Djokovic vs. Borg

[Murrayfan31]

Who is the fitter player? I'd say Djokovic is. Such a beast. A 5 hour match is like a warmup for him so he can get in rhythm. haha

[LuckyR]

Apples and oranges. You can't compare fitness in the cross training era to those before. It's like comparing FH topspin RPMs before and after poly strings.

[borg number one]

The new and improved Djokovic is very fit, no question. The old version, not so much. Borg was a physical specimen in terms of stamina and movement, as is Djokovic now. The game is more about the legs now than before, but Borg was also very strong in the legs. He tested off the charts in Sweden in terms of leg strength and the guy basically never looked tired, even if it was playing Lendl at the French Open on red clay. One thing to think about is that of course, though many conditions have changed, players basically favor a style of play that Borg brought into prominence. The guy was a genius. Plus, think about it this way, how do you think Djokovic's arm, shoulder and hands would feel after swinging a extremely heavy Donnay wood frame strung very tight for five sets? Borg trained a lot by the way, especially with a LOT of time on the tennis court. A lot of "new training techniques" can't make very many modern players as fit as Borg was. He was as fit as basically anyone in the game today. He was very ahead of his time in many respects, who bucked the prevailing trends and set his own course on how he wanted to play and excel at tennis. He figured out what was best for him and brought so many new things to tennis for other players to emulate and model themselves after.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sport...uet-tech_N.htm

Novak Djokovic held it lightly, feeling the contours as if he were examining a T. rex bone at a natural history museum.
To be fair, the Wilson Jack Kramer Autograph tennis racket is a dinosaur.

"It's the first time in my life" to hit with it, said Djokovic, born in 1987, long after wood joined the museum shelves of tennis history. The fifth-ranked player in men's professional tennis who competes with a Wilson nBlade graphite racket added, "Now I realize how tough for the players it was 30-40 years ago to play."

Watch Borg move here against Lendl indoors with some tough baseline. Watch him after grueling points (just a window into his fitness).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyuiEzBb7hk

Borg on his strengths....("You know I've never been tired in a tennis match...!!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPGh4p0dyIk

[forzamilan90]

Tough call this one. Both are incredibly fit.

[BrooklynNY]

Borg is a modern tennis player in a way.

I don't think it's a fair comparison, but I do liken Djokovic's game to a modern Borg more than Nadal's, even though people have always made the Nadal-Borg comparison because of their clay results and dominance at RG

[gsharma]

As Leif Shiras said, Borg would've won 10 Wimbledons on today's grass. I'd say Borg was fitter and would've done better in today's era of slower courts.

[THE FIGHTER]

borg was a physical specimen and a tennis anomaly when he played. same can be said of novak to an extent.

[kishnabe]

Borg is the more natural physical athlete.

[THE FIGHTER]

Originally Posted by kishnabe

Borg is the more natural physical athlete.

he is more natural

[rafan]

I watched a Borg / Mac old match the other day and the tennis would be so different. Technique would be so different. Would Djoko be able to keep Borg away from the net? If he couldn't then it would be Borg who would survive. Tennis has become so physical now with keeping both players away from the net but I would love to know how Borg would approach this. In conclusion I think Djoko would be the stronger.

[Clarky21]

Hilarious how in one month this guy transforms his stamina and endurance from one of the weakest, to actually being compared to one of the fittest guys to ever play the sport. Even more hilarious that people buy this crap.

[Nathaniel_Near]

Honestly, I am quite sure the answer is Borg. He was a more excellent physical specimen just generally, including attributes such as unreal stamina. Djokovic is more flexible than Borg was, though.