Het Grote Novak Djokovic Topic #1

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Op dinsdag 25 maart 2008 18:35 schreef XL het volgende:

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maar wat wil je dan zeggen?
Dat je houdt van het spelletje op tempo spelen, geen lef maar snelheid en vastheid om je tegenstander uit te schakelen? Geen onmogelijke winners maken, maar domme hoeken. Geen verrassingen in je spel maar marge inbouwen. Wat is er mooi aan, behalve dat het erg knap is?

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Op dinsdag 25 maart 2008 18:50 schreef wimderon het volgende:
Zijn spel lijkt erg op dat van Hewitt in diens hoogtijdagen. Dezelfde lelijk geslagen backhand, zelfde forehand. Geen uitgesproken sterke punten, maar ook geen zwakke en vooral mentaal erg sterk. En net als Hewitt een paar trekjes die hem niet geliefd maken bij niet-fans.

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Op woensdag 26 maart 2008 18:12 schreef Komakie het volgende:

Niet 1 die als het minder gaat nog wel eens een wedstrijdje laat schieten.

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Op woensdag 26 maart 2008 18:12 schreef Komakie het volgende:


Het spel van Hewitt
en dezelfde lelijke backhand en forehand
Zijn techniek is totaal anders.

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Op woensdag 26 maart 2008 18:12 schreef Komakie het volgende:

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Zo zou ik Djokovic niet typeren. Ik heb hem echt onmogelijke ballen zien slaan.
Wat jij schetst is Davydenko in de dop. Iemand die gewoon heel hoog tempo kan houden. tegenstander maakt dan vanzelf wel een fout. Tot je een speler tegen komt die jou spel zo kan ontregelen dat je niet meer alleen maar tempo kunt spelen.
Dat soort spelers hebben vaak ook moeite om elke keer zelf het tempo te maken. Ze hebben liever dat de tegenstander de bal op tempo terug speelt zodat zij alleen maar hoeven mee te spelen en een beetje meer vaart aan de bal meegeven. Ondertussen een beetje matige hoeken maken en je komt een heel eind.
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Het spel van Hewitt
en dezelfde lelijke backhand en forehand
Zijn techniek is totaal anders.

Ik vind zijn volleys helemaal niet zo heel sterk. Ook met slice backhands heeft hij redelijk wat problemen. Voornamelijk omdat zijn slag zich er niet voor leent.

Dat hij soms dingen doet die hem niet geliefd maken ben ik het helemaal eens. Aan de andere kant zorgt hij ook wel weer voor mooie momenten. Als hij ontspannen is dan is het echt een mooie vent. Op het moment dat hij op de baan staan kan hij soms wat vervelend zijn.
Hij is in ieder geval wel een echte winner. Niet 1 die als het minder gaat nog wel eens een wedstrijdje laat schieten.

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Op zondag 18 mei 2008 22:18 schreef XL het volgende:
Weer een mastertoernooitje zonder post. Kwam toch wel behoorlijk tekort tegen Nadal in de halve finale.

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Op zondag 18 mei 2008 22:56 schreef VerdwaasdeVogel het volgende:

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Wablief?

Hij kwam dichterbij tegen een betere Nadal dan Federer... Dat's toch al best goed?

Ik ben best onder de indruk. Hij speelt twee toernooien achter elkaar goed (voor de verandering), heeft zichzelf neergezet als de op twee na gevaarlijkste (wellicht één na) gevaarlijkste graveltennisser van het moment en hij ramt ook op gravel iedereen behalve Fed en Nadal zo de baan af.

Ben benieuwd hoe hij RG gaat spelen.

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Op zondag 18 mei 2008 23:16 schreef VerdwaasdeVogel het volgende:
Geen seconde? Ondanks twaalf breakkansen?

