NoleFam
Bionic Poster
Rafa will completely destroy his knees to reach that record if that's what it takes. It's amazing that Federer was able to hold him off for this long.
Rafa will completely destroy his knees to reach that record if that's what it takes. It's amazing that Federer was able to hold him off for this long.
oldmanfan
Legend
Federer winning slams at the age of 36- testament for his greatness.
Djokovic winning slams at the age of 32-33- the sad state of the tour.
These Fed fanbois. They are crazy bunch isn't it!?
Fed winning 1 slam at 36 IS a testament to his greatness (with 2 5yr+ younger GOAT-levels still in the game) AND it's a sad state of the tour. It's both.
But you're comparing Fed winning 1 slam, vs. Djokovic winning 7+ slams that we're discussing.
False equivalence much?
If Fed wins 4+ slams from now, I'd just the same call it as a sad, sad tour. Heck, it's a sad tour already right now, when no active slam winner is younger than 30yrs old!
Nadal_Django
Legend
As for the topic, it's between Nadal and Djokovic really. No chance in hell for Federer to end up as the Goat. The period between 2010 and 2017 in which Federer have won only one slam it's a big game changer and great handicap in the Goat race.
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
Can you identify this ATG?
He wanted to be the best yet he wanted to "lay low in the shadows."
So no, those of us who have watched tennis long before you were born aren't blindsided.
The point of my post completely went over your head. So Lendl was happy laying low in the shadows? Is that why he was the best of his generation?
TheGhostOfAgassi
Talk Tennis Guru
They have to set high goals to succeed.
Its like running. Cross the finish line you thought you couldnt run a meter more. Cause you were mentally prepared for that.
While that wasnt really the case. If you had mentally prepared for a longer run, you would manage to do that as well.
Have to set goals or they are going nowhere.
Sport
G.O.A.T.
Excellent post.
Ann
Hall of Fame
Of course Djokovic is going to try and pass Federer that's what a world class athlete does, he sets lofty goals and it keeps him motivated to continue striving for the top of the mountain. Good for him. Some people take the money and run, a real champion is never satisfied no matter how much money he's accumulated as long as there is one hill left to climb.
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Hmgraphite1
Hall of Fame
Nice quads for a 70's player, true professional, still giving back to the gameCan you identify this ATG?
He wanted to be the best yet he wanted to "lay low in the shadows."
So no, those of us who have watched tennis long before you were born aren't blindsided.
Sport
G.O.A.T.
Less masculine man of all time.You sound cute when you are angry. I mean look at those blue eyes and that blond hair of yours.
TheGhostOfAgassi
Talk Tennis Guru
yes, being crippled for life I dont think is Rafas concern if thats what it has to take.
Most people w that injury would have given up before the teens are over. Its such a painful injury. He is suffering in the quiet.
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
Exactly. If they don't have a goal then what is the point in keep playing? They might as well just retire now and live off their millions in luxury. Champions put themselves through the ringer to cross that finish line first or be the last man standing, and think they can do it again and again. Djokovic has already won more Slams after the age of 28 than any other player. Now he may not reach 20 but he might get pretty darn close. Some people saying it's impossible need to remember that.
Sport
G.O.A.T.
Doubt money is what brings them genuine happiness at this point. They already have money enough to live well the rest of their lives. If Nadal (or Djokovic) could choose between a paycheck of 1 billion dollars and retiring with the GS record... what do you think they would choose?
NoleFam
Bionic Poster
I know they are not playing for money at this point but I'm saying if they don't have anything left to play for, then why would they bother? They would just retire and enjoy their fruits of their labor if that was the case.
O
OhYes
Guest
Well at least it is more fun to follow a player from his maiden Slam to his retirement. That is something most of fans would love to witness and to be in position for such treat from their fellow countryman.
I am very grateful to be "nationalistic fan", most of you would also, but here everything is upside down, so here it is major sin.
yokied
Hall of Fame
For me, Nole doesn't need the slam count to be GOAT. I can accept that the slam count is the simplest and broadest GOAT definition available and this is a minority opinion. Of course he needs a bit more but if he aims for the slam count, he could pick up a few more records that Roger simply couldn't manage, eg RG, CYGS, another Nole Slam etc. If he equals Nadal in slam count at 17 and Roger stays at 20, Nole might have achieved enough to satisfy me. I doubt it will play out that way but if so, I would have to give credit where it's due.
Sure Roger had multiple eras, court speeds and racquet technologies to contend with and has probably the most stylistic and statistical claims to GOAT, but he just could not put other ATGs down and establish himself as first among equals on the biggest stages. That is hard to overcome when considering the history of what is a non-contact version of combat sport.
I am a massive Roger fan and will teach my children to play like Roger. I was taught to play like Edberg and Mac, but it doesn't mean I can't acknowledge the superiority of Lendl and Borg.
