FreeBird
Legend
THE SON OF GOD
Welcome Brothers and Sisters to the OFFICIAL NOVAK DJOKOVIC BRETHREN THREAD 2.0. Here we will discuss all things related to SOG. It is time to re-ignite the fire. This post will be updated in future (when I get some idle time) and I hope that you will help me in keeping this thread alive. The magnificence and hilarity of the original brethren thread cannot be repeated but still we would try to keep this thread as interesting and engaging as possible without crossing the limits.
To be continued....
Novak's start to the year has been underwhelming by his typical standards, through that fact that he tends to win the Australian Open, but this time only made it to the quarter-finals. Freebird started a thread that highlights some potential current problems in Novak's game, many of which I personally agreed with -- you can view the thread here:http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=488897 .
Since his loss, we've come to learn that more praise needs to be heaped on Wawrinka than we previously thought. Stan -- a man who pushed Nole extremely hard and close twice in Majors through the 2013 season -- finally got over the hump and managed to defeat Djokovic in a classic, intense and hugely pressurised match that went the distance. He then backed this up with a solid and consistent performance to beat Berdych in the semi-finals and went on to conquer a foe whom he had the most lopsided losing record against, the number 1 seed, Nadal, in the finals, in a surprising, shocking upset that can be called nothing else but extremely well deserved.
In light of this, one shouldn't be too worried about Novak's game, as Stan clearly hit a purple patch this tournament and made good on his somewhat surprise victory over Djokovic by winning the entire event. While this serves to somewhat mitigate some of the concerns and pains regarding Novak's loss, it doesn't mask over the issues that have been brought forth to bear in the aforementioned thread, and one cannot look past the curious way in which Novak simply handed over the match victory -- that is, two unforced errors.
The problem is, unforced errors at critical moments in tight matches has started to become somewhat of a forte for the mighty Serbian -- how could one forget untimely double faults in the 2012 Roland Garros final against Nadal, for example.
This isn't the only aspect of his game that needs to be rectified if he is going to find a reliable winning formula once again for the Majors...
Novak Djokovic's excellence as a player has actually started to confound him. He's so good, that he can hide behind consistency and safety to get the job done against anyone not named Nadal and on occasions Murray and Federer. The rest of the players typically can't push him when he's in this mode, and I believe it's because of this that he came unstuck against Wawrinka in the quarter-finals. Djokovic was unable to find the extra gear required that he has displayed many times in the past because he was too settled and comfortable in a zone of tennis that is at best, settled in fourth gear. This fourth gear of tennis is still so excellent in itself, that it affords Novak a sense of comfort and complacency against the vast bulk of the tour -- he's forgotten his old limits, and he must reclaim them in order to reclaim himself and reclaim his mastery of the game, both tactically and emotionally.
Can Novak Djokovic achieve these things and rectify the current errors of his ways? I believe he most certainly can, and though many see his recent coaching addition choice as somewhat strange, fellow six-time Grand Slam champion, Boris Becker, is an esteemed member to have on any coaching team and has the extravagance to boot that may well synergise in perfect harmony with the ever expressive Novak.
One thing is for sure: that the people and 'fans', lest we forget, will be eagerly anticipating Novak's future and be following the next events of his tennis career very closely, as he and his team march forward in search of further improvements and success, as to foreshadow what they hope will be Novak Djokovic's crowning achievement -- the completion of a Career Grand Slam. The ever impregnable and omnipresent Rafael Nadal though, will surely be standing in his way, at the historic, fiery battlefield of Roland Garros.
The fascinating journeys and stories of the year 2014 in tennis have just begun, and the tale of Novak Djokovic himself sees no end in sight.
DISCLAIMER: The content of this thread are meant for fun only and not intended to hurt anybody's feelings. If you get offended by any post, feel free to tell me, I will make arrangements to remove it. It takes a lot of creativity and rigor in some of the work here, so I humbly request you to respect their work. After all, life is not about GOAT wars and H2Hs only, there should be a funnier side to tennis too. You are cordially invited here to add value irrespective of the fan base you belong to.
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