Is the Djokodal duo still a lock for the French Open?

Will Djokodal claim the French Open 2014 title?


  • Total voters
    44

FedererDropShot

Hall of Fame
Possible scenarios where the duo doesn't win (according to top 4 seeds):

NUMBER ONE
Rafa meets Federer in semis.
Djokovic meets Stan in semis.

Rafa wins like usual. Stan upsets Djokovic.

Rafa vs Stan.

Stan goes stanimal-soderling mode. Wins the French Open (beating Novak and Rafa in a slam AGAIN).

NUMBER TWO
Rafa meets Stan in semis.
Djokovic meets Federer in semis.

Stan wins in soderling mode. Federer loses.

Stan beats Novak in the finals.

Or Federer beats Novak.

Then it's a rematch of MC final.

What are your thoughts?

Nadal is in poor form and low confidence.

Djokovic has a wrist problem at the moment.

Federer is prone to inconsistency, even if he's been in spectacular form, as he ages.

Will Stan, Berdych and the gang rise from the ashes?

I think it's going to be an interesting clay season.
 

rofl_copter3

Professional
I truly look for Nadal to improve prior to playing the French and Djokovic is a mystery with his wrist... So as of now I would say Nadal will be there in the end and Djokovic is likely to be the man missing...
 

NADALRECORD

Banned
AO is vastly different to Roland Garros.
Nadals worst slam event vs Nadal's best slam event.
Wawrinka will have plenty of guys to worry about before reaching Nadal.
Whereas Nadal is a different animal on the massive Court Central at Roland Garros (more space behind the baseline than any other court on tour).
And the bounce of Roland Garros is hardcore (and that's why guys like Ferrer and Federer always struggle against Nadal at RG).
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
I think most people know who I picked....

#LordFog

It's quite amazing how much you worship Fognini. Hewitt is your favorite player and Fognini is like the Anti-Hewitt; pathetic attitude, needless theatrics on court, and not even a shred of willpower in him.
 

Wynter

Legend
It's quite amazing how much you worship Fognini. Hewitt is your favorite player and Fognini is like the Anti-Hewitt; pathetic attitude, needless theatrics on court, and not even a shred of willpower in him.

Hahaha, I just want to see Fog get his game together because if he did he'd be a Top 10 guy easy.

As for why I picked him, I like Stan, like the others but Fog is more of a troll pick/Vain hope he becomes a non mental headcase. He bossed Tsonga around for a set and a half like he was an amateur the other day.

As for Rusty, his time is coming to an end unfortunately, I hope he can get into the top 32 before wimbledon though :)

Playerwise: Rusty, Stan, Kyrgios/Fog, Djok and Fed for 5/6th

I like immensely talented players with flaws, Safin/Gonzo for example, Rusty is my one exception. Ala exceptionally consistent/warrior mentality.
 
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Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
In both scenarios Stan takes down Nadal in "soderling mode". That is wishful thinking at its finest.

Maybe we should fish out threads after MC last year when Djokovic took down Nadal. I'm sure people were saying similar things about Djokovic.
 
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TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
No they are NOT a lock for the FO.

Stan could be in Nadal's half draw and Federer in Nole's draw. Both Swiss players can beat them if they meet in the semifinal.
 

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
In both scenarios Stan takes down Nadal in "soderling mode". That is wishful thinking at its finest.

Maybe we should fish out threads after MC last year when Djokovic took down Nadal. I'm sure people were saying similar things about Djokovic.

Ooh you do know how to be a party pooper Sid :wink: Stan The Man is coming for Nadal and he better watch out! :)
 

Wynter

Legend
Yeah, the strokes just seem so relaxed and natural, it's just nice to watch from a viewing point. He has a complete package tennis wise, just no brain :(
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Ooh you do know how to be a party pooper Sid :wink: Stan The Man is coming for Nadal and he better watch out! :)
I expect Djokovic to challenge Nadal more than Stan the man. ;)


Novak has one bad tournament and people throw him out and bring in stan as a replacement. I'm going with consistency. Djokovic is by far the second biggest contender for the FO. Stan is a distant third. Now, if Stan dominates everyone at Madrid and Rome, I will glady eat crow and call him the favorite for the FO. :)
 

Wynter

Legend
I expect Djokovic to challenge Nadal more than Stan the man. ;)


Novak has one bad tournament and people throw him out and bring in stan as a replacement. I'm going with consistency. Djokovic is by far the second biggest contender for the FO. Stan is a distant third.

