Do you guys think Djokovic can still be a contender for RG?

[mike danny]

I think clay is a tough surface for him at this point. Clay is a tough surface for old men who aren't Nadal. I think RG is where Djokovic will be the most vulnerable going forward.

What do you guys think?

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

It's a crapola mug field but then again he lost to Cecchinato

 

[RF-18]

Can't see him beating Nadal there.

Against rest of the field? Definitely he could win.

So both yes and no depending on the circumstances

 

[Federer and Del Potro]

Contender - Yes

Do I think he will ever win it again - No

Then again Thiem is supposed to be Nadal's successor there, so anything is possible.

 

[Poisoned Slice]

I think so, yeah. Back to thinking he is a contender anywhere.

 

[RF-18]

It's a crapola mug field but then again he lost to Cecchinato

If they played that match 9/10 Djokovic wins it. I wouldn't make too much out of the loss to Cecchinato, Djokovic just had a really bad day.

 

[Mark jd]

Of course he is. Maybe he could have won it even this year if he got passed Cecchinato. At the very least I'm sure he would be a much tougher opponent for Nadal than Thiem.

 

[mike danny]

If they played that match 9/10 Djokovic wins it. I wouldn't make too much out of the loss to Cecchinato, Djokovic just had a really bad day.

That's the point. Djokovic's bad days will be easier to exploit at RG.

 

[FHtennisman]

I'm going to be brutally honest here, more than Djokovic actually winning RG, I care about him or anyone stopping Nadal from winning another one - I haven't seen anything from him yet that would suggest he can beat Nadal at the French yet. Can only hope that Nadal declines further (by a sizeable amount and some in 2019) for anyone else to have a chance.

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

You never know, he is probably among the first in line to take advantage of any kind of drop in Nadal's form. But the important thing is he finally crossed that thing off his list.

 

[EloQuent]

Djokovic will never lose again

 

[zverev2018]

If he struggled to beat Nadal at Wimbledon then he has no chance at the French Open. I know he beat him in 2015 but that was Nadal at his lowest and Djokovic at his best. Otherwise he’s 1-6 against him there. Also he has to avoid the prince of tennis Zverev and Thiem.

 

[Mark jd]

If he struggled to beat Nadal at Wimbledon then he has no chance at the French Open. I know he beat him in 2015 but that was Nadal at his lowest and Djokovic at his best. Otherwise he’s 1-6 against him there. Also he has to avoid the prince of tennis Zverev and Thiem.

That makes no sense. Does it really matter how hard it was for him to beat Nadal? The important question is who wins, not how hard it was.

 

[Jonas78]

He will most likely be Rafas toughest opponent, but will he be able to challenge Rafa? Not sure. On clay he will be paid of less for both his serve and aggressive ROS.

 

[GabeT]

Nadal’s form has to dip, but he can be a real contender.

 

[Sudacafan]

I think clay is a tough surface for him at this point. Clay is a tough surface for old men who aren't Nadal. I think RG is where Djokovic will be the most vulnerable going forward.

What do you guys think?

I think Nole has better chances than Thiem.

 

[wim2015]

He could be a solid contender everywhere.

 

[tennisaddict]

We will have to ask Thiem because he is the heir to the throne and the prince of clay according to VB

 

[True Fanerer]

He may fall off again before that. Hard to say really. See how he handles success first.

 

[Sport]

He can win another RG just like in 2016, when Nadal was injured. Also let's not forget that Djokovic has beaten Nadal at RG in 2015.

Now that Djokovic is back, I think he will probably defeat Thiem. Even though he would not be favorite, of course he can defeat again Nadal at RG.

 

[nolefam_2024]

He can win it if someone takes out Rafa or Rafa's form drops.
He should take it easy during clay season and win on hard courts and grass. No point playing 3 masters and a slam just to lose vs Nadal or win after unbelievable physical struggle.

 

[Mark jd]

Judging by the comments you can think that people believe Nadal is going to win RG forever.

 

[Sport]

We will have to ask Thiem because he is the heir to the throne and the prince of clay according to VB

Not according to the "VB". Every objective observer saw that Thiem was the second best player of the clay season this year. He was the only one who could defeat Nadal. In addition, he was the finalist at RG. Thiem was also the Prince of clay in 2017.

