Looking back at those two games in the fourth and final set of the French Open, when it seemed Superman might be invincible after all.
There was a point during the French Open when I discovered how badly I wanted Andy Murray to win. I wasn’t rooting for him when he won the first set. I wasn’t rooting for anyone, really, now that both Federer and Nadal weren’t playing. It was just a first set win. Then Novak Djokovic won the next two sets. Again, it was just business as usual. The best kind of game to watch is when you’re just watching the game for the game, when you’re a distant spectator, enjoying how the sport is being played rather than trying to tame a hammering heart, hammering over the fate of your favourite. This was that kind of game. The fourth set happened. Murray had let Djokovic get into his head. He was snarling, grimacing, celebrating points a tad too expressively. The camera is a horrible thing when it zooms in on naked need. You see how badly someone wants something, how badly he feels when he is not getting that thing, and you suddenly feel better about your humdrum life. You may not be a global star and you may not have those millions, but at least you’re not Andy Murray out there.
It’s not that Djokovic was a sage in a divine trance, free of need. His need, if anything, was greater. If Murray won, it would have been his third Grand Slam trophy, a first in the French Open. He was playing for a career statistic. Djokovic, on the other hand, was playing for history, for the only Major that had eluded him. He was playing for a 12th Grand Slam that would tie him with Roy Emerson, take him closer to Nadal’s 14, Federer’s 17, and make him only the third man ever to hold all four Majors at the same time, which, in turn, would make him an indisputable candidate in GOAT discussions. But Djokovic did not show that need – at least, the camera never caught it. Whatever was churning inside him stayed inside him. Until the fourth set. He was leading 3-2. Then, 4-2. Then, 5-2. Then, he was serving for the Slam. He looked like Prince Charles who’d received news that his mother had decided to call it a day, trying to seem… gracious, as though he believed a thing wasn’t done till it’s really done.
He won the first point. Then Murray chased down a shot and somehow sent it over the net. Still, it was only 15-all. Then, Murray won a great point, with a superb backhand. Then, Djokovic double-faulted. Then, Murray found a corner and won the game. It was 5-3. The crowd roared and I felt it – whatever it was – all those miles away. I was surprised. Why was I suddenly rooting for Murray? There was a time I did not care for Djokovic, the upstart who craved love from the crowd (that was his naked need then), but he gradually won me over – and how long can anyone who loves a sport be indifferent to one of its most spectacular champions? But by the time he got to that evening at the French Open, it appeared that he was the only spectacular champion out there. He was winning everything. And when Murray won that game, it appeared that he was channelling a universal wish that someone at least put up a fight. Even Federer, at his peak, kept losing to Nadal at, say, the French Open finals – and even the Majors he won (against Nadal) were epic, heart-stopping five-setters. In contrast, Djokovic downed Murray in straight sets in this year’s Australian Open, lost just one set to Federer in the 2015 Wimbledon and US Open (though the latter was a closer match than the score would have us imagine).
It’s one thing to be in the Djokovic era – and the way he is playing, he undoubtedly deserves an era named after him – but are we doomed to watching him win everything, with no one coming close? Is there going to be a rival spoken of in the same breath, or is his era going to be the first one in a while with a single superstar? Is he going to be the first superman in a kryptonite-free world, with only the luck of the draw and a player’s form at that particular moment determining who will be on the other side of the net in a Slam final? Can Djokovic be allowed to get away with holding all four Majors at the same time, something that has eluded even Federer? Aren’t there laws against that? All these questions, I am sure, were part of what I was feeling as Murray won that game, and, incredibly, the next one. And just like that, we were able to see Djokovic’s need. We saw him annoyed, angry, frustrated – the Queen, it appeared, had decided to stick around. From Murray’s side, it was too little, too late. We knew it. Murray probably knew it too. But for just a couple of games, it turned into a thrilling match. In the Djokovic era, anything that staves off the inevitability of his win is a thrill.
An edited version of this piece can be found here.
