Rabe87
Professional
Thankyou Ghandi now can you stop posting total drivel in a NoleFam thread?
NoleFam - are we mostly Serbian?
- Thread starter Rabe87
- Start date
Rabe87
Professional
Moreso to gauge his popularity in his region / curiosity. If you don't understand a thread then I suppose that's something you'll need to look intrinsically into?
Gary Duane
G.O.A.T.
Yes. In fact, I think we will see more top players from Australia because there is a lot of support there for young players. What's going on right now with Kyrgios and Tomic has to be an aberration. Not so, I guess, in the US, where tennis has not had great popularity for a long time, though I suppose just one famous young American male could turn that around. But first it has to happen, and how can it with so little support?I don't mean that in any negative sense. AO is clearly one of the best managed events in the calendar. It is no accident that Federer called it the "happy Slam". As you probably well know the affiliation between Americans and Australians has historical background not even only in sport, but especially in tennis when both nations were dominating the tennis world, so these links persist for many reasons. I have never been to the AO, so I can't comment, but I believe that they have quite the tennis culture with its specifics different from almost anywhere else.
What I teach is also elitist as hell - so-called "classical piano". I'm very non-traditional, so I work with kids from very average families (money.) But when you look at the kind of kids who do well in piano competitions, you see a ton of kids from China and Russia, almost none from the US. For instance, in Russia any really talented young kid immediately gets supported by a state system, so being wealthy is not a huge advantage. Here you can't get anywhere without money or support from wealthy people unless you are more in the pop or jazz fields, which is why I point students more in that direction.
As you know, if you are obviously a talented athlete in the US, there are people all over the place scouting for football and basketball. Tennis? Nope...
Rabe87
Professional
Problem with British/American/Australian young tennis talent is opportunity - there's too much of it.
Most of the top juniors here are from upper-middle class backgrounds, they have a choice of grinding it on the Challenger circuit for 3-4 years to *maybe* crack the top 100 or go to Law/Med school and get a guaranteed great career.
Rabe87
Professional
That's why Tennis Australia has to 'buy' talent like Tomljanovic etc, we just don't have enough homegrown talent willing to put in the hard yards and I don't blame them. We also have an amazing 'semi-pro' tour called the AMT Series, and you can pretty much earn a good wage and get a national ranking from playing regular events around the major cities. I play them, they're a lot of fun but some of the higher tier events are extremely competitive. Su-Wei Hsieh actually won an AMT a few years ago prior to the AO, and a lot of players who lose early rounds in quallies at AO will stick around and play AMT's to earn some money before heading back to Europe/Americas etc.
Rabe87
Professional
ola NoleFam
TripleATeam
G.O.A.T.
In what way was that total drivel? I was trying to get the reason another poster is attacking the nationality of Novak's fanbase.
Gary Duane
G.O.A.T.
So no program looking for talented young athletes and then backing them financially in Australia?
I don't really know how this works in other countries. The kids who come to me for music just do so because someone in their families thinks music might be a good thing, and the parents are not one bit above average in wealth. I don't get the upper class kids except accidentally because I don't push in that direction, so I get great kids with good attitudes. But they will never get far in the competitive world of traditional piano. I know one guy who is now 28 who comes from an upper middle class background but no more, and he's done well in competitions and such, but even he was a late starter. In piano you need to start at 5 or earlier and get hot-housed from day one. I really hate this whole competitive world and go nowhere near it.
To me that's the worst thing about tennis. There is not enough money for all the players who have talent but who will not get to the absolute top. I don't see how you can possibly attract the best athletes to a sport that really doesn't support them much.
TheAssassin
Legend
Your post made Neymar dive.
Rabe87
Professional
You've never been and then say you can't comment, and then you comment anyway. leave it to the experts who actually live near Melbourne Park and are involved with TA (i.e moi), because you're the jack of all Fed excuses and master of nothing.I don't mean that in any negative sense. AO is clearly one of the best managed events in the calendar. It is no accident that Federer called it the "happy Slam". As you probably well know the affiliation between Americans and Australians has historical background not even only in sport, but especially in tennis when both nations were dominating the tennis world, so these links persist for many reasons. I have never been to the AO, so I can't comment, but I believe that they have quite the tennis culture with its specifics different from almost anywhere else.
Rabe87
Professional
Nope, it's a super-expensive sport. Especially since they ripped up practically every hardcourt and replaced them with plexicushion courts, it's just so expensive to rent a court these days to play on them. They are amazingly soft on the joints and play well but it's just an expensive sport. Racquets are more expensive here (hence why most players I know buy from Tennis Warehouse USA or Europe) and strings are super expensive, stringing is super expensive, even tennis balls are $12 AUD a can, which would work out to be maybe $10 USD per can. Then you join pennants, which cost more money, coaches, AMT's have entry fees that are pretty steep (to ensure only players who think they can go far will enter so guys don't enter and get scrubbed 60 60), it's just really pricey.
Financial incentives do exist but mainly for Indigenous youth, even then, you need thousands and thousands and thousands to become world-class.
xan
Hall of Fame
I'm his countryman, and yeah he has a lot of Serbian fans (obviously).
And yeah he has quite a global appeal, albeit not to the extent of Roger or Rafa but it would be silly to question his popularity.
People come to watch novak, if nothing else but to see him lose (but that too might change once them two retire)
And yeah he has quite a global appeal, albeit not to the extent of Roger or Rafa but it would be silly to question his popularity.