Djokovic slaagde er uiteindelijk niet in om zijn breakkansen te verzilveren. Dat is niet zo mooi en best knap van Nadal, maar kansloos is anders. Daarnaast serveerde Nadal juist redelijk sterk voor zijn doen, zeker de laatste set. Het was Djokovic zijn service die minder was, vond ik. Nauwelijks aces of directe punten. Nadal wist af en toe nog een breakpunt met een mooie service weg te werken, wat niet heel gewoon is op gravel tegen toch een best wel goede retouneerder.
Daarnaast was het niveau dat ik van Djokovic heb gezien gisteren hoger dan dat van Federer (op service na). Wellicht wel hoger dan ik van Federer in een lange tijd heb gezien. Federer blijft natuurlijk Federer, en wat ze op het gravel laten zien zal dan pas duidelijk worden, maar een Djoko-Federer halve finale is zeker niet beslist voor ze op de baan staan.


Nu val ik op deze website enigszins uit de toom omdat ik Federer (dit jaar, hiervoor volgde ik tennis niet zo veel) wat lager in schat dan de meesten en Djokovic wat hoger, maar toch geef ik Djokovic op het moment meer kans tegen Nadal dan Federer.

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Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic and the Point of Divergence
May 31, 2008
Gael Monfils is in the midst of his 3rd round match at this year’s French Open against Jurgen Melzer. The two are tied one set apiece with Melzer leading 3-2 in the third set.

Who would have guessed four year ago when Monfils won the first three junior Grand Slam events, Australian, French, and Wimbledon, that today in 2008, Monfils would be ranked behind countrymen #9 Richard Gasquet, #11 Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, #19 Paul-Henri Mathieu, #29 Gilles Simon, Michel Llorda (#41), Nicolas Mahut, #50 Fabrice Santoro, #55 Julian Benneteau, #56 Marc Giquel, and #57 Sebatien Grosjean.

Monfils is #59.

Who could have guessed three years ago, when he played his best friend at the time, Novak Djokovic, in the first round of the U.S. Open, that Monfils would lose that match after winning the fourth set, 6-0. And who would have guessed that that match would be the point of divergence between the two players.

Djokovic is #3.

Both players, age 21, are charismatic off the court and young talents on it. But while Monfils was marked for stardom, especially when he reached the round of 16 at the French Open just two years ago, Djokovic was a relatively unknown as a junior and began 2006 at #78 in the world. Monfils began 2006 at #30. Monfils reached #23 in the world after that French Open but took a precipitous fall and finished the season #46. Meantime Djokovic left the French #40, but ended his 2006 season all the way up to #16.

(Monfils lost the third set, 6-4, but is leading 2-0 early in the fourth set.)

What was the point of divergence between the two? After the French, Monfils dealt with some nagging injuries which forced him to miss much of the summer U.S. hardcourt season. But he came into the U.S. Open healthy and ready to make a splash in America. That first round U.S. Open match against Djokovic was expected to be tough, as matches against friends, especially when the players grew up together in the junior ranks always are. But Gael was slotted to win and move on.

But the fifth and final set between the two, which ended 7-5 for Djokovic, told a sad tale of the nature of the game today.

Djokovic began that final set by taking a “bathroom” break which most often in tennis circles means a player is losing and is hoping to break the momentum of his or her opponent. And on his way to finally winning, Djokovic would ask for the trainer or stall and reduce the match to a drawn out crawl a grand total of a dozen times. Six times he asked for the trainer. Six times on the court Djokovic limped around the court with “cramps” or some other alleged ailment.

Because of their friendship, Monfils was more than gracious toward his friend, allowing him to take more than the allotted time to gather himself so that Djokovic might have the opportunity to finish the match honorably in what ever fashion he chose.

But while Monfils acted the gentlemen, even the casual observer could see that Djokovic was taking advantage of the largesse his friend afforded him. Whenever the Serbian won points, he seemed miraculously energized. When he lost a point, he acted as if he was about to enter into the dangerous physical realm of a full body cramp. After his serve was broken in the fifth, which was repeatedly, he would call for the trainer on change-overs. Dutifully the employee of the men’s tour would trot out and massage Djokovic’s legs, or shoulder, or back, or all three. After some massages the Serb would stand, take a step, stop, and slump back into his chair, apparently needing yet another round of rubbing.

