2020 Australian Open SF: Novak Djokovic [2] vs Roger Federer [3]

[Icsa]

How could the greatest forehand become such a liability for Roger? ...

 

[mike danny]

You really need to listen to what mike sams and fed say more often. If you think fed could have won all his majors with the game he had in 2007 you are mistaken. Especially against nadalovic. All of them have had to change thier games to compete with each other and the field. But do what you gotta do to perpetuate the agenda.

Where exactly have I argued that? Federer too made changes when he was Djokodal's age, but unfortunately he had prime ATG's, so it wasn't enough. Djokovic and Nadal can win slam titkes much easier now because such players are missing today.

 

[swordtennis]

Funny thing is that he wouldn’t mentioned the field if novak was not standing on his way. The guy had double match point at wimbledon and choked. Some people don’t wanna face the reality that novak is in Federer’s head. If it wasnt for him he would be adding to that slams count even at this stage of his career.

+1. Also mike d. Constantly mentions feds age like we are idiots. We understand fed is 38. Things are more difficult for him now. But like fed says if i feel like i do not have a chance to win and or get better i would not be playing! Also up to 35 years old
Is still prime years for these genetic freaks. Only after fed turned 36 i ceded age is a factor now. But fed is no old chump! He never missed a match and always shows up!

 

[swordtennis]

Where exactly have I argued that? Federer too made changes when he was Djokodal's age, but unfortunately he had prime ATG's, so it wasn't enough. Djokovic and Nadal can win slam titkes much easier now because such players are missing today.

Eesy? Wut the. Nadal just had a 5 set war against meddy uso. Djokovic 5 set war with fed. Nadal bit easier at the french but still had to beat fed and dominik back to back. Djokovic taken out in 5 by domi. Djokovic blows out nadal at the ao but it aint easy taking out nadal. AO goat does that. Nadal just got punched out. Stan punched out
Please stop now Mike.

 

[vex]

23% of TTW picked Fed to win this lol

 

[swordtennis]

How could the greatest forehand become such a liability for Roger? ...

Groin injury. He could not plant his feet good. He needs to take a break heal up.

 

[zvelf]

Two breaks for Roger already. May be we are witnessing historic match when Roger finally turns table around in this rivarly after failing for 7 years. Like he did in AO 2017 against Nadal.

Or not.

 

[Che]

He did way better than I expected, good tourney.

 

[3fees]

Congrats to Djokovic blnt Federer Amazing Comeback in the 1st set 76 64 63, No. 17 slam is up and Return to ATP No 1.


Cheers
3Fees

 

[Hood_Man]

It's a shame Rog lost but to be honest he never should have reached the semis.

720 ranking points will do nicely.

 

[marc45]

He’s 38, injured and playing on slow hard, what do you expect? Djokovic will be getting his ass kicked when he’s 38.

he might but by that time he'll probably have the slam record wrapped up so won't bother him as much

 

[beard]

Some Djokovic fans are starting to get really obnoxious! Let's see how far he goes when he is 38 years old.

I really hope Thiem or Zverev take him out in the finals. That's the only thing that will stop these irritating fools!

I remember Fed fans talking same story for years... "Let's see how they will play at 30,31,32,33,34..."

Well, since now they are waaaay better than Fed at a same age... Won last 7 slams...

But same talking from Fed fans continue... They will never learn, never...

 

[quirotkicks]

23% of TTW picked Fed to win this lol

It was actually around 33% before the match. Most would have admitted they were voting with their heart which is the only defense.

 

[marc45]

 

[marc45]

 

[TearTheRoofOff]

I remember Fed fans talking same story for years... "Let's see how they will play at 30,31,32,33,34..."

Well, since now they are waaaay better than Fed at a same age... Won last 7 slams...

But same talking from Fed fans continue... They will never learn, never...

The rather barren following generation totally blindsided everything. Results != level, even if they are an indicator.

 

[tudwell]

Congrats to Djoker on another Australian Open final! Hope whoever meets him there puts up a good fight.

Also it’s weird to think on Sunday he could match Fed’s Wimbledon count here at the Aussie. Maybe it’s the 12 finals and ridiculous longevity (which Djokovic hasn’t had a chance to match yet being almost 6 years younger), but Fed at Wimbledon just feels “bigger” to me than Djokovic here. Though I’m sure that’ll change if Djokovic continues to have success here over the next few years.

 

[Nostradamus]

All these predictions have no basis in reality. Thiem is a serial choker.
And Zverev is a chump too. None of these players will win a set vs Novak in the final. Even if Novak is playing his C game.

I said it before , Medvedev and Stan were the only 2 players who could push Novak. As soon as the draw came out and they were not in Novak's half, the AO title winner was never in doubt.

