socallefty
G.O.A.T.
I added an emoji so that people get the sarcasm. It is a gentle poke at people who say no one wants to watch him play.
Should Djokovic request to play earlier in the day for R16?
- Thread starter geromino
- Start date
Hitman
Bionic Poster
He's considered the greatest by most, as long as he is playing, he will be on RLA every single time, and will get night session matches.
gamelovergold
Semi-Pro
IMO that would be financial decision rather than performance based. But for organisers financial factors are also important. Lets see what novak do in R4 .
Djokovic2011
Bionic Poster
Unfortunately I have to agree with you.Djokovic 2024 Olympics was WAY better than Djokovic 2025 AO level.
Djokovic is better on clay now than hardcourt, because clay gives him more time to drag his aging body to the ball
Alcaraz on AO surface is too much athleticism for Djokovic to deal with!
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
That was do or die for Nole. If he fails there, just retire. It was very important for him personally.
AO25 is important but not that important at all. Not even close.
gamelovergold
Semi-Pro
Olympic fever has gone after 31st december. Yes it was the missing piece in his trophy collection but now it is time to show that fire is still burning inside. R4 is coming .
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
Djokovic won Olympics without dropping a set.
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
Thank you for finally showing which side you are on. That Wawrinka photo was not working
DSH
Talk Tennis Guru
Check out his statements after the final and tell me what great title Clic won under those conditions?
Even Nadal managed to win an indoor Masters 1000, tell me if the Croatian emulated that?
a10best
Legend
All that count is it worked in 2015 FO final & 2016 USO final.
the side of all things good and who fans really appreciate more.
Fed, Wawa, and even Monfis gets more fan applause than ND. The majority rules. Sorry amigo but you opened the door.
nolefam_2024
Bionic Poster
Thats good. Majority can do what they want. They also elected trump.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
Check out his statements after the final and tell me what great title Clic won under those conditions?
Even Nadal managed to win an indoor Masters 1000, tell me if the Croatian emulated that?
Cilic eliminated Fed at US14, not sure if we are even arguing. I don't remember what Fed liked for match times but whatever it was, I know he always got it.
DSH
Talk Tennis Guru
Yes, outdoors.
But it seems that you have not reviewed Clic's statements after the 2018 final nor have you answered me what great title the Croatian won in his indoor career.
Rosstour
G.O.A.T.
Yes, outdoors.
But it seems that you have not reviewed Clic's statements after the 2018 final nor have you answered me what great title the Croatian won in his indoor career.
No and that's only relevant if I'm trying to argue that Fed wasn't favored by organizers while Nadal and Djokovic were. And I'm not saying that. They all got what they wanted
a10best
Legend
Nice try to change the subject. Stay focused on the topic of sports and tennis fans.
Hitman
Bionic Poster
The majority does rule
Add up Federer, Wawrinka and Monfils slams and compare that to what Djokovic has, and Djokovic still owns the majority.
a10best
Legend
confused? You mean add up the fans in the stadium, the country or worldwide for Fed, Wawa or La Monf?The majority does rule
Add up Federer, Wawrinka and Monfils slams and compare that to what Djokovic has, and Djokovic still owns the majority.
Hitman
Bionic Poster
confused? You mean add up the fans in the stadium, the country or worldwide for Fed, Wawa or La Monf?
Not really, one day they will all be dead and gone....the things that will remain are those slam trophies. Add them up and tell me who has the majority?
Subway Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Djokovic has asked for daytime matches in the past, and it has been a good strategic decision. In this case it serves more purpose for Djokovic to stay in the night conditions and keep Alcaraz in day matches.
In terms of the matchup with Lehecka directly it probably would suit Djokovic more to play him as a day match, but it will be an easy win for Novak regardless. Djokovic loves playing guys like Lehecka who are one-paced ball bashers who hit quite flat without much shape or net clearance.
Djokovic can do everything Lehecka can do in terms of pace of shot and aggression, but he can do it with far more margin for error, and then he has all the other tools of his game in areas like service efficiency and shortening points at net where Lehecka doesnt have the option. Going to be very hard for Lehecka to win points consistently without completely and utterly redlining with no margin for error or playing something completely different to his regular game.
In terms of the matchup with Lehecka directly it probably would suit Djokovic more to play him as a day match, but it will be an easy win for Novak regardless. Djokovic loves playing guys like Lehecka who are one-paced ball bashers who hit quite flat without much shape or net clearance.
Djokovic can do everything Lehecka can do in terms of pace of shot and aggression, but he can do it with far more margin for error, and then he has all the other tools of his game in areas like service efficiency and shortening points at net where Lehecka doesnt have the option. Going to be very hard for Lehecka to win points consistently without completely and utterly redlining with no margin for error or playing something completely different to his regular game.
a10best
Legend
Unfortunately, when they're dead and gone nobody will care about what a player did 40-50 years ago and likely this website & forum will be gone.Not really, one day they will all be dead and gone....the things that will remain are those slam trophies. Add them up and tell me who has the majority?
Only reminder left will be a big goliath size statue of Rafa at RG.
