In a weird way, do you think Djokovic feels sorry how Nadal and Federer have ended up?

Jokervich

Jokervich

Hall of Fame
With regards to how things have ended up in the slam race/goat debate - both injured and physically on their last legs, barely able to walk anymore. I don't think he ever wanted it to end like this. They were his biggest rivals for years. He wanted to catch them and he finally did, but not in this way. It reminds me of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vadar, where Luke finally defeats Vadar, but it's not how he wanted it to happen - he wanted him to turn to the light side, not see him die. I sense there is a sadness there from Djokovic about the whole situation. He is beating these next gen players on behalf of Nadal and Federer, out of respect for both their names and because it feels like it is his duty to both of them.

What do you think? Hope I made sense there :p
 
I understand where you’re coming from. I could see Novak wishing it was more gradual, instead of this sudden “here one year, gone the next” that has happened at least with Fed. I don’t think he minds being “the guy” now though. Probably thinks if he can get a few years being the only one he can leave the biggest impression instead of needing to share every discussion with them.
 
b30ca0651e01d2a89f8081d78d7685d2.gif
 
I don’t think this is how any competitive pro athlete would think about their rivals. The great ones want to win in every sporting contest against any opponent - there are anecdotes about many athletes being super-competitive when they play household games with their kids, card games in the locker room or workouts in the gym.
 
Djokovic will be feeling sorry for himself when Nadal wins 22 slams by June 2022, that I can tell you.
And Djokovic's father will be ashamed of him forever....
 
Luke didn’t defeat Vader did he. He saved Luke’s life by killing the emperor then died from the emperor’s force lightning.

So really in this case Fed is Emperor Palpatine, Rafa is Darth Vader, and Novak is Luke.
 
topher said:
Luke didn’t defeat Vader did he. He saved Luke’s life by killing the emperor then died from the emperor’s force lightning.

So really in this case Fed is Emperor Palpatine, Rafa is Darth Vader, and Novak is Luke.
Click to expand...
Luke did beat Vader (cut his arm off too) but Palps hit him with some Force lightning.
 
socallefty said:
I don’t think this is how any competitive pro athlete would think about their rivals. The great ones want to win in every sporting contest against any opponent - there are anecdotes about many athletes being super-competitive when they play household games with their kids, card games in the locker room or workouts in the gym.
Click to expand...
That explains why Rafa crushed that 97 year old dude.
 
Novak is probably working on balancing his Sacral chakra as he consumes his Carnitine-Vitamin D-electrolyte-hydrolized collagen smoothie with Stevia as a treat.

Nadal is likely on his boat for the 10th day straight, his friends and family begging him to step on land but him refusing. Perhaps he is filming a conceptual short film about Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.

Roger, of course, is actively shoveling wads of cold hard cash into a volcanic incinerator, cartoon style, laughing maniacally to himself with some “chum jetze’s” interspersing the laughter.

Point is all these guys are tennis devoted weirdos with families and rich personal lives in which they are the center. They each have their own quirks to worry about - all 3 are neurotic perfectionists with weird idiosyncracies to keep the mind occupied.

Unless they’re directly asked about the other Big 3 or are directly interacting … I don’t think it even crosses their mind what the other guys are doing.
 
Kralingen said:
Novak is probably working on balancing his Sacral chakra as he consumes his Carnitine-Vitamin D-electrolyte-hydrolized collagen smoothie with Stevia as a treat tonight.

Nadal is likely on his boat for the 10th day straight, his friends and family begging him to step on land but him refusing. Perhaps he is filming a conceptual short film about Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar.

Roger, of course, is actively shoveling wads of cold hard cash into a volcanic incinerator, cartoon style, laughing maniacally to himself with some “chum jetze’s” interspersing the laughter.

Point is all these guys are tennis devoted weirdos with families and rich personal lives in which they are the center. They each have their own quirks to worry about - all 3 are neurotic perfectionists with weird idiosyncracies to keep the mind occupied.

Unless they’re directly asked about the other Big 3 or are directly interacting … I don’t think it even crosses their mind.
Click to expand...

How naive can you be? Have you ever worked in an office? Most of what people talk about it ****-talking other coworkers. The tennis tour is no different. Just look at how Srdjan talks about Federer. Behind closed doors they are ALL saying that and much worse while having drinks and cigs.
 
topher said:
Luke didn’t defeat Vader did he. He saved Luke’s life by killing the emperor then died from the emperor’s force lightning.

So really in this case Fed is Emperor Palpatine, Rafa is Darth Vader, and Novak is Luke.
Click to expand...
Luke defeated vader
 
Rosstour said:
How naive can you be? Have you ever worked in an office? Most of what people talk about it ****-talking other coworkers. The tennis tour is no different. Just look at how Srdjan talks about Federer. Behind closed doors they are ALL saying that and much worse while having drinks and cigs.
Click to expand...
PTPA/ATP is probably keeping the flame going a bit though, I had forgotten about that.

overall though all 3 to be in serious “late career serenity” phases. Do I think 2011 Djokovic trained like a madman sleeping on a steel bedframe in a Spartan like dungeon with only a cot, alarm clock, and picture of Federer wagging his finger? Yes. Do I think Federer watched 1000 hours of Nadal FH-BH film before AO ‘17? Yes.

