Mens Tennis Forums banner

Djokovic will dominate nadal like 2011?

Endless Djokovic-Nadal debates. Will SOG dominate Nadal like 2011?

85K views 1K replies 334 participants last post by  heya 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
i and clay death were discussing this last night......

after the accomplishment of career grandslam last year, there was a sense of feeling that nadal would have no real challenge at the slams had he continued playing in that mode and had his opponents din't improve......

with federer always struggling against him, djokovic's unstable form and match fitness, del potro in the sidelines with injuries, tennis experts began searching for answers to nadal......

fast forward to july this year......we have nole staring in nadal's face and asking all the questions.......he is now the man to beat......

nadal has a new challenge......how will this affect him? will this challenge will pump him up and make him stay motivated for the next two to three years?

nadal chased down federer before, when fed was dominating at all the non clay slams.......

now will he do it once again to novak? could this be a blessing in disguise to nadal which will force him to improve every aspect of his game and be really pumped to take down djokovic and the 16 slams record?

discuss......
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

I don't think it will motivate him as much.

But he will definitely try to improve, mostly just to break that 16 slam record.

Right now the situation is very funny.

Every single time Federer is denied a slam, he's in a bit of a panic. His goal was to reach 20 because he felt that Nadal would stop somewhere around 18.

But now that Djokovic is stable, he can ruin Nadal' plans and help Federer at the same time.

Kind of a strange situation.

Regardless of the circumstances, I believe Nadal will break that 16 slam mark.
 
#8 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

I don't think it will motivate him as much.

But he will definitely try to improve, mostly just to break that 16 slam record.

Right now the situation is very funny.

Every single time Federer is denied a slam, he's in a bit of a panic. His goal was to reach 20 because he felt that Nadal would stop somewhere around 18.

But now that Djokovic is stable, he can ruin Nadal' plans and help Federer at the same time.

Kind of a strange situation.

Regardless of the circumstances, I believe Nadal will break that 16 slam mark.
:haha:

U.........GOTTA........BE...........KIDDING............ME???

surprising coming from u, u are a very sesible poster.

nadull's tally stops at 10.
i'll bet my life savings on it.
 
#5 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

why dont u all nadulltards just give up on this nadal clown.

its ridiculous u still support him.

support djokovic and u will be happy.
i dont want to support nadull and be depressed for like 2 weeks after every loss in a final.

i support champs, i dont support chumps.
 
#18 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

why dont u all nadulltards just give up on this nadal clown.

its ridiculous u still support him.

support djokovic and u will be happy.
i dont want to support nadull and be depressed for like 2 weeks after every loss in a final.

i support champs, i dont support chumps.
Well, at least you are an assumed gloryhunter...
 
#7 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

This is not a blessing in disguise for Nadal, but he will however step up to the challenge and beat Nole once again. One win against Nole is all it will take and Rafa's confidence will boost at an all time high.
 
#10 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

This is not a blessing in disguise for Nadal, but he will however step up to the challenge and beat Nole once again. One win against Nole is all it will take and Rafa's confidence will boost at an all time high.
u people have gone more crazy than me!

this is too much for me, someone get me a beer!

im starting to lose my mind!

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH
 
#14 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Nadal will realize that he doesn't enjoy tennis and that he has been a slave to the demands of his uncle and father.

He will therefore retire in up to two years time after constantly being foiled by Djokovic in Masters and Slam finals.
 
#17 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Absolutely not. What's there to be motivated about? He's still in crisis mode trying to figure out what to do against Djokovic. If he's motivated at all, he's just as motivated as he was before the Wimby final...and maybe even a little less so now.

In fact, I think that all these losses to Djokovic could affect his game overall and even Fed might get some inexplicable victories against Nadal (and their matches are usually NID). It'll be interesting to see how Nadal solves this problem of his.
 
#26 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Absolutely not. What's there to be motivated about? He's still in crisis mode trying to figure out what to do against Djokovic. If he's motivated at all, he's just as motivated as he was before the Wimby final...and maybe even a little less so now.

