Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic and the Point of Divergence
May 31, 2008
Gael Monfils is in the midst of his 3rd round match at this year’s French Open against Jurgen Melzer. The two are tied one set apiece with Melzer leading 3-2 in the third set.
Who would have guessed four year ago when Monfils won the first three junior Grand Slam events, Australian, French, and Wimbledon, that today in 2008, Monfils would be ranked behind countrymen #9 Richard Gasquet, #11 Jo-Wilfred Tsonga, #19 Paul-Henri Mathieu, #29 Gilles Simon, Michel Llorda (#41), Nicolas Mahut, #50 Fabrice Santoro, #55 Julian Benneteau, #56 Marc Giquel, and #57 Sebatien Grosjean.
Monfils is #59.
Who could have guessed three years ago, when he played his best friend at the time, Novak Djokovic, in the first round of the U.S. Open, that Monfils would lose that match after winning the fourth set, 6-0. And who would have guessed that that match would be the point of divergence between the two players.
Djokovic is #3.
Both players, age 21, are charismatic off the court and young talents on it. But while Monfils was marked for stardom, especially when he reached the round of 16 at the French Open just two years ago, Djokovic was a relatively unknown as a junior and began 2006 at #78 in the world. Monfils began 2006 at #30. Monfils reached #23 in the world after that French Open but took a precipitous fall and finished the season #46. Meantime Djokovic left the French #40, but ended his 2006 season all the way up to #16.
(Monfils lost the third set, 6-4, but is leading 2-0 early in the fourth set.)
What was the point of divergence between the two? After the French, Monfils dealt with some nagging injuries which forced him to miss much of the summer U.S. hardcourt season. But he came into the U.S. Open healthy and ready to make a splash in America. That first round U.S. Open match against Djokovic was expected to be tough, as matches against friends, especially when the players grew up together in the junior ranks always are. But Gael was slotted to win and move on.
But the fifth and final set between the two, which ended 7-5 for Djokovic, told a sad tale of the nature of the game today.
Djokovic began that final set by taking a “bathroom” break which most often in tennis circles means a player is losing and is hoping to break the momentum of his or her opponent. And on his way to finally winning, Djokovic would ask for the trainer or stall and reduce the match to a drawn out crawl a grand total of a dozen times. Six times he asked for the trainer. Six times on the court Djokovic limped around the court with “cramps” or some other alleged ailment.
Because of their friendship, Monfils was more than gracious toward his friend, allowing him to take more than the allotted time to gather himself so that Djokovic might have the opportunity to finish the match honorably in what ever fashion he chose.
But while Monfils acted the gentlemen, even the casual observer could see that Djokovic was taking advantage of the largesse his friend afforded him. Whenever the Serbian won points, he seemed miraculously energized. When he lost a point, he acted as if he was about to enter into the dangerous physical realm of a full body cramp. After his serve was broken in the fifth, which was repeatedly, he would call for the trainer on change-overs. Dutifully the employee of the men’s tour would trot out and massage Djokovic’s legs, or shoulder, or back, or all three. After some massages the Serb would stand, take a step, stop, and slump back into his chair, apparently needing yet another round of rubbing.
(Monfils won the fourth set, 6-0.)
As the final set wore on, the pauses became more pronounced, the massages longer, the stalling between points more often. The New York crowd sensed Djokovic was faking and began to jeer him. The average opponent would have complained to the chair umpire after the third or fourth play stoppage, after Djokovic held his hand in the air to stop Monfils from serving just before the Frenchman was about to toss the ball into the air.
At one point the crowd broke out into full booing after Djokovic won a drawn out point in which each player executed at least a dozen groundstrokes apiece and then, when he lost the following point, the stalling for time began anew. But Monfils implored the spectators to refrain from booing his brother in arms - and only at his behest did they stop.
When the final point was played, Djokovic acted as if he had just won the Grand slam event instead of winning a first round match. Monfils was understandably disappointed. His promising spring had turned into a lost summer of discontent and failure.
