socallefty
G.O.A.T.
Djokovic has been on tour for 16 years. He has had three unbelievably dominant periods (12 months starting Jan-2011 for 4 Slams, 17 months starting Jan-2015 for 5 Slams, 19 months starting June-2018 for 5 Slams) during which he won 14 Slams. So, a total of four years of dominance for 14 Slams and the remaining 12 years of his career for 3 Slams. It is common for athletes to have peak periods of dominance, but in his case, the three peak periods are separated by gaps of 3 years and 2 years.
Before 2011, his ciliac disease sensitivity to gluten could be cited for the lack of endurance to win 2-week Slams apart from one AO. We also know that he lost motivation due to personal issues and his guru Pepe (Amor e Paz) in addition to a major elbow injury from mid-2016 to mid-2018 and he was not a factor in any tournaments during this period. But, why did he lack his “2011 warrior“ mentality at Slams from Feb2012-Sep2014 when he won just 2 Slams and lost 5 Slam finals. Or was there something lacking in his game during this period that was a step down from 2011 and did he regain it somehow in 2015? Is it all mental issues like confidence that affect whether he enters into a prime period?
What does this up and down track record portend for the future? He has never had a sustained prime period at Slams lasting beyond 2 years - so, are we going to get a continuation of his 2018-2020 dominance or is he due for some down-time mentally? If he has a down period, is it too late for him to ever have another great Slam-streak in the future? Time will tell.
Before 2011, his ciliac disease sensitivity to gluten could be cited for the lack of endurance to win 2-week Slams apart from one AO. We also know that he lost motivation due to personal issues and his guru Pepe (Amor e Paz) in addition to a major elbow injury from mid-2016 to mid-2018 and he was not a factor in any tournaments during this period. But, why did he lack his “2011 warrior“ mentality at Slams from Feb2012-Sep2014 when he won just 2 Slams and lost 5 Slam finals. Or was there something lacking in his game during this period that was a step down from 2011 and did he regain it somehow in 2015? Is it all mental issues like confidence that affect whether he enters into a prime period?
What does this up and down track record portend for the future? He has never had a sustained prime period at Slams lasting beyond 2 years - so, are we going to get a continuation of his 2018-2020 dominance or is he due for some down-time mentally? If he has a down period, is it too late for him to ever have another great Slam-streak in the future? Time will tell.
