Ivanisevic: "I was a bit too ambitious when I said Rafael Nadal doesn't have a chance against Novak Djokovic"

Sorry_to_tell_you_mate

Sorry_to_tell_you_mate

Professional
"I was really certain of Novak's victory in Paris," Ivanisevic said. "I have been sending those type of texts to Miljan (Amanovic, Djokovic's physio) for some time. I was a bit too ambitious when I said that Nadal does not have a chance, but I sincerely felt that Novak was the favorite."
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"I know that Chatrier is Rafa's living room and that he can win there even when he is playing badly, but again, I was convinced that this was Novak's year in Paris," he added. "But Novak did not play up to his usual standards and Rafa played perfectly. Unfortunately, Novak managed to find his shots at 2-0 and a break down and by that point it was too late."
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"I have honestly meant what I said, my right is to say what I think and to believe in my player, I thought this was Novak's year in Paris," Ivanisevic asserted. "Again, I was a bit too ambitious saying that Nadal did not stand a chance, but I favored Novak at that moment. I always state my opinions directly, however it did not turn out that way. It is what it is."
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"Before last year's finals in Melbourne I stated that the odds were 50-50 and Novak ended up destroying Rafa," the Croat added. "It is always easy just to play it safe and say 'we will see' or 'the winner is going to be the better player on a given day', but I said it the way I felt it. Nadal has shown me that I was wrong, obviously - that is it, we move on."
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https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/...-nadal-chance-novak-djokovic-goran-ivanisevic
 
weakera

weakera

Talk Tennis Guru
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terribleIVAN

terribleIVAN

Hall of Fame
Goran isn't the yes man some people here accuse him of.

Rafa did look out of shape, oddsmakers had both joint favorites after the quarters, and Novak did seem solid physically vs Tsitsipas.

Add the fact Rafa has historically underplayed vs Novak and Fed outside RG for the past 6 years, and the cold and humid conditions, and Goran was well justified in his optimism.

He couldn't foresee Rafa's gigantic troll on the tennis world.

Cheeky Mallorcan.
 
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NoleFam

NoleFam

Bionic Poster
terribleIVAN said:
Goran isn't the yes man some people here accuse him of.

Rafa did look out of shape, oddsmakers had both joint favorites after the quarters, and Novak did look solid physically vs Tsitsipas.

Add the fact Rafa has historically underplayed vs Novak and Fed outside RG for the past 6 years, and the cold and humid conditions, and Goran was well justified in his optimism.

He couldn't foresee Rafa's gigantic troll on the tennis world.

Cheeky Mallorcan.
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Rafa pulled a page out of Del Potro's book...


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N

ND-13

Hall of Fame
Let us go easy on Goran now

He manned up and he acknowledged what he said and did not try to back out from what he mentioned

He had a strategy and it failed this time . He would have looked good if Novak beat rafa . Everyone makes mistakes . The good ones are those who own up .
 
Backspin1183

Backspin1183

Talk Tennis Guru
ND-13 said:
Let us go easy on Goran now

He manned up and he acknowledged what he said and did not try to back out from what he mentioned

He had a strategy and it failed this time . He would have looked good if Novak beat rafa . Everyone makes mistakes . The good ones are those who own up .
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Not really. Even if Novak was the better player, saying Nadal has no chance was very disrespectful.

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ChaelAZ

ChaelAZ

G.O.A.T.
Groan let that camp and families bravado and disrespect influence him unfortunately. He was trying to feed the egos and keep that line and it came back to bite’em hard. Definitely fueled Nadal to give a sounds pounding and that bagel had to feel exceptionally satisfying. I imagine Nadal will play it cool next time he see Goran, but I am sure he will have a little extra wide smile.
 
Slowtwitcher

Slowtwitcher

Legend
ChaelAZ said:
Groan let that camp and families bravado and disrespect influence him unfortunately. He was trying to feed the egos and keep that line and it came back to bite’em hard. Definitely fueled Nadal to give a sounds pounding and that bagel had to feel exceptionally satisfying. I imagine Nadal will play it cool next time he see Goran, but I am sure he will have a little extra wide smile.
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You think? I mean... Goran has always been a huge tool... a lovable tool, but still a tool.
 
O

octogon

Hall of Fame
FrontHeadlock said:
I CAN HANDLE THINGS, I'M SMART
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So Goran is the Fredo Corleone of tennis?

Honestly, I initially thought Novak should fire him, but as a fan of Rafa I think Novak having such a coach of limited intellect and capability is beneficial to Rafa in future matches against Novak.

Novak may actually find a coach who knows what he's doing if he fires Goran, so now I hope Novak keeps him.
 
MeatTornado

MeatTornado

Talk Tennis Guru
ND-13 said:
Let us go easy on Goran now

He manned up and he acknowledged what he said and did not try to back out from what he mentioned

He had a strategy and it failed this time . He would have looked good if Novak beat rafa . Everyone makes mistakes . The good ones are those who own up .
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Yeah I'm actually kind of impressed he spoke at all after that match.
 
Legend of Borg

Legend of Borg

G.O.A.T.
what was Vajda doing this whole time?

he never seemed like a yes-man to me and always appeared like someone who was willing to tell Novak the hard truth even if it upset his ego

surely he must have seen this as empty bluster
 
Mike Sams

Mike Sams

G.O.A.T.
Can't blame Ivanisevic. He was using the same narrative that every other fan was. Closed roof, heavy cold conditions, no sunny and hot weather to allow Nadal's topspin balls to fly up, etc. LOL
 
victorcruz

victorcruz

Hall of Fame
If they meet at the Australian open final, gonna need him to say the same thing.

Inb4 He'll be right then though
 
-NN-

-NN-

G.O.A.T.
His comments were absolutely ****ing ********.


It's not just about what it might do for Djokovic. There are always TWO sides to the coin. Sometimes words can help an opponent even more than it helps the ally.
 
BeatlesFan

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
NoleFam said:
Ok. Someone needs to tell him, it is time to stop talking. Just congratulate Rafa, say I made a mistake, no disrespect intended, and don't ever open your mouth again in regards to Djokovic's chances against his competitors.
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At least Goran admitted he was mistaken and he's always been a big mouth. As his coach what is he supposed to say? -- "Rafa will destroy him with a bagel since Nole's a POS compared to Rafa on clay..." ?
 
Mainad

Mainad

Bionic Poster
BeatlesFan said:
At least Goran admitted he was mistaken and he's always been a big mouth. As his coach what is he supposed to say? -- "Rafa will destroy him with a bagel since Nole's a POS compared to Rafa on clay..." ?
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Whatever he chooses to say he's not supposed to jinx his client big time. Talk about tempting the tennis gods.
 
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