 

[newpball]

I think clay is a tough surface for him at this point. Clay is a tough surface for old men who aren't Nadal. I think RG is where Djokovic will be the most vulnerable going forward.

What do you guys think?

Is he a contender for winning RG?

Count on it!

 

[GabeT]

Nole’s new level, assuming it lasts longer than Wimbledon, won’t be around forever. But neither will Nadal’s. Nole has to hope nadal’s level dips during one of the next FOs while he maintains a high level. Not impossible. Not easy.

 

[Djokovic2011]

He'll still be a contender but he won't win it again unless Nadal doesn't compete.

 

[Mark jd]

Not according to the "VB". Every objective observer saw that Thiem was the second best player of the clay season this year. He was the only one who could defeat Nadal. In addition, he was the finalist at RG. Thiem was also the Prince of clay in 2017.

I think Zverev deserves more credit though. He won 2 masters titles on clay while Thiem is yet to win anything above 500 level tournaments.

 

[Sport]

I think Zverev deserves more credit though. He won 2 masters titles on clay while Thiem is yet to win anything above 500 level tournaments.

As everyone knows, a GS final (1250 ATP points) is more relevant than any Masters 1000 title (1000 ATP points). In addition, when has Zverev defeated Nadal on clay? Don't get me wrong, Zverev has potential to succed on clay. But his 2018 (or 2017) on clay was not as good as Thiem's one. Zverev has yet to reach a SF or F at RG to be compared with Thiem.

 

[clout]

He'll still be competitive but I doubt he'll be able to beat Rafa there. I mean he barely beat Nadal on grass so I don't think it'll happen on clay.

 

[tennisaddict]

I do believe that Novak can beat Rafa and it is not because of yesterday's match at all

He can go toe to toe with Rafa at RG, irrespective of how he fares between now and then

 

[Mark jd]

As everyone knows, a GS final (1250 ATP points) is more relevant than any Masters 1000 title (1000 ATP points). In addition, when has Zverev defeated Nadal on clay? Don't get me wrong, Zverev has potential to succed on clay. But his 2018 (or 2017) on clay was not as good as Thiem's one. Zverev has yet to reach a SF or F at RG to be compared with Thiem.

Had Thiem won RG he would definitely be the better player. But he didn't. I think 2 masters titles are better than 1 RG final. And about beating Nadal-well, they didn't meet in Madrid and I think Zverev also would have won against Nadal there. He played a great tournament and faced just 1 BP.

 

[justasport]

RG Final 2019:
Djokovic vs Federer

 

[FreeBird]

Going forward, it will be the toughest GS for Djokovic. Not only because of Nadal but also his endurance/stamina is not what it should be 2-3 years back. For clay, you need an additional grinding. Rafa has one of the best FH and his clay genius to neutralise his reducing stamina/endurance, for Djokovic, it will be difficult to do the same.

 

[Sport]

Had Thiem won RG he would definitely be the better player. But he didn't. I think 2 masters titles are better than 1 RG final. And about beating Nadal-well, they didn't meet in Madrid and I think Zverev also would have won against Nadal there. He played a great tournament and faced just 1 BP.

I respectfully disagree. For me, 1 SF and 1 F at RG >>>> 0 SF and 0 F at RG. 1 Final at RG (1250 ATP points) is better than any Masters 1000 title (1000 ATP points). If we add the fact that Thiem has defeated Nadal 3 times I think there is no debate. First Zverev needs to reach a RG final and a victory over Nadal on clay to be on Thiem's level.

The legendary Soderling has 0 Masters 1000 on clay. Yet absolutely everybody would put him over Zverev as a better clay player. Why? Because Soderling defeated once Nadal on clay and reached the RG finals.

Let's face it: nobody cares about Masters 1000 in comparison with GS. GS results are far more relevant.

 

[DerekNoleFam1]

He can win it if someone takes out Rafa or Rafa's form drops.
He should take it easy during clay season and win on hard courts and grass. No point playing 3 masters and a slam just to lose vs Nadal or win after unbelievable physical struggle.

He can lift his own level enough to take out Rafa, he is not totally reliant of Nadal's form dropping. (even though Nadal's level will probably drop anyway at 33 next year)
Of course he can win RG again, and get the DCGS that nobody else has got in the Open Era.

