Srdjan Djokovic: "Tennis still needs Rafael Nadal"

clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Novak Djokovic's father believes tennis still needs Rafael Nadal

Srdjan pointed out that Nadal's playing style "is very different" from his son and Swiss legend Roger Federer.

Srdjan Djokovic, the father of Serbian star Novak Djokovic, has said "tennis still needs" Rafael Nadal, hoping that the Spanish icon can play "another two or three years" at a high level.

"Tennis still needs Nadal; he needs to come back," Srdjan said in an interview with Newsweek magazine on Monday.
"I hope he can play another two or three years at a high level," Srdjan added.

Srdjan explained that 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal "spends a lot of energy on the court", indicating that "with this kind of style, it's very hard to maintain a high level", reports Efe.

Srdjan pointed out that Nadal's playing style "is very different" from his son and Swiss legend Roger Federer.

As for his son, Srdjan considered that Nole will become the best tennis player in history, and explained that he has been reiterating his belief since his son started playing tennis, and stressed that he will be one of the history's most successful sportsmen, with a chance to win another 10 Grand Slams.


http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/novak ... eeds-nadal

He is right; everyone knows that tennis needs Nadal.
 
DiscoMaintenant said:
In this case i don't think this crosses the line.
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We are not talking about politician or father of a tennis player who offended anyone here using the same language as poster you are defending, so there is really no need to call Srdjan out with such profanities. Some of you would like to discredit him, but at the same time you are taking him way to seriously. o_O
 
Obviously Srdjan wants as many opportunities for his son to pound Declinadal into oblivion as possible, that is the real intention. There is no way he would genuinely wish Nadal to become a real competitor to Djokovic again. Doesn't struck me that way at all.
 
Didn't Nadal say something in that vein about Federer, when Federer was struggling?

Or was it Tio?

I can not remember, since nephew always says what Tio has told him.

:cool:
 
AnOctorokForDinner said:
Obviously Srdjan wants as many opportunities for his son to pound Declinadal into oblivion as possible, that is the real intention. There is no way he would genuinely wish Nadal to become a real competitor to Djokovic again. Doesn't struck me that way at all.
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Maybe, but the same thing could be said and was happening with Nadal and Federer's matches! We all knew the result before it occurred, but it was still "must see" TV! ;-)
 
First the comment about Federer now it's Nadal. There's an issue here

Federer the elder statesman of the ATP tour by lingering around #2,#3 makes the era look weak so Srdjan wants him to retire.

A Nadal revival can be spun as proof the era is strong because he'd then be Novak's main rival and he's the same age give or take a year so Srdjan wants him to do well.
 
Wasn't this already reported in that other Newsweek article (the Fed dis) that someone linked to? Does it need him more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow? ;)
 
Stupid comments from this guy and ı am a Rafa fan.I also get the feeling that he wants Rafa around when he is playing like garbage.
 
Fiero425 said:
Maybe, but the same thing could be said and was happening with Nadal and Federer's matches! We all knew the result before it occurred, but it was still "must see" TV! ;-)
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This "Fedal matches were always NID" attitude really stinks of revisionism. Early on their matches were almost always competitive. Their clay rivalry could be considered NID after RG 2007 (even after bagelling Nadal on clay Federer still lacked the confidence to match him at RG, also three tries are enough to make a pattern), but hardly before that given Rome 2006 and Hamburg 2007. Their non-clay rivalry went NID after the AO '09 final, except you could still expect Federer to defeat Nadal indoors, but by that time the greatest past of their rivalry was already over. Fedal was never that hopelessly one-sided as a top rivailry in tennis (i.e., before 2011).
 
All these Serbian dads seem to be nut case.. Dokic, Tomic, Djokovic..

Once Djokovic starts losing , I think Srdjan may beat the crap out of him.
 
clayqueen said:
Novak Djokovic's father believes tennis still needs Rafael Nadal

Srdjan pointed out that Nadal's playing style "is very different" from his son and Swiss legend Roger Federer.