Yet in his post-match interview Monfils was gracious. He gave credit to his friend for making it through the match and fully took the blame for failing to maintain his concentration during the fifth set. He said he hoped Djokovic went far in the tournament and said he would be rooting for him.
When Djokovic was interviewed in his press conference he admitted with a sheepish grin that he cheated his friend and opponent; that he stalled without being injured in any way; that he called for the trainer when he had no need for the trainer; the he felt he needed to do anything possible to break the momentum of his friend because he felt it was more important to do anything possible, including cheat, to win and advance. When asked what he would stoop to such tactics against someone who rated him the closest of friends, Djokovic went from relieved but beaming winner to thoroughly embarrassed and busted cheat. His sudden change in demeanor was accompanied by a change in speech. He became brusque, angry with the press corps for challenging him and tearing him down after he freely admitted he cheated.
Djokovic ended the press conference as quickly as possible and scampered off the stage, looking not very injured at all.
When Gael Monfils was informed of his opponent’s tactics in a later one-on-one interview, the young man looked crestfallen. He intimated that in no way would he ever thought his “best friend” as he called Djokovic, would cheat him, would lower himself to do anything other than play a match with honor. At one point Monfils bowed his head, fighting back tears with the sudden understanding that in the world of tennis a player might well, in reality, have no friends in tennis at all.
That match marked the point where Novak Djokovic began his quick climb to #3 in the world. It also sped the fall of Gael Monfils to his present rank of #59. Today as Monfils plays commentators talk about that match, but no one seems to remember the manner in which Djokovic won. It is called a hard-fought match, a long match, and a match that everyone expected Monfils to win. They talk as if Monfils cannot win a five-set match and that on against Djokovic signaled his inability to gut out a victory. Monfils’ conditioning is questioned, his heart is questioned, his commitment to the game of tennis is questioned.
The commentators also fail to mention that many other players have complained about Djokovic’s gamesmanship, his cheating through extra-long breaks when losing, his penchant for bouncing the ball up to 24 times, then failing to pause to let his opponent know he is about to serve. Roger Federer, who never complains about opponents has levies the cheating charge at Djokovic. Both he and Rafael Nadal have commented about Djokovic and complained that his parents and their friends shout at his opponents during points to break their concentration just before they hit a shot when playing their son.
Many lesser players have done the same.
But Gael Monfils has defeated Jurgen Melzer, 4-6, 7-5, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. In the final two sets Monfils makes only seven unforced errors, an incredibly clean way to play the final two sets of a long clay court match.
And despite the description of Monfils by the commentators, the young French player has a stellar 5-1 record in five set matches.
5-1.
Hopefully fate and fairness will have a way of catching up to Novak Djokovic.
(A New York Times article from 8.31.05 that, in part, gives some of Djokovic’s quotes, but spares him of the worst of what he said.)
Comments
63 Responses to “Gael Monfils, Novak Djokovic and the Point of Divergence”
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It goes without saying that I enjoy the majority of your work, D, but I really do like reading your writing about tennis because you know the game so well. That was an interesting read about Monfils, a player I didn’t know a whole lot about.
What do American players have to do to get better results on clay? James Blake and both the Williams sisters are gone, and the sole American left (Robby Ginepri, right?) isn’t someone the casual Grand Slam viewer’s ever heard of. I’m not asking because I’m solely interested when Americans win; I’m just curious.
Dwil,
If Monfils is able to get back up the chart in rankings and do it being a nice guy, more power to him. But all this bitching from “tennis fans” about sportsmanship you hear whenever Venus or Serena lose a match doesn’t seem to apply to Djokovic and his alligator tears during injury timeouts you reference.
It’s a shame, but that’s how it is in tennis. Look at Andre Agassi, it took YEARS for him to shake that “young punk” label from earlier in his career. Martina Navratilova, earlier in her rivalry with Chris Evert, used to come unravelled often. Only after some time did she begin to assert her authority on the court and begin to craft a HOF tennis career.
S2N-
We need more clay courts here in the US. But they cost money to maintain….. with Ginepri it’s no accident that Jose Higueras is coaching him now. He coached Michael Chang and Jim Courier when they won French Opens…. he’s also helping Federer this French….
