A beautiful moment has slipped away, for all of us...

HuusHould

Hall of Fame
A beautiful moment has arrived. One of the NextGen has his hands on the trophy. Nothing could be more beautiful than that.

Yeah, just in the nick of time as well. Obviously Thiem won last year, but of course Novak was defaulted (worth mentioning he was already down a set to someone who beat him at the Olympics though). So maybe the US Open is the NextGen slam. To beat Novak like that when he's still near the peak of his powers was a great thing for the next-gen players, otherwise people would downplay the value of their major title wins if they had to wait for the big 3 to retire before winning anything.
 

Mainad

Bionic Poster
Its way easier winning it during the country club era with far less players and a FRACTION of the physicality than it is now. Yes. And what was Laver, smaller than Ferrer? LOL. Dude was only a few inches taller than Shwarzmann for god sakes. Laver would be lucky to win a masters event much less a slam much less a calendar slam at his size now.

Not only does Novak have to deal with 3 surfaces (as opposed to 2 during Laver's day) he has to deal with monsters damn near a foot taller and more powerful than anyone in the 60s and also that are way more fit

Compared to Laver, Novak is one of those monsters.
 
V

Vamos Rafa Nadal

Guest
I was extremely happy, not only for Medvedev, who deserved to win, but also because I am hopeful that the winding down of the big 3 era (which has been amazing) has begun and we can start to have other Grand Slam winners on a regular basis.

I was not happy with the media, who hyped the CYGS storyline at the expense of the other stories that were happening at this amazing USO this year. After the match was over I was watching Tennis Channel waiting for the re-broadcast of the final and they acted like they were at a wake after a funeral - it was infuriating! How about being happy for Medvedev, who actually deserved to win based on an amazing tournament? How about they knock off all their hero-worshipping and their biases towards certain players (Coco Gauff in particular) and let the tournament unfold and tell the stories of whichever players achieve the most in the tournament?

I get that Djokovic fans wanted their player to win but I for one have been learning how to not be such a fanboy of players and pay more attention to the actual level of play that is going on in the matches. (This does not mean that I am not a fan of certain players more than others - Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz in particular).

Instead of being sad be happy that there is so much more depth to men's tour right now - with new younger players coming up, the players in the next tier under the big 3 emerging with a higher level of play, and a brand new Grand Slam winner who really deserved to win the tournament based on his amazing tennis!
 

beltsman

G.O.A.T.
Perhaps you need the benefit of age to know how sad it was to see the Grand Slam slip away last night.

When Laver won the Grand Slam in 69, when I was a young man, I took it for granted that I would see other attempts: some would succeed, some would fail. Yet here we are 52 years later -and I am no longer a young man -and only one male player has got within touching distance of the summit.

When you are young, you think opportunities will always come along, there will always be another chance.
As the song says:
"I knew there were mountains to climb, life had no reason and life had no rhyme,
but at the time I thought I had time".
But time is the one thing we have less of every second.

I'm devastated that I didn't get to see a second Grand Slam. I very much doubt I'll live to see another one. I'll never understand the bitterness of people who can be glad that Djokovic failed. And I say that as a Nadal fan. It would have been a memory as a tennis fan you would have held forever. You would have been able to tell your grandkids you saw the Grand Slam be achieved.

I'll just have to add experiencing the Grand Slam in 1969 to my ever-growing list of beautiful things I once experienced but will never experience again: seeing David Bowie in concert, shaking hands with my sporting hero, Muhammad Ali, standing on the top of the twin towers.

All of these moments have been lost in time. Like tears in rain...

:-D:-D:-D
 
Perhaps you need the benefit of age to know how sad it was to see the Grand Slam slip away last night.

When Laver won the Grand Slam in 69, when I was a young man, I took it for granted that I would see other attempts: some would succeed, some would fail. Yet here we are 52 years later -and I am no longer a young man -and only one male player has got within touching distance of the summit.