Copyright ©2016 The Hindu. This article may not be reproduced in its entirety without permission. A link to this URL, instead, would be appreciated.
sanjay2706
June 8, 2016
There was a time when no one thought Federer could lose. Then Nadal burst into the scene and challenged him in every surface. Rafa looked like he would get to 18 GS before Fed would. But look what happened to him!The amazing fact about the Novak-Fed-Rafa rivalry is that you take one out of the equation and the other might have 20 plus GS to his name. Rafa holds the edge over Fed in H2H, Fed clearly holds an edge over Novak, and Novak is making the H2H against Rafa look one sided.
These 3 players were the ones to look out for. Yes there were rare GS winners like Del Potro and Cilic but the dominance of the 3 has been something out of this world.
In my opinion, Murray was never in this league. He is an extremely hard working player who doesn’t have any special set of skills. Stan Wawrinka seems to be the go-to guy to beat Novak. He troubles Novak the most on the tour.
Novak may well get the calendar slam this year. But with Federer and Nadal on the wane, tennis popularity is only going to decline.
LikeLike
Ananth
June 8, 2016
As one of Federer’s most ardent fans, I was rooting for Murray to win, even if it was for an under-handed purpose: That Djokovic be kept at 11 for a few more weeks. Not that I have great love for Murray: His snarls put me off. At the beginning of the tournament I had pinned my faith on Nadal who was beginning to capture his vintage clay form.
But one thing in your narrative struck me. That of Djokovic winning you over. It is true that he has had a sea-change in his demeanour and behaviour over the years. He is now a likeable champion.
This is like 2007-8 when Federer seemed unbeatable, other than at RG. It was fine then when one’s favourite kept on winning. I had no worries that one player was so far ahead of the rest. Now I am unhappy at the lack of a powerful no.2. That is life.
We all have our Federers, Laras and Kamal Hassans. Our hope is eternal. Just one more Grand Slam for Federer (unfortunately with the formidable Djoko on the other side) and one more National Award for Kamal (with Amitabh having to just to show up to get another award).
Nice change, BR.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Rahul
June 8, 2016
Djokovic will turn 30 next year, and lets see how he keeps up with middle age.
A more unencumbered reign could be that of Norwegian Magnus Carlsen in chess. As the reigning world champion, he is 25 right now, and has had the highest ELO rating ever . Currently, in live ratings, the next guy is 40 yr old Kramnik.I have been a long time fan . I predict, and ardently wish for his reign to extend next 15 years at least.
LikeLike
sanjana
June 8, 2016
For me, watching tennis grandslams ended with Federer losing to his rivals. Waiting for another Federer.
LikeLike
Pato
June 8, 2016
I was rooting for Murray as I’m a die-hard federer fan but as soon as nole won sets 2 and 3, I knew the match was done and dusted.Hope someone from the next generation rises up and pushes Novak.Roger and Rafa had nole and Murray chasing them,but now it’s all nole.It seems only Roger and Stan can stop nole as they possess a different style compared to Novak.No one can compete with nole from baseline except stan with his raw power.I hope Roger is back fit for Wimbledon and defeats Novak in final to take his 18th slam.
Chum jetze Roger!
LikeLike
udhaysankar
June 8, 2016
Good write-up. Even in his prime Federer wasn’t as invincible as djokovic is these days. This guy has taken the intensity to another superhuman level.
For instance the 2005 Australian open final Marat Safin was able to overthrow Federer at his zenith for that odd slam. I don’t see something like that happening with djokovic.
This guy is mentally too strong to be broken down unlike Federer(not that he was week, but his calm and focused demeanor always seemed to mask a frailty during his later days.) Even when djokovic was beaten by the likes of Nadal, Wawrinka, Murray I wasn’t really convinced.
2013 Wimbledon=Murray had two days of rest as opposed to djoker who had to come through a grueling 5 setter with del Potro.
Djokovic is 29, the same age when the Swiss master lost his auro of invincibility. I am curious as to how longer djokovic can keep dominating.
Regarding Murray, I couldn’t help but feel the same. He was over-shadowed by fed and Nadal during his earlier years. Now, he is overshadowed by djokovic. He even seems to have accepted the fact that he is a mere mortal compared to those three superhumans.
