Did the 2012 AO final destroy Djokovic's mind? Lost last 3 big slam matches

RAFA2005RG

RAFA2005RG

Banned
Since winning the 2012 AO, Djokovic:
Lost 2012 Roland Garros Final to Nadal.
Lost 2012 Wimbledon Semi to Federer.
Lost 2012 US Open Final to Murray.

Sure Djokovic did very well in the non-slams, but so did Murray the last few years, yet Murray was scrutinized like crazy always because he hadn't won a slam. So the slams are what is all about and represent a barrier between a strong mind and an average mind. Really, what we are seeing since February 2012 is the type of player Djokovic was prior to 2011.
 
Well losing to Nadal at RG is kind of expected, grass is not his cup of tea and he was on the short end of the scheduling at USO. However, winning Miami, Canada, Beijing, Shanghai and WTF after the AO loss should answer your question just fine.
 
Hell no. People can argue that the rain delay at RG hurt his chances because he was putting up a big fight against Raf, and a lot of people were sensing a comeback. Fed was just being Fed at Wimbledon as well.

Losing that AO final would have done worse to his mentality.
 
I don't see how winning the longest GS final ever could've destroyed his mind, especially when the loser of that same final won a slam later that year. Djokovic was simply outplayed at the other three slams. Beating Nadal at RG will always be one of the toughest undertakings in tennis history. Djokovic was never that great of grass-court player and he had to play the best grass-court player on tour. Murray had the greater resolve to win at USO last year and that pushed him above Novak. In addition to that, he had a lot of confidence coming from the OG win.

Djokovic's losses were not entirely in his control. His opponents had a lot to do with the results.
 
RAFA2005RG said:
Since winning the 2012 AO, Djokovic:
Lost 2012 Roland Garros Final to Nadal.
Lost 2012 Wimbledon Semi to Federer.
Lost 2012 US Open Final to Murray.

Sure Djokovic did very well in the non-slams, but so did Murray the last few years, yet Murray was scrutinized like crazy always because he hadn't won a slam. So the slams are what is all about and represent a barrier between a strong mind and an average mind. Really, what we are seeing since February 2012 is the type of player Djokovic was prior to 2011.
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You would do better to concentrate on whether the loss to Rosol destroyed yer boy's mind, he's been kinda scarce since then, hasn't he?:confused::rolleyes:
 
No.

Here's a better topic, one that can actually be debated properly:

"Did the 2012 W R2 destroy Nadal's mind and body? Hasn't stepped on court since."
 
It was probably his grandfather's death which really "destroyed his mind". I don't see how crushing your main rival coming back from a break down in the fifth set of the longest grand slam final in history could "destroy your mind" (unlike, say, missing an easy SITTER of a passing shot up 4-2 30-15 in the fifth set of such a match).

If Djokovic's grandfather hadn't died, I suspect Nole would've spanked Nadal everywhere on clay just like he did in 2011, except this time he would've gotten to the RG final and annihilated Nadal in straights. The loss would've been so devastating to Nadal that he wouldn't have been able to show his face on a tennis court for 8 months after that...oh wait.
 
RAFA2005RG said:
Since winning the 2012 AO, Djokovic:
Lost 2012 Roland Garros Final to Nadal.
Lost 2012 Wimbledon Semi to Federer.
Lost 2012 US Open Final to Murray.

Sure Djokovic did very well in the non-slams, but so did Murray the last few years, yet Murray was scrutinized like crazy always because he hadn't won a slam. So the slams are what is all about and represent a barrier between a strong mind and an average mind. Really, what we are seeing since February 2012 is the type of player Djokovic was prior to 2011.
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What happened to Nadal's mind to get trounced by Rosol of all people? Is he experiencing a decline on non-clay surfaces?
 
veroniquem said:
Well losing to Nadal at RG is kind of expected, grass is not his cup of tea and he was on the short end of the scheduling at USO. However, winning Miami, Canada, Beijing, Shanghai and WTF after the AO loss should answer your question just fine.
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Did you read my original post? Slams are the yardstick for the mind. Murray has done great at non-slams for years, yet was accused of being a choker until he won the US Open in 2012. Daydenko won the World Tour Finals yet is horrific mentally at the slams. There are countless examples of players winning numerous titles outside of the slams yet failing to convert at slam time.

Djokovic was mentally invincible in 2011-Jan2012, and then reverted back to his 2010 level in 2012. And his slam problems in 2012 have clearly been mental and definitely not physical (actually one might even see he's been better physically in 2012 than 2011). In 2011 he had plenty of scrappy matches at the slams, was breadsticked by Nadal at Wimbledon, and in 2012AO was stretched to a couple of 5-setters but came out on top with supreme clutchness. However February 2012 onwards he's lost the big points in big slam matches, has got on a roll for a set and then let go (in both RG and Wimbledon), and the US Open final was a wacko mess of inconsistency.

