What an amazing performance by Novak Djokovic. He definitely put to rest the debate of the greatest tennis player of all-time.
…and remember, this I say without being a Djokovic fan.
Tag: Novak Djokovic
Well, Djokovic tried.
While Medvedev put on a superb display, I do feel that occasion got too much into Novak’s head and he froze. Had the record not been at stake, he probably would have fared better.
Congrats to Daniil!
The fourth and last major of the year begins in two weeks, and all eyes are on Novak Djokovic as he aims to become the first player to win all four majors during a calendar year since Steffi Graff achived it in 1988 and Rod Laver on the men’s side in 1969. Will hesucceed?
Novak is the best player on the tour period. When he is playing at one hundred percent of his powers, nobody can stop him. Only Nadal has a slight chance of beating him in Roland Garros -but that’s a different story-. So what can happen at Flushing Meadows?
There are three players who can reach the US Open Finals this year: Medvedev, Zverev and Djokovic. Depending on how the bracket turns out, one of them will be knocked out in the semifinals or earlier (they all can’t be on the same side of the bracket). Out of the two new comers, it all comes down to who between Medvedev and Zverev can beat the Djoker. Medvedev has the raw power to hit winners and displace Djokovic, and the attitute of playing with nothing to lose as we have successfully seen employed in the past by Murray and Wawrinka against Djokovic. Zverev, may not have what it takes.
However back in Melbourne we all witnessed how Novak was able to outsmart Medvedev and dismantled his game in a straight-sets victory. The difference is that if they play in New York, Novak will have a lot more pressure, which is something he has proved he is able to deal with.
Long story short, it’s a very close call, but overall I believe the finals will be Medvedev vs. Djokovic, and I am honestly giving a 50-5o chance to both.
I have to start by saying that I have 0 ATP points and have never played against a top 50 player in my life. But, I do know that if I would have played in the fifth set of a Grand Slam Final, I would have never hit an 85 mph first serve and even less a 68 mph second serve.
A couple of weeks ago Thiem and Zverev were protagonists of arguably one of the most boring Grand Slam finals of all time, to a point where it seemed neither of them wanted to actually win the title. Three weeks later, Nadal and Djokovic reached the finals by completely destroying almost everyone in their way -including scary and next generation players-, with Nadal giving an almost flawless performance in his match against Djokovic.
As a coach, it’s quite obvious that both Thiem and Zverev have every single shot in the book to be multiple Slam winners. What they don’t have is the attitude, the mind and the understanding that despite being physically fit and capable of hitting any shot, it is strategy and a proper mental state what wins titles. My advise to both: fire their coaches and hire a coach to work on those aspects.
HR
If you read my About short bio, you will find that it is stated that I only do things one way: The Right Way. This begs the question: What does doing things “The Right Way” mean?
A few weeks ago Novak Djokovic was disqualified from the US Open for hitting a lines person with a ball, in what was perceived as an accidental yet reckless behavior. I recorded a video about the incident that you can watch on my YouTube channel, and I would say I did a very good job of approaching the incident and showing what “The Right Way” is and how it could have applied to this particular occasion.
We have rules and laws in our society and generally speaking, we should abide to them. However, before rules and laws, fair judgement should always prevail, and this is when doing things “The Right Way” matters. Rather than looking at the disqualification of Djokovic as a punctual event, we should take a look at the larger picture of the conditions and variables surrounding the incident, and ask questions like: Did our rules hold applicable for the incident? Were the rules able to clearly justify the consequences of the incident, or do they need to be revised? And more importantly, are the rules that are in place able to prevent a similar incident from happening in the future? The Right Way is looking at all of these variables and acting accordingly.
Essentially, in my video I not only analyze the incident, but what could be done in order to avoid finding ourselves in the same situation two or five years from now. That is what doing things The Right Way means.
HR