“I can cry like him. It’s a shame that I can’t play like him”=Murray on Federer after the 2010 Australian open finals.
Murray suffers the same against djokovic as Roddick did against Federer.
All said and done, I desperately want Nadal to recover and restore some parity. He is the only one who has the ability and mental resilience to defeat Novak.
LikeLike
udhaysankar
June 8, 2016
Being an ardent Federer fan, one more slam for Federer will do a lot to revitalize my hope in life. 18 seems to be a better number than 17, and he deserves to go out on a high like Sampras.
BR: would you please write something on Serena. She was written off in 2006.
She said that she was going to clinch Australia open and retain the number 1 ranking, recovering from a long hiatus. Pat Cash dismissed her saying that Serena must be kidding. Nike threatened to cut the contract off 5-minutes before a third round match.
She went on to win it and made all her critics eat their words. What she has achieved since then, recovering from that sort of slump is phenomenal. Yet, I don’t see people giving her credit and price for what she has done after that.
LikeLike
Raj Balakrishnan
June 8, 2016
Nice piece. Djokovic looks invincible nowadays. And I don’t see anyone from the next generation coming up. In the Federer era, we had Nole and Murray, and Del Potro too at times, stepping up and challenging the top 2. Now there is no one, outside of the Big 4. Stan is kind of senior, older than both Nole & Murray, Cilic, Dimitrov have not lived up to their early promise. I would love it if Fed wins the 18th in Wimbledon and retires on a high.
@Udayshankar, sorry to nitpick, but Safin beat Federer in the 2005 AO semis, not in the finals. Otherwise, agree with your post.
LikeLiked by 2 people
rothrocks
June 8, 2016
Djokovic’s kryptonite will be Father Time…if that. Last year Federer could have still won Wimbledon if he wasn’t playing Djokovic in the final. These three guys (though Nadal has fallen off) are at an incredible level and the next gen is nowhere near. Enjoy King Djoker’s era because the future of tennis does not look bright.
LikeLike
Akhilan
June 8, 2016
Novak’s achievements over the past 18 months are simply astonishing. In each of his last 11 grand slam victories, he’s had to beat either Federer, Nadal, or Murray in the final to win. To consistently play his best tennis against the very best in this era at the biggest stage is remarkable and really does remind me of Federer’s years of dominance between 2004-07. We are all truly witnessing the Djokovic era now, and as long as he stays injury free and continues to have that burning desire to succeed, I don’t see anyone beating him, particularly over 5 sets. As some of you might know, I’m a huge Federer fan to the point that I consider myself his disciple; but sometimes, you’ve just got to tip your hat off and say: too good…
LikeLike
ramitbajaj01
June 8, 2016
Okay, this is what a professional writer can do to the sports commentary. Bringing in human angle, reflecting our lives from their actions, and making us see why we felt what we felt. More power to you sir 🙂
LikeLiked by 3 people
brangan
June 9, 2016
via email…
Mala Sridhara: Congratulations. What a racy, exhilarating write up.
LikeLike
brangan
June 9, 2016
via email…
Abheek Sen: Hi, Loved your perspective on Djokovic’s Roland Garros triumph! (Had watched the match with the same mindset you have described.)
For some reason, though, watching a grand slam with Rafa sitting on the sidelines is a near-zero affair – no thrill, no glory, and certainly no graciousness.
LikeLike
brangan
June 9, 2016
via email…
Kiran Gandhi: A well-written piece on the rise and rise of Djokovic. Wimbledon Centre Court, Roof closed and a Federer in full flow will tame Djokovic. Well hopefully.
LikeLiked by 1 person
rothrocks
June 9, 2016
Lol, with roof closed Djoker will destroy Fed. Fed’s ground game is not what it used to be and with the closed roof letting Djoker take big cuts at the ball, he will just go right through Fed a la this year’s AO semi.