But do I think the others are on their mind, to the degree they were in the younger careers? Definitely not. I think they may use the others as motivation but are solely driven by their personal goals. Personally I think Nadal is probably the least affected. Dude is a definition of clock in clock out kind of mind - I doubt he has watched a single tennis match since the Citi Open.
 
Kralingen said:
PTPA/ATP is probably keeping the flame going a bit though, I had forgotten about that.

overall though all 3 to be in serious “late career serenity” phases. Do I think 2011 Djokovic trained like a madman sleeping on a steel bedframe in a Spartan like dungeon with only a cot, alarm clock, and picture of Federer wagging his finger? Yes. Do I think Federer watched 1000 hours of Nadal FH-BH film before AO ‘17? Yes.

But do I think the others are on their mind, to the degree they were in the younger careers? Definitely not. I think they may use the others as motivation but are solely driven by their personal goals. Personally I think Nadal is probably the least affected. Dude is a definition of clock in clock out kind of mind - I doubt he has watched a single tennis match since the Citi Open.
Click to expand...

I think it's even more so now because of the stakes. Fedal each thought they would be the recordholder and now they're watching as that dream falls apart right in front of them.

And with respect to Rafa, he and Toni have been making recent comments in public that are obvious criticisms of Djok. It's eating them alive, to be sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NAS
Jokervich said:
With regards to how things have ended up in the slam race/goat debate - both injured and physically on their last legs, barely able to walk anymore. I don't think he ever wanted it to end like this. They were his biggest rivals for years. He wanted to catch them and he finally did, but not in this way. It reminds me of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vadar, where Luke finally defeats Vadar, but it's not how he wanted it to happen - he wanted him to turn to the light side, not see him die. I sense there is a sadness there from Djokovic about the whole situation. He is beating these next gen players on behalf of Nadal and Federer, out of respect for both their names and because it feels like it is his duty to both of them.

What do you think? Hope I made sense there :p
Click to expand...
Why would a guy feel sorry for two players with hiterto better careers?
 
Rosstour said:
I think it's even more so now because of the stakes. Fedal each thought they would be the recordholder and now they're watching as that dream falls apart right in front of them.

And with respect to Rafa, he and Toni have been making recent comments in public that are obvious criticisms of Djok. It's eating them alive, to be sure.
Click to expand...
Federer and Nadal have the same number of slams plus an olympic gold. They werent the ones crying during matches.
 
I doubt Djokovic will feel sorry for them at all. I think he'll have a healthy respect for their achievements, regardless of what he thinks about them on a personal level.
 
goldengate14 said:
Federer and Nadal have the same number of slams plus an olympic gold. They werent the ones crying during matches.
Click to expand...

They're both just more composed in general so that isn't a surprise. And yes I know Fed cried after blowing another winnable match to Rafa in Australia.

I'm a Fed fan but trying to be objective. Without Djok, Fedal each have 20+. Fed regains the edge over Rafa after 2014, but Rafa has two more RGs, another AO, and another Wimbledon at least.

And as an injured person who plays tennis he would be happy to have won that many, paid all lip service to Federer's greatness, who has three additional Wimbledons to go with a few more hardcourt Slams as well. Nice story for both and any arguments about GOAT simply come down to weeks at #1 and whose style you prefer. Djok and his team killed all that and turned the whole thing kinda ugly.
 
Yes, Novak is so sorry he can't sleep over night... Same as Federer and Nadal were sorry in 2017 and 2018 when they won 6 slams while Novak was in the hole... Lol...
 
It was their own individual (Federer's and Nadal's) decision to cripple themselves by trying to stop Djokovic and prevent Djokovic from surpassing them.
 
Nadal has ended up on a yacht that is big enough to be a mansion and Federer has joined the billionaire club at the tender age of 40. They both have had longer career than 99% of pro players and more success than 99.99% of pro players. I don’t think anyone should feel sorry for them and least of all Djokovic who is more successful on-court and less successful off-court financially and in popularity.
 
MichaelNadal said:
More like they were tearing each other apart as far back as 2005, while Novak was eating cheetos.
Click to expand...
Not true about Djokovic, if I am not wrong he is only behind Rafa by 70 matches played so he do have a same wear and tear as Rafa
 
MichaelNadal said:
More like they were tearing each other apart as far back as 2005, while Novak was eating cheetos.
Click to expand...
ZERO permanent damage on either of them before 2011. It is not what you do while you can. It is what you do when you cannot do it anymore.
Winning 3+3=6 Slams is all fine and dandy BUT getting high on Djokovic's RG16-W18 period is a proof of not physical but mental decline.
 
mwym said:
ZERO permanent damage on either of them before 2011. It is not what you do while you can. It is what you do when you cannot.
Winning 3+3=6 Slams is all fine and dandy BUT getting high on Djokovic's RG16-W18 period is a proof of not physical but mental decline.
Click to expand...

