Who will beat Djokovic? Zverev or med?

[Halba]

My money is on med this time. The us open court suits med the most especially with his serve and ball striking and his huge size. zverev struggled against sock lol. Then sock got injured. Too many ups and downs won’t win Djokovic.

Djokovic is clearly playing a b+ hitting level for his standards. Lots of errors. Fairly weak ground strokes. Serve is ok ish. Can’t see him winning many more majors. The ground strokes power has reduced. This affects him the most at the us open due to the court speed favouring larger bigger hitters like med.

 

[Krish0608]

Zverev is overrated. He’s not had a single top 10 win in a GS yet. He’s not beating Novak here. Med could pull it off though.

 

[TimHenmanATG]

Matteo "the hammer" Berrettini.

 

[Cortana]

Zverev is overrated. He’s not had a single top 10 win in a GS yet. He’s not beating Novak here. Med could pull it off though.

This, but see AO2020.

 

[DSH]

My money is on med this time. The us open court suits med the most. zverev struggled against sock lol. Then sock got injured

What do you think of Medvedev's potential quarter-final matchup against Schwarztman?
Do you think that the Argentine is a good preparation for what 'Meddy' could face (multiplied by ten, of course) in the grand final?

 

[Halba]

What do you think of Medvedev's potential quarter-final matchup against Schwarztman?
Do you think that the Argentine is a good preparation for what 'Meddy' could face (multiplied by ten, of course) in the grand final?

No comparison. I think this is more and more looking like med first slam. Djokovic seems rusty still. Not feeling a major from Djokovic. The main. Issue. Is the court speed favouring bigger size players like med or zed. They are much bigger than Djokovic and have more weapons at this age. Djokovic got better chances at aus open where the court speed is slow.

 

[Krish0608]

This, but see AO2020.

Med will be more ready this time and there will be massive pressure on Novak.

 

[socallefty]

Djokovic has become a master of slowly building up his form in the 1st week and then raising his level to his prime form when needed in the 2nd week of Slams. When he plays lower ranked players in the 1st week, he serves well plus passive baseline play otherwise as he knows he is more consistent than them. In the 2nd week, he ramps up the offense and that’s when you see the fireworks.

He didn‘t play any warmup tournaments for this US Open and I was expecting him to look bad - he actually has been better than I thought he would be. But, Zverev looks very dangerous and that might be an epic semifinal if the two of them meet.

 

[DSH]

No comparison. I think this is more and more looking like med first slam. Djokovic seems rusty still. Not feeling a major from Djokovic. The main. Issue. Is the court speed favouring bigger size players like med or zed.

Joker is like the cat, he doesn't have one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six but seven lives.
It is quite annoying to appreciate!

 

[Deleted member 762343]

Boobsby.

 

[spottishwood]

No comparison. I think this is more and more looking like med first slam. Djokovic seems rusty still. Not feeling a major from Djokovic. The main. Issue. Is the court speed favouring bigger size players like med or zed. They are much bigger than Djokovic and have more weapons at this age. Djokovic got better chances at aus open where the court speed is slow.

Med won't beat him. You need decent players in early rounds to take him out. like imagine delpo getting a wc and meeting him in R1. If he makes rounds like SF/F, all his rust gets off and you just gotta outplay him which doesn't looks possible for the next gen in slams, not even in his weakest slam. So booksby might do better than Med, of course, not because of him playing outstanding but instead novak playing terrible.

 

[junior74]

Otte

 

[DSH]

Otte

Nein nein und nein!

 

[ChrisRF]

No comparison. I think this is more and more looking like med first slam. Djokovic seems rusty still. Not feeling a major from Djokovic. The main. Issue. Is the court speed favouring bigger size players like med or zed. They are much bigger than Djokovic and have more weapons at this age. Djokovic got better chances at aus open where the court speed is slow.

But usually the Australian Open is faster than the US Open in the past few years.