Srdjan Djokovic, the father of Serbian star Novak Djokovic, has said "tennis still needs" Rafael Nadal, hoping that the Spanish icon can play "another two or three years" at a high level.

"Tennis still needs Nadal; he needs to come back," Srdjan said in an interview with Newsweek magazine on Monday.
"I hope he can play another two or three years at a high level," Srdjan added.

Srdjan explained that 14-time Grand Slam winner Nadal "spends a lot of energy on the court", indicating that "with this kind of style, it's very hard to maintain a high level", reports Efe.

Srdjan pointed out that Nadal's playing style "is very different" from his son and Swiss legend Roger Federer.

As for his son, Srdjan considered that Nole will become the best tennis player in history, and explained that he has been reiterating his belief since his son started playing tennis, and stressed that he will be one of the history's most successful sportsmen, with a chance to win another 10 Grand Slams.


http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/novak ... eeds-nadal

He is right; everyone knows that tennis needs Nadal.
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I did post yesterday about Nadal and djokovic fighting back. It's very obvious what djokovics father is up to and it is ramping up the ante against federer! He has basically said tennis needs Nadal but not federer. Becker has previously made disparaging remarks about federer.

Just wait for federer in a few months time to criticise Nadal for threats to sue saying it is bullying behaviour! I'll give it about nine months
 
Diehard said:
I did post yesterday about Nadal and djokovic fighting back. It's very obvious what djokovics father is up to and it is ramping up the ante against federer! He has basically said tennis needs Nadal but not federer. Becker has previously made disparaging remarks about federer.

Just wait for federer in a few months time to criticise Nadal for threats to sue saying it is bullying behaviour! I'll give it about nine months
Click to expand...

"You" will give it?

Oh, OK.

:cool:
 
He's right. It does need Nadal because he's still a star and there are no young guns at the very top just yet (but tennis would still "survive" without Nadal just as it would without any player).

But I think he's incredibly biased when it comes to his son. And I mean to a more ridiculous extent than is normal. Djokovic's chances of catching 17 are slim and his chances of winning 21 are basically zero to the point of irrelevance.

Just as a sidenote, tennis "needs" Federer in this context as well, but he'll never say that because he hates Federer. He's very transparent that way.
 
Steve0904 said:
He's right. It does need Nadal because he's still a star and there are no young guns at the very top just yet (but tennis would still "survive" without Nadal just as it would without any player).

But I think he's incredibly biased when it comes to his son. And I mean to a more ridiculous extent than is normal. Djokovic's chances of catching 17 are slim and his chances of winning 21 are basically zero to the point of irrelevance.

Just as a sidenote, tennis "needs" Federer in this context as well, but he'll never say that because he hates Federer. He's very transparent that way.
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agree on 21 being far out. but 17 ain't slim given the opposition now and the next 2-3 years
 
Steve0904 said:
Agree to disagree. 6 more slams past the age of 29. Don't see it regardless of competition.
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not saying it will happen, but the chances are above slim. How many of the next 4- (or 7, however far, you want to predict), do you imagine he'll win.
2? 3? Surely not just 1?

Also, imagine how many Fed would have won in his post-29 stage had there been no ATG's in their peak, like Novak and Rafa. That's the situation Novak most likely will be in, when he starts his slow decline.
 
Chanwan said:
not saying it will happen, but the chances are above slim. How many of the next 4- (or 7, however far, you want to predict), do you imagine he'll win.
2? 3? Surely not just 1?

Also, imagine how many Fed would have won in his post-29 stage had there been no ATG's in their peak, like Novak and Rafa. That's the situation Novak most likely will be in, when he starts his slow decline.
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Your thoughts on his sloppy play in the last month?
 
Chanwan said:
not saying it will happen, but the chances are above slim. How many of the next 4- (or 7, however far, you want to predict), do you imagine he'll win.
2? 3? Surely not just 1?

Also, imagine how many Fed would have won in his post-29 stage had there been no ATG's in their peak, like Novak and Rafa. That's the situation Novak most likely will be in, when he starts his slow decline.
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Of the next 7, I'd give him 3. Another AO. A RG and one of Wimbledon/USO. That still leaves him 3 back past the age of 30.

