[Proper]

Kinda hard to watch Djokovic flailing like this. It's a point now where his body / injuries have caught up with him. He can't get in form because he doesn't play nearly / frequently enough to gain momentum. But if he does even a bit, his body and fitness, having accrued the mileage it has at this point in his career, simply doesn't hold up.

That he somehow hasn't been beat in Slams this year (not even sure if the AO SF should count) apart from Sincaraz is mind boggling tbh.

It got pretty bad for Roger in his last years (I think 2019 was an insane outlier), never fun to see legends go through that at the end so commiserations to sane Djokofans, but it's part of the sport unfortunately.

Correct, his choice to play less frequently has led to him losing physical toughness and not being physically prepared for the exertion that occurs when he does play.

Either he has to step up and play more frequently in 2026 or it will continue like this year.

 

[Black_Hawk]

Really horrible to watch Djokovic play like this. His body just can't hold up anymore. If losing to this mug in the SF doesn't make him understand that it's time to step away then I really don't know what will. Sigh.

 

[Jolyon]

Bergs was an idiot.

for the number of times he shanked it out of the court. Vacherlot had to take it upon himself.

 

[laughingcavalier]

Correct, his choice to play less frequently has led to him losing physical toughness and not being physically prepared for the exertion that occurs when he does play.

Either he has to step up and play more frequently in 2026 or it will continue like this year.

He had nearly 5 weeks off coming back from the US OPEN yet arrived here like he had just survived Gettysburg.

I really don't think whether he rides into town on the back of 2 or 3 consecutive tournaments or zero for over a month makes a god damn difference.

Case in point: After the Australian Open he lost 3 consecutive matches on the bounce & then heads into Miami where he was huffing & puffing against Korda and even Dimitrov.. and that was whilst he was cruising... lol

He then plays Mensik in the finals and EVERYBODY commented after about 5-6 games just how knackered he was and looked like fainting any second... He barely got through that straights sets match.

And here's the kicker- Djokovic made the final without dropping a set so he had little court time over the event to exhaust him & the semi's was very quick too..... and yet he was still exhausted in the final.

It's not about conditioning anymore... It's all caught up with him.He's old,slow & gets injured every...single... tournament.



but Djokovic fans are still holding out hope in 2026 over 7 best of 5 set matches especially in Australia with over 30 degree celsius heat in summer whilst he nears his 39th year.

Yeah sure... LOL!

 

[Jack Theripper]

My gosh Djokovic has destroyed you losers. I mean if you're coming to gloat and call him a douchebag (when he was clearly injured), and making jokes about a Masters 1000 SF loss when he's 38 then it shows all those spankings he gave to your heroes has fried your brains. Man Fedal fans are insufferable. Makes me so happy Djokovic destroyed them and all the records, just so I can hear you cry daily. It's what you deserved.

You dont hate Fedal at all... And Faker lost only because he was injured AND 38, of course...lol

 

[Jack Theripper]

He gets injured in almost every tournament. He retired at AO against Zverev (also had an MTO against Alcaraz), he was supposedly injured against Sinner at WB, I believe that he had MTOs at USO (e.g. vs Norrie) and FO (e.g. vs Moutet). Djokovic also took an MTO in his final against Mensik, and probably numerous others.

MTO = injury??? With Faker??? insuferable tards!

 

[Jack Theripper]

Djokovic looks done once and for all. The Father Time catched him. He really should do a farewell tour in 2026. He has nothing to prove anymore.

But his season remain remarkable, reaching the SF in all GS and still remaining a top 5 player at 38 y.o.

Another tard asking for another year!

 

[vauxguy]

Made my day . Now take the title .

 

[Saraya!]

 

[weak era mug]

Calling it a day after the next Australian Open would seem appropriate. It's where he won his first slam, he has the most slams there, it's the slam where he has the most fan support. He can put his body to the absolute limit knowing it's his last slam.

But I guess it must be so tempting to keep going while he's still getting to semi finals all the time. I'm more than happy for him for Sinner and Alcaraz to better their h2h Vs him and for more players he wouldn't lose to 99 times out of a 100 to best him. But if he wants to go out relatively close to the top, AO 2026 seems like it would be the ideal time.

 

[Proper]

He had nearly 5 weeks off coming back from the US OPEN yet arrived here like he had just survived Gettysburg.

I really don't think whether he rides into town on the back of 2 or 3 consecutive tournaments or zero for over a month makes a god damn difference.