LikeLike
satishkvasan
June 9, 2016
Djokovic, Virat Kohli, ABD – is fitness the common factor? They keep going on and on,,,
LikeLike
Rahul
June 10, 2016
“I was rooting for Murray as I’m a die-hard federer fan”
Is the reasoning here to root against anyone who may get to 17 grand slams?
LikeLike
Pato
June 10, 2016
@Rahul yes.I didn’t want Novak to get close to federer’s record and also become the first man since rod laver to hold all the 4 slams at the same time. I admire djokovic for all his achievements, but I don’t love him as I love Roger.I know it’s not ideal to be like that but still I’m not able to change.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jai
June 10, 2016
BR, a lovely analysis of a record setting match, which did have some pretty tense and dramatic moments in Set 1, as well as late into Set 4. I remember you’d written an article in 2013, referring to the French Open Semi Final between Rafa and Nole, and I had kept requesting you to write more on this topic. 😉 😉
I’m an ardent Rafa fan myself, but I have really warmed up to Nole over the past seasons. He has matured as a player, and it appears also as a person; and is quite a likable champion now.
Couple of points I did differ from your analysis though, I really could not fathom why you would want to root for Murray against Djokovic in the French Open final, of all events. I get your logic of wanting someone to be able to stop Djokovic sometimes, to temporarily stem at inevitability of his win, as you put it.
But does that really hold good at the French open? The event which Nole lost 3 times before in the final (2012 and 2014 to Rafa, 2015 to Stan), and lost that heart pounding Semi final in 2013 to Rafa as well (I was cheering madly for Rafa during these 3 matches against Nole, but I really felt for Nole when he lost, especially 2013 Semis).
And after Nole lost the final last year to Stan, his gracious response and the way he bravely held his emotions in check when the crowd gave him a standing ovation…..I’m just really surprised that you would want to root for Murray, a player you don’t even really seem to find all that likable, against Djokovic at THIS event, at THIS final. Don’t mean any offense, just that the logic seemed a bit……..off.
Another small point, sorry if I’m nitpicking, but this sentence “”Even Federer, at his peak, kept losing to Nadal at, say, the French Open finals – and even the Majors he won (against Nadal) were epic, heart-stopping five-setters.””
As far as I recall, the ONLY major Federer ever WON against Nadal in a epic, heart stopping 5 setter, was Wimbledon 2007. (He LOST the epic, heart stopping 2008 Wimbledon Final and the 2009 Australian Open Final; and the 2006 Wimbledon Final he won against Nadal was a 4 setter, which wasn’t really that tight. Certainly not an epic.) But this does bolster your point of course, that Federer might not have been as consistently invincible (at least after Rafa’s rise), as Nole is today.
Just one more thing. I really don’t get the point of some Federer fans rooting against Nole just so he does not get to 17 slam titles, or cross to 18 or whatever. As I said, I am an ardent Rafa fan, but I have no problems accepting that Federer (despite their woefully lopsided H2H of 23–11 against him), probably is the greater, more complete player. Definitely artistically, and across all surfaces (though the Federer fans do tend to ignore/wish away the fact that Rafa has the overwhelmingly superior H2H against Federer on outdoor hard courts as well as on clay……)
So I really cannot understand why there should be so many hang ups some Federer fans have against another player winning and being dominant. I personally know a clutch of them, who used to literally ABHOR Rafa…..but then switched to rooting FOR Rafa in his matches against Nole. And now, they root for Murray against Nole, despite the fact that they could never even stand Murray before.
I couldn’t put it any better than Jon Wertheim, Executive Editor and Senior Writer for Sports Illustrated, who is, incidentally, a very keen Federer fan. He says (of fans of one of the “Big 3” hating the others) “””Fans are free—encouraged, even—to pick their favorites. But if you have a serious problem with any of the Big Three, it’s time to look inward.”””
A point for all of us to ponder on, perhaps?
LikeLiked by 2 people
brangan
June 10, 2016
Jai: A lovely comment, thanks. Well, the “rooting for Murray” was not a coldly thought out / logical thing. What I’ve tried to write about here is a surprising emotional response when those two fourth-set games happened. Something along the lines of “this guy is great, but is no one going to even put up a fight?”
