Would 2011 Djokovic have won any Grand Slams in 2006 or 2007?

WildRevolver

WildRevolver

Hall of Fame
I personally think the 2011 version of Novak was the most complete, all-surface player ever. But Novak has always been a bit of a jack of all trades, specialist of none (not a bad thing at all). So would he have gotten any of the grand slams in 2006 or 07? That period was dominated by Fed's and Nadal's surface mastery.

AO: He'd have a better chance in 2006 to beat prime Roger, but at this point, the AO courts were tailor made for Roger's game. And in 07', Roger didn't lose a set from the quarters on.

FO: No. Not beating that Rafa. A more interesting hypothetical is if he'd beat Roger, and since the 2011 version of Roger beat Novak in 2011, I doubt it.

Wimbledon: No for 2006 but maybe in 2007. I tend to think not since 2011 wasn't Novak's best grass game (best was yet to come)

USO: In 2006 and 07 there were many experts wondering if Fed was ever going to lose the last two grand slams. Novak might have a better chance in 06 since Roger actually lost a set here and there, but in 07 the maestro was in utter control.


Hard to see where the win(s) would come.
 
Kralingen

Kralingen

Talk Tennis Guru
He wins AO '06 hands down in my eyes with Fed's ankle not being 100%. AO '07 would be incredible to watch. A toss up that would probably be a tennis epic for the ages.

Has a small chance at FO '06 and '07 but ultimately loses to Nadal. Could also lose to Federer as well (although that '11 Fed had an insane serve and was hitting better BHs than in 2006 on clay)

Wimby - nope in '06. he could win it in '07 if he got lucky but Fed is a bad matchup.

USO '07 - I think even his '07 version could have won that match with some more mental strength. Remember that he held multiple SPs in both the 1st and 2nd set. Not so sure about USO '06, but it would probably be close.

Here's my pick:

high chance of winning - AO '06
good chance of winning - USO '07
50-50 - AO '07
not favored but still possible chance of winning - USO '06, Wimby '07, maaaaybe FO '06
little to no chance - Wimby '06, FO '07
 
Rosstour

Rosstour

G.O.A.T.
Of course he would. We've been told lately that ultimately Federer is just not that good.

So, the best player ever in his best year ever? Fed would have been slamless.
 
NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
Is this a joke? 2006 Roger doesn't have a prayer against 2011 Djokovic at the AO. I think 2011 Djokovic would also love to replace Roger and have a crack at Nadal at RG. I guarantee you he would have played him much closer. These are just the 1st two.
 
Sunny014

Sunny014

Legend
2011 Novak has a small chance against 2006 Roger at the AO but the window is quite small.
2011 Novak can perhaps win the French open but it would be quite tough

Wimbledon and US open no chance, Federer would crush him.
 
TripleATeam

TripleATeam

G.O.A.T.
No, 2011 Djokovic would be lucky to win a slam in 2021, too. 2011-2015 was the weakest the tour's been since Spencer Gore was winning Wimbledon. 2011 Djokovic wouldn't even be in the top 10 back in 2006 and 2007.
 
Third Serve

Third Serve

Talk Tennis Guru
WildRevolver said:
I personally think the 2011 version of Novak was the most complete, all-surface player ever. But Novak has always been a bit of a jack of all trades, specialist of none (not a bad thing at all). So would he have gotten any of the grand slams in 2006?

AO: He'd have a better chance in 2006 to beat prime Roger, but at this point, the AO courts were tailor made for Roger's game. And in 07', Roger didn't lose a set from the quarters on.
Click to expand...
I think he for sure beats 2006 Federer. You have to remember that Fed really wasn't that great at AO 2006, partly owing to an ankle injury he sustained in the 2005 indoor season. 2007 is trickier but I would give him a pretty good chance because this was also the best ever version of Djokovic at the AO. Maybe on Rebound Ace it'd be tougher to call because we've never seen prime Djokovic on that but I assume Novak's level would carry him through regardless of the conditions.

FO: No. Not beating that Rafa. A more interesting hypothetical is if he'd beat Roger, and since the 2011 version of Roger beat Novak in 2011, I doubt it.
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Pretty much agreed here but I think Novak could beat Fed honestly. I rate 2011 RG Fed -- at least for that semifinal -- higher than RG 2006 and probably 2007 Fed. He loses to Nadal both times in the final though.

Wimbledon: No for 2006 but maybe in 2007. I tend to think not since 2011 wasn't Novak's best grass game (best was yet to come)
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2011 was Djokovic's second best Wimbledon, only behind 2015. While you're correct that his grass game didn't fully develop till later, he was still really good in 2011 because he was really good in general: what I mean to say is that he won Wimbledon in dominant form even though he didn't use a "proper" grass court game because his normal game was already extremely good. I still think he loses to 2006 Fed but 2007 is within reach. Won't give him that one though.

