Novak Djokovic...

the_monkey

This guy is hilarious, at last Tennis has another character

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31f6Ar6DSM0

This guy should go into acting after his Tennis career - he could be like Vinnie Jones - he can do impersonations really well - sign of a great actor.

jcf

Novak Djokovic continues his amazing start to 2011 with a 4-6 6-3 7-6(4) win
over Rafa Nadal in the Miami Masters final.


Nadal may be number one in the world , but these are just stats, no doubt the best player in the world right now is Nole

LuckyGent88

He has now won 26 consecutive single matches on tour :eek: winning in Australia,Dubai,Indian Wells and now Miami.
Thats some serious Tennis he is playing right now.

32_4_1

as much as i like djokovic, its all well and good beating nadal over the best of 3 sets, a completely different story beating him over the best of 5. he's a grinder, and when push comes to shove in a major my money would still be on nadal if the two meet.

although djokovic has been stunning lately

the_monkey

Yeah will be interesting to see how they do in a 5 set match.
Also clay starts now and this is Rafa's territory..

Johnmb

the_monkey wrote: »

Yeah will be interesting to see how they do in a 5 set match.
Also clay starts now and this is Rafa's territory..

Yeah, but the thing is that Djokovic doesn't have to beat Nadal on clay to become the new number one, he just has to do better than he did last year. Nadal won everything last year, so he can't gain any points. He can drop points, or if he wins everything again this year, he can keep what he's got. Djokovic on the other hand (and Federer) can pick up extra points to close in on Nadal, and maybe even overtake him, without actually winning any tournaments, a load of runner-up spots to Nadal would do the business.

the_monkey

Johnmb wrote: »

Yeah, but the thing is that Djokovic doesn't have to beat Nadal on clay to become the new number one, he just has to do better than he did last year. Nadal won everything last year, so he can't gain any points. He can drop points, or if he wins everything again this year, he can keep what he's got. Djokovic on the other hand (and Federer) can pick up extra points to close in on Nadal, and maybe even overtake him, without actually winning any tournaments, a load of runner-up spots to Nadal would do the business.

spot on !

I didn't realise Nadal won EVERYTHING on clay last year.

Johnmb

the_monkey wrote: »

spot on !

I didn't realise Nadal won EVERYTHING on clay last year.

Well, he won everything he entered, and that was everything that matters. He didn't bother with the smaller tournaments, but he won't be bothering with them this year either, so he can't pick up any points from them.

Edit: Actually, I see he has entered Barcelona this year, he didn't enter that last year, so there is a potential extra 500 points for him if he wins that as well this year.

xxxSonsuzaxxx

He's hilarious in this clip - always up for a laugh. Then again Federer and Nadal also took part in this Karaoke in Roland Garros..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAt0O-RkRwk

the_monkey

Well Novak's impressive run continues, but for sure (if he gets past tonights Semi) it will end in the final against Nadal - not a chance against him on clay and in Spain - that audience was pretty aggressive yesterday
with him playing Ferrer - I can only imagine what they'll be like with Nadal.

Pity.

MisterAnarchy

the_monkey wrote: »

Well Novak's impressive run continues, but for sure (if he gets past tonights Semi) it will end in the final against Nadal - not a chance against him on clay and in Spain - that audience was pretty aggressive yesterday
with him playing Ferrer - I can only imagine what they'll be like with Nadal.

Pity.

I'd give Djokovic a decent chance against Nadal .
Federer had Nadal worried in the 2nd half of the first set when he played aggressively .He made Nadal look very ordinary.
Federer couldnt maintain his form and he also changed tactics ,playing alot deeper and less aggressively in the second set when he was back to his usual ways against Nadal,looking all flustered.
This is Djokovics best chance of beating Nadal on clay due to the altitude and the pressure of playing in front of his home audience.

RosyLily

Djokovic extends his winning streak after beating Nadal in Madrid 7-5, 6-4!! Nadal hasn't lost a match on clay since being beaten by Robin Soderling at Roland Garros in 2009.
Really good match, was closer than the scoreline suggests. Djokovic's first serve wasn't up to scratch but he still pulled off the win. He made Nadal look like an average player at times....something very few players can do! It's also his 3rd straight final win over Nadal.

