration, what was your point exactly?

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:01 pm

Err what i just said ! ….

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:03 pm

Please elaborate

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:09 pm

(SIGH) SCRATCHES HEAD :) ….

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:20 pm

Come on , Willow, was just teasing you. Of course, Novak is not like Fed or Rafa. They are different from eachother :)

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:30 pm

No problem ….

October 3rd, 2016 at 2:41 pm

@AM @9:50 Great comment and I agree!

I believe they all feel the pressure while being number one at some point…….maybe with the exception of Roger. However the pressure showed up for him when he had to face Rafa…..

October 3rd, 2016 at 4:34 pm

Willow: That dandruff is hell! Grin, grin (need Okie to put in the emoticon).

October 3rd, 2016 at 6:08 pm

All great players have mid-to-late career crises.

Sampras struggled for two years quietly and stoically before winning his last slam only to walk away as a slam champion. Classy to the end.

Some players like Nole and Rafa just announce with openness and transparency when their career priorities change while other former No. 1 just cry about how it’s killing them.

October 3rd, 2016 at 6:11 pm

What does crying have to do with anything? Both Rafa and Your Idol have cried after important losses.
Fed has never had a “mental” breakdown in mid career like saying that #1, titles and Slams are taking a back seat.
And All players? That is a mighty big accusation to defend.
“I try to knock down Fed cause I’m jealous” routine continues.

October 3rd, 2016 at 8:48 pm

Elina

Suggest you are verging on sinking sands.

October 3rd, 2016 at 8:52 pm

No worries j-lath. Just adding to okie’s comment. 😊

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:01 pm

J-kath.

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:01 pm

St Roger midlife crisis prematurely started in 2008 and still going on, and he was only 27 years old. He hasn’t had to battle two best players in the history of tennis to become the best player, no reason for burnout, but yet he stalled at the age of 27.
The moment he bumped into matured Rafa, Andy and Nole GS titles dried out.

October 3rd, 2016 at 9:44 pm

“Roger midlife crisis prematurely started in 2008 and still going on”
The “Church” is at it again.
Hey, misinformed, read here:
Feds Wiki…
“Federer’s success in 2008 was severely hampered by a lingering bout of mononucleosis”
Despite that, he:
Dominated Murray in the USO final 2008, and also won Olympic gold. Oh gee, he did wind up #2 in the world that year. A MAJOR Slump.
Oh btw, shortly after, he won the only Slam that eluded him in his career, the French in 2009. Won his 6TH Wimbledon, and Broke the all time Slam record in the process.

Jealous much?

October 3rd, 2016 at 10:29 pm

Murray has the right attitude, will he execute?:
http://www.sportsrageous.com/tennis/tennis-news-novak-djokovic-giving-chance-surpass-nadal-sampras-break-federer-grand-slam-record/49327/

October 3rd, 2016 at 10:33 pm

Mono lol from the one who preaches you play you’re fit.

Pot and kettle from St. Rogers protector.

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:00 pm

Since 2007, Fed was very mediocre especially with the serve, overhead, volley & backhand because he believed his family, the nasty Mirka and the espn type propaganda and terrorist lies.
The weak era players were so abundant in 2006-2009 that Fed still won 2007 & 2009 Slams, and got help from espn/Roddick/US Open hate & sabotage against Novak. Novak was consistently good even at age 20.
He definitely was pissed that he gave fed fuel to be arrogant in 2011 FO/uso & 2012 Wimbledon. Losing to Fed is like losing a child. It’s a slap to humanity’s face.

The Fed propaganda worked very well against Roddick and Hewitt. Hewitt was exposed as a lucky fluke Wimbledon “winner”.
Roddick obviously should’ve been kicked out of tennis for cheating & abusing the GOAT Novak, but Roddick was the only one willing to be Fed’s paid ho. I guess tennis was so bad that pathological liar criminals with no brain cells to rub together, were the norm. Since Novak saved tennis from dying like pedo MJ, I could somewhat tolerate the ESPN sycophants. It was nightmare in 2003-2007.

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:03 pm

“Mono lol from the one who preaches you play you’re fit.”
You want to find that so called “preach” from me? Good luck with that lol.
What I did say is, if you enter a tournament you don’t enter expecting to lose. Why play? Otherwise, don’t play.
Fed, despite the FACTS he had mono, played. He played, he won a Slam that year, among other accomplishments.

