By Chris DLet me begin by saying Djokovic is my man. I’m a member of a number of tennis teams on-line and I’m properly conscious of his haters and why most Fedal (Federer/Nadal) followers don’t like him. His perceived character flaws don’t trouble me.
Smashing a racquet every so often, getting firedup and indignant and trolling a hostile crowd at all times makes him play higher, a few of his antics like clowning Ben Shelton together with his dumb telephone antic factor when he beat him on the US Open final fall…all of it’s a part of who he’s, for higher or worse. He’s additionally been in so so many conditions with hostile crowds all through his profession that he appears to naturally play that villain position o properly in comparison with the universally beloved Federer and Nadal.
Everybody has their opinions on the endless goat debate however for me the numbers and stats simply don’t lie, and so they all say Novak is the GOAT. Like we at all times should level out to Fedal followers it’s not reputation or model, it’s not one floor however all the pieces he’s finished. To come back up below Federer and Nadal, the 2 different biggest gamers ever, and to finally outlast and surpass them and just lately have the 12 months he had final 12 months at 36-years previous is unimaginable.
He’s the one one from his technology taking up these younger weapons and beating them nonetheless on the most important levels. After all of the drama with Covid, not being vaxed, being deported from his greatest Slam in Australia and so on., and so on. and to return again an do what he did was spectacular. I don’t agree with how he dealt with that entire scenario, however you must respect that he caught to his beliefs and by no means gave in. He then got here again on tour and crushed it and schooled these younger weapons for probably the most half at 36 years previous.
In the meantime, flash again to Madrid clay 2022 the place a younger Alcaraz makes his mark beating Nadal and Djokovic to win that match. At that time it was changing into very clear how gifted he was and what a vivid future he has. He would go on to win the 2022 US Open and acquire #1 standing though Novak wasn’t allowed to play and misplaced a ton of factors. Sinner ought to have received that semifinal match and had a match level however he received by means of him and went onto win his first slam. To me, he was nonetheless likeable at that time.
He was enjoyable to observe and never practically as obnoxious as I really feel he’s now with the fixed fist pumping , screaming “Vamos” after each level and what appears to be louder and louder grunting as of late. The fixed chatter with Juan Carlos and his field after each level was getting ridiculed as properly. This carried over in 2023, when he misplaced the French Open semi-final to Nole and I feel it was round this level when he appeared to begin speaking brazenly within the press increasingly about his ambitions of over-taking Novak, being #1 once more in any respect prices, he gave the impression to be getting obsessive about Novak, beating Novak, stopping him from his objectives and so on. I began to essentially dislike this after I heard him discuss like this. He received Queens on grass and performed properly which arrange his run at Wimbledon the place he met Djokovic within the remaining.
This was the place all of it turned for me. I clearly needed Novak to win as he was nonetheless chasing historical past at that time. However as we’ve seen up to now when Nole has an enormous history-making match to win, he normally chokes. He’s finished it twice up to now with the Nole slam, and so on. and this was one other a kind of events. The stress was large on him and being the seven-time defending champ taking part in the younger hungry lion in Alcaraz.
When Novak is on and in peak type, he beats anybody at anytime imo. He performed that first set just like the champ he’s however would go on to squander that second set tie breaker after which he was in a canine struggle. He would slip up within the fifth with some very unfastened play and Alcaraz went up a break and pulled itout with some very brave play. I really feel he received the match however with historical past on the road once more I felt like Djoker choked.
Anyway, my dislike actually kicked in with what was to return publish Wimbledon with Alcaraz. The media hype and hysteria after final summer time was simply insane. Each tennis media platform simply went loopy. On daily basis, there was a comparability to the massive 3. Nike known as it “The Alcaraz Period” the $ poured in,the sponsorships took off which they at all times do when there’s a new large star however, with him, they simply went so excessive it appeared. You had folks like BJK saying “he would be the greatest ever” and boy did she get flamed for that. It appeared like someplace already handing him slams he hasn’t but received. The every day stats evaluating him to the massive 3’s achievements at age 20 is like they’re so determined to make him the following goat.
In the meantime, all through all of the hype and unrealistic expectations that the media and tennis world had been inserting on Alcaraz, he began to drink the Koolaid too. To me he misplaced that harmless, likeable character after Wimbedon all of it went to his head,. He spouted off continuously within the press about being #1. He even mentioned “greatest ever ” and was at all times on this Novak kick. He as soon as admitted after final summer time Cincy remaining “all I do is consider Djokovic in apply” blah, blah, blah. Djoker was clearly dwelling hire free in his head.