The race for Number 1 is definitely heating up. Nadal after losing points and Djokovic gaining 1000..getting very tight. Italian Open and French Open should be brilliant!:)

Nole on a scorching streak...32 (?) wins. Who can stop him?

Rob2D

I'll have some of whatever he's on please.

MisterAnarchy

RosyLily wrote: »

He made Nadal look like an average player at times....something very few players can do!

Nadal looked very disconsolate at times.
Djokovic's aggression is the way to beat Nadal.

On a side note the time both players take between points is becoming farcical.
I was timing it today and Nadal took an average of 30-45 seconds between a point finishing and him serving.Djokovic wasnt much better.
Thats a farce ,it draws the match out too long and is unsporting and tedious for the viewer.
20 secs is plenty of time.

Rjd2

It's Rafa or Novak for the French. Roger simply makes to many mistakes these days and his backhand is no longer as reliable as it once was. Soderling has been poor all season while Murray apart from Monte Carlo a few weeks ago never does much on clay. Del Potro arguably has the power to beat both, but he keeps picking up niggling injuries. We may have to wait until the Hardcourt season before he is really ready to challenge for top honors.

Ferrer is probably best of the rest but I can't see him beating either unless one of them is injured.

RosyLily

I think there definitely needs to be a time limit between points of about 20-25 seconds. It's getting ridiculous at this stage! All this bouncing around, checking the racquet strings and pulling your pants outta your crack (Nadal I'm lookin at you!) is madness!! Bounce around during changeovers, check your racquet quickly and for God's sake, BUY DECENT UNDERWEAR!!!

/rant.

ekans

me thinks some nadal fans are unhappy...wikipedia states djokovic has died
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novak_Djokovic

Johnmb

RosyLily wrote: »

I think there definitely needs to be a time limit between points of about 20-25 seconds.

There is, 20 secs for the pro men. But the Umpires aren't enforcing it. The ITF needs to step in and do something about it, and the prolonged screams of some of the women. The ATP/WTA won't as they don't want to upset their top stars, but the rules of the game, and their enforcement, are the responsibility of the ITF, so they can/should take action.

RosyLily

Johnmb wrote: »

There is, 20 secs for the pro men. But the Umpires aren't enforcing it. The ITF needs to step in and do something about it, and the prolonged screams of some of the women. The ATP/WTA won't as they don't want to upset their top stars, but the rules of the game, and their enforcement, are the responsibility of the ITF, so they can/should take action.

There is? Shoddy job of enforcing it! I know they don't wanna upset their top players but sometimes enough is enough. I seen a few umpires do enforce it at times, think Nadal got angry at one for interrupting him.
A casual word to all WTA and ATP players about the issues then start with official warnings if it continues.

Right, back on topic....Novak, can he win F.O? PaddyPower have him as second favourite @ 5/2 behind Nadal (with del Potro and Federer third @14/1).

Johnmb

RosyLily wrote: »

Right, back on topic....Novak, can he win F.O? PaddyPower have him as second favourite @ 5/2 behind Nadal (with del Potro and Federer third @14/1).

He's definitely a bigger threat than Federer, but I just wonder will he run out of steam? A winning streak like the one he is on is great, but it can also lead to him feeling much more pressure than would usually be the case. Although that doesn't seem to happen with Nadal (or even Federer back when he could go on decent streaks), so maybe Djokovic will be able to cope as well.

the_monkey

Delighted for Novak , absolute stunning tennis on display yesterday.

to beat Nadal on clay 2-0 is quite something.

the_monkey

37 + counting...

Pighead

Great final so far in Rome. Djokovic 4-3 up with Nadal about to serve. Fancied Nadal to win this one after Djokovic marathon match against Murray but in fairness to him he's looking really up for this. Still gonna go for Nadal in three.

bing3

Set up and break up now. Looks like Noles title. Some streak.

Pighead

Wow! What a match. Sensational play from Djokovic, especially his defence. Returned some ridiculous balls this evening. The king of clay has been dethroned. 6-4 6-4.

