How Worried Are We For Novak?

[I.Haychew]

Ha, I was going to bring him in, but I thought it was too snarky. Thanks, Chewy.

Serving doesn't count, though...because serving has nothing to do with talent. Yes, I'm snarky (aka a dick).

 

[Moxie]

Serving doesn't count, though...because serving has nothing to do with talent. Yes, I'm snarky (aka a dick).

Nor does winning count. A perfect set is enough (Nah, you aight, as A-P would say.)

 

[I.Haychew]

Nor does winning count. A perfect set is enough (Nah, you aight, as A-P would say.)

Results are SO overrated!

 

[Andy22]

We can go in circles all day on this but the main thing is that Nole caught up to Nadal physically in 2011 and, like Roger, he is simply a technically better player and that's why he dominated him in a major way. Even Rafa and his uncle admit that Roger and Djokovic are well beyond him technically.

I think Djokovic is better technically then Federer, but not as good as Nadal. Also Nadal game stand up longer than federer, that's why the great Nadal won 10 FO titles.

 

[Federberg]

I think Djokovic is better technically then Federer, but not as good as Nadal. Also Nadal game stand up longer than federer, that's why the great Nadal won 10 FO titles.

Lol! Now you're just trolling. Seriously dude, why are you doing this stuff. I doubt even you believe this. Do you crave attention so much?

 

[Andy22]

Lol! Now you're just trolling. Seriously dude, why are you doing this stuff. I doubt even you believe this. Do you crave attention so much?

OK so maybe Djokovic not as good as federer but I think nadal game is better then djokovic.

 

[El Dude]

There's an interesting conversation in here. I tend to agree with both Moxie and Darth, because both are presenting partial truths. Darth is pointing out that in terms of technical skills only, it goes Federer > Djokovic > Nadal. I think most would agree on that. It doesn't mean Nadal isn't awesome, just not quite as awesome as Novak or Roger, in terms of what he can do with a tennis racquet.

Bu then we can look at pure physicality, and it might be Nadal > Djokovic > Federer. I think you could argue that Novak, in his prime, was better physically than Rafa.

Or we could look at the mental aspect of the game and we'd get Nadal > Federer > Djokovic.

The results add up all three general areas--technical skills, physicality, mentality--plus "intangibles," which includes match-up, luck, a player's mood that day, etc etc.

In the end, when we're critiquing the games of any of the "Holy Trinity," it is like comparing the beauty of Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, and Blake Lively.

 

[Federberg]

I don’t agree that Novak is technically better than Rafa. Name one shot that Rafa isn’t proficient at. Let’s not conflate technical proficiency with on court effectiveness. Novak uses his tools more aggressively than Rafa, but his volleying sucks, his backhand slice is average, and his overhead smash is an embarrassment. Where Novak gets the nod is his positional dominance. To me Rafa is a freak. Despite his stylistic deficiencies he is so good that he is able to exploit his opponents weaknesses more frequently than not. His problem with Roger now is that he has nowhere to turn to now as opposed to the past when he could exploit Rogers technical problems with height to his backhand. It’s also the reason he has always had a problem with Novak. If Novak was mentally stronger the H2H would be even more skewed in his favour.

 

[britbox]

I don’t agree that Novak is technically better than Rafa. Name one shot that Rafa isn’t proficient at. Let’s not conflate technical proficiency with on court effectiveness. Novak uses his tools more aggressively than Rafa, but his volleying sucks, his backhand slice is average, and his overhead smash is an embarrassment. Where Novak gets the nod is his positional dominance. To me Rafa is a freak. Despite his stylistic deficiencies he is so good that he is able to exploit his opponents weaknesses more frequently than not. His problem with Roger now is that he has nowhere to turn to now as opposed to the past when he could exploit Rogers technical problems with height to his backhand. It’s also the reason he has always had a problem with Novak. If Novak was mentally stronger the H2H would be even more skewed in his favour.

I think Novak's transitional game is a little better also - especially how he changes direction.

 

[Federberg]

I think Novak's transitional game is a little better also - especially how he changes direction.

yes absolutely, that's partially what I meant by positional dominance. As an aside, the contest between Novak and Roger has been largely about this aspect of the game. Quite often, whichever one of them is able to hold the baseline has tended to win. This is why I would have loved to have seen this version of Roger playing against peak Novak. Particularly so because now that Roger has a more effective backhand he is no longer positioning himself to such an extreme extent on the ad court side. Novak used to kill him by keeping him there until he could unleash either a cross court forehand or backhand down the line where Roger was stranded on the ad court. It would be interesting to see if Novak could come up with a solution for the problems Roger's better backhand would represent for him

 

[Andy22]

Nadal game has stood up better then Federer this DEC 10/18 winning most FO,USO titles

 

[Federberg]

Nadal game has stood up better then Federer this DEC 10/18 winning most FO,USO titles

And your point? He is 5 years younger you know. Besides the decades not over yet

 

[Andy22]

Darthfed nadal got a new racket are you scared for Federer?

