2018 US Open F - JM Del Potro (3) vs Novak Djokovic (6)

[tennis_pro]

What an interesting final! Both had fairly easy draws and easy SF matches so fatigue shouldn't be a factor.

H2h stands at 11-4 for Djokovic. Del Potro has been Djokovic's boogeyman at the Olympics beating him in 2012 and 2016 while also beating him in DC in 2011 (Djokovic retired) and in Indian Wells in 2013 where Del Potro also took out Murray and was up a set and a break against Nadal in the final.

They have played at the US Open twice (2007, 2012) and Djokovic won both matches in straight sets. Del Potro has the potential to score an upset but can he bring his A game against a rejuvenated Djokovic?

If Del Potro wins:
He'll become a multiple Slam champion and he'll be 120 points behind Fed (who's no 2) in the rankings. He'd also advance to no 2 in the Race and only be 1700 points behind Nadal.

If Djokovic wins:
He equals Sampras' 14 Slams and IMO becomes a greater player than him. He'll stay at no 2 in the Race and will only be 1000 points behind Nadal becoming a favorite to end the year at no 1 IMO. He'll also be back to the top 3 in the rankings, probably the last time we'll see the big 3 occupying the top 3 spots.

Who do you see winning?

 

[Midaso240]

Nishikori in 5

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

The people's champion vs Serbia's champion

 

[tennis_pro]

Nishikori in 5

Yep, if only he can make a comeback from 3-6 4-6 2-5 (double break).

Edit 27 seconds later: shocking news, he didn't.

 

[BeatlesFan]

Novak 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

 

[The Green Mile]

What an interesting final! Both had fairly easy draws and easy SF matches so fatigue shouldn't be a factor.

H2h stands at 11-4 for Djokovic. Del Potro has been Djokovic's boogeyman at the Olympics beating him in 2012 and 2016 while also beating him in DC in 2011 (Djokovic retired) and in Indian Wells in 2013 where Del Potro also took out Murray and was up a set and a break against Nadal in the final.

They have played at the US Open twice (2007, 2012) and Djokovic won both matches in straight sets. Del Potro has the potential to score an upset but can he bring his A game against a rejuvenated Djokovic?

If Del Potro wins:
He'll become a multiple Slam champion and he'll be 120 points behind Fed (who's no 2) in the rankings. He'd also advance to no 2 in the Race and only be 1700 points behind Nadal.

If Djokovic wins:
He equals Sampras' 14 Slams and IMO becomes a greater player than him. He'll stay at no 2 in the Race and will only be 1000 points behind Nadal becoming a favorite to end the year at no 1 IMO. He'll also be back to the top 3 in the rankings, probably the last time we'll see the big 3 occupying the top 3 spots.

Who do you see winning?

I watched their 07 R3 match a few weeks ago, Djokovic rolled over Juan comfortably. Five years later you get a brilliant straight sets match in terms of quality. Another six years later, I'm hoping for an even more impressive match from the big man.

 

[tennis_pro]

I watched their 07 R3 match a few weeks ago, Djokovic rolled over Juan comfortably. Five years later you get a brilliant straight sets match in terms of quality. Another six years later, I'm hoping for an even more impressive match from the big man.

I remember the 2012 match like it was yesterday. Del Potro was absolutely murdering the ball and he just couldn't hit through Djokovic. I believe he was serving for the 2nd set too an got broken. One of the best straight set matches I've seen.

Btw can't believe the only players who took a set off of Djokovic were Fucsovics and Sandgren.

 

[Maestroesque]

Delpo in 5 please

 

[Deleted member 77403]

2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

incredible consistency here

 

[tennis_pro]

Novak 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

This is my biggest fear.

Djokovic is playing so well I give him a 90% chance of winning, if not more. I hope Del Potro can at least win a set to make it interesting.

 

[Midaso240]

Well,it will be a great match for sure. No doubt they have been the 2 best players of this tournament. I would like to see Del Potro hold the trophy,but my feeling is Djokovic in 5...

 

[Deleted member 688153]

I've got a feeling it's going to be a really good match.

 

[Deleted member 688153]

2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

incredible consistency here

Wow, didn't realise that but you're right. That's amazing.

(He made the 2007 final too of course)

 

[Deleted member 756486]

2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

incredible consistency here

2014 he should’ve won. Made up for it tonight though.

 

[Shangri La]

What time is the final?