That's just an estimate of course, but as far as the Federer comparison goes. You didn't exactly need to be Nadal or Djokovic to beat Federer after AO 2010. Soderling, Berdych and Tsonga done it at 3 different slams. In any case, I'm not sure Djokovic will age as gracefully as Federer. He's closer to a Nadal style than a Federer style.

Margins are thin at the top, as you know. Djokovic went 5 sets with Wawrinka at AO 2015. Was virtually a point away from losing to Anderson at Wimbledon, Feli Lopez took him to a 4th set TB at the USO and even Federer had his umpteen chances. RBA won a set, too. Not to mention his 100 UE performance at this past Aussie Open.

So, is 17 slams possible? Yes, but I think it's slim because he's a bit too old with too many matches under his belt and it only takes one bad day to lose at a slam. Just my opinion.
 
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil said:
Your thoughts on his sloppy play in the last month?
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nothing to worry about just yet imo.
Eye infection - can happen to anybody, but it shouldn't affect him going forward. Much less than a virus. He missed a few days of tennis hitting, but probably kept his physical training. Either way, no biggie. Didn't see the DC-matches, but losing in doubles is nothing new and going to 5 is well, not great, but Kukushkin can play on his day.
I'd wait until after Miami before ringing a (tiny) alarm bell. And even then it would be tiny.
Remember his August Masters in 15? He's lost two matches since, one inconsequential (RR to Fed), one probably mainly due to injury (Lopez).
Even a sloppy Djokovic beats most of the field. And even in the slams he wins, he often has a sloppy match (Simon).

In conclusion: We're in for a lot more Djoko dominance imo.
 
Steve0904 said:
Of the next 7, I'd give him 3. Another AO. A RG and one of Wimbledon/USO. That still leaves him 3 back past the age of 30.

That's just an estimate of course, but as far as the Federer comparison goes. You didn't exactly need to be Nadal or Djokovic to beat Federer after AO 2010. Soderling, Berdych and Tsonga done it at 3 different slams. In any case, I'm not sure Djokovic will age as gracefully as Federer. He's closer to a Nadal style than a Federer style.

Margins are thin at the top, as you know. Djokovic went 5 sets with Wawrinka at AO 2015. Was virtually a point away from losing to Anderson at Wimbledon, Feli Lopez took him to a 4th set TB at the USO and even Federer had his umpteen chances. RBA won a set, too. Not to mention his 100 UE performance at this past Aussie Open.

So, is 17 slams possible? Yes, but I think it's slim because he's a bit too old with too many matches under his belt and it only takes one bad day to lose at a slam. Just my opinion.
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Good point on the just one match. Most of Rafa's Wimbledon finals had him close to losing in the early rounds. Now he actually does lose in the early rounds.
So the margins are indeed small and can change fairly suddenly.

As for the Fed comparison, sure - Fed's lost to a bunch of other guys too since 2010. But in the following, he would either have been the overwhelming favorite or a 50-50 favorite had Djokodal not stood in his way:
US Open 2010
AO 2011, FO 2011, US 2011
AO 2012 (Murray would surely have his chance here though)
AO 2014 (Wawa also having more than a chance here), Wimbledon 2014
Wimbledon 2015, US Open 2015.

That's 9 slams, where it took Djokodal to stop him after Fed turned 29 - out of those, I'd argue he's the clear favorite in 7 of them.
Who are the 2 players, who'll do that consistently to Djoko in the next 5 years? (aside from the odd Berdych, Robredo, Tsonga and Murray's who's also taken Fed out)

I think he'll age closer to Fed's way than to Rafa's. Partially because he now has an almost great serve (or at the very least a great hold game) and his ROS is likely to stay great too. Also, he's injury history is closer to that of Roger's than that of Rafa's. Sure, he relies on his other worldly movement and defense, but those are not the only things that keep him relevant.

Anyway, we'll be wiser in a couple of years time.
 