LikeLiked by 1 person
rothrocks
June 10, 2016
@sakthivasan : Can’t really compare Kohli to Djokovic. Batsmen have been known to do well in their 30s. Like Tendulkar’s 2010 season. But for a tennis player to absolutely dominate the field in his late 20s is incredible especially now that tennis is so brutally physical.
LikeLike
Jai
June 10, 2016
@ BR
Oh that way—-well, an unplanned emotional response which surprised even yourself, as against a logical thought process, seems less surprising. 🙂 🙂
For me though, it didn’t work quite that way…..If Rafa had met Nole in the Semis, I would have undoubtedly rooted for Rafa, but given that he wasn’t even on the scene by then, I really wanted Nole to get the French open jinx off his back. So when Murray briefly rallied late in the 4th set, to take those 2 games, I was perturbed rather than excited. 🙂 🙂
And yes, despite being an ardent Rafa fan, I have no problems at all with Nole crossing his tally of 14 majors….and perhaps, next year or the year after, crossing Fed’s 17. I actually wanted to see Nole holding all 4 slam titles at the same time. Isn’t that what human endeavor is all about? Pushing the boundaries, achieving greater things and going on to do more? Why should someone’s record stand for years and years and years? Isn’t that wishing a lack of progress, a lack of endeavor in a way?
The above para isn’t in reply to your post of course….which was wonderfully balanced and articulated. I’m just so very puzzled by the stand some people take—Fed didn’t hold all 4 slam titles at the same time, never won a calendar Grand Slam, so God forbid any one else should do so…..
Its just…..I don’t know….somehow futile. Seems to reduce the love for the game into the love for one particular practitioner of the game. Even when that player is probably the most naturally gifted and aesthetically pleasing player ever to play, why would one want to limit one’s love for the game like this?
LikeLike
ramitbajaj01
June 10, 2016
@Jai- I am an ardent Fed fan, and a staunch Rafa hater (maybe I need to look inward), but I sincerely want Nole to complete a calendar slam. He is a champ, he is witty, he has personality, like Federer, and unlike Nadal 🙂
LikeLike
sanjana
June 10, 2016
There is nothing wrong in rooting for a person. It is not about the game only. It is about persons involved in the game and how fans have their favourites. The person who demolishes your favourite will not get love but grudging admiration. It happens in cricket. It happens in chess and football. Why not in tennis too? Federer created some sort of aura around him unknowingly and it will take time to get over it.
LikeLike
Jai
June 10, 2016
@ Sanjana
Nothing at all wrong in rooting FOR a champion. When Fed plays anyone, you want to root for him….that’s absolutely normal and fine and what most people do. I want to root for Rafa whenever he plays ( and for Nole, now, when he plays anyone except for Rafa). 🙂 🙂
The point I’m trying to make is…I’ve personally seen Federer fans (and this might be true of other fans too, but I’ve seen this personally of Federer fans I know in the offline world)…who explicitly root AGAINST Nole/ Rafa; even when Federer is not even playing against them. In fact, Federer was in many cases, already knocked out of the tournament….sometimes at the hands of a player like a Tsonga or a Stan or a Berdych. But still, they would root AGAINST Rafa or Nole…..why? “So they cannot match/ go past Federer’s records”.
I’m sorry, but that sounds very, very negative to me. Rooting for a favorite player while they are playing a match, or even rooting against the player who beat your favorite in the previous round, is perfectly fine and normal, and most of us do it.
Rooting against players, simply because one doesn’t want anyone else holding records one’s favorite didn’t hold….seems negative and rather pointless. At the risk of repeating myself, it seems (at least IMHO), to reveal the love for one particular player, than for the game itself.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Jai
June 10, 2016
@ Ramitbajaj: Crikey, we’ll have to agree to disagree on Rafa. 🙂 🙂
But I am with you on Nole. I want to see him get the GS this year….with the Olympics thrown in too if possible. Why not? He’s matured as a player and is very articulate and likable. I want Rafa to come back and compete with Nole toe to toe. And possibly win a slam within the next season or two…maybe 2 slams? (One can hope no?) 🙂 🙂 🙂
BUT I want Nole to get those records this season. The scale of his endeavor and all round efforts on both his physical and mental conditioning, merits that.