 

[AndyM]

Not to mention Final in 2007 where he lost a fed and he was only 20 years ol semi final appearances losses to Federer in 2008 and 2009 basically every year he plays at the US Open he either makes it to the semifinals Finalsevery year he plays at th

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

Really pleased for both of them. Hopefully they give us a very good match.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Btw can't believe the only players who took a set off of Djokovic were Fucsovics and Sandgren.

His path did consist of cans so it's not surprising.

 

[AndyM]

Djokovic loves the US Open courts but I need him to win this final I mean he's been in the finals 8 times and I need three and five finals record

 

[tennis_pro]

His path did consist of cans so it's not surprising.

Yeah but to be fair he just demolished Nishikori who was in pretty good form.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Yeah but to be fair he just demolished Nishikori who was in pretty good form.

https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/ind...nishikori-like-2-5000-vs-the-top-guys.562511/

 

[tennis_pro]

2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

incredible consistency here

Why not go further

2007 final
2008 semi
2009 semi
2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

Actually Djokovic hasn't lost before the semis of the US Open since 2006. Think about that - Agassi was still an active player...

It's crazy he's only won it twice. While the early losses to peak/prime Federer are forgiven he should've won at least one edition in 2012-2014.

 

[BeatlesFan]

2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

incredible consistency here

Lendl at the USO still beats this consistency.

 

[tennis_pro]

Lendl at the USO still beats this consistency.

Well you can't argue with 8 finals in a row but you have to excuse Djokovic for not being able to beat prime Fed in those early semis.

 

[Deleted member 756486]

Anyone else feel a bit sorry for PETE or is it just me?

 

[tennis_pro]

Anyone else feel a bit sorry for PETE or is it just me?

Why would you feel sorry for him?

Is it because he kinda wasted so many opportunities to bag more Slams? He didn't know what was coming?

If you look at Fed, Nad, Djok - their consistency, longevity and what it took to beat all of them in the Slams even when they were underperforming it kinds gives you a different perspective on Sampras. A couple of years there were still so many people on the forum who claimed Sampras had greater competition than the big 3 and especially Fed. Well look again.

 

[Deleted member 756486]

Why would you feel sorry for him?

Because it wasn’t that long ago he was widely viewed as the GOAT. He had the most slams.

Could be #4 in the rankings by next year. Ouch.

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

Why not go further

2007 final
2008 semi
2009 semi
2010 final
2011 final
2012 final
2013 final
2014 semi
2015 final
2016 final
2018 final

Actually Djokovic hasn't lost before the semis of the US Open since 2006. Think about that - Agassi was still an active player...

It's crazy he's only won it twice. While the early losses to peak/prime Federer are forgiven he should've won at least one edition in 2012-2014.

2016 was a sham.
And he was lucky the two times that he did.

 

[tennis_pro]

Because it wasn’t that long ago he was widely viewed as the GOAT. He had the most slams.

Could be #4 in the rankings by next year. Ouch.

If Djokovic wins Sampras has nothing on him, really.

1) Slams
14-14 but Djokovic has all 4, way more semis/finals and look at his opponents in the finals. The only argument you can make for Sampras here is that he has more Wimbledon titles but it's not like Djokovic has only 2 (WINK WINK) but has won it 4 times. Even if you want to diss Djokovic for winning 6 of his Slams in Australia he had some insane draws there.

2) MS
I'll be nice to Pete here and remain silent

3) WTF
5-5 but it's hard to believe Djokovic won't win at least 1 more. Even now it's equal.

Look at overall titles, consistency, winning %, ANYTHING. The one thing that's arguable is Pete's 6 YE#1 but if you look at some of the years like 1998 it gives you a different perspective. Sampras in 1998 had a similar season to Del Potro in 2009 and Del Potro ended 2009 at no 5.

But all of that can be ignored because Djokovic is still playing, he's still fairly young at 31, the competition he's gonna face for the near future is gonna be far less of that from a couple of years ago (Nadal injured, Federer very old, Murray done, Wawrinka pretty old himself and still needs more time to make a proper comeback, young players suck). I mean is there anyone who thinks Djokovic won't win a 15th Slam if he wins the final here?

 

[StannisTheMannis]

Anyone else feel a bit sorry for PETE or is it just me?

Nope all the big 3 have earned legacies greater than his.