Excessive towel breaks and butt picking. Djok sr knows nadal is his sons lapdog
 
And just to add to my previous post, I think many people are making the same mistake with Djokovic that they did with Nadal and Federer before him. Tennis fans in particular like to overestimate I feel. First it was Fed with his 20 slams that has since turned into 17 with zero chance at 20. Then it was Nadal beating Federer's slam count after USO 2013, which has since turned into 14 with 15 being the maximum to most people.

Even after all this time it seems the decline of a superstar around 29-30 surprises most tennis fans when historically the facts are there. Not only that, but it's steeper than most fans predict as well.
 
Chanwan said:
Good point on the just one match. Most of Rafa's Wimbledon finals had him close to losing in the early rounds. Now he actually does lose in the early rounds.
So the margins are indeed small and can change fairly suddenly.

As for the Fed comparison, sure - Fed's lost to a bunch of other guys too since 2010. But in the following, he would either have been the overwhelming favorite or a 50-50 favorite had Djokodal not stood in his way:
US Open 2010
AO 2011, FO 2011, US 2011
AO 2012 (Murray would surely have his chance here though)
AO 2014 (Wawa also having more than a chance here), Wimbledon 2014
Wimbledon 2015, US Open 2015.

That's 9 slams, where it took Djokodal to stop him after Fed turned 29 - out of those, I'd argue he's the clear favorite in 7 of them.
Who are the 2 players, who'll do that to Djoko in the next 5 years? (aside from the odd Berdych, Robredo, Tsonga and Murray's who's also taken Fed out)

I think he'll age closer to Fed's way than to Rafa's. Partially because he now has an almost great serve (or at the very least a great hold game) and his ROS is likely to stay great too. Also, he's injury history is closer to that of Roger's than that of Rafa's. Sure, he relies on his other worldly movement and defense, but those are not the only things that keep him relevant.

Anyway, we'll be wiser in a couple of years time.
Click to expand...

There is way too much of a gap in talent and skill between Novak and the rest. That is all we need to look. Add to that his main competitors themselves are either old and worn OR young and injured

Even if he falls 50% of the time , he needs only 3 more years. It is doable.

When Novak was at 7 majors , I predicted he is going to reach 14 and many didn't like it. They thought it was a swipe against Rafa
 
Steve0904 said:
And just to add to my previous post, I think many people are making the same mistake with Djokovic that they did with Nadal and Federer before him. Tennis fans in particular like to overestimate I feel. First it was Fed with his 20 slams that has since turned into 17 with zero chance at 20. Then it was Nadal beating Federer's slam count after USO 2013, which has since turned into 14 with 15 being the maximum to most people.

Even after all this time it seems the decline of a superstar around 29-30 surprises most tennis fans when historically the facts are there. Not only that, but it's steeper than most fans predict as well.
Click to expand...
Again, good point. But do take a look at the Fed case without two ATG's at their peak/prime above. Djokovic is in a completely different situation competition wise than Fed was after the AO 2010. All his main competitors are older than him and declining faster than him.
Rafa fell off a cliff so far, don't see that happening to Novak. Fed has very much stayed relevant, just unable to beat the two other ATG's in their peak-period.
 
Chanwan said:
nothing to worry about just yet imo.
Eye infection - can happen to anybody, but it shouldn't affect him going forward. Much less than a virus. He missed a few days of tennis hitting, but probably kept his physical training. Either way, no biggie. Didn't see the DC-matches, but losing in doubles is nothing new and going to 5 is well, not great, but Kukushkin can play on his day.
I'd wait until after Miami before ringing a (tiny) alarm bell. And even then it would be tiny.
Remember his August Masters in 15? He's lost two matches since, one inconsequential (RR to Fed), one probably mainly due to injury (Lopez).
Even a sloppy Djokovic beats most of the field. And even in the slams he wins, he often has a sloppy match (Simon).

In conclusion: We're in for a lot more Djoko dominance imo.
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Even I started forgetting how it is normal now to see sloppy Djokovic in early rounds. I hope your conclusion will be right.
 
