Boris Becker To Novak Djokovic: Choose Me And Vajda OR Your Guru Pepe Imaz

Go with the guru

December 2nd, 2016 at 12:00 pm

He will Go with the guru

December 2nd, 2016 at 12:01 pm

Ah poor Peepee! Anyway what has old Boris got against him? All he does is sit in joker’s box with that serene look on his face.

December 2nd, 2016 at 12:03 pm

I know he’ll keep Vajda for sure. Looks like BB’ s days with joker are numbered!

December 2nd, 2016 at 12:06 pm

I don’t know and I don’t care who djokovic decides he is just a pain in the backside

December 2nd, 2016 at 12:22 pm

When I needed a laugh, I always looked to my Guru Pepé Le Pew.

December 2nd, 2016 at 1:11 pm

good link for novak fans:

http://www.eurosport.com/tennis/french-open/2016/10-amazing-stats-that-prove-novak-djokovic-can-be-the-greatest-tennis-player-of-all-time_sto5636658/story.shtml#com-tw-sh

December 2nd, 2016 at 4:02 pm

also, goat-o-metre, if – beyond whirligig goat debate, you just like stats, facts, numbers all laid out, spreadsheet style

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/tiBxH5i8d26G_gqEg9bqFyQ/edit?pli=1#gid=0

cheers all

oh, and… novak will make the right choice.

December 2nd, 2016 at 4:04 pm

Djokovic needs a change, Becker has been great for him but now Djokovic has serious competition from Murray and Wawrinka he needs some new tactics and plans to try and overcome the challenge and regain the No.1 position.

December 2nd, 2016 at 4:33 pm

Sykes – Djokovic has put in a lot of time and money into assembling a winning support team. He has two, three, perhaps even 4 years left of great tennis in him and then maybe some magnificent losses after glory runs in his mid-30s a la Agassi, Connors, and Fed.

After that – he will have well over half his life to devote to any and all pursuits he wishes to engage in – writing books, promoting veganism, being a Dad who is around 7 days a week, upgrading past his 2 bedroom flat in Monaco, trying to build businesses and get a movie made, etc.

So the decision is with 3-4 years left to dump the coaches, physios, etc. that have brought him the greatest success for the uncertainty of losing a year or so to adjust to new coaches and staff that may or may not work out for him..

If I was his Uncle Goran, I’d be saying knock the crap off. Walkabout time is over, no great harm done – except Olympic gold or silver possibilities lost forever in that dumb funk. Keeping Becker and Marian and his great rest of staff, with a focus on how to beat Andy and Wawrinka, is a no-brainer.

December 2nd, 2016 at 6:53 pm

Why would Nole get rid of coaches who coached him to success and how to beat consistently, painfully consistently when it comes to their fans, Rafa and Roger, two best players in the history of tennis, much better players than Stan and Andy, whom Nole beats on regular basis anyway, occasionally losing to them, just check h2h, it is not even close!

Nole’s problem is not Boris or Vajda, but he himself, he has to make up his mind what he wants to do and to cut the crap and play tennis that he is capable of playing, then Andy and Stan won’t be a problem as they never were. His problems were Roger and Rafa, and he solved them with flying colors.

December 2nd, 2016 at 7:11 pm

Django,

Is that your preference or just opinion who Nole will go with?
Just curious.

December 2nd, 2016 at 7:14 pm

Jane, thanks for the GOATometer2 points system. It corrects that great flaw that the only thing a tennis career should be assessed on is Slams won, and only singles trophies. Silver medals, Finals made, semis in Masters and Slams and the Championships, and so on.
With plenty of room left if points are close to argue why Weak Era Competition impacted Fed;s (padded, IMO.) stats. Why Rafa’s 4 Davis Cup trophies mean something. Laver’s 7 year ban from Majors in his prime..All the side factors not able to be crunched to a Greatness spread sheet. Borg leaving the sport at 26. Djokovics 18 consecutive final appearances in Grand Slam, World Tour Finals and Masters 1000 tournaments (2014-2016)In which he faced Top 10 players 31 times. Sampras’ utter dominance at some Wimbledons and USOs.

December 2nd, 2016 at 7:20 pm

Wog Boy – Not so fast. Andy is a deserved member of the Big 4 because he beat everyone but them and those three now and then – over the last 10 years. Now he has had his breakthrough and is the deserved #1 and Novak will have a battle to get #1 back from a confident Andy (who has always been as talented and as athletic as Djokovic & Nadal – just lacking their mental strength.)

Yes, what Novak did in 2011 was one of those phenomenal sports events – he took charge and destroyed the Co-GOATs. Roger still in his prime and Nadal just as good a player as in his best year ever (2010). He upended the entire tennis world, terminated Fedal as the focus, and infected Fed fans brains (many at least) with leprosy. That was bigger than beating Andy and winning back #1 ever will be.