Case in point: After the Australian Open he lost 3 consecutive matches on the bounce & then heads into Miami where he was huffing & puffing against Korda and even Dimitrov.. and that was whilst he was cruising... lol

He then plays Mensik in the finals and EVERYBODY commented after about 5-6 games just how knackered he was and looked like fainting any second... He barely got through that straights sets match.

And here's the kicker- Djokovic made the final without dropping a set so he had little court time over the event to exhaust him & the semi's was very quick too..... and yet he was still exhausted in the final.

It's not about conditioning anymore... It's all caught up with him.He's old,slow & gets injured every...single... tournament.



but Djokovic fans are still holding out hope in 2026 over 7 best of 5 set matches especially in Australia with over 30 degree celsius heat in summer whilst he nears his 39th year.

Yeah sure... LOL!

Of course it plays a big role.

At his age it is extremely important to stretch the conditions to maintain strength through frequency and continuity. Add to that the effects of his sparing competition last year are being felt this year, cause and effect at his age do not happen in a few months.

And despite all that he is without competition the second best player during the year, for natural reasons I am counting out the red-haired German who happens to live in Italy.

A well-prepared and injury-free Djokovic would have won at least two GS this year, and you know it.

 

[Johnny Groove]

So it's neither Sinner nor Alcaraz, it's the semifinals that's the problem

We finally figured it out

 

[RocketMan70]

Congrats to Vacherot, deserved win and into a masters final.
He and his cousin have been the real feel good storyline of the tournament.
Djokovic as usual was gracious in defeat, and has praised his opponent.

Novak Djokovic focuses on Valentin Vacherot, not physical struggles after Shanghai loss | ATP Tour | Tennis

After a tournament of physical challenges at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, Novak Djokovic chose to focus on praising his opponent following his semi-final loss against World No. 204 Valentin Vacherot.

www.atptour.com

Conditions have been brutal in Shanghai , but Djokovic is not making any excuses, and is certainly not ready to retire yet.

 

[Jolyon]

Calling it a day after the next Australian Open would seem appropriate. It's where he won his first slam, he has the most slams there, it's the slam where he has the most fan support. He can put his body to the absolute limit knowing it's his last slam.

But I guess it must be so tempting to keep going while he's still getting to semi finals all the time. I'm more than happy for him for Sinner and Alcaraz to better their h2h Vs him and for more layers he wouldn't lose to 99 times out of a 100 to best him. But if he wants to go out relatively close to the top, AO 2026 seems like it would be the ideal time.

He will make QFs of all 4 slams, by just lobbing the ball, and even further, by playing his normal game.

 

[MIMIC]

Christ, Novak

 

[weak era mug]

He will make QFs of all 4 slams, by just lobbing the ball, and even further, by playing his normal game.

...and then he'll get wrecked by Sinneraz. It's a weird limbo for a guy who has achieved so much.

 

[runetime]

Pure class by Vacherot. Didn't even celebrate the victory after beating Djokovic.
I feel like he's a better version of his cousin (just raw because of the lack of exp).
A lot faster, better decision-making, better soft touch, etc.

 

[Darth Alcaraz]

Can he just retire? What's the point of keeping playing when physically he can no longer do that? Struggling and being injured in every match I watched him play these days. Cannot remember the last time he actually looked healthy and fresh. And this is BO3 and he has a day off in between.

RG 2025 was the last time I'd say he looked healthy all tournament and not gassed. The SF against sinner was a pretty good match by his 38 year old standards and he pushed him well. Then of course geneva the week before that tournament. He was clearly injured in the wimbledon sf and looked completely out of steam by the 3rd set in uso sf

 

[AntiTardDefenseSystem]

He had nearly 5 weeks off coming back from the US OPEN yet arrived here like he had just survived Gettysburg.

I really don't think whether he rides into town on the back of 2 or 3 consecutive tournaments or zero for over a month makes a god damn difference.

Case in point: After the Australian Open he lost 3 consecutive matches on the bounce & then heads into Miami where he was huffing & puffing against Korda and even Dimitrov.. and that was whilst he was cruising... lol

He then plays Mensik in the finals and EVERYBODY commented after about 5-6 games just how knackered he was and looked like fainting any second... He barely got through that straights sets match.

And here's the kicker- Djokovic made the final without dropping a set so he had little court time over the event to exhaust him & the semi's was very quick too..... and yet he was still exhausted in the final.

It's not about conditioning anymore... It's all caught up with him.He's old,slow & gets injured every...single... tournament.



but Djokovic fans are still holding out hope in 2026 over 7 best of 5 set matches especially in Australia with over 30 degree celsius heat in summer whilst he nears his 39th year.

Yeah sure... LOL!

You are replying to an ACC contender.

 

[florentine]