Djokovic only has himself to blame.

T

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Djokovic squandered a golden opportunity to tie Federer's 6 YEC and tie Sampras 6 YE #1.

Entering WTF, Djokovic had an excellent tie-break record this year, yet, he blew a 4-1 lead in a third set tie-breaker against Thiem and loses the match. Despite of a disappointing loss, he still had a great chance to qualify for the semifinal since his next match was against a 38 years old Federer who was a huge underdog.

All he needed was to win one match to qualify for the semifinal but instead he lost both matches. Opportunity only knocks once and he only had himself to blame.
 
Nadal_Django

Nadal_Django

Legend
TMF said:
Djokovic squandered a golden opportunity to tie Federer's 6 YEC and tie Sampras 6 YE #1.

Entering WTF, Djokovic had an excellent tie-break record this year, yet, he blew a 4-1 lead in a third set tie-breaker against Thiem and loses the match. Despite of a disappointing loss, he still had a great chance to qualify for the semifinal since his next match was against a 38 years old Federer who was a huge underdog.

All he needed was to win one match to qualify for the semifinal but instead he lost both matches. Opportunity only knocks once and he only had himself to blame.
Click to expand...
Djokovic not beating his regular pigeon Federer, tells you everything you need to know about the Djokovic's form at the moment.

He got what he deserved, as simple as that.
 
F

Fedbump

Rookie
ByfORJpIAAEbvuY.jpg

goat-federer-seen-through-glasses-greatest-of-all-time.jpg
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
It shouldn't have come down to winning the WTF to get YE #1. He could have sealed it back in March if he played better at IW/Miami but he looked and played like his mind was elsewhere. Still a great year regardless and a multi Slam year. Losing the #1 will make him get himself together for AO so some good should come out of it.
 
O

OhYes

Guest
TMF said:
Djokovic squandered a golden opportunity to tie Federer's 6 YEC and tie Sampras 6 YE #1.

Entering WTF, Djokovic had an excellent tie-break record this year, yet, he blew a 4-1 lead in a third set tie-breaker against Thiem and loses the match. Despite of a disappointing loss, he still had a great chance to qualify for the semifinal since his next match was against a 38 years old Federer who was a huge underdog.

All he needed was to win one match to qualify for the semifinal but instead he lost both matches. Opportunity only knocks once and he only had himself to blame.
Click to expand...
So was he blaming anybody?
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
NoleFam said:
It shouldn't have come down to winning the WTF to get YE #1. He could have sealed it back in March if he played better at IW/Miami but he looked and played like his mind was elsewhere. Still a great year regardless and a multi Slam year. Losing the #1 will make him get himself together for AO so some good should come out of it.
Click to expand...

Could have would have should have.

Fed didn't need "coulds" To win 20 slams.
 
Sport

Sport

G.O.A.T.
crunchybars said:
I do agree there, but I guess I am just talking a general feeling and looking at their years, not just points. I think Nadal has clearly been better in the slams despite both winning 2. Especialy as neither of his losses- Djokovic at the Austrailan, Federer at Wimbledon were bad at all. While Djokovic losing to Thiem at Roland Garros isn't neccessarily a bad loss, but probably was a very winnable match, and his U.S Open losing to his old nemisis who is still far below his prime level ATM is very bad. Both have been ok but not amazing in Masters. I guess in theory if Djokovic won the YEC he would maybe deserve it anyway, but that is the only way I would think his year felt like a better year.
Click to expand...
If you say so... Thiem leads the H2H over Djokovic 2-0 at Roland-Garros since 2017. Thiem also has had better results than Djokovic at RG 2017, RG 2018, and RG 2019.

I don't think Thiem is "very winnable" for Djokovic at RG, since Thiem has proved to be the second best clay player since 2017.

Djokovic is getting older and each year it will be more difficult for him to beat Thiem at RG. Can Djokovic defeat Thiem at RG? Yes. Is he the favorite over Thiem at RG? I don't think so, or at least it is pretty close.
 
T

Tiki-Taka

Guest
Still a great year for him though. Clinical display in Australian Open final and so clutch in the Wimbledon final. He will take some wonderful memories with himself from 2019.

Nadal was nearly flawless since Rome so Djokovic was going to have it difficult to protect his number 1 ranking. Looking forward to seeing how these two perform next year. Especially Rafa with so much on the line coming up for him.
 
