Where Does Djokovic's 2015 Season Stand In History?

[Front242]

Mats Wilander had a great phrase: "great players find a way." Commit it to memory.

Roddick was a good player who was better than a bunch of not so good players...

So tell me how many great players have found a way to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in his prime? The key part is in his prime 'cos Djokovic beating him at the ages of 33 and 34 doesn't count. Roger Federer in his prime was untouchable, especially at Wimbledon and Roddick beat everyone else but like everyone else he wasn't able to beat him there in his prime. Again, there is no shame in that but against anyone else the titles were his in 2004, 2005 and 2009.

 

[Kieran]

Federer faced a single great player at their peak at Wimbledon - in 2008 - and he did well to take it to five...

 

[Front242]

Federer faced a single great player at their peak at Wimbledon - in 2008 - and he did well to take it to five...

I agree, Nadal did very well to take it to 5.

 

[Carol]

McEnroe in 1984 at 25 years old and being #1 got 82 victories and just 3 losses, after that he never won one more GS. In 2010 Federer at 28 years old got his 16 GS, then until now just one Wimbledon in 2012. In 2013 Nadal at 27 years old and #1 made one of his best years, after that he has won one GS in two years .
It's not easy to keep the same level year by year and also depending how the opponents are playing

 

[Front242]

Exactly Carol. In agreement for once People tend to forget greatest has to end some day as everyone gets old but there have been a lot of great players in the past who gradually became far lesser players, my point about Roddick fits that description perfectly and the same applies to Hewitt, for example. Also, measuring Roddick's success against Federer at Wimbledon is not a fair assessment of Roddick's skills. Practically everyone lost to Federer at Wimbledon in his prime but Roddick would've beaten anyone else there hands down. His serve and forehand were ridiculously good in his prime.

 

[Kieran]

Quit it with Roddick, will ya! :lolz:

McEnroe was a strange one: 1984 was a season of excellence that only promised that Mac's wobbles of the previous two years were gone, and he was set fair to dominate the sport for years to come. He rached only one more slam final, going down in straights against Lendl at the USO in 1985. Mats Wilander was another bloke, stellar season aged 23 in 1988, gone with the wind in 1989. It can be a brutal game...

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Quit it with Roddick, will ya! :lolz:

McEnroe was a strange one: 1984 was a season of excellence that only promised that Mac's wobbles of the previous two years were gone, and he was set fair to dominate the sport for years to come. He rached only one more slam final, going down in straights against Lendl at the USO in 1985. Mats Wilander was another bloke, stellar season aged 23 in 1988, gone with the wind in 1989. It can be a brutal game...

Wouldn't it be fun, if Novak reaches only one more slam final. :devil

 

[Kieran]

Quit it with Roddick, will ya! :lolz:

McEnroe was a strange one: 1984 was a season of excellence that only promised that Mac's wobbles of the previous two years were gone, and he was set fair to dominate the sport for years to come. He rached only one more slam final, going down in straights against Lendl at the USO in 1985. Mats Wilander was another bloke, stellar season aged 23 in 1988, gone with the wind in 1989. It can be a brutal game...

Wouldn't it be fun, if Novak reaches only one more slam final. :devil

Wouldn't it be even more fun of Fedalovic reach only one more slam final between them...

 

[Fiero425]

Quit it with Roddick, will ya! :lolz:

McEnroe was a strange one: 1984 was a season of excellence that only promised that Mac's wobbles of the previous two years were gone, and he was set fair to dominate the sport for years to come. He rached only one more slam final, going down in straights against Lendl at the USO in 1985. Mats Wilander was another bloke, stellar season aged 23 in 1988, gone with the wind in 1989. It can be a brutal game...

Wouldn't it be fun, if Novak reaches only one more slam final. :devil

Wouldn't it be even more fun of Fedalovic reach only one more slam final between them...

...and more likely! :laydownlaughing Nole more centered and won't fall off the map like past champions! His '12 was a little lackluster after such dominance in '11, but he'll continue to be #1; I'm sure! :angel: :dodgy: :ras:

 

[Carol]

I think different factors can influence to the game and not just the age, if not look McEnroe and Borg this last one retired so young. Lack of motivation and enthusiasm could be one of the reason

 

[Front242]

McEnroe only recently quit playing tennis so I doubt it was lack of motivation for him. My guess is the steroids he admitted taking (that were "too strong for horses") either screwed him up or he stopped being a contender after he quit taking them

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=1708055

 

[Kieran]

McEnroe got left behind, the power game leaving him confused as to how to counter it. Instead of playing his usual glorious style, he tinkered. Plus, I think motivation issues, Tatum O'Neill, and ill-advised breaks from the game during Wimbledon in 1986 and 1987 cost him. He was never the most tunnel-visioned bloke in the game, anyhow...

 

[Front242]

Surely steroids too strong for horses would've given him a fair bit of power

 

[Carol]

McEnroe only recently quit playing tennis so I doubt it was lack of motivation for him. My guess is the steroids he admitted taking (that were "too strong for horses") either screwed him up or he stopped being a contender after he quit taking them

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=1708055

So why he couldn't win another GS since he was still 25 or 26 if he was so motivated? like I said before, different reason and not because his age. Maybe his opponents were playing better than before when he was winning everything?

 

[Kieran]

McEnroe only recently quit playing tennis so I doubt it was lack of motivation for him. My guess is the steroids he admitted taking (that were "too strong for horses") either screwed him up or he stopped being a contender after he quit taking them

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=1708055

The most creepy and hilarious part of this article is Agassi... :cover

 

[Front242]

McEnroe only recently quit playing tennis so I doubt it was lack of motivation for him. My guess is the steroids he admitted taking (that were "too strong for horses") either screwed him up or he stopped being a contender after he quit taking them

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=1708055

So why he couldn't win another GS since he was still 25 or 26 if he was so motivated? like I said before, different reason and not because his age. Maybe his opponents were playing better than before when he was winning everything?

Or maybe he just stopped taking steroids

 

[Front242]

McEnroe only recently quit playing tennis so I doubt it was lack of motivation for him. My guess is the steroids he admitted taking (that were "too strong for horses") either screwed him up or he stopped being a contender after he quit taking them

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=1708055

The most creepy and hilarious part of this article is Agassi... :cover

True but crystal meth isn't performance enhancing although there are strong allegations he was taking roids too as he got older and more muscular and more bald.

 

[Kieran]

Crystal meth is on the banned list, though. Obviously, in 2004 when he said these words, he wasn't ready to be honest about his own shortcomings...

 

[Carol]

McEnroe only recently quit playing tennis so I doubt it was lack of motivation for him. My guess is the steroids he admitted taking (that were "too strong for horses") either screwed him up or he stopped being a contender after he quit taking them

http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=1708055

The most creepy and hilarious part of this article is Agassi... :cover

True but crystal meth isn't performance enhancing although there are strong allegations he was taking roids too as he got older and more muscular and more bald.

My goodness, then many Baseball players would be more muscular and more bald but most of them have a lot of hair and they don't look to be so muscular either, so.....

 

[Front242]

^ Steroids cause baldness (it's no coincidence tons of bodybuilders and power lifters have no hair) but HGH doesn't. Most baseball players and athletes in general on PEDs these days are likely using HGH instead as it gives the massive strength increases without you ending up looking like Kojak.