USO: In 2006 and 07 there were many experts wondering if Fed was ever going to lose the last two grand slams. Novak might have a better chance in 06 since Roger actually lost a set here and there, but in 07 the maestro was in utter control.
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Fed was pretty clearly better in 2006 than 2007 imo, even if he lost the same number of sets in both. Aside from the Roddick match which might have been better than anything in 2006, Fed wasn't super duper impressive in 2007. Dropped a couple of sets in the early rounds to Lopez and Isner, and he had a decidedly average performance in the final. 2007 Djokovic wasn't able to capitalize but a 2011 Djokovic probably could. Then again, you can make the argument that 2011 Djokovic had to save match points to get past 2011 Federer so a 2007 Federer would probably succeed where his older self failed. Argument does go both ways which is why 2007 is a tough call to make. I don't think Djokovic beats 2006 Fed though.
 
Biotic

Biotic

Hall of Fame
TripleATeam said:
No, 2011 Djokovic would be lucky to win a slam in 2021, too. 2011-2015 was the weakest the tour's been since Spencer Gore was winning Wimbledon. 2011 Djokovic wouldn't even be in the top 10 back in 2006 and 2007.
Click to expand...

A slam? He'd be lucky to win a Masters roflmao. 2006-2007 was the real peak Djoko. Fedal just too stronk.
 
Pheasant

Pheasant

Legend
The AO was on Rebound Ace until 2008, which would work in Federer's favor. But with that being said:

2006 AO: Djoker, despite this being on Round Ace. Federer wasn't in great form at all.
2006 FO: Nadal- I just won't bet against a healthy Nadal on this surface.
2006 WI: Federer was on fire. I'll take Federer here. He only dropped once set and it was a tiebreaker to Nadal. He also dished out 3 bagels this tourney.
2006 USO: Federer
2007 AO: It's Rebound Ace and Federer was on fire. I'll take Federer
2007 FO: Nadal
2007 WI: Djoker in a very tight 5-setter
2007 USO: Djoker in a very tight 5-setter
 
WildRevolver

WildRevolver

Hall of Fame
Pheasant said:
The AO was on Rebound Ace until 2008, which would work in Federer's favor. But with that being said:

2006 AO: Djoker, despite this being on Round Ace. Federer wasn't in great form at all.
2006 FO: Nadal- I just won't bet against a healthy Nadal on this surface.
2006 WI: Federer was on fire. I'll take Federer here. He only dropped once set and it was a tiebreaker to Nadal. He also dished out 3 bagels this tourney.
2006 USO: Federer
2007 AO: It's Rebound Ace and Federer was on fire. I'll take Federer
2007 FO: Nadal
2007 WI: Djoker in a very tight 5-setter
2007 USO: Djoker in a very tight 5-setter
Click to expand...

What's your rationale for the 07 USO pick? Novak has never been dominant there and damn near lost to the 2011 version of Roger in that semi. The 07 version was way better.
 
Sunny014

Sunny014

Legend
Pheasant said:
The AO was on Rebound Ace until 2008, which would work in Federer's favor. But with that being said:

2006 AO: Djoker, despite this being on Round Ace. Federer wasn't in great form at all.
2006 FO: Nadal- I just won't bet against a healthy Nadal on this surface.
2006 WI: Federer was on fire. I'll take Federer here. He only dropped once set and it was a tiebreaker to Nadal. He also dished out 3 bagels this tourney.
2006 USO: Federer
2007 AO: It's Rebound Ace and Federer was on fire. I'll take Federer
2007 FO: Nadal
2007 WI: Djoker in a very tight 5-setter
2007 USO: Djoker in a very tight 5-setter
Click to expand...

2007 Fed would maul 2011 Novak here, you expecting matchpoint choke to happen again at USO??? haha, match wouldn't even reach that far, Fed would finish it in 4 sets....
 
WildRevolver

WildRevolver

Hall of Fame
So what we've learned ITT is that die-hard Novak fans see 1-2 slam wins versus 2 for Nadal and 4 for Federer...and this is the best version of Novak against the best version of Fed and 2nd best version of Nadal. :unsure:
 
SamprasisGOAT

SamprasisGOAT

Hall of Fame
I’m a fan of federer and I respect Djokovic more than anyone else in Tennis history but federers 04-07 are too good for any Djokovic. They are Co Goats right now in my opinion. Federer had a better peak but Djokovic has had a better and longer prime. Federer court speed wise and having Djokovic come along 6 years younger is a nightmare for anyone. Nadal is the most overrated and luckiest player ever. He’s a great but for me he’s in the 2nd tier with Sampras Borg Laver and maybe Lendl who was the best player of his era.
 