Born_to_slice

Born_to_slice

Legend
He was emotionally completely flat against Federer. People were screaming over his serve preparations and ball tosses and he didn't stop once. Just wanted to be out of O2 arena as soon as possible.
 
BeatlesFan

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil said:
A lot of wasted opportunities in BO3 wasted this year in general. Lost five matches after winning the opening set. That's too much.
Click to expand...
He won two majors this year, crushing Nadal in one of those finals. As Sampras famously said, "any year you win a slam is a great year." He's 32, he's not going to dominate the tour forever and he just put in one hell of a year!
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
BeatlesFan said:
And of course you know this "new" user is no Fed fan, just being an obnoxious tool to rile up other fan bases. This is blatantly obvious.
Click to expand...

Let's not guess people's motivations. I've been a Roger fan since about 2001. I admit I was a Sampras fan before that.

Just gotten tired of all the abuse Roger has gotten this year, especially since Wimbledon.
 
Lew II

Lew II

G.O.A.T.
Beating in a row three of the top-7 best players was not exactly an easy task.

2011-16 Djokovic has brought the expectations too high.
 
van_Loederen

van_Loederen

Professional
NoleFam said:
It shouldn't have come down to winning the WTF to get YE #1. He could have sealed it back in March if he played better at IW/Miami but he looked and played like his mind was elsewhere. Still a great year regardless and a multi Slam year. Losing the #1 will make him get himself together for AO so some good should come out of it.
Click to expand...
i think he was allowing himself an extended break after the AO title this year. (i probably would have done the same in his place.)
he was really trying to win RG and generally to focus on the majors. very understandable.
but prior to the USO, injury spoiled the strategy and RAFA surpassed him.
could be called bad luck, but i think next year he will prepare properly for IW & Miami again. maybe he will let go of RG and just collect points at MC and Madrid.
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
NoleFam said:
Lol. Post with your real account and then we can have a conversation.
Click to expand...

This is my first and only account here. I do post on MTF often though and reddit.

I just hope it's become a bit more clear that what Federer is doing is still a step above what Nadal or Djokovic can muster. There's not shame in being merely great, but there can only be one GOAT.
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
FedFinalFantasy said:
This is my first and only account here. I do post on MTF often though and reddit.

I just hope it's become a bit more clear that what Federer is doing is still a step above what Nadal or Djokovic can muster. There's not shame in being merely great, but there can only be one GOAT.
Click to expand...

:unsure:

He beat Djokovic for the first time in 4 years, at this same round in 2015, and after 5 consecutive losses. I don't see the point in getting overzealous and thinking this match has anything to do with who's the GOAT. Just enjoy the win and leave it at that.
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
NoleFam said:
:unsure:

He beat Djokovic for the first time in 4 years, at this same round in 2015, and after 5 consecutive losses. I don't see the point in getting overzealous and thinking this match has anything to do with who's the GOAT. Just enjoy the win and leave it at that.
Click to expand...

Well I do think longevity is a part of it. Accomplishments come first, but doesn't it look like Novak is slowing down a bit finally? Not a total walk about where he could come back, but just general aging and decline? Only Rafa can catch Fed's slam record, but with such a clay heavy resume and no WTF's, no one will consider him GOAT.

It's satisfying to see Roger will likely end with the best resume.
 
W

World Beater

Hall of Fame
TMF said:
Djokovic squandered a golden opportunity to tie Federer's 6 YEC and tie Sampras 6 YE #1.

Entering WTF, Djokovic had an excellent tie-break record this year, yet, he blew a 4-1 lead in a third set tie-breaker against Thiem and loses the match. Despite of a disappointing loss, he still had a great chance to qualify for the semifinal since his next match was against a 38 years old Federer who was a huge underdog.

All he needed was to win one match to qualify for the semifinal but instead he lost both matches. Opportunity only knocks once and he only had himself to blame.
Click to expand...

true, but federer also has himself to blame for even allowing djokovic into the GOAT discussion.

how many mps squandered? 3 Slams potentially missed due to this alone.
2 more slams on his favorite surface at W...

5-6 slams minimum because he couldnt meet the challenge of djokovic.
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
van_Loederen said:
i think he was allowing himself an extended break after the AO title this year. (i probably would have done the same in his place.)
he was really trying to win RG and generally to focus on the majors. very understandable.
but prior to the USO, injury spoiled the strategy and RAFA surpassed him.
could be called bad luck, but i think next year he will prepare properly for IW & Miami again. maybe he will let go of RG and just collect points at MC and Madrid.
Click to expand...

