What are your thoughts on Djokovic's 'injury' timeouts?

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DeathStrike

Guest
Your opponent has every right to use an MTO to regroup. It's up to you to use his MTO to regroup yourself. If you can't, then it's on you, not him. After all, tennis is a sport, not baby sitting,

Hmmm all these years I thought MTO's were specifically for genuine injuries not so players can 'regroup' themselves...
 

ND-13

Hall of Fame
TFW you're 2nd all time in matches played but your injury time outs are in the single digits and you have 0 retirements
Roger-Federer

On mid match retirements, absolutely agree. Fed is spotless. Same cannot be said for Djokovic. Nadal also has too many retirements /MTO ,.

I thought this thread was solely about MTO.
 

Meles

Bionic Poster
He had a few over the years, sometimes at critical junctures when his opponent is firing. Any thoughts would he have won less slams if he hadn't put his opponent off
Won 2020 Auz Open thanks to a long, but legal break after three sets. The guy was on the ropes and that got him back in the match and playing much better after the rest.

All childs play compared to the magician (Cuevas); on of the biggest cheats in the game, but very clever about it mainly.
 

King No1e

G.O.A.T.
All the Big 3 are guilty of taking medical timeouts at critical junctures and often using it as recovery time. It's gamesmanship, but not exactly cheating either.
 

junior74

Talk Tennis Guru
If someone sitting on a bench makes you lose a tennis match idk what to say :p

I understand you don't play tennis, Michael. Momentum is very easily broken, even for pros. On club level, if a guy is playing really well, all the opponent has to do is say "well, if you keep playing like that, I won't have a chance". And then he is broken in the next game.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC took a toilet break after the second-set collapse against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final and Boris Becker has revealed why:

"That's what he does sometimes," Becker told BBC One. "He is changing his shirt. He wants a moment for himself, some peace and quiet. He will want to gather his thoughts to reset for the third set."
 
This is patently false. Federer took one prior to the fifth set of the match. He was broken right after that. Federer also had mentioned his groin pain when he was playing Rubin, so it was a well-known injury.

Anyway, I'm not excusing Roger for taking the time out. Even given the fact that he had mentioned a groin pain in two matches before that. Just try not to say things that are completely untrue.
RAFA/Nole devotees fabricating stories again...
 

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
I understand you don't play tennis, Michael. Momentum is very easily broken, even for pros. On club level, if a guy is playing really well, all the opponent has to do is say "well, if you keep playing like that, I won't have a chance". And then he is broken in the next game.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC took a toilet break after the second-set collapse against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final and Boris Becker has revealed why:
"That's what he does sometimes," Becker told BBC One. "He is changing his shirt. He wants a moment for himself, some peace and quiet. He will want to gather his thoughts to reset for the third set."

Oh no I perfectly understand, as much as you'd like to think I don't. I just have no sympathy on the matter :p and lol at assuming I don't play tennis, whatever you say.
 

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster

Im just not great at it at all lol. That said, I think 90% of people (serious posters at least) here understand how tennis works, even mentally. I obviously agree and understand with his points, just at the VERY top level like these guys are, they are better at being able to truck on while someone is getting patched up, there aren't too many instances where I feel someone lost bc of an MTO, though of course it happens.
 

Nole_King

Hall of Fame
I think it sometimes is part of his gamesmanship. I remember in 2015 AO final, in second set he started acting if he was not 100% giving poor Andy hope only to come back and win next two sets 6-3, 6-0. The look on Andy's face in the fourth set was priceless. How on earth .. !! :laughing:
 

junior74

Talk Tennis Guru
Oh no I perfectly understand, as much as you'd like to think I don't. I just have no sympathy on the matter :p and lol at assuming I don't play tennis, whatever you say.

My post was mostly Boris Becker, an ATG, explaining what Novak did and why.

Perhaps you have little "sympathy" on the matter, because your favourite player is the best "dirty tricks" player in the world?

Assumption is the mother of all feck ups :cool:
 

Fiero425

Legend
So what are Nadal's dirty tricks out of interest

If we knit-pick, we could be here a while! I've never been a fan of Nadal's due to his gamesmanship and how he abuses so many rules! He's abused "the clock" since day one, playing matches at his pace; even on the opponent's serve! It's been egregious how much he's gotten away with that! Years ago he was busted for coaching from the stands; even at Wimbledon from Uncle Tony! Nadal challenges every call as if he couldn't have missed! A lot of them such poor choices, he should lose 2 challenges! He really drags matches out unnecessarily! I won't go into his possible use of PED's to go along with his incessant toweling off and other stalling tactics! BTW some of his clothing from Nike should have had him banned; esp. those hideously long clam-diggers and sleeveless muscle T's from 10 years ago! :laughing:
 

SQA333

Hall of Fame
Snap. I do remember the issue during the match w Novak trying to appease Stan, like "Stan - I can't move my toes" or whatever. And Stan having none of it.

That was crazy.

I actually believed Novak.

But I was glad Stan played through the drama.

Wasn’t it novak getting an MTO to remove some dead skin on his foot or something ridiculous?
 
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DeathStrike

Guest
If we knit-pick, we could be here a while! I've never been a fan of Nadal's due to his gamesmanship and how he abuses so many rules! He's abused "the clock" since day one, playing matches at his pace; even on the opponent's serve! It's been egregious how much he's gotten away with that! Years ago he was busted for coaching from the stands; even at Wimbledon from Uncle Tony! Nadal challenges every call as if he couldn't have missed! A lot of them such poor choices, he should lose 2 challenges! He really drags matches out unnecessarily! I won't go into his possible use of PED's to go along with his incessant toweling off and other stalling tactics! BTW some of his clothing from Nike should have had him banned; esp. those hideously long clam-diggers and sleeveless muscle T's from 10 years ago! :laughing:

Hmmmm I think you are nit-picking here....
 

polksio

Semi-Pro
I think Nadal is way more is guilty than Djokovic
The AO final against Stan is some of the most disgusting **** ever
Thankfully Stan played than masterfully and turned the crowd against him
 
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DeathStrike

Guest
I think Nadal is way more is guilty than Djokovic
The AO final against Stan is some of the most disgusting **** ever
Thankfully Stan played than masterfully and turned the crowd against him

Hey what happened there :eek:
 

Fiero425

Legend
They are legit.

What appalled me the most from the beginning with Rafa is it's one thing to pull this BS with "also rans," but he saved his best gamesmanship for Federer! McEnroe admitted back then and to this day, he didn't try and "run game" on Borg, giving him due respect and conserved his energy by not getting into court antics! Rafa couldn't GAF who he's playing and has stolen a couple matches from Roger who's obviously capable of "giving it away!" Of the Big 3 he's relinquished the most when up or with match points in hand! :sneaky:
 
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Enceladus

Legend
The only ones that I have ever had a problem with were the one against Murray in that AO final and the one against Wawrinka ( Which in hindsight given how his feets were actually bleeding , wasn't that wrong)
I don’t have a huge issue with it, except for one specific occasion. The trick he pulled against Murray in that AO final was not ok.
I think, guys, that you mean the final of the USO 2012 and Nole's MTO in the 5th set, yes?
 
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