 

[Puppet Master]

There's an interesting conversation in here. I tend to agree with both Moxie and Darth, because both are presenting partial truths. Darth is pointing out that in terms of technical skills only, it goes Federer > Djokovic > Nadal. I think most would agree on that. It doesn't mean Nadal isn't awesome, just not quite as awesome as Novak or Roger, in terms of what he can do with a tennis racquet.

Bu then we can look at pure physicality, and it might be Nadal > Djokovic > Federer. I think you could argue that Novak, in his prime, was better physically than Rafa.

Or we could look at the mental aspect of the game and we'd get Nadal > Federer > Djokovic.

The results add up all three general areas--technical skills, physicality, mentality--plus "intangibles," which includes match-up, luck, a player's mood that day, etc etc.

In the end, when we're critiquing the games of any of the "Holy Trinity," it is like comparing the beauty of Margot Robbie, Scarlett Johansson, and Blake Lively.

I love that last comparison, LOL.
I wonder who Margot Robbie is in your metaphor????

All jokes aside though, I strongly disagree with your technical skills assessment. One can say, yes, look at all the shots Roger can hit, and how he hits them, you would be a fool not to say he is the most technically skilled out of the three, and any group of players really, I just don't see who could best him in that department.
However, Djokovic at second place?
The man who can't hit a proper volley to save his life? The man who would rather hit 6 safe groundstrokes than hit one solid smash when required.
You my friend, are fooling yourself.
Do you think what, because Novak has strokes which are a bit flatter (not more penetrating, just flatter), you think that makes him more technically skilled?

One could argue with Rafa's limited serve, and such, but all in all, I think Nadal can do more stuff on the court than Novak.

 

[DarthFed]

Darthfed nadal got a new racket are you scared for Federer?

He gets a new racquet every year it seems. Usually just for the purpose of adding more spin. But from what I've read this is more about graphics (La Decima) I didn't read it saying that it plays differently.

 

[Moxie]

He gets a new racquet every year it seems. Usually just for the purpose of adding more spin. But from what I've read this is more about graphics (La Decima) I didn't read it saying that it plays differently.

I'm sure this is about Babolat selling a new racquet. Rafa added some weight to the head of his racquet a couple of years ago, but he told us about it. I don't think there's anything new. Companies are forever trying to sell new sticks, but they just decorate the old ones for the athlete.

 

[El Dude]

I love that last comparison, LOL.
I wonder who Margot Robbie is in your metaphor????

All jokes aside though, I strongly disagree with your technical skills assessment. One can say, yes, look at all the shots Roger can hit, and how he hits them, you would be a fool not to say he is the most technically skilled out of the three, and any group of players really, I just don't see who could best him in that department.
However, Djokovic at second place?
The man who can't hit a proper volley to save his life? The man who would rather hit 6 safe groundstrokes than hit one solid smash when required.
You my friend, are fooling yourself.
Do you think what, because Novak has strokes which are a bit flatter (not more penetrating, just flatter), you think that makes him more technically skilled?

One could argue with Rafa's limited serve, and such, but all in all, I think Nadal can do more stuff on the court than Novak.

To be honest, I don't have a strong opinion about it, so you're kind of playing a game of wall tennis here. I think you could make an argument either way, on Rafa vs. Novak's technical skills, as both have strengths over the other in terms of what they can do on court.

 

[Moxie]

To be honest, I don't have a strong opinion about it, so you're kind of playing a game of wall tennis here. I think you could make an argument either way, on Rafa vs. Novak's technical skills, as both have strengths over the other in terms of what they can do on court.

Well, not completely. A LOT of people have laid out for you why Rafa has better technical skills than Novak. In a way, IMO, you're playing into the notion that because Novak has had the better of Rafa in many matches, that he trumps him in skill. But that's the a bit the argument that Fed fans hate about Rafa. Even those who don't like Rafa's style give him the points on most skills.

 

[Andy22]

And your point? He is 5 years younger you know. Besides the decades not over yet

My point is Nadal won the most USO ,FO that's half of the slams this dec 10/18

 

[El Dude]

Well, not completely. A LOT of people have laid out for you why Rafa has better technical skills than Novak. In a way, IMO, you're playing into the notion that because Novak has had the better of Rafa in many matches, that he trumps him in skill. But that's the a bit the argument that Fed fans hate about Rafa. Even those who don't like Rafa's style give him the points on most skills.

LOL, Moxie. Really? It sounds like you're looking for someone to disagree with. As I said already, I don't have a strong opinion about this so can't really muster the energy to fight for a viewpoint that I don't feel strongly about.

The most I'll say is that my take is that Rafa is more specialized in what he does - really great at a handful of things, but Novak's overall skill-set is more well-rounded.