 

[Rozroz]

one thing is clear - one of them will win if Novak keeps playing at this level,
mental advantage or not, he must be at least 30 % better to have a chance.

 

[SonnyT]

one thing is clear - one of them will win if Novak keeps playing at this level,
mental advantage or not, he must be at least 30 % better to have a chance.

Don't you know? He had to survive 2 five-setters at RG, and Nadal.

He hasn't been on form, only means he hasn't peaked yet.

 

[SteffiGoat]

Zverev is overrated. He’s not had a single top 10 win in a GS yet. He’s not beating Novak here. Med could pull it off though.

Zverev is actually underrated by lots of people here. He has the game to beat anyone including Novak. Once he gets the first top 10 win, he will only get better. It's all in his head.

Zverev gave Djoker a bigger fight in the QF at AO than Med did in the final. This surface should suit Zverev better than the one at AO.

All things considered, both of them have the capabilities to beat Novak.

 

[Rozroz]

Don't you know? He had to survive 2 five-setters at RG, and Nadal.

He hasn't been on form, only means he hasn't peaked yet.

if that is the case, and he will top his level when needed, i'm ok with that.
expected in his situation..

 

[El_Yotamo]

With the way the draw is shaping up it could well be no one

 

[Arak]

I feel that we’re going to get an anticlimactic finale of this USO with Djokovic beating a second tier player while all the usual favorites will be out.

 

[Vamos Rafa Nadal]

If they both make it to the semis I think Zverev will defeat Djokovic but I am hoping Djokovic will lose in the round of 16 or the QF. Since I am predicting Medvedev will win the USO but I think he will defeat Zverev in the final. The only question mark for me is Reilly Opelka - can he servebot his way through to the semis or even the final? Doubt it but it is possible.

 

[Hitman]

If they both make it to the semis I think Zverev will defeat Djokovic but I am hoping Djokovic will lose in the round of 16 or the QF. Since I am predicting Medvedev will win the USO but I think he will defeat Zverev in the final. The only question mark for me is Reilly Opelka - can he servebot his way through to the semis or even the final? Doubt it but it is possible.

Will you be sad if Djokovic wins yet again?

 

[SonnyT]

Djokovic will win this again!

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

No comparison. I think this is more and more looking like med first slam. Djokovic seems rusty still. Not feeling a major from Djokovic. The main. Issue. Is the court speed favouring bigger size players like med or zed. They are much bigger than Djokovic and have more weapons at this age. Djokovic got better chances at aus open where the court speed is slow.

If Djokovic gets to the final though that’s still a huge mountain for meddy to overcome.

 

[Omega_7000]

Matteo "the hammer" Berrettini.

The guy almost taken out by Ivashka???

 

[Deleted member 771911]

I don't see much to suggest that the usual narrative plays out- Djokovic plays to the level of his rivals early on with all the bumps that come with that. Then, in the business end, he lifts his level and goes a couple of gears above them. However, that narrative has shifted in the last two slams to him playing less well than usual in a final and dropping sets, only to then get back to business and pull ahead. So, I could see that happening in the semis and the final. The question is how big is the pressure really? If the pressure is bigger than usual, and it all depends how Djokovic sees that pressure, then Zverev or Medvedev could win. If I have to choose between them, I would say Medvedev. He would be overjoyed if he can sense Djokovic is a flailing in a hard court slam final and he has enough experience to capitalize. It would be a huge question for him, though, as he has never won a slam.
As someone pointed out earlier, unfortunately for Meddy, he won't have sufficiently strong preparation leading up to the final. However, that could mean he will be fresh.

 

[mr tonyz]

Med won't beat him. You need decent players in early rounds to take him out. like imagine delpo getting a wc and meeting him in R1. If he makes rounds like SF/F, all his rust gets off and you just gotta outplay him which doesn't looks possible for the next gen in slams, not even in his weakest slam. So booksby might do better than Med, of course, not because of him playing outstanding but instead novak playing terrible.