But that was then, this is now. Roger and Rafa likely will not be in the picture, shooting for wins in selected events only – and the new fight is with a Murray now his equal in many ways.

December 2nd, 2016 at 7:39 pm

CF1,

I am not saying that Andy is not deserving #1, absolutely not, he beat who ever was in front of him and became #1, that all what one can do, but the fact is also that he couldn’t do it when other three were at the top of their games, only when Rafa and Roger were all but gone and Nole..well, entered different phase of his life. Andy was never even close to #1 before those things happened, so yes, he is the member of the big four, but I would rather put it as “3+1”, results wise. These are the facts, as much as Andy fans don’t like to hear them.

I also disagree that Nole has to reclaim #1, he doesn’t really have to prove anything anymore, if he feels like going for it, ok, if not just enjoy the life, it is time to look for new favorites, I am not bandwagoner nor I have much respect for them. When my favorite is at his sunset I look for the new one, young one, not jumping the ship just to stay in the winning circle, like those frustrated RR fans are doing.
Merry Christmas to believers and Happy Holidays to non believers, it was a long year.

Cheers to all⛄️🐈🐶

December 2nd, 2016 at 8:20 pm

I think a letdown was normal after the FO and four consecutive majors, and that’s not even taking into account what may have been going on with his brother. I’m curious to see how he does at the AO.

December 2nd, 2016 at 9:47 pm

What kool aid are u guys sipping. Djokovic is no Federer. He is just another retriever like many before and after him. Retrievers have a sudden fall in their levels brought about by an injury or illness; and some of them manage to play beyond 30 but are rarely ranked in top 10. His fall will be as precipitous as Nadal’s and perhaps worse because Nadal at least has a unique forehand. Djokovic will not play beyond 31 and at best reach the final of one more slam from hereon until retirement. I predicted his fall after his Wimbledon loss this year and was shouted at by all the acrimonious Novak fans infesting the blogosphere. So here is the bitter fact “Djokovic is DONE.” And, so are Nadal, and Federer who is nearly 36 now. Murray will rule for another 9 to 12 months at most and then he too will succumb to the daily grind of a retriever. And Murray is a real shame because he does have the talent to be more than a retriever …. but we all make our choices ……!

December 2nd, 2016 at 9:50 pm

Of all the ways the Egg Lover could have screwed up his career, he decided to do it with a new age guru…not the Indian actress, not the injury, not the rise of new competition but guru.

wow..amazing

December 2nd, 2016 at 9:53 pm

All you couch potatoes who probably have never held a racket ever should get one ting straight that in 2011 Fed was already 30 and his best days were behind him. If there is anyone who destroyed Feds then it was Nadal never Djokovic. Heck Djokovic was losing to him even until 2015 when Fed was 34-35! Mark my words that at 34 Djokovic will be considering the senior tour. The match up of single handed backhand v/s high topspin between Nadal and Federer favored Nadal and he truly contained Federer during his heydays. A tennis player’s best days are between 21 and 29, and after that it’s either a slow fall, for the super talented ones, or a precipitous ones for retrievers like Nadal, Djokovic and soon to happen Murray.

December 2nd, 2016 at 10:00 pm

Eh, cause and effect aren’t clear. Did he hob knob with Pepe and then the letdown occurred, or did the letdown occur and then he hob knobbed with Pepe?

December 2nd, 2016 at 10:11 pm

Wog – People can say “Merry Christmas ” in America again! Whoooo! Next up, the PC forces may be beat up enough we can bring back true Christmas carols in school and other public places vs. “Grandma got done run over by a reindeer”.

Djokovic thrives on great rivalries, wants them. It would be great if Murray-Djokovic becomes another one, if Rafa and Fed can no longer answer the bell.

Roger saying something stupid yesterday. Or he was impishly
giving writers and fans a ridiculous quote to chew on and then argue fruitlessly with non-Fed fans about.
Roger Federer says he ‘would have won same number of slams even if Nadal, Djokovic were not around’……/<b

Wog – I agree that Andy is not at the other 3's level. But good enough to make his inclusion with them, as part of the Big 4, an obvious thing. Look at Jane's GOAT-o-Meter(2). Andy has stats that put him up to the 14th best player in the Open Era – already.

December 2nd, 2016 at 11:00 pm

Djokovic has certainly seemed more comfortable in himself lately, but his guru has done nothing for his winning stats. Wasn’t he on record as saying he knew from the first ball of the Tour Finals final with Murray that he couldn’t win? What kind of mentality is that?