Hitman
Bionic Poster
People still care what Court and Laver did 40-50 years ago.
You see, as long as he holds the records, people will care, because it's HIS records that future players will be gunning for, not someone's crowd support.
a10best
Legend
Only true record he has is Melbourne Park.
7 Wimbledon - Maestro
14 Roland Garros - Rafa
10 at Melbourne - Novak
13 grand slam final losses - Novak #1, it could be 14 and 15 this year.
He has no nickname except from ttw fan club. But we could come up with racket smasher or crowd bully.
Subway Tennis
G.O.A.T.
I never knew that about Cilic not liking indoor conditions. I always thought him not winning that much indoors was just because of unlucky circumstances.Don't you remember the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Australian Open where your idol barely played in the day session, and the 2018 final was played indoors, which was detrimental to Cilic?
Kind of like Tim Henman, a guy who was a great grasscourt player who never won a grasscourt tournament, or Thiem not having any clay m1000
Hitman
Bionic Poster
The slam record is a true record, it has always been a true record. Come on, you're better than that.
It's OK to hate Djokovic, that is fine, many hate him, especially for him for destroying their dreams of watching their guy hold the slam record, but saying the slam record doesn't exist, when the whole narrative since Sampras era was about getting the slam record....you are better than that.
a10best
Legend
okay, yes you're right. Nolefam24 got me triggered.The slam record is a true record, it has always been a true record. Come on, you're better than that.
It's OK to hate Djokovic, that is fine, many hate him, especially for him for destroying their dreams of watching their guy hold the slam record, but saying the slam record doesn't exist, when the whole narrative since Sampras era was about getting the slam record....you are better than that.
Truth is I don't hate the guy. His strokes aren't ugly and he just became a lot better. A lot of things I like about him (diet, family, training, learned to volley very well, and was a Kobe fan).
Hitman
Bionic Poster
I know, you're one of the more better well balanced posters. NF24 just does that with everyone once in a while.
Maestro has 7 Wimby titles?
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Finally a proper chart by Tennis Insight.
The guys with the highest average speed are all guys with a (very) short rally length. Higher spin rates dovetail well with a higher clay presence. The odd one out is obviously GMP, which I expected to hit way flatter.
De Minaur and Medvedev show how to have great success by hitting flat and not that hard, one by taking the ball very early and the other by hitting from deep.
Lehecka hits with more spin than Djokovic and hits harder - what have you been watching? Plus he has a big serve. Not a good idea to play him in the hot sun when conditions are much faster than at night.
Subway Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Lehecka is a very flat hitter. Nowhere near as much net clearance as Novak on either side and he is very one-paced. Djokovic loves that singular pace and can beat Lehecka at his own game or myriad other ways. If Lehecka can get a set tonight it would be a great result
Agree the day conditions are much faster than night, particularly today. It’s over 32 degrees celcius today. Lehecka would have more trouble applying his high risk game and stopping the ball from flying long in a day match. It would make his tightrope walk even trickier playing during the day but honestly he is doomed regardless of a day or night match against this Murray-led Djokovic.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Did you see the data I posted showing he averages more than 3000 rpm on his FH? I’ve watched him from courtside - he is a heavy topspin hitter.
Subway Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Yes, Lehecka has a high average because he is a one-paced player. We know how tennis insight gathers their data. He is much less likely to vary his pace and shape which distorts his average as higher than players who vary their pace, shape and shot selection far more than Lehecka does.
The data you need is the focused data of shape and ball speed on forehand and backhand drives only. Harder to get that data.
And yes I’ve been watching Lehecka practice all week. He is very much in the mould of the classic Czech style with even more power. Great ball striker and very clean at point of contact with a lot of pace but nowhere near the shape and margin that Djokovic has.
socallefty
G.O.A.T.
If you said Djokovic varies his shots more including trajectory, I would agree and he is one of the best at that. You lost me when you kept insisting Lehecka is a flat hitter.
messiahrobins
Legend
Djokovic needs a day match v Alcaraz badly. Its not that hot there this year but it is sunny and day conditions will help his serve. If they play at night Alcaraz is going to butcher him i think as the ball wont fly as much and Alcaraz will hit less UFE's.
Djokovic big wins over Alcaraz were all in day time and hot conditions.
Subway Tennis
G.O.A.T.
Fair. Too strong a word to say completely flat. There is obviously modern shape there to a certain extent, but he is a bit of a dinosaur in that he hits with less margin at his most aggressive than players who are consistently successful with that type of one dimensional power game.
Always a bit of tightrope walk for him in the same way it was for guys like Berdych (not that Lehecka is anywhere near the player Berdych was lol).
Against a guy like Djokovic who loves singular pace I fear Lehecka is doomed unless we see him adopt an all-court gambit the same way Schoolkate did against Sinner and steals a set. Just don’t know whether Lehecka has the chops at net, though.
What about their WTF match where Djokovic routined Alcaraz?
messiahrobins
Legend
Indoors. Serve is far more of a weapon indoors. Flies through the air much quicker and is harder to pick up
a10best
Legend
Ocho
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