True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
Most likely he needs a big serving guy like Anderson, Querrey etc to do it. There's a handful of guys out there that fit the description. Khachanov too.
Djokovic sets his sights on surpassing Federer’s slam record
- Thread starter La Grande
- Start date
Noleberic123
G.O.A.T.
It would be hilarious though if Fed ended up as the third greatest of all timePrepare to be very surprised. Rafa is making his last stand this RG, and he is fighting his body and Nole now. One or two non FO slams is as much as he got in the last 8 (!) years!
Noleberic123
G.O.A.T.
Yeah even in 2017 his movement was still there
Eren
Professional
Well, chances are not very slim of that happening. RG is still Nadal's territory no matter what today's result would be. Djokovic seems ready to win WB and USO.
Im(moral) Winner
G.O.A.T.
Nole and Fed have only blocked him at two non-FO slams (plus one FO) since AO12 and he's only won two since then so it's not really easy.
Don’t see why, really, but I guess you haters live your life differently. In any case, there is no chance for both Rafa and Nole to surpass Roger. Rafa is like one Andy Murray behind, while Nole is probably trailing by just two Wawrinka’s.
Noleberic123
G.O.A.T.
Djokovics last six months have been better than Wawrinkas entire career
TheGhostOfAgassi
Talk Tennis Guru
Of course he wants revenge over Fed and take all his records. All the nasty comments Fed made about Novak has been fuel for Novak’s engine. Novak’s physique will make him play for some more years.
He might get there.
He might get there.
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
Federer will either be overtaken by one of his two rivals or by none. Right now I'd still bet on him keeping the record.
The_Order
G.O.A.T.
Fed's finished winning majors. I know it's been said in the past, but this is the first time I'm saying it.
A month away from 38 years old come Wimbledon and his form is bad. He's not winning it especially if he runs into Novak.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
I know it is still very very far away and I try to stay grounded on this, but it would be insane if Djokovic breaks the record...all this time it was all about Federer v Nadal, and out of no where Djokovic comes in and takes it.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
Rafa's chances took a severe blow last night.
And the preceding 2,5 years never happened, right? You fangirls are really something -I’d say sweet dreams, but you are already there
Noleberic123
G.O.A.T.
Why? No one coming into the tournament expected him to reach the final let alone win it
Bartelby
Bionic Poster
Re-writing history is not good practice. Nadal was playing his usual cagey game of keeping his body together for the main event. He had the right strategy and draw to win.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Yep, Rafa now NEEDS RG to stay alive in this race. If he trips up there in a few months time, I think that is it for him IMO. Rafa doesn't win anything if he fails to win RG for the rest of the season, and then he will be 33 going on 34.
Noleberic123
G.O.A.T.
2.5 years before Wim 2018? Yes they did. He won 2 slams in that time. So 5 slams in 3 years. So if he wins 5 slams in the next years years, he will catch FedAnd the preceding 2,5 years never happened, right? You fangirls are really something -I’d say sweet dreams, but you are already there
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
I know it is still very very far away and I try to stay grounded on this, but it would be insane if Djokovic breaks the record...all this time it was all about Federer v Nadal, and out of no where Djokovic comes in and takes it.
It really really would be. I said he at least reaches 17 after his Wimbledon win but now 17 looks like he will get to that with no problem. Djokovic actually really might realistically break this. This is the 1st time I have ever really felt this way to be honest. Yea it was always about Federer and Nadal, all the time Djokovic was in the shadows looking and waiting. It's going to be an interesting 2 to 3 years.
Noleberic123
G.O.A.T.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
It showed that he isn't quite the player he used to be. Djokovic and others will be a threat to him. Maybe even at the FO.
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
Nole is 8-1 against Anderson. Last loss 11 years ago.
Fed OTOH just lost to Anderson last Wimby. Far more likely that Fed gets taken out by those guys at Wimby.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
RG is a must. It's all about Djokovic chasing Fed after that if Rafa comes up short.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Djokovic has won too much, has too much momentum, and dominated his rivals too much to now not be considered as the guy who comes through...he is massively driven.
By making the slam record his goal, making such a massively tough target his goal, it will mean he will not lose motivation. As soon as he wins this, the focus shifts to the next one, and the desire stays high...there is work to be done, the objective is not met. This is where he faltered after winning RG 2016, where the objective was to complete the career slam...it killed his hunger. But now by giving himself the biggest challenge of them all, he is ensuring that he never loses that motivation.
TheGhostOfAgassi
Talk Tennis Guru
Yes I agree. But as a competitor you set your goals high. I also think he doesn’t like Fed that much and he likes to irk him and his fans a bit.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Exactly. If Nadal is not holding the RG trophy this year, then it all about Djokovic v Federer, because I fully expect Djokovic to then go past Nadal into second place considering the slams that will follow RG, if we don't have this dramatic rise of next gen slam winners.
O
OhYes
Guest
That is all truth. If he wasn't chasing records he wouldn't be competing, however he said he is still far away and practically put down the talk about it. If he said anything fiery as some suggest, or in disrespectful manner, news would be full of headlines.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
Anderson has taken him to 5 sets there. Querrey beat him. I'm just giving an example of the type of player. It doesn't have to be Anderson per say.
TheAssassin
G.O.A.T.
I don't expect him to do it, but it's a great goal to have.
Really happy he's managed to surpass Pete.
Really happy he's managed to surpass Pete.
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
Yea he really is so driven and so confident within his abilities. Some fans take that as arrogance but I don't. He knows what he is capable of and really places no limitations on himself. It's rare to see an athlete like this especially at 31.