3>>2

 

[Kralingen]

I feel that we’re going to get an anticlimactic finale of this USO with Djokovic beating a second tier player while all the usual favorites will be out.

Who is Medvedev going to lose to? His side of the draw resembles a 250, not even joking.

 

[Arak]

Who is Medvedev going to lose to? His side of the draw resembles a 250, not even joking.

I don’t know but just for the irony of it if it happened.

 

[spottishwood]

3>>2

Your weakest slam doesn't have to be your least title one. He plays better at RG than USO. The main point is, USO draw fells apart many times and unlike RG it doesn't even have an owner since fed abdicated in 2008, still Rafa's got more titles than our HC specialist.

 

[mr tonyz]

Your weakest slam doesn't have to be your least title one. He plays better at RG than USO. The main point is, USO draw fells apart many times and unlike RG it doesn't even have an owner since fed abdicated in 2008, still Rafa's got more titles than our HC specialist.

I can agree with you on this one albeit for slightly different reasons. There's much more depth on hard courts than clay + the speed of the US Open court + the conditions such as wind & humidity (things Djoker does not like & vice-versa for Rafa)

 

[Omega_7000]

My money is on med this time. The us open court suits med the most especially with his serve and ball striking and his huge size. zverev struggled against sock lol. Then sock got injured. Too many ups and downs won’t win Djokovic.

Djokovic is clearly playing a b+ hitting level for his standards. Lots of errors. Fairly weak ground strokes. Serve is ok ish. Can’t see him winning many more majors. The ground strokes power has reduced. This affects him the most at the us open due to the court speed favouring larger bigger hitters like med.

Neither. Djokovic's b level is good enough to win CYGS in this weak era

 

[ibbi]

 

[Tennisfan339]

Zverev has more weapons to hurt and beat Djokovic. Fact is, he beat him in a Masters final, WTF Final and the Olympics (whereas Medvedev only beat him in a Round Robin match and earlier stages of Masters). He has the keys of the match. If he hits 80% of first serves and plays on his OG level, the only way Djokovic can win is if he brings his French Open level against Nadal this year. If Djokovic and Zverev keep the same level from R1-R3, it will be a quick 3-0 for Zverev. If Djokovic raises his level and Zverev keeps his current form, I expect a long 4 sets or even 5 sets. If Zverev is in choking mode like in Australia or in Wimbledon, it'll be 3-0 or 3-1 for Djokovic. Really, the result of the match depends more on Zverev.

Medvedev can certainly beat Djokovic in final if the pressure is too high and he doesn't play his best tennis. But Djokovic still has the keys of the match for me. They have a similar game, but peak Djokovic is still more consistent than Medvedev and stronger mentally. If he plays his A game, I honestly don't think Medvedev can win. I would give him more chances if they met in QF or SF (but that was impossible since they are seed #1 and #2). I just don't see Djokovic beating Zverev and losing to Medvedev,... Either he loses to Zverev or he beats both.

 

[TennisFan3]

Zverev is overrated. He’s not had a single top 10 win in a GS yet. He’s not beating Novak here. Med could pull it off though.

Excellent post. The overrating of Zverev on this board is beyond belief. Seriously what has Zverev EVER done at slam level?
Such SUPER HEAVY recency bias here. He's win BO3 matches that he always does.
FACT: He does NOT have the consistency or mental strength to beat Novak at slam level (or to beat any top player really).
Med or Titsp will beat Novak at slam level BEFORE Zed ever does.

 

[Djokodal Fan]

It will be Zed. But he won’t win the title. He will fold eventually to Med

 

[TennisFan3]

If Djokovic gets to the final though that’s still a huge mountain for meddy to overcome.

Meddy is a chump at slam finals and does NOT have the weapons. He ain't beating Novak unless Novak is injured.
Med's defensive rope -a-dope game won't work against any great player.
He lost to Nadal/Thiem/Titspas at slam level. The Russian is consistent against lower ranked players, but he will ALWAYS lose to a red hot player.

