The toughest hurdle that Djokovic overcame - Career Slam, Career Masters or Career Super Slam?

Thoughts?

  • Total voters
    31
Hitman

Hitman

Bionic Poster
The three big mile stones in Djokovic completing each set, and ultimately winning it all....there were years of struggle for all three amazing achievements. But he kept fighting to get it all in the end to complete the trophy cabinet.

Which one seemed the toughest hurdle?

Finally winning Roland Garros in 2016

Finally winning Cincinnati in 2018

or

Finally winning Olympics in 2024?
 
Cincinnati was going to eventually come. He just kept getting unlucky running into Federer there in his best Masters. So I would say winning all nine Masters was the easiest one which is kind of ironic because it's actually the hardest for everyone else to do. The hardest for him had to be the Olympics and the Super Slam. He had the absolute worst luck in the Olympics. Even when he finally won it, he had to do it at 37 on one good leg.

So Olympics 2024 > RG 2016 > Cincinnati 2018 in difficulty.
 
RG was more difficult as he nadal was there all the time. Wining matches against nadal at FO was holy grail . Solderling we remember only because he won against nadal in FO. So my vote is for RG. Gold medal was great but still RG tops the list
 
He had gotten closer to winning RG and Cincy than he ever had to winning the Olympics.

If you recall, 2024 wasn’t just his first gold medal, it was his first Olympics Final period.
 
NoleFam said:
Cincinnati was going to eventually come. He just kept getting unlucky running into Federer there in his best Masters. So I would say winning all nine Masters was the easiest one which is kind of ironic because it's actually the hardest for everyone else to do. The hardest for him had to be the Olympics and the Super Slam. He had the absolute worst luck in the Olympics. Even when he finally won it, he had to do it at 37 on one good leg.

So Olympics 2024 > RG 2016 > Cincinnati 2018 in difficulty.
Click to expand...

While I do agree in the general overview of Cincinnati. After 2017 it looked like he might have never won it IMO. He was struggling to win anywhere.
 
Hitman said:
While I do agree in the general overview of Cincinnati. After 2017 it looked like he might have never won it IMO. He was struggling to win anywhere.
Click to expand...
Yea that's true. It looked bleak there for awhile. I knew he'd come back eventually but Cincy was a struggle. All of these were hard for him to win tbh.
 
After RG 2014 I think was his lowest point in that period during the first peak. RG felt so close yet so far away.

4 match winning streak, won rome, won first set of final and had never lost a final at any level after winning first set. He did everything well and then collapsed in set 3.
 
NoleFam said:
Yea for sure. That RG one was definitely not easy either. It was kind of surreal when he finally crossed the finish line in 2016.
Click to expand...

To be honest all three felt surreal. He chased all three for years with plenty of heartbreak. Each time the pressure kept on growing. Would he be able to do it? Ultimately he did all three
 
It depends... In terms of the obstacle in front of him, Roland Garros was the hardest. In terms of the length of time it took to get the chances and how few opportunities he got, the Olympics was the hardest.

In Cincinnati I think he just genuinely, by his standards, was not that great. Forget Federer - Roddick, Murray, Nadal, these aren't Kohli or Melzer-like bizarre upsets, he'd get to the latter stages and then just get beat by other top players. 2011 and 2015 Roland Garros are the only really comparable ones.

Looking at it that way, it is sort of the hardest in its own way. Also makes the 2023 win one of the best of his whole career. The 2018 one was so weather-impacted it reminds a lot of his 2016 Roland Garros win.

So, yes, I think you can make a case for any of the three :-D You cannot argue he was not good enough to win Roland Garros because 1 man stands between him having something like 10 titles there. For a long while, you sort of could with Cincinnati.

I still go with Olympics though. That is what makes that tournament so amazing. You get 1 shot, and then you have to wait 4 years for another one. Some could argue if you get more chances and keep failing that is tougher.

I'd go the other way. When you get so few chances and want it as bad as he did for as long as he did, that is a crazy amount of pressure that builds up.
 
Hitman said:
To be honest all three felt surreal. He chased all three for years with plenty of heartbreak. Each time the pressure kept on growing. Would he be able to do it? Ultimately he did all three
Click to expand...
Yea the longer it took, the more it felt like he was under pressure to finally do it.
 
As salty as Djokovic failing to win the Olympics made me, failing to win RG would have been much worse.
 
Finally got the USO crowd to wholeheartedly cheer for him, in 2021. :)

But it took one of the biggest chokes of the open era to accomplish it. :(
 
Last edited:
Olympics without a doubt. The one he wins was the least likely one for him to win. It was also his last chance. Also, the smallest margin for error.
 
Hitman said:
The three big mile stones in Djokovic completing each set, and ultimately winning it all....there were years of struggle for all three amazing achievements. But he kept fighting to get it all in the end to complete the trophy cabinet.

Which one seemed the toughest hurdle?

