2014 Miami Final: Nadal vs. Djokovic

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

it sounds weird when you think Connors won the AO on grass and the USO on clay.

 

[shawnbm]

He'll go down in the top 5 after that passing by Lendl, Connors, McEnroe, and Agassi! During telecast yesterday, some great already put him up there!

They're more bandwagony than we are, it seems...

Nole won't have the holes in his resume of a McEnroe, Sampras, Connors, or other great! Connors only got to 2 semi's at RG and 1 AO title early on! It took Borg's retirement to finally get him another Wimbledon in '82! Connors, like Martina have huge numbers; not just from winning, but longevity and lack of serious injury! No one will get close to 109 titles, but Jimmy underachieved in the majors! They salute him for his USO runs late to semi, but he didn't beat anyone really, getting his clocked cleaned by Lendl and Agassi!

Connors won 8 majors and was a finalist another 7 times--that is well ahead of Nole. Furthermore, he was number one (some argue with 1977 and Vilas) on the points system of the time form 1974-1978 until Borg took over for two years. He also won majors on grass, clay (1976 US Open) and hard courts. Finally, he beat McEnroe, Lendl, Rosewall and Borg (including beating him on clay in New York at the Open) in the finals of his majors (the one at the AO in 1974 I can't recall right now); so, as Kieran said: Let's not get carried away here.

 

[shawnbm]

That being said, I personally believe Nole will win as many majors (if not more) than Jimbo and he will likely surpass Connors' number of trips to major finals within the next two years. He is surely one of the best.

 

[nehmeth]

it sounds weird when you think Connors won the AO on grass and the USO on clay.

Sounds even weirder when one realizes that at the U.S. Open alone - he won it on grass, on clay, and cement.

 

[Fiero425]

That being said, I personally believe Nole will win as many majors (if not more) than Jimbo and he will likely surpass Connors' number of trips to major finals within the next two years. He is surely one of the best.

That's all I've been saying since Nole didn't skip the FO and AO on a regular basis; most don't like they did 10-30 years ago!

 

[nehmeth]

uzzled I stand corrected. Becker has helped Novak Djokovic.

"Who says new coach Boris Becker hasn’t helped? He seems to have given Djokovic a better appreciation of what his old coach, Marian Vajda, has to say. " - Peter Bodo

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/03/making-marks-miami/51056/#.Uznm6a1dWjQ

 

[Fiero425]

uzzled I stand corrected. Becker has helped Novak Djokovic.

"Who says new coach Boris Becker hasn’t helped? He seems to have given Djokovic a better appreciation of what his old coach, Marian Vajda, has to say. " - Peter Bodo

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/03/making-marks-miami/51056/#.Uznm6a1dWjQ

It's just a little interesting to see Nole go down in flames when Becker's there and has won the last 2 Masters while the old man is on the shelf after hip surgery! :nono :angel: :s :huh: uzzled

 

[Kieran]

Also telling was Nole at the net. Excellent in his execution, and the set ups. Now, that mightn't be Becker, it could be just a sign of how sure he was yesterday...

 

[Fiero425]

Also telling was Nole at the net. Excellent in his execution, and the set ups. Now, that mightn't be Becker, it could be just a sign of how sure he was yesterday...

That was Becker's backhand approach into Nadal's forehand yesterday; was knifed with no need for a volley by Nole! :clap :angel:

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

djokovic is determined to visit the net more these days..its a good move, boom boom boris is the ideal man to help him with this and when it's the ideal time to try to come in,

has djokovic got soft hands though ?..is right it must be down to confidence, sometimes it looks like he has but othertimes he looks like an alligator slapping a guillemot with its tail.

 

[Riotbeard]

One thing worth noting is Novak mediocred his way into an indian wells title with Vajda, so may be good form has more to do with confidence than Vajda. I certainly hope so, as boris takes over the reigns in europe.

 

[ftan]

I was not able to watch any tennis on weekend (. But I just want congratulate all Nole fans.
Winning IW and Miami back to back is incredible and hopefully all the doubts in minds of Nole and fans alike will be put to rest )

 

[Fiero425]

I was not able to watch any tennis on weekend (. But I just want congratulate all Nole fans.
Winning IW and Miami back to back is incredible and hopefully all the doubts in minds of Nole and fans alike will be put to rest )

Last season Nole took a fall! After MC, only making semi's and making others work in the major finals before succumbing! He finished strong taking the last 2 Masters and The WTF! It seemed, even though he dropped that AO earlier, his confidence is up and he didn't play scared yesterday; bold! Attacking Rafa's forehand and coming into net only made the contest more definitive and shorter! He was in complete control, only facing break points in the first game of the match! I just can't think of him playing any better these last couple Masters and embarrassing Nadal yesterday! This tourney is Rafa's goof; time and time again he has gone down without a win! I understand difficulties with Paris and Shanghai so late in the season and indoors, but why Miami's been his bugaboo is so strange! His support can't be any stronger with a huge Latin contingent in the stand!