We still have to wait on the extent of Novaks injury, it may be serious. Wrists can be a big problem as we all see with Delpo unfortunately.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Yeah, the strokes just seem so relaxed and natural, it's just nice to watch from a viewing point. He has a complete package tennis wise, just no brain :(

His serve doesn't help him out either. Its just not great. Hewitt is around the same height as Fognini but I remember back in 2004-2005, he used to frequently hit 10 or more aces per match on his opponents.
 

Wynter

Legend
His serve doesn't help him out either. Its just not great. Hewitt is around the same height as Fognini but I remember back in 2004-2005, he used to frequently hit 10 or more aces per match on his opponents.

Hewitt always had an odd service game, it would either be on for a whole tournament, or dreadful.

See last years USO for example, his serve let him down vs Youzhny. When his serve is on, then yeah he had exceptional placement and a decent bit of power to complement it.

I agree though, Fogs serve is his biggest flaw from a technical standpoint.
 

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
I expect Djokovic to challenge Nadal more than Stan the man. ;)


Novak has one bad tournament and people throw him out and bring in stan as a replacement. I'm going with consistency. Djokovic is by far the second biggest contender for the FO. Stan is a distant third. Now, if Stan dominates everyone at Madrid and Rome, I will glady eat crow and call him the favorite for the FO. :)

Yeah I understand what you mean. Stan's been great this year but Djokokic's consistency is a million miles better than his any day of the week. I disagree though that Novak had a bad tournament. He still reached the SF and sadly got injured and just couldn't compete like he normally would. Nadal's form is much more of a cause for concern in my opinion.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Yeah I understand what you mean. Stan's been great this year but Djokokic's consistency is a million miles better than his any day of the week. I disagree though that Novak had a bad tournament. He still reached the SF and sadly got injured and just couldn't compete like he normally would. Nadal's form is much more of a cause for concern in my opinion.

Of course. I mean relative to Novak's lofty standards. I think vast majority us thought it would be a Djokovic vs. Nadal final at the start of this event.
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Yeah I understand what you mean. Stan's been great this year but Djokokic's consistency is a million miles better than his any day of the week. I disagree though that Novak had a bad tournament. He still reached the SF and sadly got injured and just couldn't compete like he normally would. Nadal's form is much more of a cause for concern in my opinion.

Nole has a bad wrist and Nadal's confidence is shattered. I would say Nole is more of a concern since confidence can be regain but physical injury there's no guarantee to regain full strength for the FO.
 

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
Of course. I mean relative to Novak's lofty standards. I think vast majority us thought it would be a Djokovic vs. Nadal final at the start of this event.

Very true. If someone had told me at the beginning of the week that a player other than Nadal or Djokovic would win the tournament I would've found it hard to believe.
 

Antonio Puente

Hall of Fame
Yeah I understand what you mean. Stan's been great this year but Djokokic's consistency is a million miles better than his any day of the week. I disagree though that Novak had a bad tournament. He still reached the SF and sadly got injured and just couldn't compete like he normally would. Nadal's form is much more of a cause for concern in my opinion.

Nadal not winning the tournament is more of a concern than Djoker's injury?

As far as Stan goes, had he gone through both Nadal and Djoker again in Monte Carlo, I doubt he would have won it.
 

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
Nadal not winning the tournament is more of a concern than Djoker's injury?

As far as Stan goes, had he gone through both Nadal and Djoker again in Monte Carlo, I doubt he would have won it.

I meant that Nadal's overall form is more of a cause for concern than Nole's. Obviously Novak's injury is more worrying than whatever is happening at the moment with Nadal.
 

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Nadal not winning the tournament is more of a concern than Djoker's injury?

As far as Stan goes, had he gone through both Nadal and Djoker again in Monte Carlo, I doubt he would have won it.