 

[Milehigh5280]

Despite their weak draws, they've both played the best tennis all tournament, so I feel like this is the rightful final. I'm hoping for a classic, but I think it'll be Novak in 4. Delpo wins a tiebreak in the 2nd set then Nole cruises to victory

 

[tennis_pro]

Hey @paranoidandroid

It's actually kind of insane that Djokovic will surpass Sampras despite playing in the same era with Federer and Nadal from day 1. Sampras was a great player no doubt but some of his draws were a joke compared to Djokovic's draws and the only other great player he faced in his prime was Agassi who wasn't even there half of the time. Sampras should've done more, way more considering the competition that he had.

But on the other hand I don't blame him, he didn't have the motivation that the big 3 had, nobody to really push him hard. Agassi did it but only for a brief time (1994/1995 and 1999/2000)

 

[Checkmate]

Hey @paranoidandroid

It's actually kind of insane that Djokovic will surpass Sampras despite playing in the same era with Federer and Nadal from day 1. Sampras was a great player no doubt but some of his draws were a joke compared to Djokovic's draws and the only other great player he faced in his prime was Agassi who wasn't even there half of the time. Sampras should've done more, way more considering the competition that he had.

But on the other hand I don't blame him, he didn't have the motivation that the big 3 had, nobody to really push him hard. Agassi did it but only for a brief time (1994/1995 and 1999/2000)

Lack of competition also hurt Djokovic in 2016 who reportedly didn't want to train hard.

 

[Hyde]

Hey @paranoidandroid

It's actually kind of insane that Djokovic will surpass Sampras despite playing in the same era with Federer and Nadal from day 1. Sampras was a great player no doubt but some of his draws were a joke compared to Djokovic's draws and the only other great player he faced in his prime was Agassi who wasn't even there half of the time. Sampras should've done more, way more considering the competition that he had.

Also Sampras had just 18 Slam finals overall. Much less than Novaks 23.

 

[tennis_pro]

Also Sampras had just 18 Slam finals overall. Much less than Novaks 23.

And now that Djokovic is back with far lesser competition than a couple of years ago it's hard to believe that he won't add at least a couple more.

 

[Mr.Lob]

Del Possum in 4.

 

[Krish0608]

Del Potro in 4. His serve and FH are in devastating form and his backhand has become surprisingly amazing. Djokovic is not even close to 2015 level as people are claiming. He's playing well, but a red hot player can take him out, as we'll find out on Sunday.

 

[TennisFan3]

Djokovic in straights. Delpo has nothing to trouble Djoker, who's a terrible matchup for the Argentinian .

Djokovic 7-5, 6-4, 6-1

People are massively overrating Delpo form here . He is nowhere near the 2009 form. His backhand is weak and Djokovic will destroy it. Movement is also suspect.

The only guy who beats Djoker in this mood is Stan the Man.

 

[dgold44]

What an interesting final! Both had fairly easy draws and easy SF matches so fatigue shouldn't be a factor.

H2h stands at 11-4 for Djokovic. Del Potro has been Djokovic's boogeyman at the Olympics beating him in 2012 and 2016 while also beating him in DC in 2011 (Djokovic retired) and in Indian Wells in 2013 where Del Potro also took out Murray and was up a set and a break against Nadal in the final.

They have played at the US Open twice (2007, 2012) and Djokovic won both matches in straight sets. Del Potro has the potential to score an upset but can he bring his A game against a rejuvenated Djokovic?

If Del Potro wins:
He'll become a multiple Slam champion and he'll be 120 points behind Fed (who's no 2) in the rankings. He'd also advance to no 2 in the Race and only be 1700 points behind Nadal.

If Djokovic wins:
He equals Sampras' 14 Slams and IMO becomes a greater player than him. He'll stay at no 2 in the Race and will only be 1000 points behind Nadal becoming a favorite to end the year at no 1 IMO. He'll also be back to the top 3 in the rankings, probably the last time we'll see the big 3 occupying the top 3 spots.

Who do you see winning?

Djoker has the best return in history and these super slow courts will favor him

Djoker in 4 tough sets

 

[sbengte]

As happy as I am for Del Hotro making the final after 9 long years, I am bummed that we won't get Djokodal

 

[dgold44]

Djoker is equal with nadal in accomplishments and both are slightly ahead of sampras

 

[dgold44]

Djokovic in straights. Delpo has nothing to trouble Djoker, who's a terrible matchup for the Argentinian .

Djokovic 7-5, 6-4, 6-1

People are massively overrating Delpo form here . He is nowhere near the 2009 form. His backhand is weak and Djokovic will destroy it. Movement is also suspect.

