Did Djokovic really play that poorly?

[Fiero425]

How could people forget? The beginning of the end for Roger with Wimbledon '12 a saving grace!

Well, he would have faced Nadal in the final, so if this match was the beginning of the end, let's just say it came a day early...

Nole's owned the fall and winter the last few years! I wonder how many Masters he'll end up taking? When Nastase, Lendl, Sampras, & Federer ruled the tourney, I didn't think it possible to outdo them, with most top players like Nadal whipped by the end of the season! He just keeps coming back without dropping a match! :clap :angel: I should come up with another one of my infamous "who should" posts like #1 GOAT (male/female), trophy name, and best seasons!

 

[Moxie]

^ Do it! Everyone loves a poll, and now we're mostly just waiting for Wimbledon to start.

 

[Moxie]

Let me be clear: there was no way Djokovic was coming back from 2 sets to 0 down in this final. And there was also no way that Nadal was coming back from 2 sets to 0 down in this final.

And let me be equally clear:

Nobody was 2 sets to 0 down, so your point is redundant.

You've been following losers for so long, you think it's game over after one set... :nono

Nalbandian came back from 2 sets to 0 down many times, including in the 2005 Masters Cup final.

I know when it is feasible to come back from such a deficit and when it is not. In the Djokovic-Nadal series, in a clay-court match, it would not be possible for either to come back from 2 sets to 0 down.

And only you would be the judge of that, apparently.

There's nothing wrong with suggesting the second set was crucial and changed things completely. Nadal himself admitted to that, and said he wasn't coming back from two sets to love down.

Interesting.

Funny how Nadal explicitly disagreed with Kieran and Moxie.

I guess Kieran and Moxie need to send Nadal the memo that he would have still won if he fell behind 2 sets to 0. He must not have gotten it.

Nadal is more modest than Kieran and me. (Forgive me, Kieran, if I presume.) I thought that debating with you, Cali, was about debating in the theoretical. You were making much of what Djokovic might have done, had he played better for 20-30 minutes in the second set. But he didn't. And he didn't seem to feel well. So if we presumed a better Djokovic, it's fair to presume a better Nadal, and over 5 sets, I'd still take Rafa.

You haven't let the USO final go, either, and insist that you haven't been proven "wrong." What proves you wrong about both of those matches is that Nadal won them, and no amount of rethinking them will change that. Though, I'm equally sure that no amount of arguing with you will convince you that things mightn't have gone differently. :s

 

[Mayto]

Djokovic was actually very lucky to win the first set as he did because at 30 40 when he was serving for the set he did a double fault which wasn't called but was confirmed on French TV. So Nadal would have evened up the score and who knows who would have won it

 

[Fiero425]

Djokovic was actually very lucky to win the first set as he did because at 30 40 when he was serving for the set he did a double fault which wasn't called but was confirmed on French TV. So Nadal would have evened up the score and who knows who would have won it

Well you got it back on match point with disruption of Nole's 1st and 2nd serve! It was obvious he was going to double fault again! :nono :angel:

 

[Mayto]

It seems to be becoming a habit!

 

[Moxie]

Welcome to the boards, Mayto!

 

[Mayto]

Thanks Moxie. I've been lurking a while and always enjoy you posts.

 

[Kieran]

Yeah, welcome Mayto! You're right about Rafa having the chance to break back in the first set - and remember the first set against Stan in Oz: he looked at three second serves at 0-40 and gifted all three points to Stan by failing to get a single return back.

I didn't see the replay on the second sevce but DFokovic came good for us in the 4th...

 

[Mayto]

He certainly did! That's three matches he's lost to Rafa now on a double fault. It was fascinating to hear Rafa say how he had decided to play that point and that he was just going to go for it and either win or go down swinging. He was just so exhausted by then that I was reallly relieved that he didn't have to serve for the match.

 

[Kieran]

That's interesting, I didn't see that, but he's usually quite forceful and brave on big points. The game reminded me of the last game of the third set in the US Open final: Novak was 30-0 up there too, before he cracked. I actually prefer Rafa to receive in these games. Although he he broke more often than he was broke, I get more anxious watching him serve for the match than trying to break. I don't know if you or others feel the same...

 

[tented]

He certainly did! That's three matches he's lost to Rafa now on a double fault. It was fascinating to hear Rafa say how he had decided to play that point and that he was just going to go for it and either win or go down swinging. He was just so exhausted by then that I was reallly relieved that he didn't have to serve for the match.

I was dreading his serving for the match.

Welcome, Mayto.