And I’m really glad to see that you as an ardent Fed fan, root for that achievement as well. That’s the point I was trying to make earlier….that Fed is probably the most complete player who ever played the game. Why do some fans act insecure about that, by hoping and rooting so hard against Nole holding all 4 slams or crossing to 17 major titles? Even when he is not even playing Fed in those matches? It just makes no sense to me at all….
LikeLike
Pato
June 11, 2016
I love federer more than the sport itself.I started watching tennis due to Roger only.In the past 3 months when roger was absent on tour, I didn’t watch a single match.There is a high chance that majority of Roger’s fans(also rafa’s fans) may stop watching tennis after both of them retire.
LikeLike
Jai
June 11, 2016
@ Pato
Thanks for your very honest views. I don’t agree with your viewpoint, but I admire the candor with which you state it. Most people who feel the same as you, don’t typically admit to it so freely. I’ve seen some guys defend their views by making ad hominem attacks on Rafa/ Nole, like Rafa’s pulling of the seat of his pants, or Nole’s less then stellar sportsmanship from 6 years and more ago.
I admire that you make no bones about the fact, that your views are driven by your passion for Federer’s lovely, artistic game, rather than any other contrived reason.
Anyway, I can’t speak for the majority of Federer fans. But as a Rafa fan, and having exchanged views with many other fellow fans, I can confidently state that most of us aren’t going to stop watching. Will we always root for Rafa till the day he hangs up his boots? Of course, Yes. We hope he’ll win 1 more French open, and maybe even a hard court slam before he retired. Wishful thinking at this stage perhaps, but hope springs eternal, no?
And let me tell you from personal experience…..one may feel that one’s interest in the game would not survive the retirement of one’s favorite champion…..but it may not really work that way.
I was an absolutely devoted fan of Steffi Graf….and when she retired, I was pretty sure I would never want to watch a ladies match again. But guess what….some years later, I was fascinated by Henin’s fluid and elegant game. Did I adore her as much as I had Graf? No. Never. But I was enthralled to watch her play.
I can’t speak for what you would feel a few years down the line. But I would hazard a guess, that your experience would not be too dissimilar from mine.
Cheers
LikeLike
ramitbajaj01
June 11, 2016
@Jai- Yes, it would be fun to have Rafa back in full swing, and then getting demolished by Djoko in his attempt to complete calendar slam (not golden slam, mind you. Olympics this year belongs to fed sir :))
LikeLike
ramitbajaj01
June 11, 2016
@Pato- Followers of the game who watch as well as play it, won’t stop watching it when their idol retires. Moreover, people, who started following the game to watch Roger play, could always restart watching it (after fed is gone), when there is another sensation (not necessarily another legend). After all, we live in the times of media hype and fb coolness. Say, if Kyrgios beats Djoko back to back in 2 slams, there is bound to be more turnout of viewers in next slam. Just a thought.
LikeLike
Jai
June 11, 2016
@ Sanjay2706:
“”Rafa holds the edge over Fed in H2H, Fed clearly holds an edge over Novak, and Novak is making the H2H against Rafa look one sided.””
Actually, only the first one is completely true. Rafa at 23–11, holds a completely lopsided lead over Fed in H2H. And what is sometimes overlooked (I suspect deliberately) 😉 ;-), is the fact that it is not only on clay that he has such a lead. If my memory serves me correctly, Rafa is 13–2 on Clay, and 8–2 on outdoor Hard courts against Federer. Several people routinely wish away the outdoor hard courts lead, and strive to imply Rafa’s H2H advantage is inflated only because of his clay court dominance. 🙂 🙂
Fed no longer holds an edge over Novak. Nole is 23–22 H2H against him, having won 9 of the last 15 (6 of the last 10), including all 4 Grand Slam matches they contested in that period, as well as the ATP World Finals in 2015. (Am not counting the ATP World finals in 2014, which was a walkover Fed conceded to Nole). Yes, Nole has had more difficulty with Fed than he has had with Rafa in the same period. But to imply Fed has an edge over him still, is incorrect.