 

[brokenshoelace]

Djokovic going more to the net is just a result of him being aggressive from the baseline and opening up the court, thus hitting very good approaches. It's not some Becker magic. There wasn't anything more substantial to his volleying or movement around the net. He was just phenomenal from the baseline which makes life a whole lot easier. I guess not missing makeable volleys is a plus, because he's usually guilty of that, but let's not act like the guy had no idea how to hit a ball before letting it bounce and this is somehow a marked improvement.

 

[Kieran]

He was definitely more comfortable and assertive in both coming in and executing at the net. I said above, this might be because he was so sure of himself, but let's be frank, Nole is the most nose-bleed of the top stars when it comes to net play. I thought it was impressive to see...

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Djokovic going more to the net is just a result of him being aggressive from the baseline and opening up the court, thus hitting very good approaches. It's not some Becker magic. There wasn't anything more substantial to his volleying or movement around the net. He was just phenomenal from the baseline which makes life a whole lot easier. I guess not missing makeable volleys is a plus, because he's usually guilty of that, but let's not act like the guy had no idea how to hit a ball before letting it bounce and this is somehow a marked improvement.

There were 2 backhand volleys he hit that were both crisp and deep, the type you do not associate with Nole. Even during the game chat, I said something like "who is this guy?". I don't know if it was confidence, Becker or whatever, they just did not look like average Nole to me.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Djokovic going more to the net is just a result of him being aggressive from the baseline and opening up the court, thus hitting very good approaches. It's not some Becker magic. There wasn't anything more substantial to his volleying or movement around the net. He was just phenomenal from the baseline which makes life a whole lot easier. I guess not missing makeable volleys is a plus, because he's usually guilty of that, but let's not act like the guy had no idea how to hit a ball before letting it bounce and this is somehow a marked improvement.

There were 2 backhand volleys he hit that were both crisp and deep, the type you do not associate with Nole. Even during the game chat, I said something like "who is this guy?". I don't know if it was confidence, Becker or whatever, they just did not look like average Nole to me.

Honestly, I'm sure a quick youtube search will show him hitting something similar at some point in his career. I've seen hit incredible volleys before. Especially off the backhand side, where he can use his flexibility to get really low, and he does absorb pace well, which helps with drop volleys. The problem isn't so much that he doesn't hit enough great volleys (he actually does more than people give him credit for), it's that he'll often miss easier ones. It's like that goalkeeper in soccer who produces miracle saves but lets in some weak shots that should never go in.

I really don't see how we can judge someone's improvement around the net off of one match. I'd argue that the net game is exactly the sort of thing you have to watch over time, to see the ins and outs, what a player is doing right/wrong, in terms of movement, positioning, anticipation, approaches, etc... There's more to that than hitting a couple of nice looking volleys.

 

[Kieran]

I really don't see how we can judge someone's improvement around the net off of one match. I'd argue that the net game is exactly the sort of thing you have to watch over time, to see the ins and outs, what a player is doing right/wrong, in terms of movement, positioning, anticipation, approaches, etc... There's more to that than hitting a couple of nice looking volleys.

Well, this is true, but if it's a sign that Nole is getting cocky in his all-round game, then it's a worrying one. He played with rare abandon. Rafa was correct when he said he needs to get Nole into some intense rallies to have a shot. He turned the last run against him by forcing Nole to dig deeper every time. He's lacked that intensity in the last six months, but maybe he'll find it again in Monte Carlo...

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

I really don't see how we can judge someone's improvement around the net off of one match. I'd argue that the net game is exactly the sort of thing you have to watch over time, to see the ins and outs, what a player is doing right/wrong, in terms of movement, positioning, anticipation, approaches, etc... There's more to that than hitting a couple of nice looking volleys.

Well, this is true, but if it's a sign that Nole is getting cocky in his all-round game, then it's a worrying one. He played with rare abandon. Rafa was correct when he said he needs to get Nole into some intense rallies to have a shot. He turned the last run against him by forcing Nole to dig deeper every time. He's lacked that intensity in the last six months, but maybe he'll find it again in Monte Carlo...

BS, I am not judging at all, negative or positive, in one match. In fact, towards the end of the last year when he was getting a bit better at the net, I posted here that I needed a larger sample size to see if he is really getting better. The kind of volleys he hit last Sunday, I do not see them that often, maybe I have missed some. These were actual probing volleys as opposed to redirecting the ball. I am just saying it is a good step in the right direction.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

djokovics net play is better than folk think its just his overhead volleys that look clumsy, rafa needs to get with the programme..we are defo moving away from endless baseline play, if he thinks he can carry on like the old days, then other players have/will move on, djokovic has realised this so lets see what happens >>>.

more net play is the way ahead..who wants 40 stroke rallies moving into the late 20s ?, not djokovic, murray has soft hands so more attacking play is good for him, and Federer cannot rally like the old days now anyway.