When you are young, you think opportunities will always come along, there will always be another chance.
As the song says:
"I knew there were mountains to climb, life had no reason and life had no rhyme,
but at the time I thought I had time".
But time is the one thing we have less of every second.

I'm devastated that I didn't get to see a second Grand Slam. I very much doubt I'll live to see another one. I'll never understand the bitterness of people who can be glad that Djokovic failed. And I say that as a Nadal fan. It would have been a memory as a tennis fan you would have held forever. You would have been able to tell your grandkids you saw the Grand Slam be achieved.

I'll just have to add experiencing the Grand Slam in 1969 to my ever-growing list of beautiful things I once experienced but will never experience again: seeing David Bowie in concert, shaking hands with my sporting hero, Muhammad Ali, standing on the top of the twin towers.

All of these moments have been lost in time. Like tears in rain...

The better and more deserving player on the day won. Professional sport is and should be the Darwinian jungle- survival of the fittest and strongest. I don't see the need to get teary eyed or wax nostalgia on what could've been. Fairy tale endings live in Hollywood movies.

That said, Novak has a strong case for the greatest among the Big 3, if not outright GOAT (to me, that spot is reserved for Pete). And I say this as a Fed fan.

May this spur Medvedev to attain even higher levels. I am truly excited for AO 2022.
 
Its way easier winning it during the country club era with far less players and a FRACTION of the physicality than it is now. Yes. And what was Laver, smaller than Ferrer? LOL. Dude was only a few inches taller than Shwarzmann for god sakes. Laver would be lucky to win a masters event much less a slam much less a calendar slam at his size now.

Not only does Novak have to deal with 3 surfaces (as opposed to 2 during Laver's day) he has to deal with monsters damn near a foot taller and more powerful than anyone in the 60s and also that are way more fit
Pete Sampras had it WAY harder with the quality of players (Becker, Edberg, Courier, Ivanisevic, Mcenroe, Agassi, Krajicek, Stich, Rios, Lendl, Rafter, Muster, Kuerten, Bruguera, Henman and the list goes on ...)
 
V

Vamos Rafa Nadal

Guest
Pete Sampras had it WAY harder with the quality of players (Becker, Edberg, Courier, Ivanisevic, Mcenroe, Agassi, Krajicek, Stich, Rios, Lendl, Rafter, Muster, Kuerten, Bruguera, Henman and the list goes on ...)
I am reading Pete Sampras's autobiography at the moment - it is endlessly fascinating! He wrote it in 2008, when he was considered the GOAT with 14 Grand Slams. The tour has changed so much since he was the best player in the world.
 
How was Laver's 1969 grand slam perceived back then? Was it seen as a really extraordinary achievement as it would be today? Or was it 'just great'?
It wasn't quite as extraordinary an achievement as Laver had managed it seven years earlier. But it was certainly remarkable-and many players thought it couldn't happen in the Open Era.
 

The Blond Blur

G.O.A.T.
A beautiful moment has slipped away, for all of us...
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R. Schweikart

Professional
....
I'm devastated that I didn't get to see a second Grand Slam. I very much doubt I'll live to see another one. I'll never understand the bitterness of people who can be glad that Djokovic failed. ...

I'll never understand the bitterness of people who are devastated that Djokovic failed.
 
V

Vamos Rafa Nadal

Guest
The best player in the tournament won; he earned it. I loved every single moment of USO 2021, tbh I think it's my favorite Grand Slam ever. So many great matches, so much drama, so many great stories, on both the men's and women's sides of the tournament. And Carlos Alcaraz got to the Quarters in his first USO, defeating the #3 player in the world! A qualifier won the Grand Slam in only her second GS! Just astonishing!!!!
 

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
I’m not very sentimental. I started the match really supporting Djokovic and wanting him to achieve the Grand Slam. But, he never looked like he played well enough to deserve winning a set, let alone the match. By halfway through the second set, I was ready for a quick kill by Daniil so that I could move on with my weekend and watch some football. I was not very entertained by that one-sided match with the guy famous for awkward shots winning - he fully deserved the title though.
 