Yeah they had been world #1 or 2 for the past 6 years when Novak won his 2nd slam, and they had this beast come through after they had already been on top for the better part of a decade, no biggie! Djokovic is very fortunate to not have someone legit come along far into his peak years. It is what it is, denying it is quite silly.
 
mwym said:
ZERO permanent damage on either of them before 2011. It is not what you do while you can. It is what you do when you cannot do it anymore.
Winning 3+3=6 Slams is all fine and dandy BUT getting high on Djokovic's RG16-W18 period is a proof of not physical but mental decline.
Click to expand...
Fed and Rafa both have Physically decline
Fed has 2 knee surgery after 2016
 
King No1e said:
Exactly. Nadal is Djokovic's contemporary, not Federer's. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves.
Click to expand...

Honestly he's in the middle, which is what the facts say. No one knew who Djokovic even was yet when Nadal was already having 11 title seasons. Let's stop acting like Nadal didn't already have a million miles on him when Djokovic rose. Rafa was a straight up veteran by 2011. (and was supposed to be done by 2012). Heck, even going just from Wimbledon 2011, that was Rafa's 5th Wimbledon final and Djokovic's first. It goes way beyond a year difference in age.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bud
Jokervich said:
With regards to how things have ended up in the slam race/goat debate - both injured and physically on their last legs, barely able to walk anymore. I don't think he ever wanted it to end like this. They were his biggest rivals for years. He wanted to catch them and he finally did, but not in this way. It reminds me of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vadar, where Luke finally defeats Vadar, but it's not how he wanted it to happen - he wanted him to turn to the light side, not see him die. I sense there is a sadness there from Djokovic about the whole situation. He is beating these next gen players on behalf of Nadal and Federer, out of respect for both their names and because it feels like it is his duty to both of them.

What do you think? Hope I made sense there :p
Click to expand...

You need to brush up on your Star Wars. Darth Vader did return back to the light side, when he sacrificed himself to save his son from death at the hands of the emperor. What killed him was that he let go of the hate that he was using to keep his damaged breathing aparatus alive. Once he turned back, he died because he could no longer breathe.
 
Third Serve said:
Luke did beat Vader (cut his arm off too) but Palps hit him with some Force lightning.
Click to expand...

Luke did legit beat Vader, but he tapped into the dark side to do it. Vader got overwhelmed when that happened because Luke's strikes were no longer designed to parry or contain Vader, but to kill him. But he pulled back before delivering the killer blow.
 
Hitman said:
You need to brush up on your Star Wars. Darth Vader did return back to the light side, when he sacrificed himself to save his son from death at the hands of the emperor. What killed him was that he let go of the hate that he was using to keep his damaged breathing aparatus alive. Once he turned back, he died because he could no longer breathe.
Click to expand...
Fair enough. I guess it's not the perfect analogy but it the best I could think of.
 
goldengate14 said:
Why would a guy feel sorry for two players with hiterto better careers?
Click to expand...
Because he has finally overtaken them and they have destroyed their bodies almost to the point of irreparability, at least in Federer's case. It's just a depressing sight. Federer almost crying on Instagram when he gave out the message that he was undergoing more surgery. It's like watching your fiercest rival and competitor lose everything. You see a more vulnerable side to them and realize "damn, what have I done to them? I've reduced them to an emotional and physical wreck".

Maybe I am overthinking all this. :p
 
Nadal and Djokovic separate 1 year. Federer and Djokovic 6.

A 6 year younger version of Djokovic, or Fedal 6 year younger than Djokovic would beat the crap out of him the past 4 years, when he won 8 slams. Djokovic knows this, and is obviously very pleased with the younger generations he is facing at the end of his career.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Zardoz7/12
I miss Nadal but the Djokaraz rivalry is making up for it.
Replies
0
Views
266
Zardoz7/12
Zardoz7/12
lud
  • Poll Poll
Do you think Federer from Wimbledon 2018 would be able to defeat Djokovic or Nadal?
Replies
15
Views
385
Mustard
Mustard
mike danny
Retrospectively, it's quite astonishing how good Federer and Djokovic ended up being
2 3
Replies
122
Views
3K
Hitman
Hitman
N
  • Poll Poll
Nadal Djokovic match-up and surfaces
Replies
40
Views
3K
Double_Fault
D
K
Do you think firing of Craig O’Shannessy who did strategy analyst for Djokovic then hiring Goran who told to hit how he feels led to his downfall.
Replies
36
Views
2K
Rovesciarete
Rovesciarete
Back
Top