I think he tried to put all of his eggs in one basket as far as the clay season and didn't take IW/Miami seriously as well. That proved to be a costly mistake. He is mainly only thinking about the Slams and when he was losing in early rounds in Masters tournaments he said it was all about the Slams. I think he will now realize he has to be more consistent in all tournaments if he wants to be #1 again and will take these tournaments more seriously next year.
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
World Beater said:
true, but federer also has himself to blame for even allowing djokovic into the GOAT discussion.

how many mps squandered? 3 Slams potentially missed due to this alone.
2 more slams on his favorite surface at W...

5-6 slams minimum because he couldnt meet the challenge of djokovic.
Click to expand...

Actually agree with this. Federer is by far more talented, but he has had mental lapses in big matches and he has let Nadal and Djok into the convo, but I think Roger has one last burst to close the door on them for all reasonable tennis aficionados. The guy is just "a class apart"

:cool:
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
FedFinalFantasy said:
Well I do think longevity is a part of it. Accomplishments come first, but doesn't it look like Novak is slowing down a bit finally? Not a total walk about where he could come back, but just general aging and decline? Only Rafa can catch Fed's slam record, but with such a clay heavy resume and no WTF's, no one will consider him GOAT.

It's satisfying to see Roger will likely end with the best resume.
Click to expand...

And you came to know this from one RR match? This loss is not a sure deterrent from Djokovic returning to #1. It's most likely a detour. As far who's catching 20, Nadal is most likely going to and Djokovic is 4 behind at 32. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?
 
DSH

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
With less tournaments played than Joker, Nadal still the got the year - end number 1.
He was the best ITF player and the most consistent player of the year by far.
The Spaniard deserved to end for the fifth time as the best player of the world.
Felicitaciones, TORO!
:);):cool:(y):happydevil:
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
NoleFam said:
And you came to know this from one RR match? This loss is not a sure deterrent from Djokovic returning to #1. It's most likely a detour. As far who's catching 20, Nadal is most likely going to and Djokovic is 4 behind at 32. Aren't you getting ahead of yourself?
Click to expand...

I dont know, he won AO last year too, I know Rafa made the final. But then look at the masters, Novak didnt perform great this year, what makes you think he will next? Got super lucky against Federer or he would be way behind Rafa for number 1.

I think only Rafa can catch 20 slams, but his resume is too lacking in other areas, it's a joke really.

Only Novak can put together a better resume, including having more slams, but he is too far back in slam count. Too many Wawrinkas and DF's on match point ;)
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
FedFinalFantasy said:
I dont know, he won AO last year too, I know Rafa made the final. But then look at the masters, Novak didnt perform great this year, what makes you think he will next? Got super lucky against Federer or he would be way behind Rafa for number 1.

I think only Rafa can catch 20 slams, but his resume is too lacking in other areas, it's a joke really.

Only Novak can put together a better resume, including having more slams, but he is too far back in slam count. Too many Wawrinkas and DF's on match point ;)
Click to expand...

Well I'm sure you will tell me where you bought that crystal ball of yours. Wishful thinking my friend is what you are delving in and getting too ahead of yourself after one win in 4 years.
 
FedFinalFantasy

FedFinalFantasy

New User
NoleFam said:
Well I'm sure you will tell me where you bought that crystal ball of yours. Wishful thinking my friend is what you are delving in and getting too ahead of yourself after one win in 4 years.
Click to expand...

1 win and another close as it gets 5 setter at the mecca of tennis (where Roger was the better player and won more points) at age 38 vs a 32 year old. Have some humility, dude. Novak is great, I think he's a bit better than Rafa, but he's no Maestro ;)
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
FedFinalFantasy said:
1 win and another close as it gets 5 setter at the mecca of tennis (where Roger was the better player and won more points) at age 38 vs a 32 year old. Have some humility, dude. Novak is great, I think he's a bit better than Rafa, but he's no Maestro ;)
Click to expand...

He was the better player but who has the trophy? You are telling me to have some humility? This is a bit ironic.
 
van_Loederen

van_Loederen

Professional
NoleFam said:
I think he tried to put all of his eggs in one basket as far as the clay season and didn't take IW/Miami seriously as well. That proved to be a costly mistake. He is mainly only thinking about the Slams and when he was losing in early rounds in Masters tournaments he said it was all about the Slams. I think he will now realize he has to be more consistent in all tournaments if he wants to be #1 again and will take these tournaments more seriously next year.
Click to expand...
just saying that if he takes IW & Miami seriously again, he will have to save the energy elsewhere. and where? my guess would be RG. let's see.
 