Thiem power groundies will demolish Novak...…..LOL...…. He did it at French open... Thiem will do it even easier on this hot Australian courts.

 

[D.Nalby12]

Or not.

I firmly believe this Fedr had found answer to Djokovic' game. But it's the mental block prevents him from Winning. It's unlikely Fed will overcome mental block himself. He Will have to wait till Novak' level drops a bit.

 

[TennisFan3]

Thiem power groundies will demolish Novak...…..LOL...…. He did it at French open... Thiem will do it even easier on this hot Australian courts.

Haha. Can I have what you're having?

 

[Nostradamus]

Haha. Can I have what you're having?

ok here you go.

 

[TennisFan3]

ok here you go.

Thanks. Feels great.

 

[Nostradamus]

 

[Nostradamus]

 

[quirotkicks]

Where exactly have I argued that? Federer too made changes when he was Djokodal's age, but unfortunately he had prime ATG's, so it wasn't enough. Djokovic and Nadal can win slam titkes much easier now because such players are missing today.

I hope this weekend is the start of many slams for Thiem. If he wins this Australian I could see him taking RG too possibly. I love the kid so much. Not the most exciting game but he works so hard, is so professional, and is such a sweetheart and sportsman.

It is crazy Thiem never wins awards like Favorite Player or atleast the Sportsmanship award. He is the classiest person on tour now personality wise.

 

[beard]

If they were the same age I would concur somewhat. But they are not, so I do not.

Age, age, age.... Someone should tell Nadal that Fed is so old... Nadal can't beat Fed off clay for years, he obviously isn't aware of granddad's age...

But it's ok, denial is normal human reaction in this type of situations...

 

[vex]

I firmly believe this Fedr had found answer to Djokovic' game. But it's the mental block prevents him from Winning. It's unlikely Fed will overcome mental block himself. He Will have to wait till Novak' level drops a bit.

Judging from thier games atm:

- Fed’s serve has to be on point to get past Djoker. Djoker’s return sometimes puts Fed off balance. Djoker’s serve is as good as its ever been. All in all serves/returns are roughly a wash, edge to Djoker if Fed isn’t serving perfectly.

- groundies - Fed is playing with significantly less margin but he creates more winners because of the aggression. Occasionally his groundies go completely off the rails and you can’t believe he’s a top 10 player. Djoker’s groundies are safer but still quite aggressive and effective. Less often then Fed but still, far more often than in the past, his groundies go a bit off the rails. Occasionally Djoker gets locked into a passive mode when he should be attack and gets blown away. All in all: Slight edge Djoker.

- movement: huge edge Djoker at this point. Erases a lot of Fed’s offense and creates easy shots for Djoker. Djoker looks like he still has about 90-95% of his movement. Fed down in the 70s.

- mental toughness: huge edge Djoker

All in all at thier current levels I think Djoker wins 98% of the BO5s and 67% of the BO3s

 

[zvelf]

Only Fed could be up a break twice, have points for a double break lead, be two points from the set...and then lose the set getting pasted in the tiebreak.

Well, that's probably still not as bad as Millman losing a tiebreak from 8-4 up and at least Federer didn't lose 7 match points!

 

[D.Nalby12]

Judging from thier games atm:

- Fed’s serve has to be on point to get past Djoker. Djoker’s return sometimes puts Fed off balance. Djoker’s serve is as good as its ever been. All in all serves/returns are roughly a wash, edge to Djoker if Fed isn’t serving perfectly.

- groundies - Fed is playing with significantly less margin but he creates more winners because of the aggression. Occasionally his groundies go completely off the rails and you can’t believe he’s a top 10 player. Djoker’s groundies are safer but still quite aggressive and effective. Less often then Fed but still, far more often than in the past, his groundies go a bit off the rails. Occasionally Djoker gets locked into a passive mode when he should be attack and gets blown away. All in all: Slight edge Djoker.

- movement: huge edge Djoker at this point. Erases a lot of Fed’s offense and creates easy shots for Djoker. Djoker looks like he still has about 90-95% of his movement. Fed down in the 70s.

- mental toughness: huge edge Djoker

All in all at thier current levels I think Djoker wins 98% of the BO5s and 67% of the BO3s

Djokovic is human after all. He can't play like he is 26 till the end of time. Somewhere his level will drop as part of permanent decline.

 

[quirotkicks]

Well, that's probably still not as bad as Millman losing a tiebreak from 8-4 up and at least Federer didn't lose 7 match points!

True but those guys are mugs (relatively speaking, no disrespect) so it is half expected they would choke. A big champion like Federer is held to a higher standard.

