Novak seems to be wanting all the records, what are the chances he breaks Federer's 8 Wimbledon titles (he's at 6) or Nadals record for most titles at one slam (Novak has 9 AO titles to Nadals 13 French Open titles).
For me in terms of GOAT discussion, Federer had the best peak I've ever seen, Novak has had the best career and is the best all around player and Nadal is the greatest player on a single surface.
Novak has no shot at getting the record at one event (especially since Rafa might add one or two more), eight at Wimbledon though is definitely in play if he plays three or four more years. Realistically it's all gonna come down to whether the young guys finally step it up, and as someone who is very down on the youngsters I don't see them as much of an impediment.
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"Think I'm gonna be the scapegoat for the whole damn machine? Sheeee......."
At this point, what would it take to beat Djokovic? I suppose someone with Stanimal's game of course.
You'd have to be willing to grind rallies with djok, trust your fitness, recognize crucial points and raise your level at those points, convert break points efficiently.
It's pretty crazy that when Novak won Wimbledon in 2018, he was at 13 grand slams. Fast forward three years later and he's at 20. That's about as dominate a three year stretch of tennis that a guy can have.
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It's pretty crazy that when Novak won Wimbledon in 2018, he was at 13 grand slams. Fast forward three years later and he's at 20. That's about as dominate a three year stretch of tennis that a guy can have.
That's just it. Just a few years ago I never would have imagined that he would so quickly storm past the other 2 and decisively rip the title of GOAT from their hands. And yet, here he is with a chance to do just that with a title win at the US Open. Calendar slam and breaking the majors record in one fell swoop. Not to mention, plenty of gas left in the tank! Who knows if 30 majors is a possibility before he retires?!
I think at this point the only one that can beat Novak might be Novak. After he won 4 in a row he kinda lost interest and went into a bad slump where he fell to like #20 in the rankings. If he achieves the Golden Slam this year, how motivated will he be in 2022?
That's just it. Just a few years ago I never would have imagined that he would so quickly storm past the other 2 and decisively rip the title of GOAT from their hands. And yet, here he is with a chance to do just that with a title win at the US Open. Calendar slam and breaking the majors record in one fell swoop. Not to mention, plenty of gas left in the tank! Who knows if 30 majors is a possibility before he retires?!
30 might be pushing it, but who knows? I think 25 is certainly attainable and as SCD mentioned above, it certainly requires some of the younger guys to step up.
One thing I was thinking about, is how much income inequality there is between the big 3 and the next gen. They all have made over $100 million and at least double that in endorsements. Compared to say Shapo, who has made a great living, he has made probably 1% of those 3. He doesn't have nearly the resources as those 3. All that money can buy better analytics, trainers, coaches and physio to extend their careers.
I mean he's literally two events away from doing something no one in the history of the men's game has done, so what more do you want?
You seem to be missing the point. I don't care how many tournaments he wins - that doesn't somehow make him a more compelling tennis player. He could do it all again next year, and aside from cementing him as clearly the greatest in terms of what he's accomplished, it wouldn't change a thing, any more than Rafa winning another couple of French Opens would change anything about his legacy. We know who these guys are.
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I get people really hate Novak, and he's more of a machine than a guy who delivers excitement and flair, but I also think he's easily the most disrespected athlete of our time.
I don't hate him at all - quite the opposite, I actually like him a lot. He was a bit of a problem child early in his career but at this point he's the consummate professional, a great leader for the sport and by all accounts just a downright quality human being. And he has a personality, he's funny. Seems like a great guy.
I'm not criticing Novak the person, nor am I downplaying his accomplishments. But the way he plays tennis, while obviously effective enough to win more than anyone else has ever won, is just not particularly inspiring, nor is it all that much fun to watch.
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Updated rankings, Berretini has moved up to 8th spot, dropping Federer down to #9 just one spot above Shapo at #10.
Tsitsipas is in Hamburg this week, if he wins he will rise to a career high #3 and drop Rafa down to #4.
With Roger out of the top 8, he could now face Djokovic or Nadal in Rd.4 of the US Open
Felix and Pospisil will be representing Canada at the Olympics, but Djokovic is still undecided about going. Could be great experience for Felix, glad he is going.
Has anyone been to the Rogers Cup? I believe next year the men are in Montreal and I'd like to see Nadal play live cause he's not going to be on tour much longer. Thinking this is probably the cheapest option.
I went in 2013 and got lucky, it was probably the best Rogers Cup of all time: Milos vs Pospisil and Rafa vs Djoker semis. Rafa took the final against Milos, you would have loved it. I've also been to 2014 and 2017 Indian Wells, Rafa attended both those times too.
I'm not great with vacation budgets so I wouldn't be able to say if one trip was much more expensive than the other. you can really customize how much you spend by seat selection, round, accommodations and flight deals. I honestly think both tournaments have equal chance next year of Rafa showing up.
Montreal
+ energetic, historic city
+ great local food and culture
+ amazing hot dogs at the tournament (I can't explain how, they just are)
+ no currency conversion
+ don't need a car
- tennis grounds are a little outdated
- some players skip in favor of Cincinnati (usually Roger)
- everyone speaks english, though you may occassionally get a bit of impatience if your french is bad and/or you don't know any
Indian Wells
+ chill Palm Springs vibe, laid back and relaxing
+ good restaurants and shopping
+ the best tournament facilities in North America, maybe anywhere
- can get pretty hot, even in March
- definitely need a car
- US currency raises prices a bit on everything
- security checks keep getting tighter every year cause you know, America. For example, I used to be able to bring in a backpack with whatever I wanted, e.g. food, drinks. Now your bag has to be transparent (really!) and no liquids allowed, though you can still bring empty bottles and snacks
if you've never been to either one, the Montreal trip is a bit more of a general "vacation" because of location and amount of things to do outside of tennis. After that though, I'd still go IW for a tennis focused trip because it attracts all the big names and the facilities are just so damn impressive.
both tourneys will let you get pretty close to your heroes on the practice courts. I'd recommend tickets for between the 3rd round and QFs, as they're more cost effective and there's a lower chance of the guy you want to see being knocked out by that point. there's also a lot more going on at side courts and just a lot of good tennis "buzz" in the middle of the week.
I don't think you can go wrong either way. I'll probably do a trip next year too if Roger comes back for one more tour. bonus for 2022, Shapo/Felix/Bianca/Leylah are going to be front and centre, getting to see the Canadian Wave in person will be pretty special.
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Updated rankings, Berretini has moved up to 8th spot, dropping Federer down to #9 just one spot above Shapo at #10.
Tsitsipas is in Hamburg this week, if he wins he will rise to a career high #3 and drop Rafa down to #4.
With Roger out of the top 8, he could now face Djokovic or Nadal in Rd.4 of the US Open
Felix and Pospisil will be representing Canada at the Olympics, but Djokovic is still undecided about going. Could be great experience for Felix, glad he is going.
Speaking of the Olympics, I wonder if part of the reason Rafa pulled out is due to a) Tokyo being the host and b) the way Nishikori spent over 10 minutes between the 2nd and 3rd set having a bathroom break during their bronze medal match. Nishikori was up 5-2 in set 2 (double break) when he fell apart and Rafa ended up winning set 2 in a tie-break.
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Lol he was pissed! I remember 2016 wasn't a good year for him but at least he won doubles Gold.
Your totally right Girly, well Roger is about 40th in the race but still has a long ways to go until he drops to 13th.
Speaking of the race to the ATP finals, Shapo is in 10th spot, he should be able to overtake Karatsev and Hurkacz and make it. Would be another milestone for him.
