2021 US Open

Itssoeasy · 15-09-2021 04:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117895578#Comment_117895578

Well the bookmakers have him favourite for the Australian open in January although the same group of bookmakers have Naomi Osaka as favourite for the women’s crown when it’s not even clear she’ll be playing there.

yerwanthere123 · 15-09-2021 05:17PM

It's mad that some are trying to write off Djokovic or suggest this may be the beginning of the end in a year in which he won three of the four grand slams. He'll be the favourite at three (if not all four) of the grand slams next year. Had he won on Sunday we'd be questioning how many grand slams in a row he'll win!

Girly Gal · 15-09-2021 05:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117895623#Comment_117895623

As I said Djokovic is far from done, I expect him to win a few more, but, it'll get harder for him as he ages, slower to recover, not winning matches as easily as before, it all adds up, a percentage or two drop here or there make a significant difference overall, it's the cumulative effect throughout the tournament.

josip · 15-09-2021 05:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117895785#Comment_117895785

Agree, it does seem mad but I think this was the first time he was actually beaten, while fully fit, in a non-FO GS since his meltdown ?

I found this top 20 list interesting

https://www.ultimatetennisstatistics.com/record?recordId=OldestGrandSlamChampion

15-09-2021 05:36PM

It's a misnomer all this "wouldn't have dropped sets" stuff

Players frequently drop sets going through grand-slams

Djokovic had far harder 1/4 final and semi-final opponents than Medvedev

That's what did the real damage

Two tough 3 and 1/2 hour matches in a row with long sets and long on-court rallies just before the final against the world number 4 and 7

And obviously the fact that he's older meant that he couldn't recover as well from these

josip · 15-09-2021 11:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117896071#Comment_117896071

Federer's peak years (victory-wise) seemed to be considerably younger than Djokovic and Nadal. He won nothing from 31-35, years when Djokovic added on 4 or 5 each.

Federer's 3 titles when he was 35/36 really stand out as an anomaly. Although they were as a direct result of Djokovic's crisis, only 1 other player in history was winning slams at that age.

Winning slams in your 30s is the exception rather than the norm, and Ken Rosewall aside, it's only the Big 3 who have done it.

Nadal is not the oldest Spaniard to have won a GS

Federer was borderline delusional if he thought he could win Wimbledon this year at almost 40 years of age.

Ken Rosewall and Federer's golden twilight aside, nobody north of 35 wins GS, so Djokovic and Nadal only have next year to add to their tally before things dry up.

It's one of the few tennis lists that Borg doesn't show up on, even down on page 5 :)

Girly Gal · 16-09-2021 06:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117897626#Comment_117897626

Winning a slam past the age of 35 is the exception, but, in Nadal and Djokovic you're talking about two all time greats. In Nadal's case if he can stay reasonably fit, he will still be a serious contender at the FO for another few years, likewise for Djokovic at Wimbledon. One thing in both their favours is that they don't have a younger potential all time great like themselves chasing them.

whiterebel · 17-09-2021 12:31PM

If ND hadn't got rid of his team and started listening to a loony he'd probably be on 25+ too. It was a big mistake by Fed, though.

17-09-2021 04:19PM

Djokovic fired his "team" in mid 2017 after not winning a slam in a year and losing to a relative nobody in the Australian Open in 2017 2nd round

Becker was already gone from 2016

It took him until the following year to win slams again because he had to get an elbow operation (missed US Open) but he has won 8 slams since - he has won more than half of all the slams held since the start of 2018

I'd say that that has worked out not too badly for him

It's actually the most successful 4 year period of his entire career for slams!

And he would have won Wimbledon last year if held and was en route to taking the US Open 2020

That would have made 10 of 16 slams

He hired back his main long-term (from a teenager) guy Vajda in 2018 anyways after only 1 year so it was not really a clear-out at all in the end as the long-term principal guy was brought back in

So effectively he only changed his fitness coach and physio

Ivanisevic came in in 2019

2021 US Open

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