What is the point of this article. Did Djokovic win destroyed Monfis way to top? What a shallow thinking! It was obvious that Djokovic was injured and managed to win the match. If Monfins was beter he would win, as simple as that!
I’m no expert on this, but isn’t US clay different from European clay? I know the color is definitely different. If US clay is different, would that be a fundamental detriment to US players?
Uh Michael, the article talks about how Djokovic admitted to cheating in the press conference. Maybe he didn’t realize that it was cheating at the time, but he came out and said he didn’t need a trainer and that he just wanted to break his opponent’s (and friend) rhythm. Pretty sleazy. Djokovic has toned down some of that stuff, but he still pulls some strange things out there. No doubt he’s a great tennis player, but there are many better sportsmen out there.
Diallo-
U.S. clay isn’t even clay. It’s a surface called “Har-Tru” which is actually crushed stone. It plays faster than real clay.
Comparatively, Har-Tru here is not nearly as popular as clay in Europe. But it would help if players grew up on, or spent more time playing on Har-Tru because it is slow enough for players to have to construct points rather than just bang away with limited games.
Awwww… poor Gaelito :roooooll eyes:
utah-
Thanks for letting everyone know how much you know about tennis. Oh, and Gaelito equates him with Spanish, not French.
I remember that match very well, and I remember thinking that the ATP was remiss in not fining Djokovic after the match. I don’t think that a player should escape punishment for cheating or violating the rules just because he was naive/stupid/callous enough to admit poublicly that he cheated or broke the rules.
So, It’s because of that match he couldn’t get ahead from that point on? If it was illegal they would have fined him. Gael needs to get over it.
Biased Article. Gael has had plenty of chances to move up from #55 in the last years. He should have advanced already,if he is that good.
Are there any links to the one-on-one interview where Monfils actually cried when told of his friend’s cheating? If not then I’ll just assume you made it up to create more drama in a fictional story.
I agree, what’s the point of this article? No matter what, at the end of the day, he is not advancing, and it’s not Djokovic’s fault. As player Monfils is not strong enough, not smart enough, not motivated enough… lots of athletic ability though.
I can’t believe Djokovic admitted that ?
If there is any video (you tube) or something else ?
Untill i se it i don’t believe it !!
You guys are missing the point here.
This article isn’t about this being the reason Djokovic is 3rd and Monfils is
much lower ranked.
It’s about how Djokovic’ will to win (by the rules or not by the rules doesn’t matter) has destroyed their friendship. Well at least from Monfils’ point of view, cause I’m not sure if Djokovic saw him as a friend as well.
And he hopes, that at some point, this wrong will be set right by Monfils climbing back up again, and beating Djokovic in the way it should. Hence, no cheating whatsoever.
Monfils is okay as a player, just a retriever. Watching his matches, I am surprised that he returns so many balls, because he doesn’t put too much on return of shots. His grounds’ mostly “sails” and not hit with much pace where he could earn a lot of winners. His game is primarily defensive. At 6′4 he appears not to use his height, length and speed to his advantage. Doesn’t extend his arms to generate pace on his grounds’, mostly hits from the shoulder. He’s a little clumsy at the net, feet gets tangled at times, especially on clay, but he’s decent there. Nevertheless, I hope he goes far in the tourney and wish him well.
Article almost assumes that i that Monfils is more talented than Novak. No way. Novak has evolved to the point that he has become a likely winner of any event he enters, “regardless” of surface. Although I don’t like him as a player, for his gamesmanship is on alert at all times to disrupt the flow and/or hot streak of an opponent during a match, I do respect his game. He has an attack mentality, coupled with an aggressive, well-rounded game. He can and does exploit his opponent’s game with a precise return of serve and ground game. His movement, ball striking and placement of shots, misdirected or otherwise, is improved and lethal. Lately, he has been extremely consistent. Monfils, as primarily a retriever, doesn’t possess this talent, game, nor exhibit this type of performance. Novak has evolved to be a major impact player on the men’s Tour, a serious threat to Rafael’s domination on clay, and, unfortunately, a serious challenger to the reign of Roger as the game’s best.