 

[Deleted member 307496]

He'll still be a contender but he won't win it again unless Nadal doesn't compete.

Even then it's not a guarantee anymore. I still think he's going to be a regular 2nd weeker though.

 

[Sport]

He can lift his own level enough to take out Rafa, he is not totally reliant of Nadal's form dropping. (even though the latter's probably will anyway at 33 next year)
Of course he can win RG again, and get the DCGS that nobody else has got in the Open Era.

LOL, Djokovic is only one year younger than Nadal. If Nadal drops his level at age 33, so will Djokovic at age 32. If we add the fact that Nadal is far better on clay, he would still be the favorite.

I agree with your last point though. Djokovic can defeat an in form Nadal on clay, he doesn't need Nadal to drop his level. The RG 2013 SF was kinda close and it shows how good Djokovic was on clay. Now that he came back, he can win another RG for sure.

 

[mike danny]

LOL, Djokovic is only one year younger than Nadal. If Nadal drops his level at age 33, so will Djokovic at age 32. If we add the fact that Nadal is far better on clay, he would still be the favorite.

I agree with your last point though. Djokovic can defeat an in form Nadal on clay, he doesn't need Nadal to drop his level. The RG 2013 SF was kinda close and it shows how good Djokovic was on clay. Now that he came back, he can win another RG for sure.

2013 SF was just one match. Djokovic got routined in all the others.

He is not a threat to Nadal at RG and never has been outside 2013.

 

[Tennisanity]

As everyone knows, a GS final (1250 ATP points) is more relevant than any Masters 1000 title (1000 ATP points). In addition, when has Zverev defeated Nadal on clay? Don't get me wrong, Zverev has potential to succed on clay. But his 2018 (or 2017) on clay was not as good as Thiem's one. Zverev has yet to reach a SF or F at RG to be compared with Thiem.

A GS final is 1200 points, not 1250.

 

[Milehigh5280]

Definitely. He probably won't win RG because of Nadal, but if he keeps on his current trajectory and keeps improving he will likely be the second favorite next year. I can see him making another final or two before his career is over.

 

[titoelcolombiano]

Yes he will but Rafa will always be favoured against him on Chatrier

 

[West Coast Ace]

Can't see him beating Nadal there.

Against rest of the field? Definitely he could win.

So both yes and no depending on the circumstances

Why not? If he beats Nadal a few more times between now and then his confidence would be huge.

 

[Legend of Borg]

sure

way bigger threat than the "prince of clay" or should i say "the king of 500s"

if he plays himself into form and scores some wins in clay masters against the bull pre-RG he could be deadly

 

[NoleFam]

The Rome match is an indicator here. He went toe to toe with Nadal close to his best for a set and half when he was not yet at his. He is Nadal's biggest rival and is the only one with a chance to stop him. It depends on a few factors though. He needs Nadal's level to dip and fluctuate because Nadal is a different beast in BO5 on clay compared to BO3. But yea he can definitely be a contender.

 

[Vanilla Slice]

Contender = yes

Possibly become second best clay courted after Nadal = yes

Win RG again = likely not cause of Nadal but there’s always a chance

 

[Nostradamus]

I think clay is a tough surface for him at this point. Clay is a tough surface for old men who aren't Nadal. I think RG is where Djokovic will be the most vulnerable going forward.

What do you guys think?

Wow, if Novak is healthy and playing well next year, RAFA's reign is over. Hey isn't 11 enough ?

 

[Tennis_Hands]

The short answer: "Yes"

The longer answer: If Nadal is a contender then Djokovic is too

The reality answer: it depends on whether he will mount a full comeback (i. e. display consistent form on at least the level he showed at Wimbledon)

 

[Slightly D1]

Contender? Yes. Beating Nadal at this point? No.

 

[D.Nalby12]

Yes. If he is able to regain his best form, he contender for every single tournament next year no matter of surface. Clay might prove his weakest surface from here on but he will have chances there unlike Federer who lacked ground game in his thirties.

 

[Gary Duane]

Can't see him beating Nadal there.

Against rest of the field? Definitely he could win.

So both yes and no depending on the circumstances

I say yes because I don't think Nadal can continue winning RG every year, and if he is knocked out, I think Novak is the next most likely to win it, if he stays healthy.