Mike Sams said:
What happened to Nadal's mind to get trounced by Rosol of all people? Is he experiencing a decline on non-clay surfaces?
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Nadal said the early exit at Wimbledon was foretold. He said he knew during Roland Garros that numbing his knees before each match may not always work, and that he'd be lucky to get through the early matches at Wimbledon. You must be the only person in the world who thinks Nadal has skipped the last 6 months due to mental decline.
 
OP, think about what you are saying. You're asking if it destroyed his mind. Not his body, his mind.

It can only have made his mind stronger. He knows that he played in the longest, most physical GS final of all time, and faced one of the players most feared for his mental strength... And won. He has all of that to draw upon now.
 
RAFA2005RG said:
Did you read my original post? Slams are the yardstick for the mind. Murray has done great at non-slams for years, yet was accused of being a choker until he won the US Open in 2012. Daydenko won the World Tour Finals yet is horrific mentally at the slams. There are countless examples of players winning numerous titles outside of the slams yet failing to convert at slam time.

Djokovic was mentally invincible in 2011-Jan2012, and then reverted back to his 2010 level in 2012. And his slam problems in 2012 have clearly been mental and definitely not physical (actually one might even see he's been better physically in 2012 than 2011). In 2011 he had plenty of scrappy matches at the slams, was breadsticked by Nadal at Wimbledon, and in 2012AO was stretched to a couple of 5-setters but came out on top with supreme clutchness. However February 2012 onwards he's lost the big points in big slam matches, has got on a roll for a set and then let go (in both RG and Wimbledon), and the US Open final was a wacko mess of inconsistency.



Nadal said the early exit at Wimbledon was foretold. He said he knew during Roland Garros that numbing his knees before each match may not always work, and that he'd be lucky to get through the early matches at Wimbledon. You must be the only person in the world who thinks Nadal has skipped the last 6 months due to mental decline.
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Let's see what brilliant thread you can come up with if/when Djokovic wins AO 2013.
 
Surely the OP's question should be...

"Did the 2012 AO final destroy Nadal's career?"

and

"Did the 2009 AO final cause Nadal to be embarrassed at Roland Garros?"


Nadal's been inflicted far more damage from AO finals (twice, LOL) than his opponent in both finals who's been able to finish the year #1 or #2 , win a couple more slams (Federer 2009 x 2) and reach a combined 5 slam finals with Djokovic to complete the year. :-P
 
Nope.

Nadal was better at RG in 2012 than in 2011. Federer was better at Wimbledon in 2012 than in 2011 and Murray was better at the USO in 2012 than in 2011. The top players raised their games in 2012 compared with 2011 at the slams. That is why Djokovic only won one slam in 2012.
 
veroniquem said:
I forgot to add he's #1. I'm sure that must help the confidence a bit too...
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yes..i mean djokovics mind was so 'destroyed' that he could only finish the year as world no1 rank (again)..

if his mind hadnt been 'destroyed' i suppose he would be world no37 rank by now :)
 
always_crosscourt said:
OP, think about what you are saying. You're asking if it destroyed his mind. Not his body, his mind.

It can only have made his mind stronger. He knows that he played in the longest, most physical GS final of all time, and faced one of the players most feared for his mental strength... And won. He has all of that to draw upon now.
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Well it obviously didn't make his mind stronger, because he looked asleep for the first 2 sets of Roland Garros final. Then he got on top for a set, and was up a break in the 4th set also, but could not maintain the level. I also point to the Wimbledon semi vs Federer, where Djokovic made uncharacteristic unforced errors on breakpoints. I don't agree with anyone who says Federer was too good. Djokovic was too bad. And the US Open final was wind affected and became a battle of mental toughness, where Djokovic failed miserably in that 5th set in particular. If you play sport you know that an athlete can be mentally burnt out (which is very understandable for Djokovic, after he not only endured the greatest test of his life in 2012 AO, but also faced the pressure of having to defend a bunch of slams in 2012), sometimes for a year, and in some cases permanently.
 
Goosehead said:
yes..i mean djokovics mind was so 'destroyed' that he could only finish the year as world no1 rank (again)..

if his mind hadnt been 'destroyed' i suppose he would be world no37 rank by now :)
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Murray has looked supremely cool under pressure throughout his career in the non-slams and has a brilliant record vs Federer in non-slams. Put Murray in a slam vs Federer, and he crumbles. That is the difference mentally between what a player needs to win non-slams and what a player needs to win slams. The mental strength that Djokovic requires for slams, is no longer there.
 
RAFA2005RG said:
Well it obviously didn't make his mind stronger, because he looked asleep for the first 2 sets of Roland Garros final. Then he got on top for a set, and was up a break in the 4th set also, but could not maintain the level. I also point to the Wimbledon semi vs Federer, where Djokovic made uncharacteristic unforced errors on breakpoints. I don't agree with anyone who says Federer was too good. Djokovic was too bad. And the US Open final was wind affected and became a battle of mental toughness, where Djokovic failed miserably in that 5th set in particular. If you play sport you know that an athlete can be mentally burnt out (which is very understandable for Djokovic, after he not only endured the greatest test of his life in 2012 AO, but also faced the pressure of having to defend a bunch of slams in 2012), sometimes for a year, and in some cases permanently.
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well federer was too good vs djokovic at wimbledon he completely shut his butt down..

and the wind died down pretty quickly after the first set at the u,s open which djokovic only lost on a tie break 13-11..so he was coping with the wind fine anyway even before it became calmer..murray played better and wanted it more.
 