Anton, whatever. That won’t happen. Wishful thinking. While I agree,Monfils has the game and the imposing physical presence and athleticism to be in the top ten, but he will not get there if he continues to play 12 feet behind the baseline on every surface. He will wear his body out, and be done with the game at 25 years of age. He is 21 years old now, and was a very promising junior. He like Djokovic came on the tour together, and he t TOO SHOULD be racking up titles and be more of a presence on the tour.
I agree he should change his style of play. He is playing too defensive to my liking.
But anyways, being a successful junior doesn’t mean you will do great on the big tour as well. Many ppl haven’t been able to do that, or the other way around. No big shots as a junior, but big shot now on the tour.
And while I do agree that Djokovic is a good and talented player, I can’t seem to like how he manifests himself on the court.
If he can change that, he or Nadal would be a worthy future #1 after Federer.
This article is utter rubbish and is directly taken or just inspired from some daytime soap-opera.and of course it ends up on MTF where it serves as food, as a daily fix (hate material) for guys that spend 90% of their time hating djokovic.
I watched the match between djokovic-monfils , RG 2006 and was listening to the commentary of guy forget (and another ex-tennisman) who were discussing the us open match . Guy Forget was over there and he said that he and the french team had suspicions that Novak was cheating and was trying to cut the rhytm (that’s all he can do by taking med. time-out) …
then he added that after they realised that he was indeed having health problems , straight after the us open he got two sinus operations then continued having success on court and by all the professionals is seen as one of the few fair-players on tour.
so you have here some serious guys like Guy, arnaud boetsch, who are saying that “yeah at the time it looked that this young player was trying to get away with a victory” (over their sweet french new hope ” but we realised that he did in fact suffer and did panic because of health reasons throughout that match”…
.. but no, their opinion just doesnt matter, what matters is what Kita thinks while sitting in his cage over there in fyrom, nourished only by hatred and being deprived of any sense of objectivity.
Well I have watched Monfils for a while ever since he came on atp tour and he just lacks confidence in his shots. When he first come on tour he was all flair and aggression (and his balls were totally erratic- forehands landing 15 feet wide, attempting to hit winners from anywhere on the court). Now he’s very comfortable pushing the ball (these last couple of years) but I think a lot has to do with injuries, lack of commitment, and he’s just plain old crazy (ie: watch him play any match on a hard court where he slides like it is clay/ or the Andreev (?) match in Paris indoors 2005(?) where he was leading comfortably, decided to put on a show for the home fans and ended up having to retire because he sprained his ankle doing acrobatics). At this point I think he doesn’t want to make stupid mistakes, so he makes his life miserable by getting into these atrociously long rallies. And he believes that he is the fastest man on tour, and is strong enough to push the ball in the court from anywhere.
The last time I saw him play within himself (controlled aggression) was vs. Safin last year in Washington, DC. But Monfils always plays Safin tough. I guess it takes one crazy to recognize another crazy and bring it.
After reading this article i bursted in tears
This is a joke for sure !
Novak had breathing problems and this match was before his operation .
I remember well what happend that day, Novak called 5-6 times for doctor , he was realy warried coz it was hot and he could not breath, did not know what to do(18 years old).
He wanted to continue , he wanted to play !
After match Novak said : I felt awfoul and could not breathe, i had to call for medical few times, this is part of sport and it happens sometimes but i had to do it, it might inturupted Monflis game but i had to do it.
Some newspapers after that invented story how Novak admitted cheating by saying “i had to do it”
This article is nothing but imagination of people who hate specific players.
In this case it’s Novak Djokovic, the story behind the real story !
The point is Djokovic is still a cheat, who will do anything to win!! He will never be liked, except by his family and Serbs!!! He pretends to be charming, but he’s a snake. His real character comes through when he’s down in a set - look at AO, and just recently at RG. Let’s not even talk about coaching from the sidelines. He’s worked hard, but his game is quite ordinary. If/when he gains #1, it will be a sad day for tennis.