Next jealous attempt please…..

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:11 pm

The jealousy and revisionism is all yours.

Nothing new.

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:17 pm

Even Roger admitted he didn’t play the wtf final not because he couldn’t play but because he couldn’t win.

Looks like St. Roger isn’t peRFect as defined by his very own protector.

Oh my!

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:20 pm

Fed stated that he expected to lose early this year, just like the years before.
Poor dude changes his mind again, He must have 16 injuries and sars.
The weak era player Roddick lost 50 Slams due to Mono too.

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:24 pm

I’ll repeat to brainwashed fanatics, Nole had to battle two best players in the history of tennis all of his career in order to reach #1 and then stay there, and he succeeded in magnificent way. St Roger has to battle who to reach #1 and stay there (2003-2007)? The moment he encountered stiff opposition he was done, and that at the age of 27, in his prime, mono or no mono, if it wasn’t for Andy’s operation he would have negative h2h against all members of big four.
So what do we have now, mono, bad back, bad knee…what’s next..sex change and competing at WTA from January onwards?;)

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:25 pm

LMAO preach it WB.

October 3rd, 2016 at 11:31 pm

“So what do we have now, mono, bad back, bad knee…”
Nope. What we got now is wrist, shoulder, blister toe,and an elbow excuses combined with a bad attitude about being a Champion, eg; “I don’t want to play just to keep winning titles”.

October 4th, 2016 at 12:04 am

“So what do we have now, mono, bad back, bad knee…what’s next..sex change and competing at WTA from January onwards?;)”

I forgot to add silent ban, how conviniently he first informed us he won’t be playing Toronto (only Toronto) and then after week or two told us that he needs excatly six months to sort out his injuries (plural), mind you Olyimpics had rigorous drug testing and then officials came out with the statment that they will no longer keep secret who has silent bans, but doesn’t apply retroactively;)

Just food for thought..

October 4th, 2016 at 1:06 am

WB,

We should not forget, that Roger felt like a Nr.1, even when he was not anymore. The chair thing at the WTF :D

October 4th, 2016 at 4:00 am

LOL And to think the Federer and Djokovic fan bases used to have such a cordial relationship, hmm not anymore ! ….

October 4th, 2016 at 4:45 am

That article (above) posted by Skeezer suggests Nole has personal issues with Becker????!!! If that is true, perjaps it should have been described as professional issues….

October 4th, 2016 at 5:21 am

“…perhaps”

October 4th, 2016 at 5:21 am

Willow,

For 4:45 am. You know, there is this old saying in French: “Qui s’aime, se taquine” ;D

October 4th, 2016 at 8:21 am

I Dont know French though Van Persie, translate ? ….

October 4th, 2016 at 8:38 am

Google Translate is available ;)

October 4th, 2016 at 8:48 am

“He who likes himself (or says he likes himself) is teasing” (is provocatove)….???

?????????????????????????

October 4th, 2016 at 9:34 am

spelling – provocative ..

October 4th, 2016 at 9:35 am

“I’m rubber, you’re glue ” :)

October 4th, 2016 at 10:26 am

VP

I’m rubber, you’re glue ” :)

Never heard it before…despite exposure to Swiss/French speakers…..seems almost connective.

October 4th, 2016 at 12:47 pm

J-K,

Well, I tried to reinvent French :D

Seriously now, as I have seen now, that Google Translate could not help Willow much. What is the proper equivalent in English for the french saying? Could not find it. Or perhaps, Scottish version?

October 4th, 2016 at 2:32 pm

LOL Thanks J-Kath ;-)) ….

October 5th, 2016 at 4:42 am

VP

j’nai pas trouve (with accent) – possible needs “le” as well.

(Thank goodness I didn’t say I was a super linguist).

Willow: Sounds like your No. 1 is remembering how to play again. Be good if he gets to O2 – looking more likely as Tomas lost his match.

October 5th, 2016 at 5:26 am

VP

It doesn’t exist.

Sorri – that’s supposed to be funny.

….I could not find it.

Whew!.

October 5th, 2016 at 5:31 am

Merci pour l’info, J-K.

No worries, I hated the French accents as a student, even if I liked the language :)

October 5th, 2016 at 9:52 am