Why would you doubt when he did beat them at the AO, when no one expected him to beat them due to his poor h2h record against them. And Ferrer beat Nadal on clay was about time after many encounters and he was very close in beating Nadal last year in Madrid.
 

NADALRECORD

Banned
Nadal not winning the tournament is more of a concern than Djoker's injury?

As far as Stan goes, had he gone through both Nadal and Djoker again in Monte Carlo, I doubt he would have won it.

Exactly, plus Nadal lost Monte Carlo last year in straight sets to Djokovic. Nothing is worse for the clay confidence than that.

Losing to Ferrer isn't bad, because Nadal was within 2 points of losing to Ferrer last year on clay (and Nadal lost to the World Number 73 last year on clay anyway). Plus Nadal is about to play Barcelona where he can rectify Ferrer and build momentum.

People forget how unconvincing Nadal was on clay last year. Even in the 1st week of Roland Garros he was dropping sets.
 

burn1986

Banned
It is very unpredictable right now. Anything can happen. Even so I have to go with Nadal in 5 against either Wawrinka or Djokovic (with the edge going to Wawrinka).
 

helloworld

Hall of Fame
It is very unpredictable right now. Anything can happen. Even so I have to go with Nadal in 5 against either Wawrinka or Djokovic (with the edge going to Wawrinka).

So Wawrinka has 1 win against an injured Nadal and now he's the favorite on clay? Sorry, 1 win out of gazillion losses doesn't change the fact that Nadal completely own Wawrinka.
 
Possible scenarios where the duo doesn't win (according to top 4 seeds):

NUMBER ONE
Rafa meets Federer in semis.
Djokovic meets Stan in semis.

Rafa wins like usual. Stan upsets Djokovic.

Rafa vs Stan.

Stan goes stanimal-soderling mode. Wins the French Open (beating Novak and Rafa in a slam AGAIN).

NUMBER TWO
Rafa meets Stan in semis.
Djokovic meets Federer in semis.

Stan wins in soderling mode. Federer loses.

Stan beats Novak in the finals.

Or Federer beats Novak.

Then it's a rematch of MC final.

What are your thoughts?

Nadal is in poor form and low confidence.

Djokovic has a wrist problem at the moment.

Federer is prone to inconsistency, even if he's been in spectacular form, as he ages.

Will Stan, Berdych and the gang rise from the ashes?

I think it's going to be an interesting clay season.

Nobody is a lock for anything. Not Fed, not Rafa, not Djoker.
Only the worshippers of each fan bases do so, or the haters who want to jinx these players. Just sayin'.
 

merlinpinpin

Hall of Fame
In both scenarios Stan takes down Nadal in "soderling mode". That is wishful thinking at its finest.

Maybe we should fish out threads after MC last year when Djokovic took down Nadal. I'm sure people were saying similar things about Djokovic.

Note that, despite playing only half of the match, Djokovic was only a (non-)netdive away from beating Nadal at RG last year... ;)
 

jg153040

G.O.A.T.
I still think they are the favorites until proven otherwise.

They are always in great form for RG. And beating them at RG is different than in masters.

I mean they had an average form on blue clay, but still both made RG finals. So, it's too early to write them off. And they usually train so they can peak for RG.
A lot will change till RG.
 
Exactly, plus Nadal lost Monte Carlo last year in straight sets to Djokovic. Nothing is worse for the clay confidence than that.

Losing to Ferrer isn't bad, because Nadal was within 2 points of losing to Ferrer last year on clay (and Nadal lost to the World Number 73 last year on clay anyway). Plus Nadal is about to play Barcelona where he can rectify Ferrer and build momentum.

People forget how unconvincing Nadal was on clay last year. Even in the 1st week of Roland Garros he was dropping sets.

The earlier Nadal loses in Monte Carlo the better it is for his confidence because he will motivate himself to win next time. Similarly, the more Nadal loses on clay before the French Open, the better it is for his confidence as he will be more motivated. If he had lost in the first round to Gabashvili his confidence would be even higher as his motivation would be through the roof.

However, conversely the more Nadal wins on clay, the better it is for his confidence as well as he will build on those wins and carry them forward into the French Open.