The Nole haters have truly outdone themselves now! This article is so tendentious, so utterly biased, it doesn’t even attempt to hide the level of hostility towards one single tennis player. It states things without evidence, without any quotations. It is written in a histrionic manner better suited to shunned literature and operettas (Monfils’ tears, Djokovic’s tail-between-the-legs crafty monsterhood). I don’t understand how anyone, even the most ardent Novak haters, can support this article as an objective analysis. And what exactly is the point of the article: Djokovic ruined Monfil’s career?
Roddick Fan-
I watched the post match interview - stop lying. And it was brought up again during the Federer-Tipsarevic Australian Open match. McEnroe said it appeared that Janko was taking a cue from his countryman Djokovic when he played Monfils in repeatedly calling for the trainer. And as he said then, “Those tactics won’t make you many friends in the locker room. You can tell Roger isn’t too happy about it.”
Great article. Fakervic is a huge cheater and a disgrace for the sport.
I would admit that Djokovic is a good, talented tennis player, and he is probably the pride of his family. However, I must agree with VG that “if/when Djokovic becomes #1, it will be a sad day for tennis.” There is a line between being confidence and being a snob. He and his family are way over the edge to be the later. Also, their sportmanship is close to zero. I’m not stating that just from reading this article. Another example: Roger Federer has won the Sportmanship of the Year Award for a few years now (voted by his peers, fellow tennis players), and I think for Roger to ask Djokovic’s camp to be quiet during their match in Monte Carlo must be proving something. I would like to read a positive statement regarding Djokovic’s sportmanship from another tennis player who has played with him (for sure I’m not asking for ordinary statement like raising his hand to apologize for winning a net point). I also must say that if he does have a breathing problem (which I started to believe he does), it’s very annoying to see him beating his chest so hard sometime. Doesn’t he hurt himself (and may be damaging his own lung) by doing that??
VG, am neither a Serb nor Nole’s family member and I admire him! There goes your ‘objective’ statement! He must be doing something right since he inspires such irrational hate.
Here is a fantastic article about Djokovic from Telegraph.co.uk. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/05/31/sm_novakdjokovic31.xml&page=1
This is a great read if you want to learn where he is coming from and all of the obstacles he had to overcome. I like him even more now. Go Novak
What? Novak Djokovic didn’t come up with something new for people to bash him that they have to dig up something happened more than 30 months ago?
btw, I wholeheartly recommend the author of the original article send this and his/her resume to the producers of all soap operas in USA.
Wow look at all the replies to a friggin blog. Djokovic is truly great for tennis!
What kind of looser you must be to put something like this on web.
Win at all costs.
Djokovic is the perfect general to win the war against Federer and his pansy minions.
Crush any and all pansies that stand in your way. Winning is all that matters. Being nice is for losers.
Catching up with Novak, WHO Gael Monfils? There is nothing, imoh, special at all about Montfils. yes he’s supremely athletic but that only makes a slight difference in top level tennis. If athleticism is all it takes the johnny mac would have won jack sh*t.
He quite simply has absolutely no tactics, no ‘tennis smarts’. he just wacks the ball back and forth with no consideration as to where it goes as long as it goes in. No strategy whatsoever.
Besides, if he keeps doing those dramatic slides of his,especially on concrete, he is going to eventually wreck his ankles. Then his one major strength, his athleticism, will be gone.I can see him hovering between the 20’s and 60’s untill he pulls a major injury.
tennis08-
What doe your perception of Monfils have to do with the facts of Djokovic’s low-brow tactics? Oh, and by the way he did defeat Ljubicic in four yesterday to get to the quarters. I guess that’s what happens to top-flight pros who just, “whack the ball back and forth with no consideration as to where it goes as long as it goes in,” as you say he does.
And John McEnroe was a very good athlete; good enough to have played soccer at Stanford instead of tennis.
Must be written by a Rafatard.The best part was Gael trying not to cry.
dwil , you really have no clue how to read for COMPREHENSION. First of all,
author made assumption there is only fate and fairness separating Monfils game with that of Djokovic’s ,when in reality couldn’t be further from the truth.