Sport

Sport

G.O.A.T.
crunchybars said:
I mean despite all that Djokovic was the clear betting favorite for the match, and most fans and commentators seemed to be favoring a Nadal-Djokovic final happening. Any match with Djokovic in 2017 and even the first 5 months in 2018 means absolutely nothing too, it is like how matches with Nadal in 2015 and 2016 mean nothing to your chances once he started playing well again. And he lost deep into the 5th set after some abysmal play in the early part of the match. So I would say it was a very winnable match, although not neccessarily a bad loss. A more winnable match than Nadal's losses at the Australian or Wimbledon.
Click to expand...
Betting favorite is not a reliable indicator of who's the real favorite from an objective perspective. The opinion of the majority is not an indicative of truth. Based on their resutls on clay since 2017 nothing suggested that "Djokovic was a clear favorite".

And honestly, after Thiem defeated him in the RG 2019 SF, it should be clear that Nole is no longer favorite against Thiem at RG.
 
TheGhostOfAgassi

TheGhostOfAgassi

Talk Tennis Guru
van_Loederen said:
just saying that if he takes IW & Miami seriously again, he will have to save the energy elsewhere. and where? my guess would be RG. let's see.
Click to expand...
It’s hard to believe that Novak will ever save himself during a slam. He wants the slam records and he has been pretty vocal about it.
 
Genie Of the Bank

Genie Of the Bank

Hall of Fame
Honestly, Novak's form was patchy the whole year. He was making a long breaks between the tournaments and tried to make it up working twice as hard in a short time period. For that reason he was out of shape and his body started to break. For example: Roland Garros and at American hardcourt season. Everytime he faced an opponent in a good form, he lost the match, except Wimbledon. His serve was problematic the whole year. I got sense that he made more aces and much more double faults which made him nervous and he started to pull the triger too early. I don't think Ivanisevic is a great addition to his team. He needs to flatten his forehand and attack straight away, not rely on his defence only.
 
van_Loederen

van_Loederen

Professional
TheGhostOfAgassi said:
It’s hard to believe that Novak will ever save himself during a slam. He wants the slam records and he has been pretty vocal about it.
Click to expand...
but there are 4 of them and he won only 2 of them this year, so maybe it's better to jettison one, especially if he wants to add IW+Miami to his schedule again.
i've seen what was going on at RG in recent years and my conclusion is that it won't get any better anymore.
 
Sport

Sport

G.O.A.T.
crunchybars said:
I agree Thiem is the favorite over Djokovic at RG now, but it was not that clear heading into the 2019 match. At the very least it was a 50/50. And fact is Djokovic played a poor match, and still very nearly win, so I still say it was a winnable match. You obviously feel differently which is fine.
Click to expand...
So did Thiem. Both played so bad for their standards that I knew they had no chance in the final against Nadal.
 
terribleIVAN

terribleIVAN

Hall of Fame
FedFinalFantasy said:
Just gotten tired of all the abuse Roger has gotten this year, especially since Wimbledon.
Click to expand...

That's what you get when you're running your mouth like Roggie does 24/7 but then soils his pants on the biggest tennis stage.

40-15 is the greatest tennis story of the year.

Novak might not have ended nr 1, and i agree with the OP, that's totally his fault, but the 2 slams he won, he beat Rafa and Roger in the finals, and i do consider him the moral winner of 2019 because of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
Nadal and Djokovic have played 8 times at the French, but only 8 times at the other 3 Grand Slams - Who is to blame for this?
Replies
2
Views
295
Beckerserve
Beckerserve
M
Federer's worst screw ups
2 3
Replies
120
Views
5K
Mainad
Mainad
W
Federer has himself to blame for his awful H2H against Nadal
10 11 12
Replies
560
Views
25K
nolefam_2024
nolefam_2024
R
Nadal has saved match points on 5 clay matches
Replies
32
Views
1K
Hitman
Hitman
Russeljones
Andy Murray admits fitness to blame for his US Open quarter-final defeat to Djokovic
2
Replies
78
Views
5K
Mainad
Mainad
Top