Sure Roger had multiple eras, court speeds and racquet technologies to contend with and has probably the most stylistic and statistical claims to GOAT, but he just could not put other ATGs down and establish himself as first among equals on the biggest stages. That is hard to overcome when considering the history of what is a non-contact version of combat sport.
I am a massive Roger fan and will teach my children to play like Roger. I was taught to play like Edberg and Mac, but it doesn't mean I can't acknowledge the superiority of Lendl and Borg.
Zara
G.O.A.T.
Do you think that's why Federer fans are the most vocal when NextGen fail to do anything in terms of Slams? I mean I don't see why Nadal and Djokovic fans should complain if the NextGEn are still lacking because this allows both Nole and Rafs to win as many as possible though, to Roger's credit, he too was able to win a few despite being much older.
Djokodal Fan
Hall of Fame
good to have lofty ambitions whether you achieve it or not. If he aims for the sky, atleast he may reach the top of the tower or the clouds. Who knows?
Users here posting that Djokovic is bound to fail with memes should look at themselves and see what they have achieved and how far they have gone in their career and earnings. I'm sure it's not even 1/100th of what Djokovic has. Djokovic has done a world of good for himself aiming high in his life and settling financially in his early twenties. Not many can boast of that.
Users here posting that Djokovic is bound to fail with memes should look at themselves and see what they have achieved and how far they have gone in their career and earnings. I'm sure it's not even 1/100th of what Djokovic has. Djokovic has done a world of good for himself aiming high in his life and settling financially in his early twenties. Not many can boast of that.
Live footage from Djokovic attempting to win 7+ Slams from now.
Federer won 3 at 35+, give me a break.
Subway Tennis
G.O.A.T.
For me the total major count is the measuring stick of this era, but Novak would make things really complicated if he were to do something like win another 2 RG. It would be almost impossible with Nadal's presence but a triple career grand slam would be an extraordinary entry on Novaks resume and essentially place him on his own as the most complete player of his era.
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
Djokovic isn't Federer.
What does Djokovic have when he loses his agility/movement/consistency? Good but not great serve and can be patchy, average net game, doesn't even have an aggressive mindset most of the time.
Neither Djokovic nor Nadal will be half as good as Federer was at the age of 35+
Sport
G.O.A.T.
And Rosewall isn't Federer, yet he remains the only man to win a Grand Slam at age 37 in the Open Era. You don't need to be Roger Federer to win Grand Slams aged 35+.
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
It was a completely different sport 45 years ago.
RaulRamirez
Legend
Honestly, that's such a jaded post on your part.It's a lose/lose for Djokovic.
If he doesn't win 7+, then ditto; potentially egg on face.
If he does win 7+, then it won't prove how great he is, but rather how sad the tour has truly become.
a. He didn't say anything the least bit explosive or arrogant to be left with egg on his face about - not even remotely.
b. You're just quite transparently trying to set up a scenario where it's a lose/lose for Novak and a win/win for your hero, Fed.
RaulRamirez
Legend
What's so amazing about it - besides that all 3 guys are amazing? He's five years older, had (in general) better health and arguably lesser competition, and he has won 3 more majors.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
Djokovic shouldn't look so far ahead. He just got his *** beat by two next genners and almost lost to 40 year old Federer lol. He just needs to worry about breaking the tie with Pete for now.
duaneeo
G.O.A.T.
This isn't my impression. I think posters (in general) are most vocal when Zverev fails to do anything at the slams. Crickets can be heard when the other NextGens and the LostGens fail to do anything.
Are most of the Zverev haters Federer fans? I haven't kept track.
Zara
G.O.A.T.
Well, I probably meant Zverev (and perhaps Kyrgios too) because he's still the most successful among NextGen. Alex has his fair share of haters in all but I'd think Fed fans hate him the most. Just an observation. Doesn't bother me much though.
Druss
Hall of Fame
The period 2010 and 2017 for Federer can be looked at in two ways:
1) By a Fed hater such as yourself, which you have already stated in your post and no matter what Federer does/achieves (backed up by your moving the goal-posts) will never get through to you
2) Federer actually won 5 slams during that period and was back to No1 on 2 occasions (2012/17)....and all done between the ages of 28.5 to 36 when most ATGs in the past have done near squat in that age bracket.
D
Deleted member 762343
Guest
I'm not this kind of person, sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. There's no clickbait at all, Djokovic does think he can surpass Federer. That's what he said in the article.
Yeah but that's "just" a WTF, it's not as important as a GS.
titoelcolombiano
Legend
They are competitive sportsman with a once in a lifetime shot at history. I would be shocked if both Nadal and Djokovic don't think and believe that they can break the slam record, whether they say so in public or not.
vex
Legend
You also wrote him off for dead last year. Pretty sure you said "no weapons...."