Mugfils has only got this far because he beat a mixture of clowns, cripples and in Ljubo’s case, utter mugs.And that match was moonballing at its worst
Conchita Martinez would have looked like a hardhitter in comparison with those two clowns..That was painful. Any of the top 10 women would have beaten either guy that day.Ivan is aging and going to retire soon anyway but motherfucking Goofy has no excuses other than being a joke of a tennis player.
I was at the US Open back in 2005 and saw Gail play Djokovic in one of the early rounds on one of the outside courts. All of the hype and buzz at the time was going to Monfils and Novak was really a darkhorse. The Joker won that match that day and went on to show that he is definitely a big player in the tennis world.
No way he beats any quality player he goes up against. Ljubicic must have melted down. Monfils is so ugly to watch,he just hangs back and does nothing with the ball. that style might have worked in the 80’s. but even nadal . . . greatest clay-courter doesn’t just get the ball back in play. he’s aggressive. he’s smart. he works the ball around . . .
hanging waaay back and putting nothing on the ball can only get you so far. against better foes, he’s toast.His athletic ability is far superior to his actual tennis ability, which for pro standards is mediocre. I expect him to flounder in the 30-70 range in the rankings for his whole career, and if it were not for his athletic ability and serve he would be even much lower then that. I am surprised he has even gone as far as he has here. Everyone gets a good draw once in awhile.
tennis, I must agree.He is an athlete first, a tennis player second.The weirdest thing is the disconnect between his gangly, tall, muscular body, which suggests agressive tennis, and how he plays. In his mind, he is a grinder. He seems to relish being way behind the baseline and getting balls back. A more athletic Aranxta-Shanchez Vicario.
This can work in some matches, but against better players, he will have trouble. If he could just be aggressive and step up some more, while still playing some steady, retrieving points, he would be much better. Maybe not a world beater, but top 20 or top 30.
Novak is slimy pig that comes from a crappy background. Just look at his parents. This article makes 100% sense. He does this like every 10 matches. Nothing new. Disgrace to the tennis world if this guy ever reaches the top. He will always be a polarizing figure in the sport and thus will have a hard time maintaining his mental game to achieve what true greats do.
Put Monfils on Suzanne Lenglen and he would go far in this tournament.
Banti,trite,borning and lame.
does it take NASA to figure out that over half the posts against him here are just fuelled by bitter hatred and a wish to “troll” Seems everyone needs a “villain” to focus their negative feelings on, and for the moment, MTF have chosen Nole in this role - I’m sure they’ll find someone else soon, just as, in the past, they demonised Hewitt, Roddick and many others.
For me - I am proud to be a Nole fan Yes - he has made some mistakes (who hasn’t?), but I’ve met him many times, and he’s a really nice guy, - and I respect him a lot. He treats his fans with kindness and respect, he is loyal to his coach and his family, and he works hard. So personally I don’t give a sh*t what the haters say about him, they won’t change by opinion.
[…] looking at his off-court buddy. (Don’t fall prey to friendship appeals, Multiple Ernests - look what happened to Gael Monfils!). Avantage, Latvia. Serious, skinny Steven Seagal claps. Three big shots in a row from T-MEGa - […]
krisps-
This has nothing to do with “villains” and everything to do with illustrating how one match can send careers in two different directions. And in the case of Djokovic and Monfils and the match that, to this point, has marked the divergence in their paths, the facts of the match are the facts of the match - period.
Hewitt was and is correctly “demonized” in America for his incident with James Blake and the black line judge at the U.S. Open. In Australia, he is hated because he’s not the quintessential “good guy” Australian - which I find ridiculous.
The criticisms of Roddick, from my viewpoint, deal with his limited game rather than anything else.
So, your opinion is yours and I certainly don’t care about how you or anyone else feels about “Nole.” He did what he did to Monfils, that cannot be disputed. And what he continues to do is well-known on the tour. That players complain about his calling trainers for no reason during tight matches - like so many other players - and for bouncing the ball 18 to 20-something times and then serving without pausing first, which is a “quick-serve” and illegal can also not be disputed.