Perhaps you need the benefit of age to know how sad it was to see the Grand Slam slip away last night.

When Laver won the Grand Slam in 69, when I was a young man, I took it for granted that I would see other attempts: some would succeed, some would fail. Yet here we are 52 years later -and I am no longer a young man -and only one male player has got within touching distance of the summit.

When you are young, you think opportunities will always come along, there will always be another chance.
As the song says:
"I knew there were mountains to climb, life had no reason and life had no rhyme,
but at the time I thought I had time".
But time is the one thing we have less of every second.

I'm devastated that I didn't get to see a second Grand Slam. I very much doubt I'll live to see another one. I'll never understand the bitterness of people who can be glad that Djokovic failed. And I say that as a Nadal fan. It would have been a memory as a tennis fan you would have held forever. You would have been able to tell your grandkids you saw the Grand Slam be achieved.

I'll just have to add experiencing the Grand Slam in 1969 to my ever-growing list of beautiful things I once experienced but will never experience again: seeing David Bowie in concert, shaking hands with my sporting hero, Muhammad Ali, standing on the top of the twin towers.

All of these moments have been lost in time. Like tears in rain...
As you get older you learn to deal with frustration and pain, how can you feel DEVASTATED for such a trivial thing? You haven't learned anything from life, man.

Besides, Djokovic has already won 4 slams in a row, it just didn't happen to be in the same calendar year, so it's not like a whole different level of dominance or something.
 

Dolgopolov85

G.O.A.T.
Maybe it's fitting that in the wake of Novak faltering at the final step, we got a next gen champion (and one who earned it by beating Novak himself) and two outstanding young talents on the women's side. I would rather focus on what we got rather than what slipped away.
 
As you get older you learn to deal with frustration and pain, how can you feel DEVASTATED for such a trivial thing? You haven't learned anything from life, man.

Besides, Djokovic has already won 4 slams in a row, it just didn't happen to be in the same calendar year, so it's not like a whole different level of dominance or something.
I feel "devastated" in a sporting sense. You know, when someone says a defeat was "heartbreaking" or that they are "going to die of excitement" awaiting a big match. The emotions are sporting emotions, disconnected from the real devastations of life, of which I've had more than my fair share.
But even sporting emotions pinch all the same. I'd have loved to see one more Grand Slam in whatever time I have left in my life.

When you're older and wiser (maybe) you'll understand.
 
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Raul_SJ

G.O.A.T.
I'd have loved to see one more Grand Slam

His form was poor throughout the tournament. Constantly losing the opening set. Med barely lost a set the entire tournament.
Many were saying he would raise his level when the time comes. No, that is not how it works. You must be playing at a high level going into the final. And conserving hours on court at age 34. Other than Fed, no other man that age has even won two majors in a year, let alone four.

Would have been better if Zverev and Med were in the bottom half. Would only have needed to beat one. In the end, Zverev followed by Med proved to be too much.

This loss was disappointing but certainly not surprising.
 
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skaj

Legend
Perhaps you need the benefit of age to know how sad it was to see the Grand Slam slip away last night.

When Laver won the Grand Slam in 69, when I was a young man, I took it for granted that I would see other attempts: some would succeed, some would fail. Yet here we are 52 years later -and I am no longer a young man -and only one male player has got within touching distance of the summit.

When you are young, you think opportunities will always come along, there will always be another chance.
As the song says:
"I knew there were mountains to climb, life had no reason and life had no rhyme,
but at the time I thought I had time".
But time is the one thing we have less of every second.

I'm devastated that I didn't get to see a second Grand Slam. I very much doubt I'll live to see another one. I'll never understand the bitterness of people who can be glad that Djokovic failed. And I say that as a Nadal fan. It would have been a memory as a tennis fan you would have held forever. You would have been able to tell your grandkids you saw the Grand Slam be achieved.

I'll just have to add experiencing the Grand Slam in 1969 to my ever-growing list of beautiful things I once experienced but will never experience again: seeing David Bowie in concert, shaking hands with my sporting hero, Muhammad Ali, standing on the top of the twin towers.