It’s almost certainly not the kind of headspace he was in when he saved two match points against Federer in the US Open final.

Maybe Djokovic is having some kind of internal struggle that the guru has helped him with and that’s more important to him than his tennis, and if that’s the case we can’t really judge. But if the guru is a tennis decision, it seems like a bad one.

December 3rd, 2016 at 1:54 am

Djokovic will do what it takes to retain Becker and Vajda as his coaches. Becker would be wise to tell Djokovic to lose his “zen” approach to competitive sport. You need an incredibility competitive killer instinct to win in tennis. Imaz does not belong. Expect Djokovic to keep this coaching staff intact. In other words, Becker and Vajda stay, Pepe goes.

December 3rd, 2016 at 2:06 am

I think people tend to forget Murray was on the way to number one, in 2013. If he had not had to have a back operation he may have done it back then. Yes its speculation,however, this is the reason Djokovic has such an amazing win ratio (they were pretty close 8-10 before the op). One could argue Djokovic was lucky Andy had to have the op when he did. Not taking anything away from Novak, but all that rubbish about Fed and his supposed weak era, just annoys me. You play who is in front of you. It was not Feds fault he was so much better than everyone else. Same with Andy, and Novak.

December 3rd, 2016 at 2:46 am

Bob well said, all rather patronizing, if people say Federer played in a weak era (YAWN), you could also claim the same thing about Novak now, or blame Rafas knees, Murrays back surgery etc, when it comes to lack of competition, it seems to be whatever suits a fans personal bias i suppose ….

December 3rd, 2016 at 5:12 am

@CF1
I’m an atheist. Why would I wish anyone “Merry CHRISTmas?”
And before you say anything, the actual date of Christ’s birth is unknown. There has always been a mid-Winter festival, when our ancestors huddled in the cold and watched the sun disappear further and further behind the horizon. They must’ve thought the end of the world was coming. And then the relief when it started to become higher again. Let’s party alrighty! The early Christians cleverly nicked this old festival and claimed it, quite erroneously, as their saviour’s birthday.
In the UK “Christmas” is largely the invention of dear old Prince Albert and the Victorians. And, of course, Christmas in the USA is a capitalist invention.
So, hands off my mid-Winter festival!
But raising a seasonal glass of mulled wine to your defence of Andy!
@Bob
Well said sir! Selective memory loss operating big time on here.

December 3rd, 2016 at 7:04 am

Bob i think the number 1 ranking was between Rafa and Novak in 2013, rather than between Andy and Novak ….

December 3rd, 2016 at 7:05 am

Margot im Pagan, and what we celebrate is called Yule between the 22nd and 24th winter solstice, so the term i use is Seasons Greetings or Yuletide Greetings ….

December 3rd, 2016 at 7:10 am

John Bullock…”Maybe Djokovic is having some kind of internal struggle that the guru has helped him with”…

Yeah,agree…Nobody knows what is happen with Nole and there’s must be some strong reason why Pepe is there..Maybe he give Nole an assurance or some internal comfort that Nole need it atm..Who knows..Not everything can be cured with modern solutions..Nole must be already considered all pros and cons before he brought Pepe to the spotlight especially when he did it in the most crucial moment of his career..It’s very easy to heal the physical injury because we can see them with our own eyes and made a decision what kind of treatment are the best but to deal with emotional or spiritual injury or problem,it needs an attention from the special people who’s got that ability..and if Nole thinks that pepe is the right person to do that[at least he’s got to try first],i think it’s not fair for BB to gave an ultimatum to Nole[if the rumours are true that is]..

December 3rd, 2016 at 7:29 am

Poor Wog Boy. He wished everyone a lovely greeting, and CF hijacked it to go on his cut-and-paste rant.

December 3rd, 2016 at 10:32 am

AndyMira – It is quite fair for Boris to tell Novak he has to go with one head coach only – and he has to decide who that will be.

Margot – The problem was not forcing atheists, Wicca worshippers, Muslims and Jews to say Merry Christmas…It is forcing Christians to remove their culture, their holidays, their well wishes – from the public square. In a way the fawning tools of Labour in say, Londonistan would never force Muslims to do.

December 3rd, 2016 at 10:32 am

BBB – It doesn’t take a high IQ to differentiate between an individual and original rant – and a cut ‘n paste effort.
I’m afraid you failed that test.

Only thing not mine was a one sentence Fed quote, which began the bold section.