In summary, both losing and winning is good for Nadal's confidence. Not playing at all is also good for Nadal's confidence as we saw from 2012 to 2013. In short there is no situation that is not ideal for Nadal.
 

jg153040

G.O.A.T.
The earlier Nadal loses in Monte Carlo the better it is for his confidence because he will motivate himself to win next time. Similarly, the more Nadal loses on clay before the French Open, the better it is for his confidence as he will be more motivated. If he had lost in the first round to Gabashvili his confidence would be even higher as his motivation would be through the roof.

However, conversely the more Nadal wins on clay, the better it is for his confidence as well as he will build on those wins and carry them forward into the French Open.

In summary, both losing and winning is good for Nadal's confidence. Not playing at all is also good for Nadal's confidence as we saw from 2012 to 2013. In short there is no situation that is not ideal for Nadal.

This is probably sarcastic, but it's ironically true. Champions can be confident in most situations. They have this rare quality to manufacture emotions on command. If they don't feel good, they act until it comes.
Fake it till you make it.

And winning motivates them, but losing motivates too. It's exciting. It's exciting to win. It's also exciting to come back from losses proving everyone wrong.

That's why it's tough to beat champions. If they win, they are confident, if they lose they are motivated to practice even more. So, it's almost a lose-lose situation for the field. That's why top 4 won all the majors and the field wins almost zero.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Note that, despite playing only half of the match, Djokovic was only a (non-)netdive away from beating Nadal at RG last year... ;)

He also came very close to being shut out in 4 sets and that net dive wasn't as crucial as people make it out to be. ;)

That said, this is Djokovic we are talking about. He has competed hard against Nadal on clay since 2008. In 2011, he crushed Nadal in his beloved warm up clay court events. So, there was a reason to believe that Djokovic could win the french open, but not enough reason to believe that Djokovic would take down Nadal "soderling style" at the FO because he won MC. You can obviously see how much better Nadal played at the FO than he did in Monte Carlo last year.
 
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jg153040

G.O.A.T.
He also came very close to being shut out in 4 sets and that net dive wasn't as crucial as people make it out to be. ;)

That said, this is Djokovic we are talking about. He has competed hard against Nadal on clay since 2008. In 2011, he crushed Nadal in his beloved warm up clay court events. So, there was a reason to believe that Djokovic could win the french open, but not enough reason to believe that Djokovic would take down Nadal "soderling style" at the FO because he won MC. You can obviously see how much better Nadal played at the FO than he did in Monte Carlo last year.

Wasn't Djokovic injured in 2013 clay season? He had ankle problems at Monte Carlo and situation got worse when he went deep and won it.

That's why he lost practice time and wasn't in best form at RG. This year it's repeating itself.
 

NADALRECORD

Banned
Wasn't Djokovic injured in 2013 clay season? He had ankle problems at Monte Carlo and situation got worse when he went deep and won it.

That's why he lost practice time and wasn't in best form at RG. This year it's repeating itself.

But remember Roddick's interview many years ago about Djokovic. Djokovic may be overreacting or overstating.
 

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
Novak had 0 Grass finals & Nadal had 5 (including 3 titles) before Wimby 2011. Did it make any difference?

All I was trying to say was that Djokovic is a far greater clay court player than Stan[based on overall achievements]. It seemed like you were implying that there's not much difference between them but perhaps you were just trolling Chico.
 

jg153040

G.O.A.T.
Djoko- 0 RG, 4 Clay masters
Stan- 0 RG, 1 Clay masters

Not much difference, is there?!

Nole has 2 RG finals and tons of semis losing to Rafa 5 times.

I would say the difference is huge.


Rosol 0 WTF titles, Rafa 0 WTF titles. Not much difference, is there?
 

LazyNinja19

Banned
Nole has 2 RG finals and tons of semis losing to Rafa 5 times.

I would say the difference is huge.


Rosol 0 WTF titles, Rafa 0 WTF titles. Not much difference, is there?

Novak has 1 RG final, not 2!

Stan has just won Clay masters. When Rosol wins Paris masters going into the WTF, & is at a career high no.3 winning a slam that same year, then yes, there won't be much of a difference.
 
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