Djokovic looks to be a cut above Alcaraz and Sinner .... I feel they don't stand a chance against him

[nolefam_2024]

What a bad take. Sonego played pretty well.

Paul is a tough HCer and last year's semifinalist and then he'll likely see Zverev in the quarters.

I know Sonego played well. But in 3 rounds Sonego is his closest match. It's very good draw till now.

I am also not sure if Zverev still makes it to QF.

 

[Rosstour]

Yeah, whatever.

I'm only slightly trolling

Fed didn't win until almost 3 years after Nadal won his first.

Djoko and Rafa won before 21 and so did Carlos.

So if Federer is a hopeless mug compared ro Rafa and Djoko then Sinner will likely be the same compared to Alcaraz.

 

[Kralingen]

I know Sonego played well. But in 3 rounds Sonego is his closest match. It's very good draw till now.

I am also not sure if Zverev still makes it to QF.

I don’t think you can call the first 3 rounds for a top seed a “puffball draw” anyway. Their draws are always judged by the 4th round onwards, and really, Carlos would be favoured over just about anyone until the QFs.

Sonego is one of the toughest opponents any of the top seeds have faced. He is regarded as a better player than Popyrin, Prizmic, Ruusuvuori, Purcell, Klein, etc. although those other players played especially well in their individual matches.

Carlos’s draw is not a puffball.

 

[mike danny]

Federer didn't win until almost 22 and has been raked over the coals as a mug for it. Djoko, a true dominator, won at 20. Rafa at 19. The true greats don't wait, no?

Federer still won earlier than all of the youngsters born post 88 except Alcaraz.

 

[StrongRule]

once Djokovic retires everyone will say the weak era is over since there wont be any good players left to show the contrast

Nobody will say that. This is an asterisk era, not a weak era.

 

[messiahrobins]

Sinner's game is a problem for alcaraz. He takes time away from raz with fast heavy groundies and has better returns and rally tolerance. Sinner actually should have won their uso '22 match if not for serving issues which he's since fixed. You can see sinners improvements with his wins last fall including over med.

The problem for Sinner though is Novak thrives against his kind of one paced game. Wrist, hip or ab issues, Novak's winning this unless he can be dragged into consecutive 5 setters.

I tend to agree but i would assume sinner will have more variety in his game next week once the event starts properly with the big boys facing off.
Sinner woild beat Alcaraz in ao in any round but the final.

 

[messiahrobins]

LOL Tsitsipas beat Djokovic on slow hard at the Australian? This is comical. There is a better chance that Federer comes out of retirement and wins Wimbledon. Tsitsipas' backhand will be butchered. You should be banned from this board for this kind of prediction.

Lol i agree with all you say. Sometimes you just get a feeling about something and for some reason i just think in spite of all your spot on points somehow he might find a way to the semis. I thought he would be out in round 1.

 

[messiahrobins]

I agree, but one could argue Lendl is the sole exception. Though he won a ton of tournaments at ages 20-23, and became #1 at age 23, he didn't win a slam till he was 24.

Lendl was an odd one. Ive always had him wellmdown the atg list because he seemed unable to beat mcenroe connors and borg when it really mattsred regularly at the majors yet as you say he regularly did so in smaller events which showed how good he was. Travesty he didnt win wimnledon like it was sampras didnt the FO. Both were easily good enough at their worse slams to have done.

 

[messiahrobins]

Bud your statement is completely off. Wilander has 8 slams and only player in 80s to have a three slam year. Saying he is not on their level is just false, if he had two or three slams, sure, not 8 in a super tough era. He was super young when won RG.

This slam is not make or break, Sinner will win slams. Alcaraz will not win them all. Even then Sinner handles him very well.

It is not doom or gloom for Sinner. He can win this slam, even if he does not, he will be winning.