Of course tennis still needs Nadal. His Forehand DTL alone is the one of the main reasons tennis is worth watching in the first place.
 
Chanwan said:
Good point on the just one match. Most of Rafa's Wimbledon finals had him close to losing in the early rounds. Now he actually does lose in the early rounds.
So the margins are indeed small and can change fairly suddenly.

As for the Fed comparison, sure - Fed's lost to a bunch of other guys too since 2010. But in the following, he would either have been the overwhelming favorite or a 50-50 favorite had Djokodal not stood in his way:
US Open 2010
AO 2011, FO 2011, US 2011
AO 2012 (Murray would surely have his chance here though)
AO 2014 (Wawa also having more than a chance here), Wimbledon 2014
Wimbledon 2015, US Open 2015.

That's 9 slams, where it took Djokodal to stop him after Fed turned 29 - out of those, I'd argue he's the clear favorite in 7 of them.
Who are the 2 players, who'll do that consistently to Djoko in the next 5 years? (aside from the odd Berdych, Robredo, Tsonga and Murray's who's also taken Fed out)

I think he'll age closer to Fed's way than to Rafa's. Partially because he now has an almost great serve (or at the very least a great hold game) and his ROS is likely to stay great too. Also, he's injury history is closer to that of Roger's than that of Rafa's. Sure, he relies on his other worldly movement and defense, but those are not the only things that keep him relevant.

Anyway, we'll be wiser in a couple of years time.
Click to expand...

I really don't know, but I have a feeling it will be somebody. It always is. Maybe it'll be Zverev. :) There's also the matter that Djokovic may not need to be beaten by Federer or Nadal, like Federer was beaten by the other 2. I've always felt that Djoker was just the tiniest bit more prone to a slam upset than Federer. Let's not forget the 12-14 stretch so quickly here. He was favoured for almost every slam (including RG) and "only" won 3 out of 12. He's improved, sure, but he's not a completely different player (not like the change that happened between 10-11).

I think he may hit the middle ground of decline between Federer and Rafa (perhaps tending slightly towards the Nadal side of things). I still see a Djokovic where if he doesn't win a point with the serve he's generally "grinding" it out in comparison to how Federer looks for opportunities to finish points. He's not a natural at the net either so that may hurt him as he ages.
 
Steve0904 said:
I really don't know, but I have a feeling it will be somebody. It always is. Maybe it'll be Zverev. :) There's also the matter that Djokovic may not need to be beaten by Federer or Nadal, like Federer was beaten by the other 2. I've always felt that Djoker was just the tiniest bit more prone to a slam upset than Federer. Let's not forget the 12-14 stretch so quickly here. He was favoured for almost every slam (including RG) and "only" won 3 out of 12. He's improved, sure, but he's not a completely different player (not like the change that happened between 10-11).

I think he may hit the middle ground of decline between Federer and Rafa (perhaps tending slightly towards the Nadal side of things). I still see a Djokovic where if he doesn't win a point with the serve he's generally "grinding" it out in comparison to how Federer looks for opportunities to finish points. He's not a natural at the net either so that may hurt him as he ages.
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Think we just disagree on this (which is rare for us!).
Djoko's not lost a match to a player outside top-32 since 2010 across the calendar. That's more than 5 full years of avoiding big upsets. He's been close at the slams a few times, but even 2004-2009 Fed had the odd Tipsarevic and Berdych and Haas match in the slams.

Sure, he grinds more than Fed (who doesn't?), but he's getting better at finishing points as well (also at the net, where he came in on almost as high a % of the points as Fed at this AO). I just don't see why he'd have a closer to Rafa-like decline (other than past history, which is admittedly an argument ;-)).

2012-2014, sure. But you also had Fedalray winning slams in that period. You hardly don't have that going forward (and he owns all of them currently). Zverev ain't gonna challenge for the slams for another couple of years. Who then? Thiem? The lost boys? Kyrgios?
As @tennisaddict says, there's a massive gap between Djoko and the rest and the next best right now are all declining at a faster speed than Djoko. It takes time for the field to catch up to him.
 
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