UnforcedTerror

UnforcedTerror

Hall of Fame
Lol of course not. He could've won a masters or two but that's it. He loses all his matches against Fed and Bull in straights.
 
R

RelentlessAttack

Hall of Fame
Wimbledon 2007 would depend on draw. 2 of the big 3 would kill each other in the semi and the guy coming through the other side would have a huge advantage in the final
 
Nadalgaenger

Nadalgaenger

G.O.A.T.
SamprasisGOAT said:
I’m a fan of federer and I respect Djokovic more than anyone else in Tennis history but federers 04-07 are too good for any Djokovic. They are Co Goats right now in my opinion. Federer had a better peak but Djokovic has had a better and longer prime. Federer court speed wise and having Djokovic come along 6 years younger is a nightmare for anyone. Nadal is the most overrated and luckiest player ever. He’s a great but for me he’s in the 2nd tier with Sampras Borg Laver and maybe Lendl who was the best player of his era.
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Nadal so lucky to have winning record vs Federer at AO and vs Nole at USO…
So lucky to have to play in era of two greatest players in history!
 
M

martinezownsclay

Hall of Fame
He would win the 2006 Australian Open very easily. That was Federer's worst ever performance in winning a slam. He struggled with a bunch of people (Baghdatis, Haas, Kiefer, Davydenko) who would have been slaughtered by 2011 Australian Open Djokovic, so no chance he beats Djokovic. Heck I think Federer of the 2011 Australian Open was better than Federer of the 2006 Australian Open, and that Federer fell in straight stes to Djokovic.

Others are most speculation really. Possibly 1 or 2 others anyway, but who knows. Doubt he wins a French, but with his match up issues with Nadal in 2011 specifically who knows, but the fact he took until 2015 to beat Nadal even once at the French is telling. Doubt he wins a Wimbledon either, but he is 3-0 with a much older Federer there, and owns Nadal at the event, so again who knows for sure.
 
M

martinezownsclay

Hall of Fame
WildRevolver said:
What's your rationale for the 07 USO pick? Novak has never been dominant there and damn near lost to the 2011 version of Roger in that semi. The 07 version was way better.
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Well he was very close to winning both the first 2 sets of the actual 2007 final, and Djokovic 2011 is far better than 2007. Then again the older Federer of 2011 had match points vs 2011 Djokovic. Anyway 2007 final was a very windy day, so now pitting prime Federer vs prime Djokovic, it would depend which of the two you think is the better wind player, and mentally tougher in those unusual conditions mainly.
 
T

tudwell

G.O.A.T.
One thing about Rebound Ace – in the heat I believe it would get a bit "sticky" and it would likely be harder for Novak to slide on it, which is such a fundamental part of his game it's hard to know how exactly he would adjust if that weren't available (though maybe it wouldn't be an issue in the first place). Regardless, I'd expect him to take the 06 crown, who knows about 07.

Slight chance to win 2006 French Open. No chance to win 2007.

A chance at 06 Wimbledon – I don't think Novak was fully matured on grass in 2011 and probably wouldn't beat peak Fed, but who knows. I give him very little chance at 07 if only because he'd likely have to go through both Federer and Nadal, both of whom were in monstrous form – better than the Fedal he barely beat to win the 2011 US Open.

US Open, I don't know. He finds ways to falter there and nearly did in 2011. A younger, more confident Fed would probably be tougher to beat, but not impossible.
 
Sunny014

Sunny014

Legend
In reality Novak has no chance of winning anything outside the Aus open.

TTW is filled with candidates who want to bring futuristic versions to the past to conjure wins, well the thing is you cannot just walk into the past to compete, if you compete with the 06-07 versions on their turfs then you will certainly lose.

Only a person with 0 imagination would say that 2011 Novak can win over 2006 or 2007 USO Fed in 5 sets, that is laughable because in 2011 itself Novak barely won the match, you expect that to repeat if the age gap is removed ?

I thought you were sensible @Pheasant but even you seem to have been fallen prey to this hype from the Novak fan club or maybe after watching Fed humiliate himself repeatedly in old age in 2010s has done a number on you and you believe thats his level in the mid 00s ? SAD.....
 
NatF

NatF

Bionic Poster
tudwell said:
One thing about Rebound Ace – in the heat I believe it would get a bit "sticky" and it would likely be harder for Novak to slide on it, which is such a fundamental part of his game it's hard to know how exactly he would adjust if that weren't available (though maybe it wouldn't be an issue in the first place). Regardless, I'd expect him to take the 06 crown, who knows about 07.

Slight chance to win 2006 French Open. No chance to win 2007.

A chance at 06 Wimbledon – I don't think Novak was fully matured on grass in 2011 and probably wouldn't beat peak Fed, but who knows. I give him very little chance at 07 if only because he'd likely have to go through both Federer and Nadal, both of whom were in monstrous form – better than the Fedal he barely beat to win the 2011 US Open.