Im not saying he has to win it. I think he needs to make the final. Ive been hard on shelton. I do think these young guys should be put under pressure and not molly coddled saying their time will come. The time is now. Have you ever seen rocky 4? There is a scene where apollo ex coach gets in rockys face and tells him to do it. I would be adopting a similar approach with sinner rune shelton. None of this your time will come.
As for wilander maybe im being harsh but back then i was like having a massive hangover when mcenroe connors werent at the top and felt it was a weak era when a 17 year old won wimbledon. So i sort of ignored wilander as back then wimbledon was seen as the be all and end all. Rememebr there was no internet and in the uk there were 4 channels on tv. Tennis was on bbc and they just showed one match a day i think.

 

[fedfan24]

Nobody will say that. This is an asterisk era, not a weak era.

Exactly. 2017-2019 are weak years. Whatever the hell’s been going on since 2021 is a new low.

 

[big ted]

Exactly. 2017-2019 are weak years. Whatever the hell’s been going on since 2021 is a new low.

so is an asterisk era worse than a weak era?

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Novak wins the title but it's not as easy in the later rounds as it has been. That's my prediction.

Well it was unlikely the draw could get any easier; Novak's recent draws have resembled those at Wimbledon before they abolished the challenge round.

 

[jmacdaununder2]

Tsitsipas, and incannot believe im sayimg this tbh, is goimg to be a problem for djokovic. Didnt think he would make 2nd week but he looks slimmer and fitter.
Sinner will be in the final. He has to be as if he doesnt make the final here hw womt win a slam as it would show he just lacks the mentality to make the next step.
Zverev should come through bottom half

ATM Titsi can't hit a backhand to save himself.

 

[fedfan24]

so is an asterisk era worse than a weak era?

Weak yers are like 2006/2010/2015, ATGs get to enjoy them to boost the numbers a bit. Asterisk years is being in your mid 30s and winning 3 slams a year twice vs 0 competition.

 

[Niekotokio]

What a bad take. Sonego played pretty well.

Paul is a tough HCer and last year's semifinalist and then he'll likely see Zverev in the quarters.

If Zverev faces another tough match, he won't be dangerous going forward. It's the same with Medvedev. So far I don't understand what could be difficult.

 

[Midaso240]

He's still the comfortable favourite, but I'm not sure I agree he is head and shoulders above Sinner and Alcaraz. Beating them back to back will be a tougher proposition than anything he's dealt with at the AO in at least 5 years I feel, maybe 10

 

[Niekotokio]

Paul out of a tough draw. Who next leave this "tough draw"?

 

[socallefty]

He's still the comfortable favourite, but I'm not sure I agree he is head and shoulders above Sinner and Alcaraz. Beating them back to back will be a tougher proposition than anything he's dealt with at the AO in at least 5 years I feel, maybe 10

He is not head and shoulders above them. He flunked the test to beat them back-back in Bof5 at Wimbledon, but did it in Bof3 at the ATP Finals handily. Let’s see what the AO has in store for us. I’m not sleeping on Medvedev, Tsitsipas and DeMinaur yet and think they can be a factor to change the final/semifinal lineups.

 

[ALCARAZWON]

This truly is a LOSE LOSE situation for the OP.
Nobody will ever get credit for saying a 10 time AO champion will win the AO.
And making a thread, when you have no idea if Djokovic can beat Alcaraz here?
Not a good idea.

 

[ChaelAZ]

with tonights Alcz performance, he's more than a cut above Djo, but on par with his rival Sinner and he contemporary Ruud.

Thought Tommy P would keep making his run, but Special K had it in that last set.

 

[ChaelAZ]

Still liking Manny for the Darkest horse evah!

 

[Razer]

Djokovic is stronger at AO than he is at Wimbledon
Alcaraz is weaker at AO than he is at Wimbledon
Sinner is probably a bit stronger now at AO than he was at W but it won't matter vs Novak

Thats why I think even though he failed to beat them back to back at Wimbledon, he will put it off here and that too without a lot of difficulty.... but lets see where we are a week from now.

 

[Aestheticsaboveallelse]

As @dking68 said, before r3 Novak's level was not enough to beat Sinner.

But NOW, Novak's level is really enough to compete with Sinner. Will be definitely beat Sinner? Not yet. But he can beat Sinner at this level definitely.

Those who got the difference will not keep speculating now.