In fact, I think that all these losses to Djokovic could affect his game overall and even Fed might get some inexplicable victories against Nadal (and their matches are usually NID). It'll be interesting to see how Nadal solves this problem of his.
i will tell you what's motivating here.....nadal's history suggests that he likes a challenge, likes a target, a source of inspiration and driving force......

he declared numerous times in the past when fed was no.1 that he wanted to play like him on other surfaces and playing against such a champion motivates him a lot......

he comes across as an ardent ever learning student of the sport who thrives under pressure, always tries to sort out his own game first unlike fed who thinks his game is good enough to take care of anybody regardless of the results......

nadal is different in that aspect, he is practical enough to realize what he needs to do and novak is that spark which lit fire in him to work harder than ever......

champions like nadal are rare......he has managed the top spot for over a 100 weeks now, won 10 slams......all that with a weak serve, weak return of serve, weak net game and a groundgame that is vulnerable to crumble when not put to continuous practice.......

doesn't that say something about his will?
 
#19 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

we saw what happened to nadal in RG this year after his confidence got destroyed.

now nadals confidence got destroyed again at wimbledon.

nadal is done!

u can spin it anyway u want, but nadals game has been figured out.
in years past people wondered why no one can sort out nadals game even though its predictable, well now it has finally happened.

novak has saved tennis!
 
#28 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

we saw what happened to nadal in RG this year after his confidence got destroyed.

now nadals confidence got destroyed again at wimbledon.
I somewhat agree with this. 2011 FO Rafa was a completely different version to his usual French Open self, but he still somehow won. It’ll go down as probably his most gruelling GS win, and there’s no doubt that if Federer hadn’t gone and beaten Djokovic in the SF, Rafa would be Slamless this year. How he won a Slam playing so far from his best shows just how big his heart is and his incredible will to win.

How Rafa responds from clearly being very mentally suspect will be interesting to watch. I just think people should keep in mind that after the 2010 AO everyone was writing off Nadal and look what happened...
 
#23 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

this string of losses will definitely hurt Rafa mentally and with age and mileage catching up on him. this is going to be extremely tough
 
#24 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Obviously he's motivated like hell to strike back and reclaim the #1 spot, can he do it though? I'll always believe in him, he's been in some dark holes before, always bounced back.

This is the toughest challenge in his career, time to show if he's top 8 or top 3 material for the GOAT debate.
 
#27 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

I don't like writing long posts and this would require one.. One key change that "I think" will need to be made is his philosophical approach to the game. I'm not convinced that a defensive oriented player is going to beat this version of Novak Djokovic consistently. It's going to take an aggressive first strike player with an outstanding serve and the willingness to take risks. Federer will stand a better change to beat Djok right now than either Murray or Nadal, unless they become more aggressive.
Not sure even that will work, but it will stand a better chance than defense.
 
#39 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

More like Nadal's riddle. He didn't need to lose 5 finals to get motivated. I think now he's just confused and frustrated, and it feels like he's given up a bit.

Plus, can he really change his game enough to beat Djokovic? Is he willing to do so? Or is he going to wait for Novak's level to drop like he was implying in the recent interview (essentially conceding that he can't beat the current Djokovic)?

I don't like writing long posts and this would require one.. One key change that "I think" will need to be made is his philosophical approach to the game. I'm not convinced that a defensive oriented player is going to beat this version of Novak Djokovic consistently. It's going to take an aggressive first strike player with an outstanding serve and the willingness to take risks. Federer will stand a better change to beat Djok right now than either Murray or Nadal, unless they become more aggressive.
Not sure even that will work, but it will stand a better chance than defense.
Agreed. I don't think anyone can match Djokovic in defence. And as the stats show, his odds of winning a point get better as the rallies get longer. It would take a player who plays aggressive, high risk tennis, and can do so in an efficient and consistent manner.

I still think Fed can do it on a hard court, and could have done it on grass (and he already did it on clay).

But playing high percentage grinding tennis won't do the trick. Djokovic can out-move almost anyone from the baseline, turns defence into offence better than anyone, and can hit winners off both wings. The more time you give him the better able he will be do these things.
 