After Cincy final summer time when he misplaced, his obsession was clear. He would go onto lose 10 tournaments after Wimbledon 2023 together with not defending his US Open title. Meddy took him out and he couldn’t do a lot on the ATP finals the place Novak beat him once more. The media wasn’t fairly so eager to focus on this downfall and It grew to become apparent that the tennis world rushed it a bit with all of the reward and expectations. He was beginning to look very overhyped simply as just lately as his exit on the 2024 AO. I used to be not complaining as a result of I couldn’t stand the hype anyway and all of the fawning since final summer time, so I’ve been very vocal on tennis media platforms about exposing hat hype together with others Djokovic followers…had been a bit loopy sure and die laborious however so are Fedal followers however that’s an entire different dialog on these three. I’ll say Federer was at all times my favourite up till round 2015/16. Nadal will at all times be the king of clay.
Nobody is touching his data on grime however Nole has the #s which might be now not debatable for Fedal followers although they nonetheless attempt.
So again to Alcaraz. Right here we’re in April and he simply discovered himself for the primary time, since final summer time, profitable a match at IW. He seemed nice there and was in dominant type. I’m not a lot of a hater to not give him credit score. When he’s on, he’s a beast. I don’t actually know what occurred to Sinner in that 2nd and third set. He has been all the craze since AO and rightfully so. He’s been unbeatable, just about, since final 12 months’s Davis Cup and to me he’s so likeable and humble. I do know he fell throughout that 2nd set, and he didn’t appear proper after it from what I might inform. I solely noticed the highlights. Let me say I’m a giant Sinner fan at this level. He, together with Alcaraz, shall be on the high of the sport for a lot of, a few years, and as soon as Novak is gone, they’ll have the most important rivalry I feel which is already been fairly thrilling. They’re tied at 4/4 I nonetheless don’t look after Alcaraz, however he’s extraordinarily gifted. He’s a little bit of a present boater however at all times entertaining, if I might simply tolerate all of the grunting. His retriever model may be very Nadal, so we’ll see if his physique holds up down the street with that aggressive model. Nadal is almost finished, and I believed that was fairly classless that he confirmed up for that exhibition in IW, grabbed his test after which actually withdrew the following day claiming his type was lower than par.
adal and Alcaraz appear notably $ hungry, charging $150k classes, ridiculous entry charges from Carlos, and so on. I get it although. Novak confirmed as much as UCLA and hit with college students and I didn’t see any fees for that. There have been a ton of followers outraged with Nadal I don’t assume that was a great search for him in any respect. Cannot think about how the the individuals who purchased evening tickets felt.
Anyway, I’m wanting ahead to Djoker getting again nevertheless it looks as if his head is in not but within the recreation this 12 months. That AO remaining was horrendous for him, although Sinner performed out-of-his thoughts tennis. Within the first two units, I don’t even know who that individual taking part in these 1st two units as a result of that was not Novak. Have by no means seen him play that unhealthy particularly at hisstrongest slam and the courtroom he owns.
Again on Alcaraz… so he wins IW and right here we go once more with the media hype. They’re drudging up each possible stat to match his accomplishments at his age that are spectacular (don’t get me mistaken), however the phrase goat is being tossed round once more in future tense and it’s simply so ridiculous. Sinner was all rage simply 3 weeks in the past now their again at it with Carlitos the posts have been going loopy since IW lol. The child has two slams and lots of, many, a few years to show he’s constant to be speaking about him changing into a goat. After which we have now to match eras and who did he should win towards. In addition to him and Sinner, this subsequent gen period is fairly weak by way of any of them happening to be all-time greats. Medvedev /Zverev/Tsitsipas/Rune/ Ruud/Dmitrov/Rubelev/Shelton…none of them examine Roger/Rafa/Novak/Stan and Andy and what they went by means of. The massive three battled one another for practically 20 years and had the most important rivalries we are going to ever see I imagine.
Will probably be fascinating to see if Alcaraz has matured after that 10-tournament stoop. He has this tendency to speak an excessive amount of within the press continuously about his large objectives and ambitions and also you don’t actually right here that from Sinner. I wish to see him humble himself a bit, pipe right down to the media, and let the outcomes converse for themselves. He appeared barely higher at IW and I feel that drought might have taught him a number of issues. He’s nonetheless so younger and has quite a lot of maturing to do.
The remainder of the 12 months goes to be fascinating. On a facet word, I’m very involved Novak is testing now. He had such a tremendous season final 12 months… 3 slams, a document breaking #1 ATP finals, most weeks at #1, and so on. He actually doesn’t have anything to show. I do assume he has a number of extra slams in him, nevertheless it’s going to be tougher than ever with these younger weapons, who’re solely getting higher and higher. And so they all need his head now that he’s weak this 12 months. I feel Nadal will make it to the clay andthen retire after the FO. We will see.
So that’s my rant on Alcaraz and so on and I’d say Sinner is my new fav of the following technology. I feel Sinner and Carlos will go on to win many slams, however I feel Sinner will win extra and have the h2h stat over time however i don’t see both matching the massive 3’s data…not even shut. I’m wanting ahead to the remainder of the season and a few nice battles between the three.
