Jaitock1991
Hall of Fame
A pusher that takes the ball early, hits deep and changes direction a lot, plays fast and makes you run all over the place? That's quite a pusher.
Goffin spots difference: "Against Novak you never feel comfortable, against Roger you feel like recieving winners"
A pusher that takes the ball early, hits deep and changes direction a lot, plays fast and makes you run all over the place? That's quite a pusher.
toby55555
Hall of Fame
That would be more like playing Murray ie you get a lot of junk balls you think you should be able to hit winners off but somehow he runs them down and he loves a target.
So djokovic is like death by a thousand cuts. And Federer is death by Hara kiri.
No wonder he retires easily.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Last edited:
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
Balancing TTW.
More like 20.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Novak seems to be quite an unsolvable mystery to many tennis fans.
They watch him dominate for nearly a decade, yet they still believe he sucks as a player.
People are sooooo sssss........ strange.
The Green Mile
Bionic Poster
Lol, and here I thought that the OP didn't have a slight agenda this time around. Here I thought we were all just appreciating the difference in styles between Fed and Novak, but no lol, there's a hidden meaning. Looks like it was a misunderstanding all around. Not sure how you could think Goffin meant it's easier to hit winners off Fed's balls, unless maybe English isn't your first language. If so, then you're pardoned 
D
Deleted member 744633
Guest
Slam ... some people have become so despondent that their hero's records are about to be smashed (number of slams and weeks at No. 1), they start to act like an ostrich with it's head in the sand, just denying reality. Omala, the koodis need a psychiatric evaluation.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Starting?
They were denying reality already a decade ago. Many Fedfans of yesteryear (who don't even follow tennis anymore) were completely delusional around 2007-2010. Those were the shock years for them, the first big shock wave, when suddenly their icon started losing to two young players.
Instead of ADJUSTING their fanatical delusion already then, ADMITTING RF was not an infallible divine being, they decided to go down the fanatical route, continuing with the belief that he is allpowerful and undefeatable. Which is when mono started, and prime/peak/shmeep nonsense, and doping accusations and...
And then they wonder why they're so upset. Because they decided to keep hating, instead of embracing the Big 3 era.
wangs78
Legend
What Goffin is saying is basically this: on the spectrum of playing style with SHOTMAKER on one end and GRINDER on the other end, Roger is closer to the shotmaker end and Novak is closer to the grinder end. Every player makes shots and every player grinds at times. Just that Roger tends to hit clean winners more and Novak tends to defend and hit tough rally shots more. It's not black and white but shades of gray. With that said, Roger is as pure of an attacker as you can get in this era. Maybe the only other person who attacks as much is Tsonga. Novak on the other hand is far less of a grinder than many other players on tour. Novak attacks as well, he just tends to like grinding a bit first before going for his shot.
TheIntrovert
Hall of Fame
Seems like youve just misunderstood. Whether that’s intentionally or unintentionally, I’m not sure. Hes just saying Fed beats you by hitting winners. And Novak beats you by suffocating and breaking you down.
Fedforever
Hall of Fame
Not gonna say Fed fans always behave well but we also had to take a lot of cr*p about Weak Era etc and continually trying to demean anything he ever did.
Don't think any of us are blameless here.
Is Goffin supposed to be saying that he finds it easier to play Fed? That wasn't the sense I got from this - he just seems to be saying they're different, that's all. Obviously as he's just played Novak he goes into a lot more detail about him.
Last edited:
Tennis_Hands
Banned
Everyone knows which is preferable.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Correct.
What people also don't understand is that Novak hits more cleanly than Roger. RF goes for broke more (not a LOT more, just more) hence you can occasionally hear the miss-hits going off his racket, on relatively normal shots even. Novak's mishits are far more rare, of course partly due to his more conservative approach. But generally Novak has a cleaner hitting technique, he is almost like a robot, and his haters fail to understand how difficult it is to maintain such efficiency through a match, much less throughout a decade... It is a very rare talent and the main reason he is almost unbeatable when on a roll...
uscwang
Hall of Fame
Good point. That's why only Novak's health and motivation can keep him from breaking all records that matter.