Djokovic is a weirdo struggles with lower ranked no namers but as soon as he faces a way better player etcheverry its extremely easy straight sets

And this is so normal for him that I knew it was gonna happen before the etchev match

 

[Krish872007]

The mental hurdle of beating Novak is bigger than the physical hurdle.
Playing him on Rod Laver Arena just amplifies that difference

 

[tex123]

Sinner despite not dropping a set seems very average to me, my gut feeling he will struggle to even take a set off Novak.

Alcaraz is looking good but still below Djokovic's level of precise strike ability.

I give Alcaraz as low as 7-10% chance of beating Djokovic and Sinner 0%

What are your predictions based on first week ? Who will win the Aus open 2024 ?

It took you so long to realise that Djokovic is a cut above the nextgen bums?

He's winning CYGS. Bums don't stand a chance.


Forget Nadal. Nadal is not coming back. Saudis have snared him.

 

[Midaso240]

It took you so long to realise that Djokovic is a cut above the nextgen bums?

He's winning CYGS. Bums don't stand a chance.


Forget Nadal. Nadal is not coming back. Saudis have snared him.

You think he is going back to back as RG champion as a 37 yo?

 

[tex123]

You think he is going back to back as RG champion as a 37 yo?

Who? Djokovic? Do you see any of the bums beating him? Cramparaz maybe

 

[Midaso240]

Who? Djokovic? Do you see any of the bums beating him? Cramparaz maybe

Yeah, Alcaraz. It's Novak's worst surface, it wouldn't make any sense for him to beat Carlos there again, not at 37 years.

 

[The Guru]

Sinner to beat Djokovic but lose to Dimitrov in finals

Would be unironically awesome

 

[socallefty]

Sinner to beat Djokovic but lose to Dimitrov in finals

Does that give Fed 21 Slams?

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Yeah, Alcaraz. It's Novak's worst surface, it wouldn't make any sense for him to beat Carlos there again, not at 37 years.

Alcaraz should win RG this year. I think he will as it’s his best surface and has more experience now.

 

[Razer]

Alcaraz should win RG this year. I think he will as it’s his best surface and has more experience now.

Alcaraz's best surface is GRASS

 

[ChrisRF]

Yeah, Alcaraz. It's Novak's worst surface, it wouldn't make any sense for him to beat Carlos there again, not at 37 years.

It looks like he has figured him out after Wimbledon. And clay won't make too much difference, especially because I don't think it's Alcaraz' best surface either. I have a feeling that Alcaraz already played better than his average form during RG and Wimbledon 2023, and yet it was "only" enough for one close win against a Djokovic who had a bad serving day. Honestly, I expect Djokovic to be a BIGGER favorite than last year when they meet.

 

[Cortana]

Sinner to beat Djokovic but lose to Dimitrov in finals

Dinitrov is out?

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Alcaraz's best surface is GRASS

I don’t fully agree. He did amazing to win Wimbledon but I still think he’s most comfortable on clay. Then again winning queens and Wimbledon back to back quickly makes a good case you right. We can say he’s further ahead of the field on neutral surfaces as opposed to hard courts.

 

[socallefty]

Djokovic doesn’t have a ‘worst’ surface or maybe even a ‘best’ surface considering his consistent winning % and titles across all of them. He has 3 FO titles, lost to Rafa in the final 3 times, probably lost a semi to Rafa in 2013 that cost him another title and has two more losses in semis to Rafa. He easily could have had 7 or 8 FO titles if Rafa weren’t better than him on clay - but he outlapped the rest of the tour as much on clay as he did on other surfaces considering his many clay Masters titles also. Who knows, maybe he is not done winning FOs as I don’t think Alcaraz or a healthy Nadal today are much better than him - on any given day, the one playing a bit better could win.

 

[tex123]

Yeah, Alcaraz. It's Novak's worst surface, it wouldn't make any sense for him to beat Carlos there again, not at 37 years.

When was the last time you saw a No 1 player retire after two sets with cramps in the semis of a Slam?

Also, when was the last time you saw a 36 year old suffering from heat exhaustion beat a 20 year old after being one set down?

Of course Djokovic will win French and CYGS this year.