Also everyone talks about pressure on Novak. What about pressure on Med or Zed? They have NEVER won a slam. And to beat the GOAT and then win the 1st slam? That sounds impossible to me.
All Novak needs to do is to not get injured. The CYGS is near..

 

[bnjkn]

It seems no one has a chance in hell. Even if they bring great tennis, they would have to be true warriors to endure such an epic battle.

 

[Nostradamus]

Sasha will kick his butt

 

[OhYes]

We have come to paradox - ppl saying Djokovic will be beaten at least by 2 players + Berretini and otoh field been too weak (if Nole pulls this of)

 

[tudwell]

Both of them will beat him, just not here (or probably ever at a grand slam).

 

[Mainad]

Now that they've banned line judges (no doubt in case Djokovic hits one of them again), the only way Djokovic can lose is if he should go into some unexplained meltdown like he did in Tokyo.

 

[vladap]

...but who will beat Zed and/or Med?

 

[BeatlesFan]

Neither Med or Zedrot are going to beat him. Just reflect back to this year's AO where so many confidently predicted a Med victory "because he's in such great form!" Well, his mentality is still grossly inferior to Djokovic's. It doesn't matter how fine his form is, it will collapse in a presumptive Djokovic final. Zverev has a better chance since it would be a semi, but still only about 15% chance of victory.

 

[rografnovand]

Novak

 

[BeatlesFan]

Zverev has more weapons to hurt and beat Djokovic. . If he hits 80% of first serves.....

I literally think the last pro match where a male player hit 80% of his first serves was the 1988 FO final between Wilander and Leconte. Mats served 91% first serves and just spun them in. There is no chance in hell Zverev will ever serve 80% first serves. No male player ever approaches that.

 

[Jokervich]

Zverev has the game to beat him if he hits peak form and sustains it for a whole match. Medvedev doesn't have the weapons to beat Djokovic.

 

[PerilousPear]

Who cares? Even if Zed doesn't beat him, he'll trouble him enough. And Med should be well rested after having a bye until the final.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Meddy is a chump at slam finals and does NOT have the weapons. He ain't beating Novak unless Novak is injured.
Med's defensive rope -a-dope game won't work against any great player.
He lost to Nadal/Thiem/Titspas at slam level. The Russian is consistent against lower ranked players, but he will ALWAYS lose to a red hot player.

Also everyone talks about pressure on Novak. What about pressure on Med or Zed? They have NEVER won a slam. And to beat the GOAT and then win the 1st slam? That sounds impossible to me.
All Novak needs to do is to not get injured. The CYGS is near..

True point. The pressure on Zverev and meddy is big too because they need to make their move to win slam titles now or it might pass them by. As they both like 24/25 years old so they have the pressure of trying to win one too. That’s sort of an equaliser to Djokovic going for CYGS and slam 21.

 

[TennisFan3]

True point. The pressure on Zverev and meddy is big too because they need to make their move to win slam titles now or it might pass them by. As they both like 24/25 years old so they have the pressure of trying to win one too. That’s sort of an equaliser to Djokovic going for CYGS and slam 21.

Good post. And the thing is that Djokovic HAS shown the ability to handle and thrive under pressure.
Med or Zed have NOT shown the mental strength EVER. Med choked in AO 2021 final and Zed in UsOpen 2020 Final.
So Novak will have an edge mentally as well. He is the LAST player you want to face for your first slam title. The minute you choke or feel weak mentally, Novak will pounce.

It takes a Wawrinka or Thiem like player who can bludgeon the ball consistently to beat a healthy Novak at slam level. Even Nadal has almost lost all close slam matches to Novak and ditto for Fed as well. If the ATGs can't beat Novak, then how will Med/Zed do the same given they are both inferior and weaker.