The last one is partially true….Nole certainly is making his rivalry with Rafa look somewhat one sided now, with 7 consecutive victories. But all the same, the overall H2H is still only 26–23 in his favor. Not completely lop sided yet, not in the Rafa–Fed H2H league, anyway. 🙂 🙂
LikeLike
Pato
June 11, 2016
Tennis nowdays is dominated purely by baseliners. There is not enough variety in playing style of current and next generation players. For example, djokovic and Murray do the same things, it is just that djokovic does it better. So that prompted me to say that there will be decrease in tennis-watching audience.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pato
June 11, 2016
When Wimbledon starts,I will be supporting djokovic’s opponent from the very first round as Roger will find it difficult to defeat Novak now in 5-setter. Djokovic in the last 3 years at wimbledon took 5 sets to beat del potro,cilic, Kevin Anderson in 2013 SF, 2014 QF,2015 round of 16 respectively. So if some big server with power based game takes out novak(high possibility on grass),I feel Roger has great chance to take out others like stan and Murray.Roger missed a chance in 2014 US open where he needed to defeat cilic and nishikori for the title and hopefully he takes his chance if some miracle happens and nole loses in early rounds.
I’m desperate for Roger to win his 18th slam.
LikeLike
ramitbajaj01
June 11, 2016
@Pato- I guess, Roger has it in him to defeat Novak at Wimbledon. (I am desperate too (and hopeful also) to see the 18th one :))
LikeLike
Madan
June 11, 2016
“There is a high chance that majority of Roger’s fans(also rafa’s fans) may stop watching tennis after both of them retire.” – IF they too, like you, started watching tennis only because of Fed. I did start to watch tennis mainly because of Sampras/Graf but moved on to Fed/Henin and quite like Djokovic except when he plays Murray (as in I dislike Djoko-Murray matches for the monotonous counterpunching unlike Djoko-Rafa which was WAR). I am watching Thiem take the game to Fed at Stuttgart. It’s quite possible Thiem will be the next star on the men’s circuit and I hope that will be the case. I loved how well Muguruza held up under pressure to conquer Queen Serena. In short, no, I disagree vehemently, no player, not even Federer, is bigger than the game and FWIW Djokovic’s latest achievement puts him in a super-elite category that Fed and Rafa could not get into and are unlikely to at this stage of their career.
If you don’t already play tennis, I would highly recommend it, keeps the body in shape without dieting (which works like a treat for a foodie like me) and will also give you a different perspective on what Djokovic does. He’s one of the most cerebral players in the game, like ever. I will never like him as much as Fed from an aesthetic perspective but aesthetics isn’t worth a penny on the tennis court and it’s all about winning points. How do I know that? Because I cannot see myself play when I am on the court so the only thing that counts is how WELL I have struck the ball and WELL in this case means power, height/trajectory and placement rather than how pretty the stroke looks. Needless to say, this applies to my opponent’s shots too so one immediately starts to respect somebody who strikes the ball well because pooh poohing him for looking ugly won’t win you the match.
LikeLike
Jai
June 11, 2016
@ Madan
Rafa–Nole matches being WAR as you said: I couldn’t agree with you more. You could just feel the raw intensity, the gritty never say die attitude, from both sides of the net. Add to that the shift from offense to defence and the ebb and flow of rhythms during the matches….made for awesome theatre.
The 2012 Australian Final and the 2013 French Open semi have to be among my favorites. I think it was the gripping nature of those matches, which really made me warm up to Nole. I was and continue to be a staunch Rafa fan, but Nole is now a rather close 2nd favorite as far as I am concerned.
And like you said, Nole is certainly a very cerebral player of the game….something he doesn’t quite get the credit for, which is his due. As yet, anyway.
LikeLiked by 2 people