UnderratedSlam
G.O.A.T.
I had posted a thread about a year ago that Nadal 100% can't win AO again because of the incredible amount of bad luck he'd had there - plus the resulting lack of confidence that comes with such a negative history of late-stage failures (meaning the many QF/F defeats/injuries).
It is fascinating though how superbly that thread worked as a vaccine to cure Nadal of his aussiephobia. Perhaps believers in the "jinx anti-jinx conspiracy theories" are on to something... Maybe tennis can be influenced with magic. Voodoo too?
(If you recall, I also had a thread explaining how Rafa only won FOs as long as I was traveling to Spain every year. When I didn't go to Spain (2015/16) he didn't win them, and when I last year again failed to show up in Spain he again failed to win it. I had been in Spain 2011-2014, 2017-2020. All facts, not making this stuff up at all.)
Speaking of vaccinations, this whole thing is doubly weird considering the fact that Novak had cured his own fear - frenchophobia - just half a year earlier!!! His FO 21 title. He finally managed to win another one, which he thoroughly deserved. Just as Nadal deserved finally getting that 2nd AO. By "deserve" I mean both players' track records there.
Did Djokovic get an anti-frenchophobia vaccine? Is that what made the turnaround possible?
Most likely not.
It is rather interesting that both of these curses were broken in a row, within just 7 months. Rafa's curse had lasted 13 years, Novak's lasted 6 years. (Of course, prior to that Novak had his long-running can't-win-FO-at-all curse, which lasted for about a decade, and which kind of morphed into this later can't-win-another-FO curse.)
Rafa winning AO 22 is almost as if he were saying "You won MY SLAM (again), so now I will WIN YOURS (again)." As revenge, almost. (The difference being that Rafa didn't get to beat Djokovic, the way Djokovic beat him at the FO. But hey: who's fault is that! Nobody forced Novak to acquire a vaccinophobia... which very ironically can only be cured with... a vaccine.)
Another fascinating fact:
Djokovic was 1-4 in FO finales before breaking the curse.
Nadal was 1-4 in AO finales before breaking the curse.
Federer is 1-4 at FO...
Which means he needs to win FO again to have all 4 slams at least twice - as the other two have now.
It is fascinating though how superbly that thread worked as a vaccine to cure Nadal of his aussiephobia. Perhaps believers in the "jinx anti-jinx conspiracy theories" are on to something... Maybe tennis can be influenced with magic. Voodoo too?
(If you recall, I also had a thread explaining how Rafa only won FOs as long as I was traveling to Spain every year. When I didn't go to Spain (2015/16) he didn't win them, and when I last year again failed to show up in Spain he again failed to win it. I had been in Spain 2011-2014, 2017-2020. All facts, not making this stuff up at all.)
Speaking of vaccinations, this whole thing is doubly weird considering the fact that Novak had cured his own fear - frenchophobia - just half a year earlier!!! His FO 21 title. He finally managed to win another one, which he thoroughly deserved. Just as Nadal deserved finally getting that 2nd AO. By "deserve" I mean both players' track records there.
Did Djokovic get an anti-frenchophobia vaccine? Is that what made the turnaround possible?
Most likely not.
He hates needles.
It is rather interesting that both of these curses were broken in a row, within just 7 months. Rafa's curse had lasted 13 years, Novak's lasted 6 years. (Of course, prior to that Novak had his long-running can't-win-FO-at-all curse, which lasted for about a decade, and which kind of morphed into this later can't-win-another-FO curse.)
Rafa winning AO 22 is almost as if he were saying "You won MY SLAM (again), so now I will WIN YOURS (again)." As revenge, almost. (The difference being that Rafa didn't get to beat Djokovic, the way Djokovic beat him at the FO. But hey: who's fault is that! Nobody forced Novak to acquire a vaccinophobia... which very ironically can only be cured with... a vaccine.)
Another fascinating fact:
Djokovic was 1-4 in FO finales before breaking the curse.
Nadal was 1-4 in AO finales before breaking the curse.
Federer is 1-4 at FO...
Which means he needs to win FO again to have all 4 slams at least twice - as the other two have now.
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