Lew II
G.O.A.T.
He's well above the average.
Nadal and Djokovic would not have survived the 80's and 90's - Becker
- Thread starter tennisaddict
- Start date
TearTheRoofOff
G.O.A.T.
How's that chip on your shoulder doing?
what does this tell us?
Lew II
G.O.A.T.
That his game perfectly fits this era.
I do that all the time.Did you just reply to an 8 year old thread to a guy that hasn’t logged in for 5 years?
Again, look at what he improved in Novak's game. Second serve placement and pace, slice backhand, transition game ("if you can finish a point in 4 shots, why don't you do it?"). The results speak for themselves. Did he improve Novak's effectiveness? You bet he did.
Both Nadal and Djokovic are similar in the sense a solid defense is the foundation of their game, but they are aggressive baseliners. They are more similar to lendl than bruguera using a rough analogy. What people are forgetting is they have adapted and improved their strokes/tactics to shorten points over the years no matter how much slower the surfaces are since their careers began. Can anyone honestly say Nadals serve, backhand, volleys are the same today as they were in 2005? Nope.
How about Novak's serve, net game, transition game since 2006? They have both improved drastically even though understandably they are not as fast today.
So to remain relevant players adapt. A purely defensive game will only work upto a point. After that it's simple. improve or stagnate (Nadal 2015, Djokovic 2012-2013)
Backspin1183
Talk Tennis Guru
I also don't think they could have won anything in the 80s and 90s. They were just too young then.
I try not to bother with BS like this, but did it ever occur to you that the partnership was good for both for many reasons, including the tennis?
Federer and Del Potro
Bionic Poster
I don't have a problem with someone saying Becker was an effective coach. I'm sure he was.
My problem with Becker was he often spoke for Novak Djokovic as if he was Novak Djokovic (much like his Dad seems to do).
And he would have changed his tune from his original comments here after coaching Djokovic, I imagine. Especially given it delayed him from being bankrupt.
Federer and Del Potro
Bionic Poster
After the Pepe era...of course.
Why would he? He was not being hypocritical. TBH, I was surprised though when he recently said that he told Novak he didn't like his serve (before their coaching stint). I thought Novak had an excellent first serve (not second) before Todd Martin wrecked it, but that apart he was being absolutely honest about what Novak needed to work on. If anything, he has remained honest and now both Toni and Boris have been supportive of him in general after the disastrous Adria tour unlike his father who is the first to blame dimitrov.
Sure, Boris has rattled federers cage after becoming Novak's coach, which was unnecessary imo.
Federer and Del Potro
Bionic Poster
I'll admit I was probably just salty during that time period. It just seemed unnecessary as you said.
I do agree he was a good coach though.
D
Deleted member 768841
Guest
Yes and No, He would not have won Wimbledon at 17 or 18 but his baseline game would have developed naturally and without pressure. He would have been a serve + groundstroke player instead of being a pure serve volleyer. If anything, he would have been a far better baseliner and just as lethal indoors. Put a roof over his head on any surface including clay and watch out.Becker would not have survived the 2000's and 2010's!
How many slams could he have won? Hard to say but imo he wouldn't have played under the same kind of pressure and I would say at least 6-8 if not more. He had the power, touch, mindset and had excellent footwork in his younger years (except on outdoor clay).
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