[finishingmove]

2011 saw the birth of Djokovic 2.0. This was a guy who, unlike his predecessor, didn't shy away from long battles, nor give in after wasting chances. He always left something in the tank for the decider.

Last year though, during the Wimbledon final, I noticed something. It's almost as if he wanted the match to go into a fifth set.

This year, Nole is becoming notorious at giving bagels and breadsticks in deciding sets. Why have these matches gone to 5 at all?

Is it because he thinks his superior fitness increases his chances to win that way?
Is it Nole's way of reseting his brain?
Is it because he needs the thrill of being on the edge (although bagels and breadsticks are not really close sets)?
Is he just doing it to feed his ego?
Is he trying to build some sort of artificial legacy with this?

I'm really curious what people think of this.

I will try to put together a list of suspicious matches.

 

[Looner]

Yeah, sure, tell us more.

 

[betowiec]

wouldn't hurt to have your head examined

 

[thrust]

What a strange imagination!

 

[finishingmove]

Oh come on now, guys. You make me seem more autistic than Rafa.

Surely I'm not the only one who thought about this...

 

[Big_Juicy]

Oh come on now, guys. You make me seem more autistic than Rafa.

Surely I'm not the only one who thought about this...

If he had won the 4th in 15ish minutes he would have had to practice after for the final. This way he was on the court for one hour, got the required practice under his belt and can now relax for the rest of the afternoon.

Nole is the master strategist.

 

[Joey Tribbiani]

Yeah I noticed that too. The answers is, he's just bad at finish matches in 3-4 sets. Same bullshit happened at USO 2011, AO 2012.

 

[Fumus]

Oh that explains the MTOs.

 

[miura88]

He's not aggressive enough to go for the win in straights, maybe he's just trying to manage his energy levels by not expending too much too early or somethign like that.

Also, Novak has always been one to try and coast his way to the finish line, while his opponents need to go after him in order to avoid losing the match, that's why he's had trouble serving out matches + sets in the past.

He's not prolonging matches on purpose, I'm sure he'd much prefer to close out every match in straight sets.

 

[Houstonko]

Doubt is on purpose. He is not as lethal as Fedal on finishing matches quick in 3rd set. This will be key in their final slams in the resume.

Nole had to battle every time. When he is 1 and 2 yrs older the 5th set will turn into losses.

 

[blaziken]

I actually think the same as OP. This and AO SF are brilliant cases for this.

 

[Dr Mug]

Yes, I had the same suspicion.

If you compare his level from the 4th set to the 5th set it is night and day. Same happened in Miami, IW, Australian Open. It seems like a pattern to me!

 

[RocketMan70]

Makes no sense to deliberately prolong a match to 5 sets, too much risk of losing if the opponent comes home stronger.
Novak unfortunately has some peaks and dips in the match, which is normal when having to win 3 sets.

 

[teacherling]

He's not aggressive enough to go for the win in straights, maybe he's just trying to manage his energy levels by not expending too much too early or somethign like that.

Also, Novak has always been one to try and coast his way to the finish line, while his opponents need to go after him in order to avoid losing the match, that's why he's had trouble serving out matches + sets in the past.

He's not prolonging matches on purpose, I'm sure he'd much prefer to close out every match in straight sets.

Yes, this makes sense to me.

 

[Myrre]

This would mean that you are arrogant, overconfident and you underestimate your opponents.

 

[finishingmove]

Another, quite likely factor could be his superior fitness. I'll add this to the list.

 

[Nolesaurus]

He definitely has a knack for drama for better or worse. Anyway, it's never boring unlike Fedal

 

[JoWilly]

Yep he turned what should have been a three set match into five sets just for fun. Idiotic thread.

 

[out_here_grindin]

Serena Williams definitely does

 

[Forehand Of Doom]

I'm not sure, because he looked pretty gassed out there in the SF. Then again, Djokovic is the master of deception, and he is not a stranger to the "possum" tactics that have worked so well throughout his career.