Yes and we are back where we were after RG 2016 only 3 Slams higher for all 3. This time he knows what happened then and will be hard pressed to not get injured or lose his focus. His main focus will be trying to preserve his body and stay very motivated from this moment forward while he chases history. Yea he needs a goal to keep him motivated and this is it. I think we have talked about this before. I could see Djokovic being the guy to win the most Slams in his 30s.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
It's been nice to have Novak around to do his dirty work and stop Nadal. But what happens when there's no one left to stop Novak?
Hopefully Roger can take matters into his own hands one last time.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
Wouldnt it be glorious
D
Deleted member 763024
Guest
I know it is still very very far away and I try to stay grounded on this, but it would be insane if Djokovic breaks the record...all this time it was all about Federer v Nadal, and out of no where Djokovic comes in and takes it.
The advantage that Nadal & Djokovic have is that they have a target* in front of them. It helps to have that compared to being in uncharted territory as a trailblazer.
Roger lost some valuable time after 2009 making the changes to his game and equipment that he eventually did and I think surpassing Sampras to hold the slam record hurt him in that way.
As I said in another thread, Novak has the upper hand even though he’s behind Nadal - 3 out of 4 slams are on a surface that better suit his game, his body looks like it can stay injury free and he’s obviously motivated. Add that there are no challengers on the horizon unlike what Fed had since 2006-2008 and there is a good chance he does it.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
He is in a good place right now, and I feel it. While Nadal is the fav for RG, I wouldn't be surprised if he dethrones him there, and effectively KOs him out of the slam record contention. He knows to get to Federer, he needs to finish off Nadal first and he has been laying the groundwork for that at Wimbledon 2018 and AO 2019.
Steve0904
Talk Tennis Guru
It's sad because he shouldn't even have to at this point, but it would be awesome if he did.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Yes, I agree. But I also have to say that looking over his shoulder at Nadal coming up kept Federer in the game longer and he managed to take his record past 16, winning an additional 4 for more after the rise of Djokovic.
Raul_SJ
G.O.A.T.
Aging Federer's strategy for last few years is to skip the clay and focus on Wimby.
Now that he's announced he's playing the clay, he will not be as fresh for Wimby. Chances greatly diminished.
It looks like he's planning to retire. That is the only plausible reason for not skipping the clay.
Now that he's announced he's playing the clay, he will not be as fresh for Wimby. Chances greatly diminished.
It looks like he's planning to retire. That is the only plausible reason for not skipping the clay.
joekapa
Legend
The one against Tsitsipas was staged imho. Even tour finals. I think he will chose wisely what he wants to win from here on out.
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
Nadal at RG will be toughest one to me but not impossible for him. After the performance at AO, he has to be in Nadal's head and he won't be as confident playing him on any surface, even at RG. If he continues to play a high level this year, I could definitely see a potential upset at RG.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Lets keep in mind, that even though it was the weakest version of Nadal in 2015, Djokovic has crossed the finish line against Nadal. He did slay a lot of mental demons there, which will help. I need to see how Nadal moves, I said he wasn't moving very well here, he needs that to go up massively.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I'd certainly prefer to have the NextGen step up, but we all know that ain't happening any time soon.
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
Yea that 2015 victory is very important because even though it was the worst version of Nadal, he crossed the finish line and beat him. It still wasn't easy mentally for him. I usually think Nadal's movement is not easily exposed on clay because he slides better than anyone I've ever seen and his anticipation is so good. The past two years he has won it, when he looked sort of slow on hardcourt he still had no issues at RG. I think that probably will be the same this year. That surface is so slow it gives him more time.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
I think Federer is playing clay to keep his ranking high, so he continues to get high seedings. After losing AO, he doesn't have any slam wins to give him enough points so he can afford to skip clay. I think he will play a bare minimum, give RG a shot, skip Stuttgart and play Halle for practice so he can come ready for W.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
You are correct, it wasn't easy for him mentally. Remember how he nearly choked the first set, despite racing off to a 4-0 lead, just about won it 7-5. That wasn't because Nadal was playing great, it was because Djokovic was fighting his demons there. So, that is a massive hurdle he has crossed, he has beaten Nadal there, in fact the only player to beat him there in straights.
In regards to Nadal's movement, what I mean is, can he physically be ready to move. Nadal has been carrying a lot of injuries, the frequency is only compounding the problem, he looked injured here in AO also. Will he be 100% in Paris? I seriously do not know considering how this past 12 months have been for him.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I always wonder about that. It makes sense on paper, but Roger is pretty renowned for playing for the love of the game. Of course, that's easy to say when he's winning everything!
I watch most of his press conferences, and he gets uncharacteristically offended whenever press brings this up; the idea of giving them any credit for his motivation to keep going.
The assumption everyone is making is that no one emerges to KO Djokovic or Nadal,I mean there has been no one born after 1987 who has been able to become a grand slam force,but that has to change eventually. The WTA has just got Naomi Osaka who won back to back slams and looks to be a force to be reckoned with in grand slams. There has to be an ATP player like that sooner or later...
D
Deleted member 763024
Guest
True.
We make it out like the achievements of these guys are purely individual but there is a lot of interplay. Each built upon the challenge and platform provided by the other.
I wonder If Agassi hadn’t been a force in his 30s would Roger plan for an extended career back in 2004?
If Nadal, Djoko, Murray hadn’t pushed him as you rightly said, would Roger change his racket or hire Edberg?
Same way, I think the fact that a dad of 4 traveling the world with his brood gives Djoko a path forward for managing family and career.
Each generation really stands on the shoulders of the last and there is significant influence on each other when they overlap.
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