Finally winning Roland Garros in 2016

Finally winning Cincinnati in 2018

or

Finally winning Olympics in 2024?
Click to expand...
He has to be thankful that Nadal's physical condition deteriorated considerably, otherwise he would not have won RG.
:notworthy:
 
DSH said:
He has to be thankful that Nadal's physical condition deteriorated considerably, otherwise he would not have won RG.
:notworthy:
Click to expand...

You mean he kept kicking the door in until Nadal was unable to stop him anymore. I agree.
 
ibbi said:
It depends... In terms of the obstacle in front of him, Roland Garros was the hardest. In terms of the length of time it took to get the chances and how few opportunities he got, the Olympics was the hardest.

In Cincinnati I think he just genuinely, by his standards, was not that great. Forget Federer - Roddick, Murray, Nadal, these aren't Kohli or Melzer-like bizarre upsets, he'd get to the latter stages and then just get beat by other top players. 2011 and 2015 Roland Garros are the only really comparable ones.

Looking at it that way, it is sort of the hardest in its own way. Also makes the 2023 win one of the best of his whole career. The 2018 one was so weather-impacted it reminds a lot of his 2016 Roland Garros win.

So, yes, I think you can make a case for any of the three :-D You cannot argue he was not good enough to win Roland Garros because 1 man stands between him having something like 10 titles there. For a long while, you sort of could with Cincinnati.

I still go with Olympics though. That is what makes that tournament so amazing. You get 1 shot, and then you have to wait 4 years for another one. Some could argue if you get more chances and keep failing that is tougher.

I'd go the other way. When you get so few chances and want it as bad as he did for as long as he did, that is a crazy amount of pressure that builds up.
Click to expand...

He really did put himself into a corner regarding the Olympics but came out swinging in the end.
 
Probably Olympics, he was always good enough to win the French he just needed an opening. The Olympics considering his form and his age, the fact it was an opponent who destroyed him in their last meeting - it has to be that.
 
Enceladus said:
Nadal, above all, didn't have the form and confidence to stop Djokovic at that year.
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False!
Nadal was good enough to beat him in the 2016 edition.
Instead, he faced a Thiem who was making his debut in a Grand Slam semifinal.
A huge difference in level.
And on top of that, he faced an exhausted Murray in the final.
:notworthy:
 
DSH said:
False!
Nadal was good enough to beat him in the 2016 edition.
Instead, he faced a Thiem who was making his debut in a Grand Slam semifinal.
A huge difference in level.
And on top of that, he faced an exhausted Murray in the final.
:notworthy:
Click to expand...
False Rafa fan

Your dreams exceed Rafa capability so suffer
 
They were all stunning for different reasons so I find it difficult to vote.

Roland Garros for the 4 in a row, right after probably the toughest Slam final loss he experienced. And I was there live to see him beat Thiem and Murray as well.

Loved that run to completing the Golden Masters. No first round bye since he wasn't in the top 8 at that time, lots of three setters, and he beat the last three Cincinnati winners (Dimitrov, Cilic, Federer)

Carlos played the best match among all his final opponents in these three events by far. And as much as I don't rate the lolympics, it was a fairytale ending after all his past failures and the struggles he had throughout that particular season.
 
TheAssassin said:
They were all stunning for different reasons so I find it difficult to vote.

Roland Garros for the 4 in a row, right after probably the toughest Slam final loss he experienced. And I was there live to see him beat Thiem and Murray as well.

Loved that run to completing the Golden Masters. No first round bye since he wasn't in the top 8 at that time, lots of three setters, and he beat the last three Cincinnati winners (Dimitrov, Cilic, Federer)

Carlos played the best match among all his final opponents in these three events by far. And as much as I don't rate the lolympics, it was a fairytale ending after all his past failures and the struggles he had throughout that particular season.
Click to expand...
He beat 3 former Cincy champions. 3 Former number 3s and Federer and 3 matches going third set to clinch that Cincy trophy. Well deserved. That grigor match the forehand pass was 2016 AO semis like.
 
DSH said:
False!
Nadal was good enough to beat him in the 2016 edition.
Instead, he faced a Thiem who was making his debut in a Grand Slam semifinal.
A huge difference in level.
And on top of that, he faced an exhausted Murray in the final.
:notworthy:
Click to expand...
That's such a ridiculous claim. Bad memory, apparently.

Nadal continued to be in a game crisis in 2016. The clay season that year revolved mainly around Djokovic and Murray, who competed in three big clay court finals. Then there was the defending champion Wawrinka, a dangerous opponent for Djokovic and, for me, a bigger threat at RG 2016 than the 2016 Nadal.
 
Enceladus said:
That's such a ridiculous claim. Bad memory, apparently.

Nadal continued to be in a game crisis in 2016. The clay season that year revolved mainly around Djokovic and Murray, who competed in three big clay court finals. Then there was the defending champion Wawrinka, a dangerous opponent for Djokovic and, for me, a bigger threat at RG 2016 than the 2016 Nadal.
Click to expand...
The fans always give hypo wins to their players. There were some who said if Nadal didn't meet zverev in r1 last year then he would have won the whole thing lmao
 
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