US Open, I don't know. He finds ways to falter there and nearly did in 2011. A younger, more confident Fed would probably be tougher to beat, but not impossible.
Click to expand...

First para is what I was going to say. I don't think RA would be as conducive to Djokovic's style of movement as plexi and its the cornstone or his success there.
 
WildRevolver

WildRevolver

Hall of Fame
martinezownsclay said:
Well he was very close to winning both the first 2 sets of the actual 2007 final, and Djokovic 2011 is far better than 2007. Then again the older Federer of 2011 had match points vs 2011 Djokovic. Anyway 2007 final was a very windy day, so now pitting prime Federer vs prime Djokovic, it would depend which of the two you think is the better wind player, and mentally tougher in those unusual conditions mainly.
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I'll go with the one that won 5 straight USO's, all before they built the roof to keep the wind out.
 
NatF

NatF

Bionic Poster
martinezownsclay said:
He would win the 2006 Australian Open very easily. That was Federer's worst ever performance in winning a slam. He struggled with a bunch of people (Baghdatis, Haas, Kiefer, Davydenko) who would have been slaughtered by 2011 Australian Open Djokovic, so no chance he beats Djokovic. Heck I think Federer of the 2011 Australian Open was better than Federer of the 2006 Australian Open, and that Federer fell in straight stes to Djokovic.

Others are most speculation really. Possibly 1 or 2 others anyway, but who knows. Doubt he wins a French, but with his match up issues with Nadal in 2011 specifically who knows, but the fact he took until 2015 to beat Nadal even once at the French is telling. Doubt he wins a Wimbledon either, but he is 3-0 with a much older Federer there, and owns Nadal at the event, so again who knows for sure.
Click to expand...

2006 Fed was better than 2011 AO Fed, he was up and down but capable of raising his game to a different level IMO. Think he can take two sets off 2011'vic on RA but don't think he has the conditioning or consistency to do more.
 
Pheasant

Pheasant

Legend
Sunny014 said:
In reality Novak has no chance of winning anything outside the Aus open.

TTW is filled with candidates who want to bring futuristic versions to the past to conjure wins, well the thing is you cannot just walk into the past to compete, if you compete with the 06-07 versions on their turfs then you will certainly lose.

Only a person with 0 imagination would say that 2011 Novak can win over 2006 or 2007 USO Fed in 5 sets, that is laughable because in 2011 itself Novak barely won the match, you expect that to repeat if the age gap is removed ?

I thought you were sensible @Pheasant but even you seem to have been fallen prey to this hype from the Novak fan club or maybe after watching Fed humiliate himself repeatedly in old age in 2010s has done a number on you and you believe thats his level in the mid 00s ? SAD.....
Click to expand...

Federer sprained his ankle badly at the end of 2005 to a point that he was on crutches until two weeks before the WTF. I don't think that he had scraped off all of the rust by the 2006 AO.

2007 AO was the last of the very best version of Federer. After that, he started losing to lesser players much more often. 2011 Djoker was the very best version of Djoker. So to suggest that 2011 Djoker wins 3 slam titles in 2 years doesn't seem all that crazy to me.

2004-2005 Federer for the most part, was much better than 2007 Federer, except for the AO.
 
Sunny014

Sunny014

Legend
Pheasant said:
Federer sprained his ankle badly at the end of 2005 to a point that he was on crutches until two weeks before the WTF. I don't think that he had scraped off all of the rust by the 2006 AO.

2007 AO was the last of the very best version of Federer. After that, he started losing to lesser players much more often. 2011 Djoker was the very best version of Djoker. So to suggest that 2011 Djoker wins 3 slam titles in 2 years doesn't seem all that crazy to me.

2004-2005 Federer for the most part, was much better than 2007 Federer, except for the AO.
Click to expand...

How does Novak win the USO ???
I am more curious about that.

AO for sure, guys with strong returns have always relished the AOs, Agassi and Safin were 2 such guys, Novak is only better than them, so for sure.

But you even gave Novak the nod at the USO, how is that going to happen?
 
Pheasant

Pheasant

Legend
Sunny014 said:
How does Novak win the USO ???
I am more curious about that.

AO for sure, guys with strong returns have always relished the AOs, Agassi and Safin were 2 such guys, Novak is only better than them, so for sure.

But you even gave Novak the nod at the USO, how is that going to happen?
Click to expand...

I gave 2006 USO to Federer. However, I wasn't at all impressed with Federer at the 2007 USO. I really thought that his reign was coming to an end after 2007. His effort in the final was lackluster at best. I remember telling my wife during 2007 that Federer would be lucky to break Pete's record of 14 slam titles. I really felt that he slipped a bit that year. Thankfully, I was wrong and he got 20. But 14-15 felt like his limit after 2007.
 
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