(Monfils won the fourth set, 6-0.)

As the final set wore on, the pauses became more pronounced, the massages longer, the stalling between points more often. The New York crowd sensed Djokovic was faking and began to jeer him. The average opponent would have complained to the chair umpire after the third or fourth play stoppage, after Djokovic held his hand in the air to stop Monfils from serving just before the Frenchman was about to toss the ball into the air.

At one point the crowd broke out into full booing after Djokovic won a drawn out point in which each player executed at least a dozen groundstrokes apiece and then, when he lost the following point, the stalling for time began anew. But Monfils implored the spectators to refrain from booing his brother in arms - and only at his behest did they stop.

When the final point was played, Djokovic acted as if he had just won the Grand slam event instead of winning a first round match.Monfils was understandably disappointed. His promising spring had turned into a lost summer of discontent and failure.

Yet in his post-match interview Monfils was gracious. He gave credit to his friend for making it through the match and fully took the blame for failing to maintain his concentration during the fifth set. He said he hoped Djokovic went far in the tournament and said he would be rooting for him.

When Djokovic was interviewed in his press conference he admitted with a sheepish grin that he cheated his friend and opponent; that he stalled without being injured in any way; that he called for the trainer when he had no need for the trainer; the he felt he needed to do anything possible to break the momentum of his friend because he felt it was more important to do anything possible, including cheat, to win and advance. When asked what he would stoop to such tactics against someone who rated him the closest of friends, Djokovic went from relieved but beaming winner to thoroughly embarrassed and busted cheat. His sudden change in demeanor was accompanied by a change in speech. He became brusque, angry with the press corps for challenging him and tearing him down after he freely admitted he cheated.

Djokovic ended the press conference as quickly as possible and scampered off the stage, looking not very injured at all.

When Gael Monfils was informed of his opponent’s tactics in a later one-on-one interview, the young man looked crestfallen. He intimated that in no way would he ever thought his “best friend” as he called Djokovic, would cheat him, would lower himself to do anything other than play a match with honor. At one point Monfils bowed his head, fighting back tears with the sudden understanding that in the world of tennis a player might well, in reality, have no friends in tennis at all.

That match marked the point where Novak Djokovic began his quick climb to #3 in the world. It also sped the fall of Gael Monfils to his present rank of #59. Today as Monfils plays commentators talk about that match, but no one seems to remember the manner in which Djokovic won. It is called a hard-fought match, a long match, and a match that everyone expected Monfils to win. They talk as if Monfils cannot win a five-set match and that on against Djokovic signaled his inability to gut out a victory. Monfils’ conditioning is questioned, his heart is questioned, his commitment to the game of tennis is questioned.

The commentators also fail to mention that many other players have complained about Djokovic’s gamesmanship, his cheating through extra-long breaks when losing, his penchant for bouncing the ball up to 24 times, then failing to pause to let his opponent know he is about to serve. Roger Federer, who never complains about opponents has levies the cheating charge at Djokovic.Both he and Rafael Nadal have commented about Djokovic and complained that his parents and their friends shout at his opponents during points to break their concentration just before they hit a shot when playing their son.

Many lesser players have done the same.

But Gael Monfils has defeated Jurgen Melzer, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. In the final two sets Monfils makes only seven unforced errors, an incredibly clean way to play the final two sets of a long clay court match.

And despite the description of Monfils by the commentators, the young French player has a stellar 5-1 record in five set matches.

5-1.

Hopefully fate and fairness will have a way of catching up to Novak Djokovic.

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Op donderdag 5 juni 2008 19:56 schreef TheGeneral het volgende:

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Nee hoor, daarvoor moet je ook o.a. Roland Garros, Wimbledon en de US Open winnen. Dat gaat niet lukken,