 

[zvelf]

I feel Zverev in the final could be a deer in headlights moment for him and he ends up like Murray did in the AO2011 final where he got wiped off the court. I don't feel Zverev is ready for war in a Slam final. He'd probably get bagelled in the first set and then be in an uphill battle while cursing himself and his box and smashing his racquet, and Djokovic runs away with it in straights.
Thiem on the other hand has been in a few Slam finals now and also has beaten Djokovic in 2 Slams and beaten him in their last meeting. Not to mention has already been through some tough battles and a war with Nadal and is more likely battle-hardened. So Thiem has a better shot, especially as he hits with a lot of power which is how Stan beats Djokovic in Slams. You have to bludgeon Djokovic like the Stanimal does to beat him on these slow as f*ck courts. Federer's finesse style with his slices and half volleys doesn't work. Thiem needs to bring out the heavy artillery to blast the Djoker.

Add to that, Zverev has pledged to give away all his winnings should he win the final, so as much as charity is a motivation, he has less financial motivation to win.

 

[vex]

Djokovic is human after all. He can't play like he is 26 till the end of time. Somewhere his level will drop as part of permanent decline.

Oh don’t worry his movement and consistency has already dropped

if he’s going to have any chance of catching the slam record he will have to learn to follow good groundies to the net instead of trying to beat everyone from the baseline. At the moment his game isn’t set up for the longevity Fed has experienced

 

[BeatlesFan]

He's back in a grand slam final. You are allowed to celebrate when that happens no matter the circumstances.

Watch Rafa after destroying Fed in a slam final. He was classy and smart enough to behave like this after winning, out of respect to Roger, at 10:47:

 

[quirotkicks]

Watch Rafa after destroying Fed in a slam final. He was classy and smart enough to behave like this after winning.

Rafa and Fed are friends though, or atleast have a cordial relationship, even if they aren't bffs like the media tried to potray them at one point.

Djokovic and Rafa too.

Djokovic and Federer flat out don't like each other. That was evident from early on in their rivalry when Djokovic's parents and Federer took barbs at each other. Different dynamic altogether.

 

[BeatlesFan]

that speech was perfectly engineered to try and win over some Fed fans before the final.

How is making a casual, factual remark like “Nadal and Federer are my two greatest rivals in slams” engineered to win over Fed fans? If Roger said in a presser, “my two biggest rivals in slams are Rafa and Novak,” that too would be engineered to win over Novak fans?

It makes no sense.

 

[vex]

Rafa and Fed are friends though, or atleast have a cordial relationship, even if they aren't bffs like the media tried to potray them at one point.

Djokovic and Rafa too.

Djokovic and Federer flat out don't like each other. That was evident from early on in their rivalry when Djokovic's parents and Federer took barbs at each other. Different dynamic altogether.

Don’t like each other is a bit too much. More like they didn’t like each other and they’ve drifted towards a hard earned, begrudging respect. Djoker didn’t turn out to be as dominant as perhaps he imagined after 2011 and Fed proved to be consistently annoying even past his prime. Meanwhile Djokovic has blocked so many slams from Fed that Fed has come to accept him as a top tier ATG. Much like everything else in this 3 way thing Rafa and Fed created a duopoly early and accepted/respected the other from early on to the point where they like each other generally. Djoker was the uninvited party crasher and for older Fed it to a bit to accept the guy for what he is and it took a bit for Djoker to mature

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Thiem power groundies will demolish Novak...…..LOL...…. He did it at French open... Thiem will do it even easier on this hot Australian courts.

Dream on sunshine. You dream on!

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Oh don’t worry his movement and consistency has already dropped

if he’s going to have any chance of catching the slam record he will have to learn to follow good groundies to the net instead of trying to beat everyone from the baseline. At the moment his game isn’t set up for the longevity Fed has experienced

Lol at this post! Yeah sure, if he wins this AO he’s won 5 of the last 7 slams. Yeah his game is really struggling. Nice logic

 

[Feather]

Congress to Novak Djokovic and his fans. Good luck for him in the final

 

[swordtennis]

Congress to Novak Djokovic and his fans. Good luck for him in the final

Thank you. Sorry for the loss. Fed still looked good even with the groin.

 

[Nostradamus]

Dream on sunshine. You dream on!

you will see the same look on novak after he loses in the final this time to Thiem.

 

[Feather]

+1. Also mike d. Constantly mentions feds age like we are idiots. We understand fed is 38. Things are more difficult for him now. But like fed says if i feel like i do not have a chance to win and or get better i would not be playing! Also up to 35 years old
Is still prime years for these genetic freaks. Only after fed turned 36 i ceded age is a factor now. But fed is no old chump! He never missed a match and always shows up!