Very brisk handshake at the net between the pair at the end.
Think there may be a bit of needle developing between the pair. Great to see! This is one rivalry that 's gonna dominate tennis for the next few years.

Johnmb

Just looking at the points in the rankings from todays update. Djokovic is 405 behind Nadal. He reached the quarters last year in Roland Garros, so he is defending 360 points this year, and Nadal is defending 2000 points. What that all means, if my math is correct, is that if Djokovic reaches the final he'll be the new number 1, even if Nadal wins it again. And if Nadal doesn't win it, Djokovic will be the new number 1, even if he doesn't play it for some reason and Nadal is the runner up!

MisterAnarchy

Johnmb wrote: »

Just looking at the points in the rankings from todays update. Djokovic is 405 behind Nadal. He reached the quarters last year in Roland Garros, so he is defending 360 points this year, and Nadal is defending 2000 points. What that all means, if my math is correct, is that if Djokovic reaches the final he'll be the new number 1, even if Nadal wins it again. And if Nadal doesn't win it, Djokovic will be the new number 1, even if he doesn't play it for some reason and Nadal is the runner up!

Grand Slams are what defines tennis players not being World number 1 .
Nobody remembers who was World No 1 in May 2011,they remember who won the French Open.
Djokovic is playing great tennis and is mentally alot stronger than he was before but his winning streak has come at a time of the year when there is only one Grand Slam ,its the worst time of the year to peak.
Mid May-Mid Sept is the 4 month period to be on top form,not Mid Jan-Mid May.

Will Djokovic be able to maintain his performance levels ,will Nadal up a gear ,will Federer pull something out of the bag ,we are in for an exciting summer of tennis .:)

RosyLily

Cannot wait for the next month or so of tennis!! Very exciting time to be a fan! Hard to know who will eventually defeat Djokovic- maybe an unknown will catch him off-guard. Or maybe Federer or Nadal will put off something special!

so if he wins the French open he will tie the all-time consectutive win streak (39 as of now +7 to win french open=46) and beat the from start of year win streak. Assuming that he's not playing this week somewhere else?

RosyLily

glasso wrote: »

so if he wins the French open he will tie the all-time consectutive win streak (39 as of now +7 to win french open=46) and beat the from start of year win streak. Assuming that he's not playing this week somewhere else?

Sounds about right. Doubt he's playing Düsseldorf or Nice this week. We'll see him again for Roland Garros.

BTW, the draws for the French Open will be made on Friday. Be interesting to see who draws whom.

InTheTrees

I have to say I'm not happy. The spectre of steroids is raising its head big time.

Even Djokovic has had to comment on this sudden surge in his performance by saying he's quit gluten? Gluten? Wheat? Lucky Federer hasnt quit wheat too huh?

Did anyone read andre agassi's book? My gf is a huge tennis fan and her arguments in favour of both Nadal and Djokovic being juiced are pretty convincing.

RosyLily

RosyLily wrote: »

Sounds about right. Doubt he's playing Düsseldorf or Nice this week. We'll see him again for Roland Garros.

BTW, the draws for the French Open will be made on Friday. Be interesting to see who draws whom.

well he should be seeded number 2, and Nadal number 1, going on world rankings and current form. Nadal will be difficult to beat on the slower clay of Roland Garros and over 5 sets. Will be interesting. Del Potro would be a danger but he seems to be injured again.

would be shocked if either are on steriods - they are pretty easy to detect and there is widespread testing in tennis now. Nadal's popeye left arm seems to have reduced in size from what it used to be like a couple of years ago. Agassi was caught with crystal meth in his system (not performance enhancing in tennis) but let off with a rubbish excuse (that he had drank from a cup that a friend was also drinking from).

Johnmb

InTheTrees wrote: »

I have to say I'm not happy. The spectre of steroids is raising its head big time.

Even Djokovic has had to comment on this sudden surge in his performance by saying he's quit gluten? Gluten? Wheat? Lucky Federer hasnt quit wheat too huh?

Did anyone read andre agassi's book? My gf is a huge tennis fan and her arguments in favour of both Nadal and Djokovic being juiced are pretty convincing.

