Hitman
Bionic Poster
I am almost certain we all have them, a five set epic that our favorite pulls of out the bag while having his back against the wall for the majority of the match. The match wins are fully legit, because it shows mental strength, clutchness, an unyielding desire to never give in, and there is a sense of relief and triumph that follows the handshake. As glad as I am in those situations, I do feel empathy for the other player, who I would feel was the better player and deserving winner also. Of course therein lies the contradiction, the better player ultimately wins these matches, but there is always a feeling that I get in such situations where I feel the other guy deserved it more.
Here are my personal top picks for Djokovic, that he clutched out, but felt the other player was dominating the majority of the match.
Djokovic v Wawrinka - Australian Open 2013
Well, what can be said about this match that hasn't already been said? The birth of the Stanimal. One of the most electrifying nights ever seen at the AO. Stan came out all guns blazing, hitting hard, heavy and deep, bullying and simply outplaying Djokovic. Brutal aggression that kept Djokovic on the back foot for the majority of the match, supremely clutch in that fourth set tie break, and epic saving of MPs with those backhands that even brought a smile to both their faces. To me, this is their greatest encounter. Djokovic relented the storm and won in the end, but Stan set the tone for what this match would ultimately become.
Djokovic v Murray - Australian Open 2012
This match was breathtakingly brutal and often gets overlooked because of what happened in the final, but the way Murray came at Djokovic after coming under the wing of Lendl was shocking. He was aggressive, moving Djokovic around side to side, turning it into a dogfight. Just that second set alone is one of the most barbaric sets of tennis I have seen. Murray was hurting Djokovic continuously, every time Djokovic thought he had an advantage, Murray would raise the level even higher. The pace of the match was dictated by Andy for the majority, It went right down to the wire again before Novak could pull out the win.
Djokovic v Nadal - Wimbledon 2018
To me quite simply put, this was the greatest ever match between the two. The level was just so high, that you had to wonder how it could ever be topped when they were going at each other. Nadal brought a complete package of all court game play, aggression, and simply dominated Djokovic from the back of the court for the majority of the match. All of Nadal's shots were firing, in particular that forehand down the line which kept burning Djokovic over and over again. Nadal was at his ruthless best, his game face was on, Djokovic was on the verge of losing numerous times, and each time he thought he had a breakthrough against Nadal, Nadal would produce superhuman drop shots on set and match points.
Djokovic v Federer - Wimbledon 2019
This will be the match they will most likely be remembered for due to the historical significance. Federer controlled the majority of the match, Djokovic was doing enough to stay with him during this encounter, and during the tie-breaks able to push through those tight sets, however for the actual sets of tennis played, Fed controlled the ball. He was moving smoothly, picking his spots, having Novak guessing more often than out, and continued to keep the pressure on in every single set. Novak was on the backfoot IMO for the most of the match, even when he was up in sets, but he managed to weather the storm and pulled off one hell of win when all was lost. Overall Federer outplayed him for the most of the match, but Novak held strong in the breakers and saw it home.
Here are my personal top picks for Djokovic, that he clutched out, but felt the other player was dominating the majority of the match.
Djokovic v Wawrinka - Australian Open 2013
Well, what can be said about this match that hasn't already been said? The birth of the Stanimal. One of the most electrifying nights ever seen at the AO. Stan came out all guns blazing, hitting hard, heavy and deep, bullying and simply outplaying Djokovic. Brutal aggression that kept Djokovic on the back foot for the majority of the match, supremely clutch in that fourth set tie break, and epic saving of MPs with those backhands that even brought a smile to both their faces. To me, this is their greatest encounter. Djokovic relented the storm and won in the end, but Stan set the tone for what this match would ultimately become.
Djokovic v Murray - Australian Open 2012
This match was breathtakingly brutal and often gets overlooked because of what happened in the final, but the way Murray came at Djokovic after coming under the wing of Lendl was shocking. He was aggressive, moving Djokovic around side to side, turning it into a dogfight. Just that second set alone is one of the most barbaric sets of tennis I have seen. Murray was hurting Djokovic continuously, every time Djokovic thought he had an advantage, Murray would raise the level even higher. The pace of the match was dictated by Andy for the majority, It went right down to the wire again before Novak could pull out the win.
Djokovic v Nadal - Wimbledon 2018
To me quite simply put, this was the greatest ever match between the two. The level was just so high, that you had to wonder how it could ever be topped when they were going at each other. Nadal brought a complete package of all court game play, aggression, and simply dominated Djokovic from the back of the court for the majority of the match. All of Nadal's shots were firing, in particular that forehand down the line which kept burning Djokovic over and over again. Nadal was at his ruthless best, his game face was on, Djokovic was on the verge of losing numerous times, and each time he thought he had a breakthrough against Nadal, Nadal would produce superhuman drop shots on set and match points.
Djokovic v Federer - Wimbledon 2019
This will be the match they will most likely be remembered for due to the historical significance. Federer controlled the majority of the match, Djokovic was doing enough to stay with him during this encounter, and during the tie-breaks able to push through those tight sets, however for the actual sets of tennis played, Fed controlled the ball. He was moving smoothly, picking his spots, having Novak guessing more often than out, and continued to keep the pressure on in every single set. Novak was on the backfoot IMO for the most of the match, even when he was up in sets, but he managed to weather the storm and pulled off one hell of win when all was lost. Overall Federer outplayed him for the most of the match, but Novak held strong in the breakers and saw it home.
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