The only player who gets it is Rafa Nadal, who keeps saying Novak's is the best tennis he has seen.
wangs78
Legend
Agreed. The funny thing is, and I'm saying this as a Fed fan, in their recent head-to-heads, Novak tends to go big in pressure situations whereas Fed tends to play more conservatively. This has more to do with Novak's mental edge after having had the clear upper hand for 4-5 years now and being inside Fed's head than their general styles of play, though.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Rafa has understood that Novak has no flaws when playing his best. Plus Rafa is honest.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Yes, RF was for example more conservative in the later stages of the 5th set at Wimby19 than he was throughout the match. He basically chickened out, or perhaps may have been too tired...
But then again, if he was tired then that's extra reason to risk. If he had risked more he could have won it.
D
Deleted member 744633
Guest
Brilliant post, agreed!
TennisFan3
Talk Tennis Guru
Don't even both reasoning with these guys.
Novak Djokovic is a better tennis player than Roger Federer. And pretty soon the numbers will reflect that too. Djokovic achieved a lot with tougher competition, and he's not even close to being done.
That's the truth. And it hurts all the rabid fed Fans. So they just brand him as a "pusher". Anyone with half a tennis brain knows that is completely ridiculous.
Fedforever
Hall of Fame
Well, this thread's had it all really.
Is it silly of Fed fans to call Djoko a pusher? Yes. Are Djoko fans right to get annoyed by this? Yes. Are Djoko fans entitled to regard him as a better player than Fed if they want to? Yes.
Are Fed fans entitled not to give Djoko credit for breaking all the records UNTIL he's actually done that? Yes. Are they perfectly entitled to regard Federer as a better player if they want to? Yes.
And so it goes on for evermore.
Is it silly of Fed fans to call Djoko a pusher? Yes. Are Djoko fans right to get annoyed by this? Yes. Are Djoko fans entitled to regard him as a better player than Fed if they want to? Yes.
Are Fed fans entitled not to give Djoko credit for breaking all the records UNTIL he's actually done that? Yes. Are they perfectly entitled to regard Federer as a better player if they want to? Yes.
And so it goes on for evermore.
wangs78
Legend
I tend to think he chickened out. It's tough being in his shoes. Every Slam title opportunity probably feels like the last one for him. I really think the amount of pressure he's faced over the last 10 years is at least 2x more than Nadal or Djokovic.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Well, yeah, it's you RF fans to blame for that!
You kept saying since 2008 that he's too old, so he kept panicking more and more, "oh this might be my last chance" when in fact he didn't know back in 2012 for example that he'd be playing at least another 8 years.
Just kidding...
But yes, if he had known his career would be this long, he'd be much more relaxed.
HOWEVER, Rafa was never sure when his career might end due to injuries, so he too has been under great pressure for at least 5-6 years to win every time he had a good opportunity.
So I only partly agree.
All 3 have been aware of their age in recent years.
ForehandRF
Legend
That being said, I "blame" Djokovic for failing so often against Nadal at the French.He is probably the most complete baseliner, he is tougher mentally than Fed, has a 2HBH, all the weapons to play an "wear and tear " match against Nadal on Chatrier.I mean, we all know who Nadal is at RG, but it's not like he is playing his best in every RG F or SF.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
Yes, that 1-6 at FO is quite unusual. He's beaten Rafa many times in clay M1000s. 6 times.
He's definitely underachieved vs Rafa in the clay slam, no question there.
wangs78
Legend
True, but Rafa and Nole have not had a younger challenger nipping at their heels. As a Fed fan, ever since Nadal beat Fed for the 3rd time at the FO and pushed Fed to 5 sets in the 2007 Wimby final, I was fearful that this YOUNG and proven contender was going to stop Fed dead in his tracks. So far, there hasn't been anyone who is legitimate contender who not only threatens Nadal with his game but also with mother time on their side. Thiem is slowly starting to apply that pressure at the FO, but he hasn't won yet, and Medvedev pushed Rafa to 5 sets at the USO this year so that pressure is FINALLY coming. But whatever pressure Thiem, Medvedev and others are applying is still a VERY long way from what Fed faced back in 2007-2008 onward from Nadal and Djokovic, who were consistently making it deep in every tournament.
UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
They didn't need one. They had and still have each other - ALL THOSE YEARS. And Fed.
Not every generation can have Novak, Rafa or RF, that kind of caliber, those are three unique talents, and time will prove me right.
victa
New User
What are you talking about. Everybody struggles against Novak and Roger. Goffin is a great player.
Lleytonstation
Talk Tennis Guru
He is 34-74 against top 20 players...
