Best thing for Djokovic is a strong Nadal comeback

socallefty

socallefty

G.O.A.T.
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up at the USO without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
 
socallefty said:
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
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Nadal should never have played singles in Paris 2024.
 
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Nothing fvcks you like time
thrones_questions_davos.0.jpg
 
Nadal isn’t going to motivate Djokovic at this stage. Nadal could hardly play at the Olympics and I can’t see him getting any better than he shown this year.

Djokovic should be motivated enough to beat the younger players at this stage, and that is something he is finding very difficult now.
 
socallefty said:
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up at the USO without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
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It’s not about motivation—he’s slower, makes more mistakes, has less stamina, and does not possess the shot making talent to ameliorate for these things
 
socallefty said:
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up at the USO without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
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I think Nadal's done and dusted and Novak might have one more slam in him. Father time is undefeated.

I expect that this year's Olympics match will end up being their last H2H encounter.
 
zagor said:
I think Nadal's done and dusted and Novak might have one more slam in him. Father time is undefeated.

I expect that this year's Olympics match will end up being their last H2H encounter.
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Agree, this is how I think and feel about the situation.

Nadal's on his way out now, he cannot even win a 250 on clay when the draw opens up.

Djokovic is declining rapidly also, but he can still play top tier tennis, the question is, can he put it all together for one last slam win or is he finally done. I wouldn't blame him, his trophy cabinet is finally complete.
 
Spending 20 years on the tour should be enough. Seems like that in the men’s game around 37 years of age still continues to be the limit of winning a singles GS.
I think what Novak is trying to do is to see whether he can extend this with all the things he does with his preparation, lifestyle and training. Must be said however that winning the Gold medal plus AO semis and Wimbledon finalist is still pretty excellent - most players would be happy with these results.
Rafael’s injuries and extended time out of the game is very concerning. If you are pushing 40 and it’s going to take 3 years to heal, then it s probably too long isn’t it - off course all these elite guys are a very special breed so you can’t fault their commitment and dedication;
 
Why do you all have to bring Rafa into your group therapy? Rafa's situation is entirely different due to being sidelined for much of the last two years. He is still managing his recovery to avoid aggravating his injuries again, reach match fitness, and regain his rhythm, precision, and reflex.

Djokovic is simply in decline.

 
socallefty said:
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up at the USO without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
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Rafa was MIA in 2023 and yet it didn't stop Djokovic from being motivated and winning.
 
socallefty said:
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up at the USO without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
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About as much chance as a strong Federer, Borg or Sampras comeback.
 
clayqueen said:
Why do you all have to bring Rafa into your group therapy? Rafa's situation is entirely different due to being sidelined for much of the last two years. He is still managing his recovery to avoid aggravating his injuries again, reach match fitness, and regain his rhythm, precision, and reflex.

Djokovic is simply in decline.

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Cannot tell if you are joking or not.

If not then i suspect you are in for a real lesson in reality over next 6-12 months. Rafa is either retiring at end of this season or will quickly be taken down at first couple of GS's next year
 
paolo2143 said:
Cannot tell if you are joking or not.

If not then i suspect you are in for a real lesson in reality over next 6-12 months. Rafa is either retiring at end of this season or will quickly be taken down at first couple of GS's next year
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I think you need to read my post again. I didn't say anything about Rafa going forward. All I did was explain where he is now. In other words, Rafa has not declined he got injured, consequently was sidelined for a long time and finding it difficult to come back to his previous level.

Have you got a crystal ball?
 
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This was one too many scrape-through for Djokovic at a slam where he often struggles through the early rounds, being taken to 5 sets by nobodies, and somehow manages to lift the trophy in the end. Mother Luck was absent for Djokovic yesterday.
 
clayqueen said:
Why do you all have to bring Rafa into your group therapy? Rafa's situation is entirely different due to being sidelined for much of the last two years. He is still managing his recovery to avoid aggravating his injuries again, reach match fitness, and regain his rhythm, precision, and reflex.

Djokovic is simply in decline.

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:laughing:
 
socallefty said:
It seems like Djokovic has not seemed very motivated all year long except at the Olympics which is the only tournament he won. He seemed mentally flat in many matches in most tournaments this year including this week at a Slam. He seemed to have shown up at the USO without practicing for a month from the way he served atrociously and hit his FH tentatively without much confidence.

Is a strong Nadal comeback needed to make Djokovic motivated again? If Nadal does well at the AO and on clay so that it looks like he might have a chance to win the FO, will it pump up Djokovic to work harder, play more tournaments and prep better for Slams? Even the slimmest chance of Nadal narrowing the Slam lead might put the fear of God in Djokovic and maybe that is what he needs. Of course this does not seem likely from the way Nadal has looked all year, but who knows with these ATGs.
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The era of the big 3 is just about over, time marches on.
 
ghostofMecir said:
It’s not about motivation—he’s slower, makes more mistakes, has less stamina, and does not possess the shot making talent to ameliorate for these things
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He's been all of that for 5+ years. Players have been getting 2-0 sets up against him but lacking belief to close him out and gifting him slams instead. Until carlos and sinner came along and showed some spine at a couple of slams.
 
Dude what are you thinking. Nadal is old era player. Best thing for Djokovic is some rest. That's it.

Forget Nadal. Nole has trouble beating sinneraz
 
clayqueen said:
Why do you all have to bring Rafa into your group therapy? Rafa's situation is entirely different due to being sidelined for much of the last two years. He is still managing his recovery to avoid aggravating his injuries again, reach match fitness, and regain his rhythm, precision, and reflex.

Djokovic is simply in decline.

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True.

Rafa is like Federer in his decline. It’s strictly due to injury, whereas Djokovic is just declining due to age. It’s a sad situation and he should pack up his bags and retire in the near future.

The true Djokovic fans are filling the current pages with nothing but excuses for his loses. They are looking as worn out as their declining hero.
 
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