All of these moments have been lost in time. Like tears in rain...

Why did you want to see a second (ATP, obviously)Grand Slam and why do you think there is bitterness in people who can be glad that Djokovic has failed?
 
Why did you want to see a second (ATP, obviously)Grand Slam and why do you think there is bitterness in people who can be glad that Djokovic has failed?
When you're dealing with a once in a lifetime event, only bitterness could explain someone rejoicing in failure. You can try and rationalise it and justify it, but you know in your heart it's true.
 

skaj

Legend
When you're dealing with a once in a lifetime event, only bitterness could explain someone rejoicing in failure. You can try and rationalise it and justify it, but you know in your heart it's true.

Like war?

It seems like you are the one who is rationalising, since you are giving such limited explanations.
 

R. Schweikart

Professional
I imagine, in retrospect, Djokovic knows it was the wrong move.

Djokovic clearly wanted the Golden Slam which has been achieved only once previously, in 1988.
The normal Grand Slam was won in 1938, 1953, 1962, 1969, 1970. Five times in 32 years.

I have to laud Nole for aiming for the stars, trying to be the second club member in the Golden Slam Club.
I think he was deflated when he lost at the Olympics and lost a bit the motivation which was need to win at least the normal Grand Slam.
 
Djokovic clearly wanted the Golden Slam which has been achieved only once previously, in 1988.
The normal Grand Slam was won in 1938, 1953, 1962, 1969, 1970. Five times in 32 years.

I have to laud Nole for aiming for the stars, trying to be the second club member in the Golden Slam Club.
I think he was deflated when he lost at the Olympics and lost a bit the motivation which was need to win at least the normal Grand Slam.
If you are placing together Grand Slam champions from different competitions why have you excluded the wheelchair champions?
 

R. Schweikart

Professional
You are no one to denigrate a spectacular achievement

What is wrong about what I said?
How are the TV ratings for wheelchair tennis? How many people watch it in the stadium?
How many people play wheelchair tennis compared to conventional tennis?

And please don't try to play the wokeist here. That is becoming stale.
 
V

Vamos Rafa Nadal

Guest
I can't fault Djokovic for going for the Olympics Gold but I do fault him for not playing at either Toronto or Cincinnati - I believe that was a particularly poor choice on his and his team's part.

I admit I didn't want him to win the CYGS - we would never hear the end of it for the rest of our lives! There are very few male tennis players I dislike and he is at the top of my list. We all get to like and dislike the players we choose.
 

skaj

Legend
I feel "devastated" in a sporting sense. You know, when someone says a defeat was "heartbreaking" or that they are "going to die of excitement" awaiting a big match. The emotions are sporting emotions, disconnected from the real devastations of life, of which I've had more than my fair share.
But even sporting emotions pinch all the same. I'd have loved to see one more Grand Slam in whatever time I have left in my life.

When you're older and wiser (maybe) you'll understand.

But it still doesn't explain why were you devastated("in a sporting sense"). Because it's a "once in a lifetime event"? Even if it were, why would you want it to happen so badly. Earthquake is a once in a lifetime event for many people, most of them don't want to witness it.
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
When you're dealing with a once in a lifetime event, only bitterness could explain someone rejoicing in failure. You can try and rationalise it and justify it, but you know in your heart it's true.

I think that part of the reason we are having this debate and searching for reasons whether sadness is, or is not, appropriate, is that we are conflating "once in a lifetime" with "uncommon". Anyone born prior to 1938, like my parents, have witnessed six calendar year slams in singles (1938, 1953, 1962, 1969, 1970 & 1988). Certainly not "once in a lifetime". Now, Halley's Comet, which most recently appeared in 1986 and will next appear in July 2061 is a once in a lifetime event for most people. Moreover, anyone born today will have +/- 160 chances (80 for each gender) to witness a calendar year singles grand slam but only one shot at witnessing Halley's Comet. So those who are sad at Djokovic's missed opportunity can take comfort in knowing that there will be two more chances to witness a CYGS next year! :)
 
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But it still doesn't explain why were you devastated("in a sporting sense"). Because it's a "once in a lifetime event"? Even if it were, why would you want it to happen so badly. Earthquake is a once in a lifetime event for many people, most of them don't want to witness it.
One is a positive event, one is a negative event. It's not rocket science.
 