December 3rd, 2016 at 10:35 am

@CF1
Who on earth is “forcing” Christians to do anything in your glorious US of A? From where I’m looking it’s Christians who are “forcing” their beliefs on everyone else.
And “Londonistan,” oh me oh my! When did you last visit? It’s the most exciting, vibrant multi-racial city and the Christmas angels and stars look mighty fine in Regent Street and Oxford Circus at the moment. And the beautiful tree, the annual gift from the Norwegian people, looks great in Trafalgar Square too. And I’m proud we elected Sadiq Khan as our first Moslem mayor of this great city.
Shame Trump the chump wouldn’t want to meet him, he might learn a thing or two about tolerance.

December 3rd, 2016 at 11:00 am

CF you’ve got me! A very low IQ. Good one! I guess the Establishment Clause of the Constitution is a bit of a nuisance in your world. Those of us who fumble in stupidity, on the other hand, think it’s a clever idea.

Here’s a challenge that even someone with a low IQ might be able to handle- see if you can go a day without twisting someone else’s post into an opportunity to deliver a tiresome philippic against the imaginary “PC police.”

December 3rd, 2016 at 11:09 am

Margot @ 11:00 am. Great post!

CF1: Never thought you were an intolerant “christian” guy which you quite clearly are. Intolerance and hate….scary, scary…

Now USA’s economy is booming…freeways are packed, companies are hiring in droves……
I shudder to think what’s going to happen next if intolerance, hate and ignorance are allowed free rein…. Hope the constitution’s checks and balances work…
If the economy takes a dive, then once again as in 2008, we will need somebody, who understands that USA’s greatness stems from multicultural diversity and freedom of thought and tolerance, to clean the augean stables created by the bigots.

December 3rd, 2016 at 11:52 am

Well, hewitt and Roddick won no Slam, with or without fed, Novak and Nadal.
Fed is similar to murray. They’re supposed to be balletic and ball carving clever superheroes.
The media blowhards and desperate fan puppets are easily brainwashed, ironically.

If novak demands no argument to his easy self pitying satisfied thought process, he chooses the brainwasher guru and best pal to his “lost, unfortunate, sickeningly depressed brother” Marko.

December 3rd, 2016 at 12:02 pm

Novak’s off in outer space with his tin foil hat on.
I wonder if he’s thinking about being old & satisfied with the ridiculous salary pouring in. He talks about being weak and defenseless like Federer.

Lmao.
The argument that novak plays in a weak era must be embarrassing, even for the so-called top murray cheerleader. Yes, it’s true. Without anyone else caring about #1, Murray hobbles to the finish line after facing kei & Raonic.

Novak was too busy paying back to Marko with support for the GURU extraordinaire then doing his endless, happy-smiley work off court.
Marko deserves no pity. He wasn’t forced to play tennis with his laughable game.

Novak didn’t play the mickey mouse tournaments as Murray did.
Not to match Murray’s extreme hard work and many matches.
Lol at the forgetful, bitter Fedal fans. Quality isn’t the same as quantity.

December 3rd, 2016 at 12:25 pm

Truth

From the depths of my underground cellar I emerge to remind you that Nole and Andy played the same amount of tournaments in 2016. I think you will also be able to see they both played equal amounts of 500-matches and 1000-matches. In addition they both played Olympics and Davis Cup for which there are no points. Shades of unfairness again for Andy.

Please don’t be so untruthful again or I may re-emerge – Beavers are now protected so you won’t be able to remove me and “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will not hurt me”.

December 3rd, 2016 at 12:54 pm

Though I was rooting for Djokovic in the finals, I did think that the fact Murray beat him would have put to bed a debate about who’s really #1. But it’s evident we can debate anything if we’re determined to see things through the lens most favorable to whomever we like, or the lens most disfavorable to whomever we don’t like.

December 3rd, 2016 at 1:08 pm

BBB: But think what would’ve happened if Andy HADN’T beaten Nole. Why we’d never have heard the last of it. would we?
As it is……;)
Cheers lakie

December 3rd, 2016 at 1:36 pm

Agree completely, Margot. Not for the first time today :)

December 3rd, 2016 at 1:51 pm

Djokovic’s run from 2011 to 2012 Australia aside, Djokovic only learned to consistently beat Nadal since that time in best of three (11-3 including last 10 in a row) and Federer (5-1 including last four in a row) in best of five slams. Dominating stuff for sure!

Nadal still dominated since in best of five (4-1) and Djokovic just 8-7 against Federer in best of three.

December 3rd, 2016 at 2:24 pm

I say Novak, GO WITH THE GURU! YOU need a fresh perspective-Boris thinks he is irreplaceable

December 4th, 2016 at 12:19 pm

I say Novak, be a nicer person off camera. I think the universal rule of Karma is biting him in the butt a bit. He is nice and a joker on-cam, but is a jerk in the locker room when there is no cam.

December 21st, 2016 at 1:57 am