That said, the odds of him winning 6 more is low.
Pheasant
G.O.A.T.
This slam race is incredibly entertaining. This feels like a really high scoring baseball game.
Team Federer leads Team Nadal 20-17 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. But Team Nadal has the heart of his lineup coming up to hit. Can Team Nadal come back?
Team Fed leads Team Djoker 20-14 in the bottom of the 9th. But Team Djoker has the bases loaded with nobody out. Can Team Djoker hit a grand slam to trim the lead to 20-18?
Team Federer leads Team Nadal 20-17 heading into the bottom of the 9th inning. But Team Nadal has the heart of his lineup coming up to hit. Can Team Nadal come back?
Team Fed leads Team Djoker 20-14 in the bottom of the 9th. But Team Djoker has the bases loaded with nobody out. Can Team Djoker hit a grand slam to trim the lead to 20-18?
RaulRamirez
Legend
If you read the article, it's pretty much a nothing "reported" on by, essentially, a tennis gossip site that crafts clickbait headlines out of fairly generic statements. Djokovic, as quoted, expressed confidence, though hardly full certainty that he will end up with more majors than Fed. And he did it in a reply to a question; he didn't call a press conference to do so. Of course, you wouldn't know this from the headline or from a lot of the comments here.
I know he has enormous respect for (both) Fed (and Rafa), but if you've looked at their records, over the last 12 years (since he was 19), Djokovic has had better results than anyone. He has good reason to be confident in his own abilities - even if uncertain if he will end up with the most majors.
Tshooter
G.O.A.T.
At this stage in his career I would stick to the Grand Slams to gauge his motivation.
Tshooter
G.O.A.T.
uscwang
Hall of Fame
I feel for Nadal and his fans. If not for Novak this year, Nadal might have reached 19 by now. Novak broke the Fedal duopoly twice in history, while each time it seemed to have cost Nadal more.
True Fanerer
G.O.A.T.
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titoelcolombiano
Legend
I don't feel sorry for Nadal or myself (as a Rafa fan). As it stands he has 17 slams and is playing well enough to win more - ifs and buts don't matter, he has had an astonishing career.
Fedforever
Hall of Fame
Well at least it is more fun to follow a player from his maiden Slam to his retirement. That is something most of fans would love to witness and to be in position for such treat from their fellow countryman.
I am very grateful to be "nationalistic fan", most of you would also, but here everything is upside down, so here it is major sin.
Is there meant to be a problem with following a player because he or she shares your nationality? Seems as valid a reason as any other.
The only bad reason to support a player is when it's actually about disliking someone else, but any "positive" reason - even if it's just you like their smile - should be OK.
maratha_warrior
Hall of Fame
Most fed fans never cared about Next genx when fed won 3 slams at age 35,36 but the moment Rafa won Slam against Theim at RG and the return of Djokovic, feds fans started making few threads daily about how the next generation is weak, loser bla bla bla.
One thing I have learnt it on this forum about fans is they never care abt tennis quality, but only about Slam record. Even if the slams are won by beating journeymen.
maximus
Semi-Pro
I highly doubt that he would surpass RF. The NextGen are rising. I think, all three (RF, RN, ND) have had their fair share of amazing comebacks only to perform at an 'average' the following year. In any case, Novak's goal is a good indication that competition will be as high as ever between the three greats. If it keeps Djokovic motivated, I hope RF and RN will be as equally motivated too. More great tennis years to come then!
D
Deleted member 757377
Guest
The race is with Nadal, not with Federer. To be great you have to beat great opponents.
So he now needs to get to 18. A second 4 in a row would be a great bonus, btw.
So he now needs to get to 18. A second 4 in a row would be a great bonus, btw.
maratha_warrior
Hall of Fame
Good mentality.
If Djoker wins 1 Slam in 2019, Slam race will be between Fed and Rafa
If Djoker wins 3 Slams in 2019, All of big 3 will have equal chances.
If Djoker wins 1 Slam in 2019, Slam race will be between Fed and Rafa
If Djoker wins 3 Slams in 2019, All of big 3 will have equal chances.
O
OhYes
Guest
I share your sentiments over this. But I was caleed before on those grounds. Guess some people need to make a case why is certain fandom worse than others so they make good things bad and vice versa.
CYGS
Legend
It's lose-lose to you Fed fans and he shouldn't give a f about it.It's a lose/lose for Djokovic.
If he doesn't win 7+, then ditto; potentially egg on face.
If he does win 7+, then it won't prove how great he is, but rather how sad the tour has truly become.
Tennis_Hands
Banned
I think that he won't.
Let us see who is more realistic and knowledgeable about tennis between the two of us.
Let us see who is more realistic and knowledgeable about tennis between the two of us.
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