I think that part of the reason we are having this debate and searching for reasons whether sadness is, or is not, appropriate, is that we are conflating "once in a lifetime" with "uncommon". Anyone born prior to 1938, like my parents, have witnessed six calendar year slams in singles (1938, 1953, 1962, 1969, 1970 & 1988). Certainly not "once in a lifetime". Now, Halley's Comet, which most recently appeared in 1986 and will next appear in July 2061 is a once in a lifetime event for most people. Moreover, anyone born today will have +/- 160 chances (80 for each gender) to witness a calendar year singles grand slam but only one shot at witnessing Halley's Comet. So those who are sad at Djokovic's missed opportunity can take comfort in knowing that there will be two more chances to witness a CYGS next year! :)
There have been no Grand Slams in the last 52 years in the competition we are discussing. That means only people who are, at least, almost 60 have any memory of it. That's getting pretty close to a lifetime.
 

skaj

Legend
There have been no Grand Slams in the last 52 years in the competition we are discussing. That means only people who are, at least, almost 60 have any memory of it. That's getting pretty close to a lifetime.

Close but not close enough, especially since the professional tennis history is about the same age.
 

Aabye5

G.O.A.T.
So all 4 slams in one year for a certain player, is a positive "event"? No matter who that player is. (Unless you are bitter.)

Exactly. Because a 34-year-old ATG running rampant over the much younger field makes the sport look good....

That's why everybody is tuning in for the NFL, right?
 

Autodidactic player

Professional
There have been no Grand Slams in the last 52 years in the competition we are discussing. That means only people who are, at least, almost 60 have any memory of it. That's getting pretty close to a lifetime.

Based on your prior posts, my bet is that, like me, you have already witnessed Laver's two calendar year slams. Yes, you've got a few years on you. So, I'll put a positive spin on this and remind you that you probably have +/- 25 more chances to witness a CYGS in men's singles!
 

skaj

Legend
Exactly. Because a 34-year-old ATG running rampant over the much younger field makes the sport look good....

That's why everybody is tuning in for the NFL, right?

I don't follow NFL, but yes, it's a poor field we are witnessing in professional tennis today. Both ATP and WTA.
 

Aabye5

G.O.A.T.
I don't follow NFL, but yes, it's a poor field we are witnessing in professional tennis today. Both ATP and WTA.

Lol, I don't either. But a lot of people aren't, because they already know the outcome. "And another one for Tom Brady....'

Greatness is great and all, but no one is tuning in to live sports for a repeat.
 

DRII

G.O.A.T.
I get why it is posted -even village idiots are allowed internet access -but I don't understand why the mods allow it. It ruins what could be a great forum.
You see, your op was pretty close to timeless; yet this post just makes you look old.

Try and discern the difference!
 

DRII

G.O.A.T.
His greatest season for me will always be 2011. 2015 was statistically a tad better but that was largely due to Nadal having his worst season. In 2011, Djokovic straight up dominated even against Nadal who could have won at least 2 Slams that year.
Uh maybe, Nadal just came off a dominant 2010 and he always has a slump after a dominant year, but even when you say Djokovic dominated, he had many close calls (skin of his teeth wins) in 2011. People always forget that.
 

Sunny014

Legend
Novak could have won the US Open 2021 final but he ruined his chances by going to play in that wretched Olympics because of his greed for some golden slam nonsense.

He should have taken rest and prepared for the USO.
 

skaj

Legend
Novak could have won the US Open 2021 final but he ruined his chances by going to play in that wretched Olympics because of his greed for some golden slam nonsense.

He should have taken rest and prepared for the USO.

Why is it greed to want to win probably the most prestigious thing in sports - a gold medal?
 
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