EVERYONE-
Tennis is a game where you are out there alone for everyone to see - in singles - and who and what you are as a person will ultimately be revealed, always. I do not appreciate players who bend the rules or break them.
Just look at the difference in perception by players and writers alike between Djokovic versus Federer and Jankovic versus Ana Ivanovic. Two are known to do anything including bend rules or cheat their opponents to win (the win at all costs syndrome), while Federer and Ivanovic are known as the fairest players on their respective tours.
These perceptions don’t arise out of thin air.
wow a lot of hate, even though i really don’t understand why
no man can please everyone and its not like hes holding a knife on your throat making you like him
dwil…
If you’ve been following tennis lately, you would have noticed that Ljubicic is not a shadow of the player he was. Beating Ljubicic on clay this year is no big deal.
I don’t care what kind of players Djokovic and Monfils are as long as one or both of them can beat Federer and knock his arrogant phony Swiss ass off of his throne. I’m tired of Robo Fed winning all of the time due to luck and poor competition, so boring…..
Djokovic will never win a “players favorite” or “sportsmanship” award. Unfair dickhead
Graff and rest of your kind, spare us ,this is not whining corner. You have been listening to much crap on here about Djokovic. Benti How dare you call a highly skilled professional Tennis player , he who always gives 100% that? Go out there have a bash yourself then you will see just what it takes to reach no.3 in the world and win a Slam.
Honestly, and not to claim that Novak is some totally innocent victim, there seems to be a witchhunt/scapegoat phenomenon going on here. For some reason, everything that’s been going on with other players (e.g. Nadal’s timewasting and vulgar service routine, del Potro’s retirements, Murray’s foul language, etc.) has now converged on this one person who represents irreverence to the established “hierarchy,” whose parents are not softspoken but rather as outspoken as he is, and who is now accused of practically all manner of (tennis and non tennis) evil. A case in point: when he retired in Monte Carlo the forum was rife with insults against Novak and his family. When Stepanek, Roddick, and Almagro retired in Rome, there was not so much as a peep. It’s just an interesting phenomenon, that’s all.
Nole is not liked because he doesnt back down and wants to be #1.
Most of the fed fans are used to players bowing to Federer and never having the guts to stand up to him and challenge for the number 1 spot.
Its the same reason Nadal was hated before.
The biggest threat to Federer will be hated. Simple.
The sooner Federer and his fans have left tennis, the better it will be.
I don’t really like Djokovic, but that article was lame
No matter what Djokovic might have done, plenty of players can cruise through a 4th set to lose in the 5th, so I don’t know why he emphasies that so often. That and Gaels injuries might have a tad more to do with his lower ranking that Novak being a prick to get through that match
And what’s the point,Djokovic is guilty because Monfiils failing.And if Djok is No.3 because that, then I am glad he is guilty.Go Novak i jebi im mamu svima.
Man, what a bunch of whiners and cry babies in here… you guys seriously need a life, to be seating in front of computer all day, looking for any details and past issues to be judging a succesful tennis player’s soul. Reading this thread seems like Djokovic is Satan himself. I am not even a particular fan of the guy…
Just enjoy the Tennis, stop playing god and shut up..
NAPRED SRBIJA!
ROPE , YOU ARE SO RITE,
ALL OF NOLE HATERS IN HERE CAN KISS HIS BUTTTTTT
DAMN , YOU PEOPLE, PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ARE
NOTHING ELLSE BUT CHEATING.
I IMAS PRAVO
NOLE , JEBI IM MAJKU SVIMA,
AJDE SRBIJA
GO SERBIANS
IT IS SERBIAN OPEN, WOMAN FINALS
1 SERBIAN
MANS SEMIES,
1SERBIAN
MANS DOUBLES
2 SERBIANS
MIXEDDOUBLES
1SERBIAN
1SLOVENIAN
GO BALKANS
SUTCH A SMALL NATION BUT STRONG TENNIS PLAYERS
NOBODDY LIKES JOKER , BUT HE DO NOT GIVE A HOOT, KEEPS
ON WINING AND ONLY 21 YEARS OLD , WOWWWWWWWWWWW
ZIVELA SRBIJA
part of the problem with Novak and the backlash against him in some quarters is that he is different, he is a bit brash, he is a bit more outspoken about what he thinks and what he wants, and his family are more vocal and a larger presence than people have been used to.