#32 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Nole's Mental edge over rafa is so huge right now that everytime they see each other it is going to be definitely a beat down. Nole knows he can beat a one dimensional player and Rafa is a one dimensional defensive baseliner. Like i said in my previous post Djokovic was so happier after the tsonga match compared to the actual championship day because he knew that tsonga was the last obstacle and Rafa is going to be a cake walk and it truned out to be a cake walk
 
#33 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

it's not that nadal cannot attack, mactheknife......he executed the winning game against novak at the us open last year on a fast hardcourt......he absolutely went for it and broke down novak's game......now it's a matter of improving his fitness and his declined backhand to neutralize novak's effectiveness from the back......

i think one victory will bring this rivalry back to equilibrium and we will get to see some of the best tennis from both players from there......
 
#34 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

it's not that nadal cannot attack, mactheknife......he executed the winning game against novak at the us open last year on a fast hardcourt......he absolutely went for it and broke down novak's game......now it's a matter of improving his fitness and his declined backhand to neutralize novak's effectiveness from the back......

i think one victory will bring this rivalry back to equilibrium and we will get to see some of the best tennis from both players from there......
This year's Novak is not last year's Novak. At USO he was pretty much spent mentally/physically after the 5-setter with Federer, while Nadal had a 3 easy sets with Youzhny, so let's see how this year's USO folds out :)

What's worrying for Nadal fans is that Nadal played more-less similar against Novak and lost every time, especially in Rome he looked almost clueless at times. And even in his interview he mentioned few times "Novak can't play like this forever", so it seems more like he expects Novak reverts to being his old self, rather than find new ways to beat him. At least so far think he hasn't shown anything new.
 
#35 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Yes he is! But I don't think that his muscles will help him to overcome new challenges. Nadal can't progress anymore, he reached his peak at USO 2010 and that's it! He can only replicate that form eventually, but I think that's to late for him to technically improve any part of his game.
 
#37 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

when all is said and done... it will be remembered that it was federer, not nadal, that stopped djokovic from completing the CYGS in 2011...

djokovic is nadal's first motivation in that, he is now, after winning wimbledon, a far more elevated threat to completing the CYGS that nadal or federer ever were...

it's funny, just when you think no one can top the acheivements of federer and nadal, someone else comes along who is a bigger threat to history than both of them...

amazing how it goes...
 
#41 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

when all is said and done... it will be remembered that it was federer, not nadal, that stopped djokovic from completing the CYGS in 2011...

djokovic is nadal's first motivation in that, he is now, after winning wimbledon, a far more elevated threat to completing the CYGS that nadal or federer ever were...

it's funny, just when you think no one can top the acheivements of federer and nadal, someone else comes along who is a bigger threat to history than both of them...

amazing how it goes...
:yeah: He surely won't surpass Federer number of slams but it's a scary thought that he might have opportunity for Golden CYGS next year :eek: :cool:
 
#43 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Sorry guys, but Nadal isn't going to be "improving". He is no longer on an upward trajectory. His confidence is shaky, his passing shots - once the most outstanding feature of his game - have gone to shit, his backhand is more & more attackable, & he's making more errors than he ever did. He climbed to the top of the hill & now he's starting on the way down.
 
#46 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?



It was alarming when nadal said that he felt like he was 100 years old out there. I'm sure he was talking about the mental aspect and the intensity that is needed to stay at the top. Burn out is never a good thing and eventually leads to indifference and a lack of motivation. Since nadal has overtaken federer and completed that goal, he has put on a lot of mileage. On the other hand, nadal has been known to play possum. Last year comes to mind. Bad start in AO, writes himself off, then shows up as uber-matador for the next 3 slams. Only a fool will write him off. Time will tell. He does seem to be a bad match up for joker however, just like federer can't solve nadal's tactics no matter how hard he tries. Uncle tony was right.
 
#48 ·
Re: Is "Djokovic version 2.0" Nadal's new motivation?

Nadal's motivation was to get 16 slams, Djokovic is the one killing Nadal's motivation.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top