The person you quoted is one of the most obnoxious Roger Federer fans.

It's tough to watch Roger Federer match threads when that guy is! He calls Roger words like mental midget and stuff like Roger should retire. Why? We want him to play. If everyone except grandslam winners should retire, then the entire ATP excluding Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal should retire not just Roger Federer!

Okay, I can agree that Roger Federer should have won Wimbledon. But today is a different case. Even healthy Roger Federer is a huge underdog against Novak Djokovic here today. Can't blame Roger for losing today. He was at a disadvantage. He could have easily let go off when he was seven match points down in the last match. Instead he chose to fight. That poster was calling Roger all those colorful words.

Just my two cents. Sorry if my reply is out of place

 

[OrangeOne]

How is making a casual, factual remark like “Nadal and Federer are my two greatest rivals in slams” engineered to win over Fed fans? If Roger said in a presser, “my two biggest rivals in slams are Rafa and Novak,” that too would be engineered to win over Novak fans?

It makes no sense.

Wasn't referring to that remark. Was referring to Novak's whole on-court post-match speech. It was far more gracious than usual, gifted a lot of ground to Federer, seemed smartly tactical in front of an RLA audience that will have 1000's of repeat fans in the final.

 

[swordtennis]

Lol at this post! Yeah sure, if he wins this AO he’s won 5 of the last 7 slams. Yeah his game is really struggling. Nice logic

Not sure they watched even the highlights. No variety they say. That running slice drop shots.

The person you quoted is one of the most obnoxious Roger Federer fans.

It's tough to watch Roger Federer match threads when that guy is! He calls Roger words like mental midget and stuff like Roger should retire. Why? We want him to play. If everyone except grandslam winners should retire, then the entire ATP excluding Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal should retire not just Roger Federer!

Okay, I can agree that Roger Federer should have won Wimbledon. But today is a different case. Even healthy Roger Federer is a huge underdog against Novak Djokovic here today. Can't blame Roger for losing today. He was at a disadvantage. He could have easily let go off when he was seven match points down in the last match. Instead he chose to fight. That poster was calling Roger all those colorful words.

Just my two cents. Sorry if my reply is out of place

Not out of place at all feather. We welcome you here along with the others like mike sams etc. The wimbledon loss was a hard one. Djokovic has had some brutal losses too but i do not think any as tough as that one. Hard to take so i understand the lashing out. Also djokovic still has one match to go. It is no lock #17!

 

[Nostradamus]

Dream on sunshine. You dream on!

Look at this and be scared , be very scared.

 

[beard]

 

[TennisFan3]

Look at this and be scared , be very scared.

Your posts always crack me up. Thanks for the laughs.

 

[quirotkicks]

The person you quoted is one of the most obnoxious Roger Federer fans.

It's tough to watch Roger Federer match threads when that guy is! He calls Roger words like mental midget and stuff like Roger should retire. Why? We want him to play. If everyone except grandslam winners should retire, then the entire ATP excluding Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal should retire not just Roger Federer!

Okay, I can agree that Roger Federer should have won Wimbledon. But today is a different case. Even healthy Roger Federer is a huge underdog against Novak Djokovic here today. Can't blame Roger for losing today. He was at a disadvantage. He could have easily let go off when he was seven match points down in the last match. Instead he chose to fight. That poster was calling Roger all those colorful words.

Just my two cents. Sorry if my reply is out of place

As a non Federer fan, I can 100% agree nothing could be reasonably expected from him in this match beforehand. I even said IMO he should WD since he was physically already hurting, and there was serious injury risk IMO.

That said with how the match played out, he should have done a bit better than he did, atleast won 1 set (the 1st set). So it is fair to note his struggles with nerves vs Djokovic continuing some with how the 1st set ended.

 

[Mike Sams]

Add to that, Zverev has pledged to give away all his winnings should he win the final, so as much as charity is a motivation, he has less financial motivation to win.

By winning the grand slam, his stardom would go to a whole other level which means considerably more opportunities for major sponsorships and advertising/appearance fees. The prize money would be peanuts in comparison to what he stands to make as a bonafide NextGen superstar. He'd be in position to make multi millions outside of the sport as he's got the looks, charm and presence about him to be THAT guy that sponsors and advertisers would love. He's got every motivation to win.

 

[weakera]

Watch Rafa after destroying Fed in a slam final. He was classy and smart enough to behave like this after winning, out of respect to Roger, at 10:47:

Rafa is a special guy. Most would celebrate. Believe me I prefer the Rafa way, but I don't think people should get on Nole for being fired up today. It is what it is.