The only guy who beats Djoker in this mood is Stan the Man.

No !

Del po is taking one set and the 2 biggest weapons are on Del po side !!!

 

[tennis_pro]

As happy as I am for Del Hotro making the final after 9 long years, I am bummed that we won't get Djokodal

After watching the Djokovic-Nishikori semi believe me this is a better final. Djokovic would've demolished Nadal.

 

[TennisFan3]

No !

Del po is taking one set and the 2 biggest weapons are on Del po side !!!

I don't see any way Delpo can win a set unless Djokovic sleeps or something like that. It will be like the Wimbledon final.

 

[dgold44]

After watching the Djokovic-Nishikori semi believe me this is a better final. Djokovic would've demolished Nadal.

Djoker is a better player than nadal on any non-clay surface

 

[dgold44]

This is my biggest fear.

Djokovic is playing so well I give him a 90% chance of winning, if not more. I hope Del Potro can at least win a set to make it interesting.

If Del wins the first set ....

Then it will be Djoker in 5

 

[metsman]

Why would you feel sorry for him?

Is it because he kinda wasted so many opportunities to bag more Slams? He didn't know what was coming?

If you look at Fed, Nad, Djok - their consistency, longevity and what it took to beat all of them in the Slams even when they were underperforming it kinds gives you a different perspective on Sampras. A couple of years there were still so many people on the forum who claimed Sampras had greater competition than the big 3 and especially Fed. Well look again.

Sampras had to deal with an actual younger generation, which he lost to in 4 different majors in 1.5 years, and massively changing conditions (he still proved he could win a slam in those conditions, just that there was no need for him to really keep playing and bust his ass to completely reinvent his game). That's not even close to comparable to today's clownshow.

It's pretty insane to see 3 guys match/exceed Sampras in just about 15 years. But it speaks to how the game has changed, and not for the better.

 

[metsman]

Hey @paranoidandroid

It's actually kind of insane that Djokovic will surpass Sampras despite playing in the same era with Federer and Nadal from day 1. Sampras was a great player no doubt but some of his draws were a joke compared to Djokovic's draws and the only other great player he faced in his prime was Agassi who wasn't even there half of the time. Sampras should've done more, way more considering the competition that he had.

But on the other hand I don't blame him, he didn't have the motivation that the big 3 had, nobody to really push him hard. Agassi did it but only for a brief time (1994/1995 and 1999/2000)

Djokovic hasn't had an actually tough draw to win a slam since like 2014 Wimbledon. Actually, besides 2017 AO, no one has since then. Nadal pulling off this tournament would have been the only comparable but he fell well short.

Sampras should have done a bit more, but there were plenty of other obstacles beyond his control, some untimely injuries in slams he was just about a lock to win (unlike Nadal), his coach dying. And Djokovic should have done more in his prime too, but unlike Sampras, he actually got a second chance and currently is on his third one.

 

[Nostradamus]

What an interesting final! Both had fairly easy draws and easy SF matches so fatigue shouldn't be a factor.

H2h stands at 11-4 for Djokovic. Del Potro has been Djokovic's boogeyman at the Olympics beating him in 2012 and 2016 while also beating him in DC in 2011 (Djokovic retired) and in Indian Wells in 2013 where Del Potro also took out Murray and was up a set and a break against Nadal in the final.

They have played at the US Open twice (2007, 2012) and Djokovic won both matches in straight sets. Del Potro has the potential to score an upset but can he bring his A game against a rejuvenated Djokovic?

If Del Potro wins:
He'll become a multiple Slam champion and he'll be 120 points behind Fed (who's no 2) in the rankings. He'd also advance to no 2 in the Race and only be 1700 points behind Nadal.

If Djokovic wins:
He equals Sampras' 14 Slams and IMO becomes a greater player than him. He'll stay at no 2 in the Race and will only be 1000 points behind Nadal becoming a favorite to end the year at no 1 IMO. He'll also be back to the top 3 in the rankings, probably the last time we'll see the big 3 occupying the top 3 spots.

Who do you see winning?

Delpo must make this into Olympics match, then he can win.

 

[Nostradamus]

The people's champion vs Serbia's champion

Novak dared to ask the fans in NY to get pumped up and go crazy for him,,,,,,,,,,,all the while he was blowing away Kei and putting people to sleep................. You are NO Connors dude..... if you want to be treated like one,,,you have to make the Match Exciting...... Then Fans will go crazy for you....Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.