 

[Razer]

I don’t fully agree. He did amazing to win Wimbledon but I still think he’s most comfortable on clay. Then again winning queens and Wimbledon back to back quickly makes a good case you right. We can say he’s further ahead of the field on neutral surfaces as opposed to hard courts.

He would have won the French open if Clay was his best surface. Even if he likes to play on Clay it means nothing. Grass was Nadal's fav surface growing up but he has not won much on grass. You cannot choose what surface you are best at, you can have a preference but what you are good at is not in your control.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

He would have won the French open if Clay was his best surface. Even if he likes to play on Clay it means nothing. Grass was Nadal's fav surface growing up but he has not won much on grass. You cannot choose what surface you are best at, you can have a preference but what you are good at is not in your control.

Good point. You are right on winning and achievements it’s grass. Plus his level of play in the final rounds at Wimbledon was higher than french. I guess for now at least it’s grass but he’s still good on clay too.

 

[dropshotlikeitshot]

Dinitrov is out?

Sad times :/

 

[tudwell]

Alcaraz is weaker at AO than he is at Wimbledon

We don’t really know that yet, do we? Let’s see how he stacks up against top players on this surface. We have pretty much no historical data to gauge his normal level at the Australian since he didn’t play last year.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

We don’t really know that yet, do we? Let’s see how he stacks up against top players on this surface. We have pretty much no historical data to gauge his normal level at the Australian since he didn’t play last year.

Good point. One thing we do know though is Alcaraz is a fast learner.

 

[Rafa4LifeEver]

Good point. One thing we do know though is Alcaraz is a fast learner.

Alcaraz let's go

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Alcaraz let's go

I like him and he carries himself well. He is good for the sport and no doubt he is going to win a lot in the sport.

 

[Lauren_Girl']

The real test will be Sinner for Djokovic. On hard courts right now, Sinner > Alcaraz. I think whoever wins that Semifinal wins the title then. But there is still a long way until this matchup happens. I can't predict the result of Djokovic/Sinner until I've watched their respective 4th round and quarterfinal... if they even win these matches.

 

[Midaso240]

It looks like he has figured him out after Wimbledon. And clay won't make too much difference, especially because I don't think it's Alcaraz' best surface either. I have a feeling that Alcaraz already played better than his average form during RG and Wimbledon 2023, and yet it was "only" enough for one close win against a Djokovic who had a bad serving day. Honestly, I expect Djokovic to be a BIGGER favorite than last year when they meet.

Let's get one thing straight, Alcaraz is/was the:

Favourite for Roland Garros '24 over Djokovic
Favourite for Roland Garros '23 over Djokovic
Favourite for their semifinal match at RG
Favourite when they were one set all at that RG match

Sure, Djokovic got him last year when Carlos had cramps. No one is perfect at 20, Djokovic himself had a lot of conditioning/fitness problems at that age. What bookmakers have determined is, Carlos SHOULD beat Novak on clay more often than not going forward and the smarter money goes on the Spaniard

 

[TennisFan3]

https://www.hindustantimes.com/spor...-open-2024-rod-laver-101705723141206-amp.html

Laver, who has the centre court at the Australian Open named after him, added that Djokovic's athletic prowess and tennis brain set him apart from everyone else.

"It almost unfolds in front of him, what he should be doing. He's a great champion," said the Australian 11-time Grand Slam winner.

"He serves well. His ground strokes are unbeatable.

"I have to believe unless someone miraculously plays their best tennis to knock him off, they can start putting part of his initials on the trophy now."

 

[JoshDragon]

This is false. Agassi lost three finals in a row and wasn't until he was 22 that he won a slam. Lendl lost his first four and won his first slam late also. So, no.

Agassi won a YEC at 20 and made three grand slam finals and four semi finals before his 22nd birthday.

Sinner has made one semi in his entire career.

 

[ultimathule]

Only Alcaraz has the mental game to beat Djokovic. Assuming they meet, Alcaraz in five ugly sets.

 

[mtommer]

Until the matches are played, I wouldn't count anybody out. I couldn't care less how the matches are playing right now. The ideal is to peak at the appropriate time.