People come to watch novak, if nothing else but to see him lose (but that too might change once them two retire)
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Out of interest, why?
O
OhYes
Guest
Do you know how many Serbs cheer for anyone but Djokovic oh Mainad ? You would be surprised. It is all psychological. It's not about Djokovic, Beatles or Pope, it is about people who support them and treat them as Gods.
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Great power syndrome. A holdover from the days when Russia dominated Eastern Europe and everybody there was required to learn Russian as a second language (sometimes even as a first).
O
OhYes
Guest
Ok let me just pause you for brief second. What if half of things Serbs believe in their victim complex is true ? Or just take another perspective, pick any nation that doesn't have negative connotations in your subconsciousness, put them in Serbian shoes, with informations they have been fed with on regular basis. Do you really feel that such nation wouldn't succumb to victim complex ?
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Are there many Serbs who do that? There are certainly a lot of Brits (even on here) who never cared for Murray.
Mainad
Bionic Poster
I'm British and, as everybody here knows (or should by now), I'm a Murray fan but have always respected Djokovic. However, my mother (the only other member of my family who is at all interested in tennis) is a die-hard Djokovic fan and always has been. It leads to some amusing exchanges between us especially when Djokovic and Murray play one another. She always supports Djokovic against any other player even those from her own country.
O
OhYes
Guest
Not talking about caring, I am talking about dislike or even hate. I can say there is at least 5% of population that doesn't like him and 20% that doesn't care about Novak. It is normal even in Spain.
O
OhYes
Guest
That older generation is always troublesomeI'm British and, as everybody here knows (or should by now), I'm a Murray fan but have always respected Djokovic. However, my mother (the only other member of my family who is at all interested in tennis) is a die-hard Djokovic fan and always has been. It leads to some amusing exchanges between us especially when Djokovic and Murray play one another. She always supports Djokovic against any other player even those from her own country.
My mother doesn't share same political beliefs as I do, even if I could engage really actively, she would be on opposing side. I understand why is that, but I can not waste my time over it.
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Plenty of hate/dislike here too for Murray especially from a section of English fans who have never forgiven him for his "anyone but England" jibe during the 2006 world cup (even though it was a jokey response to Henman needling him about Scotland failing to qualify and asking him who he was now going to support).
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O
OhYes
Guest
And if he didn't said that, it would be the same. If those people were ready to hate for that, they would be ready to hate for any other stupidity.
Sentinel
Bionic Poster
Yes I am from Belgrade..
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Which part of India is that in?
BlueB
Legend
Mainad
Bionic Poster
I just make up a username.Looks like you're a fan of somebody else too (judging by your username)?
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Djokinho
Rookie
I am.
For Serbian friends I have a curiosity: how big is idolatry for Djokovic in Serbia?
Are people crowding to watch your games?
They wake up any time to see your games?
They make noise when he wins?
Have a general sadness when he loses?
Here in Brazil when Ayrton Senna was alive there was a tremendous connection. Everyone was his fan. We woke up early on Sundays to watch the races and cheer for him.
Pele is best known in the world, but Ayrton Senna is a national hero.
swordtennis
G.O.A.T.
Sephiroth
Hall of Fame
O
OhYes
Guest
I didn't know that about Sena. I thought football was your main sport that produces idols.
People are not pumped like before when he was making a breakthrough. Now they are watching at homes, if it is AO which is usually played at 2AM-5AM early stages, I can assure you that not many are staying awake to watch him play. You can even hear firecrackers more when water-polo team takes gold medal, or basketball especially, not so much now over Djokovic. People are glad and feel proud, but there are no milestones in sight that would make them get around in numbers like before.
Thats one cool momI'm British and, as everybody here knows (or should by now), I'm a Murray fan but have always respected Djokovic. However, my mother (the only other member of my family who is at all interested in tennis) is a die-hard Djokovic fan and always has been. It leads to some amusing exchanges between us especially when Djokovic and Murray play one another. She always supports Djokovic against any other player even those from her own country.
Djokovic2011
Bionic Poster
Lol, seems to me like most of Federer's fans are from India.
swordtennis
G.O.A.T.
Now that is reppin bruh. Black and british! Can not get any better than that! One of my favs of all time Nigel Benn also Lennox but he was canuck and brit!smh,
Mainad
Bionic Poster
Sephiroth
Hall of Fame
You black?
swordtennis
G.O.A.T.
Calabrian and sicilian ancestry. Grandfather had a bit of african blood. Grew up in a working class black community in new york too.
Djokinho
Rookie
Football is more popular, by far. But Senna above sportsman was a hero for much of our people.
For what reason did people get more excited before?
jm1980
Talk Tennis Guru
I'm not Serbian, either. We had a poll on this:
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/djokovic-fans-poll.547647/
Only 1/4 of the voters said they were Serbian
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/djokovic-fans-poll.547647/
Only 1/4 of the voters said they were Serbian
O
OhYes
Guest
Djokovic is neck to neck with basketball I think. Whenever someone from popular sport does something remarkable, there are people on streets, making warm welcome for that person or a team. If it becomes too often like in Djokovic's case, people don't crowd on streets for a Slam win. But I am sure if he gets to surpass Federer, that Slam is going to be celebrated outside their homes for sure.
Football is main sport, I don't know why tbh.
Sephiroth
Hall of Fame
Rabe87
Professional
Fellow NoleFam brother, what's it like to live in NYC? It's been a dream of mine to one day do so
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