I seriously doubt he's on steroids, there's nothing about his look that would even hint at it. I do think he has had something done to sort out his breathing problems, something perfectly legal otherwise he'd have been caught by now. And he has definitely sorted out his mental fragility!

the_monkey

Lots of people in Spain moaning that Nole is on steroids, they can't stand when Nadal is beaten and need to find an excuse - so they just invent unsubstantiated rumours.

InTheTrees

Johnmb wrote: »

something perfectly legal otherwise he'd have been caught by now.

The chemistry is far far ahead of the testing.

http://tennishasasteroidproblem.blogspot.com/

RosyLily

Highly doubt that Nole is on steroids; he would have been caught out by now. After all the incidences of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, the organisations have been more stringent in their rules and punishments.

Did anyone suspect Ivan Lendl when he went on his winning streak back in the day??

Johnmb

InTheTrees wrote: »

The chemistry is far far ahead of the testing.

http://tennishasasteroidproblem.blogspot.com/

Not when you're winning everything in sight! They may claim that tests are random, but you'll find that the top guys get tested a lot more, and tournament winners likely get tested automatically too. Djokovic would be getting tested so much lately that even something new would be picked up on, they might not be able to identify it, but they'd be aware something was up. Besides, nothing has really changed about him. He's no bigger, nor is he any stronger (physically). The only physical thing that has changed is his breathing, and to be honest, I used to think that was just an excuse he used when he wanted to give up trying so that he wouldn't get fined.

InTheTrees

InTheTrees wrote: »

The chemistry is far far ahead of the testing.

http://tennishasasteroidproblem.blogspot.com/

that site is a sack of shyte!

InTheTrees

Johnmb wrote: »

Not when you're winning everything in sight! They may claim that tests are random, but you'll find that the top guys get tested a lot more, and tournament winners likely get tested automatically too. Djokovic would be getting tested so much lately that even something new would be picked up on, they might not be able to identify it, but they'd be aware something was up. Besides, nothing has really changed about him. He's no bigger, nor is he any stronger (physically). The only physical thing that has changed is his breathing, and to be honest, I used to think that was just an excuse he used when he wanted to give up trying so that he wouldn't get fined.

I hope you're right and you might be. But I'm not fully convinced.

Steroids speed recovery which is vital to athletes, you dont have to bulk up and become an arnold to be on steroids. Thats a misconception.

Being able to play a five set game two days in a row is a recovery issue rather than anything to do with being muscle bound. SO its not necessary to notice any physical change.

The red flags naturally get raised when an athlete unexpectedly(?) breaks away from the pack and starts performing remarkably, whether its a bicyclist or a tennis player. The drugs ARE ahead of the testing, we all know that.

Johnmb

InTheTrees wrote: »

I hope you're right and you might be. But I'm not fully convinced.

Steroids speed recovery which is vital to athletes, you dont have to bulk up and become an arnold to be on steroids. Thats a misconception.

Being able to play a five set game two days in a row is a recovery issue rather than anything to do with being muscle bound. SO its not necessary to notice any physical change.

The red flags naturally get raised when an athlete unexpectedly(?) breaks away from the pack and starts performing remarkably, whether its a bicyclist or a tennis player. The drugs ARE ahead of the testing, we all know that.

That's just it though, he hasn't suddenly started playing better, it's just that he's doing it more consistently. The biggest, relatively sudden, change has been in his mentality. The guy who had one of, if not the, highest pull out rates among the top men has found a will to win and an ability to fight that I never thought he could possibly have. Confidence can do that for you as anyone who plays competitive tennis can tell you, no matter what the level is. It will be very interesting to see how he reacts to his first loss of the season. Will he brush it off and continue to dominate for a while to come once the next tournament arrives, or will he revert back to old ways once the confidence of his streak gets broken.

Jessejino

It ain't gluten and it ain’t roids. Yes Nole is extremely confident and his performance is no ordinary. No doubt this guy is good, talented and one of his secrets revealed in his interview on this video

A supplement that he's not paid to endorse that's why he rarely speaks about.

What’s on this stuff is no anabol, neither any bull but the stuff most European Olympic medalists rely upon...Fitline

ALL the best to Nole!

JJ:>)