The Federer Nadal cosy duopoly which was in place for quite some time was just that - cosy. They like each other, they talk about each other with respect, they rarely say anything gauche or out of turn about the other - it’s a very civilised rivalry.
And then in bursts a teenager with a cocky attitude, with initially more talk that game, though now his game usually matches up to his talk in large part.
For many people I think they have reacted against the changed picture and against him for changing it.
That’s not the reason why everyone has taken against him, but certainly I think in some cases, it explains a few things.
Roger and Rafa have been cosy, cute and a stable presence at the top of the game for ages, but that had to change eventually and Djokovic has every right to bring that change if he can.
Might as well get used to the idea.
scoobs-
Nobody cares about Novak’s right to say what he wants…. and Federer and Nadal have been at the top of the game for ages????? AGES!!! Nadal, three French Opens, period. Federer, top of the game for almost five years. That’s hardly ages.
It’s a good thing you weren’t around to know about tennis when McEnroe, Lendl, Connors, Edberg, and Becker played. Connors - 19 years. Lendl, McEnroe, Becker - 13-15 years, Edberg 12 years….How about Ken Rosewall who won French Opens 15 years apart. How about Rod Laver who won Grand slams seven years apart. THAT is ages for tennis.
As far as Djokovic is concerned, I only care that he disrespected his friend, Monfils and cheated to win a match - and continues to do so. That is not necessary in the game, at all. He can be brash, he can be a jerk - but be fair to your opponent.
Im a huge djokovic fan and could care less if he cheated that time, and everbody knows that its just a matter of time before he’s number 1. Monfils is a good tennis player I doubt that it’s Djokovic’s fault that he was ranked so low it was more of injures at fault.
I was at that match and was the most vocal in the crowd demanding Novak (never heard of him; had seen Monfils as a junior) be defaulted and the chair be removed for the travesty (hee hee).
Then I watched Novak persevere, then he went on and won a couple of more long matches before losing another long match in the 4R IIRC. I went from big critic to instant fan. Anyway, I wrote all about it then. At that time, I said Novak has the most mental fortitude of all the youngsters save for Nadal. Monfils ain’t got it.
To all you djokovic ass lickers……djokovic wins 1 slam and y’all are kissing his ass already……especially Stax.Djokovic has tough solid game agreed.But he is not someone who always plays fair.This is a fact regardless of whether he is threat to federer or not.I like his guts to challenge federer for the number 1 spot.But he is talking shit that federer will not surpass pete’s record.Who the hell is he decide what fed can or cant do?For some people like you its a pain in the ass when fed wins all the time.What the fuck r u losing if he wins.Just because everyone compliments federer’s game that doesnt mean that they are bending down.If you’re respecting pete sampras 4 wat he has done you’re not bowing. It’s just manners……. something which jokevic and his ass lickers will never understand.
[…] Objectively speaking, Nole has done nothing wrong. He’s an up-and-coming tennis player who just joined the Big Leagues, trying to keep his place. He has a sense of humor about the sport and its stars. I actually like his imitations. But it’s difficult for me to like him when I’ve heard him spout less than gracious words about his opponents, when I’ve seen him gloat so ungracefully after defeating Federer at the Australian Open 2008 (I’m not a Roger fan, but even that attitude I won’t stand for), when I’ve witnessed these arbitrary injury time-outs to distract the opponent and shift momentum — tactics he’s used even on one of his closest friends (now ex-friend), Gael Monfils. […]
Rite, ZVEZDAS_LOS ANGELES I’m so with you. yep, Djoker is numero 3, and he proved himself already. Who is Monfils BTW. Napred Nole jebi im mater zapadnjacku prodanu!
The writer is black
So Djokovic is to blame for the lack of success Monfils has had? Do you even have a brain?