Djokovic is a totally different player to what he was in 2009/2010, he is never going to be like that again. That doesn't mean he is going to dominate a season again, but he sure as heck isn't going to sit back and let Nadal and Federer take all the slams anymore.
 
Why are people posting in Rafa2005's ridiculous trolling threads? He knows the answer, hes just making stuff up to get a rise out of people.

Confused-man1.jpg
 
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Its tough to come off one of the best seasons ever like Nole had in 2011 and not to have a bit of a let-down.

He picked his level up though post USO
 
RAFA2005RG said:
Since winning the 2012 AO, Djokovic:
Lost 2012 Roland Garros Final to Nadal.
Lost 2012 Wimbledon Semi to Federer.
Lost 2012 US Open Final to Murray.

Sure Djokovic did very well in the non-slams, but so did Murray the last few years, yet Murray was scrutinized like crazy always because he hadn't won a slam. So the slams are what is all about and represent a barrier between a strong mind and an average mind. Really, what we are seeing since February 2012 is the type of player Djokovic was prior to 2011.
Click to expand...

Good thread. I agree with Rafa2005RG - If AO 12 didn't happen, Djokovic would have obviously taken the FO crown from Rafa.
 
The clock is ticking, no slams since January 2012, and its only going to get tougher as Murray now has Djokovic's measure, and Nadal returns a lot fresher than he was last year when he had to numb his knee just to take the court.
 
RAFA2005RG said:
The clock is ticking, no slams since January 2012, and its only going to get tougher as Murray now has Djokovic's measure, and Nadal returns a lot fresher than he was last year when he had to numb his knee just to take the court.
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Nadal's done.
 
RAFA2005RG said:
The clock is ticking, no slams since January 2012, and its only going to get tougher as Murray now has Djokovic's measure, and Nadal returns a lot fresher than he was last year when he had to numb his knee just to take the court.
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"Murray now has Djokovic's measure," ROTFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Doubles, Nadal is about to accomplish his record-setting 9th straight slam-winning year, and about to enter the weakest era of claycourt tennis in history, as Djokovic and Federer recede into the background.
rafael-nadal-maria-sharapova-history-french-open-10.jpg

Djokovic crumbled at Roland Garros 2012 vs Nadal.
Djokovic crumbled at Wimbledon 2012 vs Federer.
Djokovic crumbled at US Open 2012 vs Murray.
Who will he crumble to at Aus Open 2013?
apple-crumble.jpg

And none of these 3 guys needed career-best form to beat Djokovic, that is for sure. US Open final in particular was a low standard of tennis.
 
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RAFA2005RG said:
Doubles, Nadal is about to accomplish his 9th straight slam-winning year, and about to enter the weakest era of claycourt tennis in history, as Djokovic and Federer recede into the background.

Djokovic crumbled at Roland Garros 2012 vs Nadal.
Djokovic crumbled at Wimbledon 2012 vs Federer.
Djokovic crumbled at US Open 2012 vs Murray.
Who will he crumbled to at Aus Open 2013?

And none of these 3 guys needed career-best form to beat Djokovic, that is for sure. US Open final in particular was a low standard of tennis.
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Djokovic was hardly crumbled against Murray, it was a very tight, close final.
 
I guarantee that you wouldn't have said that the final was a low standard of tennis if Nadal was in the final, regardless of what the score was. You're truly a pathetic troll.
 
Nadal is a legendary player. Nobody should be able to beat him in straight sets in Slams on any surface, especially these slower hardcourts which favour his style of game. That's why I laugh when people on this forum claim that Djokovic isn't all that good because of how much he struggled against Nadal on Nadal's worst surface at the AO 2012 final in a contest that went nearly 6 hours.
It's not like Nadal isn't a great player off clay. He's a killer on all surfaces but he just prefers clay because it's better for his knees. He's been playing tennis for more years on the professional tour than both Djokovic and Murray. Nadal's training years had him practicing as a kid with professionals like Carlos Moya whereas Djokovic and Murray were playing basically the best players in the boys camps. :lol:
Murray was shocked when he travelled to Spain for training with Nadal and found out that Nadal was training with Carlos Moya. :lol:
 
RAFA2005RG said:
The clock is ticking, no slams since January 2012, and its only going to get tougher as Murray now has Djokovic's measure, and Nadal returns a lot fresher than he was last year when he had to numb his knee just to take the court.
Click to expand...

whatever makes you think Nadal will be fresher than last year, after a career threatening injury that had him out of the game for 8 months? He didn't have any surgery so the knee isn't really fixed is it? Just a bandaid. If it even was his knee. :rolleyes: But I guess he could just play clay tournaments for the rest of his career, after all, those are the only tournaments he's won since 2010.
 
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