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So who's the male tennis GOAT?
It has to be asked. Djokovic has just pulled even with Roger and Rafa, with 20 career major titles. I think @Master just voiced what I'm feeling... that Djokovic is now the male tennis GOAT. Which is too bad, really... 'cause I've always pulled for Federer. But Novak can no longer be ignored in GOAT discussions. Not to mention he's got a year advantage on Nadal, and 5 on Federer. PLUS... he's got the head-to-heads. So in what order would you put them?
To me, it's:
1. Djokovic
2. Federer
3. Nadal
People talk about the Samprases, Borgs, and Lavers of the past... but for me the gap in majors is just too big. None of those guys can crack the Top Three.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Don’t forget Borg retired at 26 ….. he would have won many many more Slams had he continued. He was nigh on unbeatable on clay
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I'm voting for Nadal by far the best on clay and won enough of the other tournaments too, he had some injuries and came back so I'm voting Nadal... I think it's between him and Djokovic both beat Federer enough for me to not have him as the top....
Also I didn't seen guys like Borg and mcenroe... First superstar I remember was Sampras
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
X
Don’t forget Borg retired at 26 ….. he would have won many many more Slams had he continued. He was nigh on unbeatable on clay
Borg is definitely in the conversation. But his retirement at 26 unfortunately puts him at a disadvantage, no matter what the reason he may have had.
Reminds of a great in another sport (you may not be familiar with this one).
Barry Sanders was arguably one of the greatest talents ever to play running back in the NFL. The cuts he made at full speed defied the laws of physics. Unfortunately... for whatever reason he decided to retire at the young age of 30 years old. Had he play a handful more years, who knows how many records he would've broken. Yet when talking about running back GOATs in the NFL... his name doesn't come up very often. Longevity in and of itself is a necessary requirement for GOATs.
Back to Borg though... you're right. He was unbeatable on clay, and held the record on French Opens until Nadal came along. Unlike Nadal, however, Borg would just as easily win on Wimbledon as on clay. For this reason I don't rate Nadal higher than # 3. It's ALL based on the sheer volume of clay victories.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
These are the 3 best players ever and to still win as many titles makes their achievement even greater having to beat one another. Novak is just a machine and a miserable git (as Palmer's would say) but just a undeniable force of nature.
The Lavers, Connors, Borg, McEnroe, Sampras were great in their time but would not have won as much in this era.
Andy Murray did amazing to do what he did he could have been 4th.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Can't see Federer or Nadal winning another slam now. Time has caught up with Fed though Nadal will maybe have a chance at the French next year.
Djokovic should easily reach 25 you'd think unless someone comes along to take over but you can't see that at moment.
Despite this, all things being equal and with no home surfaces my vote would still go to Roger for GOAT. He dominated, French aside, for 7 years or so till he hit 30ish. Djok hit his peak about the same age and still has 2 or 3 years on his side now the other two have faded.
I know it will be harder to argue against the stats mind but that's where I am at mo.
I put Djok ahead of Nadal (but never on clay !) as they're the same age there or there abouts - it's a shame Roger's prime didn't coincide with Djoks.
A I said in another thread imagine how many they'd have won if the other two had not been around but then again maybe they wouldn't have been as great as they all pushed each other.
What an era. Will not happen again
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Yeah, I agree with you - these three guys are all in the conversation about the best of all time. The fact that they are all around at the same time is just about unprecedented in ANY sport.
I wouldn’t be so quick to write off the old timers though, it is something that every generation does - as if we imagine that the world was in black and white!
Laver, Borg, McEnroe, Sampras would certainly have been successful in the modern era. Talent is talent. Equally, I’m not convinced Nadal or Djokovic would been as dominant playing on grass courts with fast balls and wooden rackets.Federer would.
I go with Federer as the best of all time. His dominance was just unbelievable, and he won everything seemingly effortlessly. There is also something important about aesthetics….. watching how graceful and beautiful Federer’s game is is just uplifting and joyous.
Nadal is a bull of a player, rock solid temperament and just so physically strong. Easily the best ever on clay. Being bombarded by those unbelievable topspin forehands at Roland Garros is one of the toughest asks in sport.
Djokovic is a great player, and he has shaded the head to heads against the other two. He will also be ranked number one for longer and I do think he will win more Slams …… but ……. but
I can’t make myself support him as much as the other two. He has definitely caught them on the way down, and I can’t help but be a bit suspicious about his incredible stamina and resilience (especially since he struggled with stamina so much earlier in his career).
There is also something about his game - winning on defence, grinding through matches, playing ugly to win that I don’t enjoy as much as watching Nadal and Federer’s styles. He does seem like a bit of a dick too, with all his political views and anti vax beliefs etc.
It’s strange, Djokovic is very possibly the best tennis player that has ever lived, but I don’t warm to the poor guy
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Roger started to lose more slams as those two hit 24ish around the time their dominance started.
Of course he would have won much more into his 30s but for the other two's existence.
Would love to see him have one more go at Wimledon when he's 40 but at that age to win a 14 day slam is a big big ask - and not just win the slam but you'd need to beat Djon on the way you'd think.
Must grate at Roger when he fluffed two championship points against Djok two years ago to put him on 21
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
It's Absolutely amazing and there is no right and wrong answer in my book. I Think the only thing I can say for definite is that Nadal is the Greatest ever on Clay.
People can say Borg could've done this and that , but these 3 actually did it!
The most amazing thing is that if you add up all their Majors, that is 15 whole years of majors between them ! that is ridiculous when normally a sportsman might be in the top 1 , 2 or 3 for 5-10 years max.
if you held a gun to my head , i would say at the Moment Fed overall, Nadal Clay, but Djokovic will overtake Fed and become GOAT.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I forgot Novak has had allegations about his stamina being due to PED or machine but it has been so long ago and he has been consistent that I do not think they have any merit.
Djokovic has also been careless and acted irresponsibly about Covid. Novak has said he may not go to the Olymics because of the high number of Covid 19 cases.
Certainly the Greek/Australian player Kyrgios hates Djokovic.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I know you guys don't "do" basketball...... but I heard the perfect analogy this morning.
Some guy on a talk show likened Federer and Nadal to Magic Johnson and Larry Bird of the NBA in the '80s. The two top players in the NBA at that time... and it seemed they were always going head to head in NBA Finals. Then along came Michael Jordan (you may have heard of him) in the '90s... and eventually became the consensus GOAT. His prime was after the primes of Magic and Bird... so it was tough to compare. Not saying Novak is "Jordan" by any stretch of the imagination... but the analogy is still pretty good.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
But he’s not even the best Jordan …… what about cavernous-fannied pneumatic Katie Price? ;D
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Novak
In Boxing terms. Nadal is like a prime Tyson. He puts his all and tries to knockout his opponent with every shot. Nadal seems generally loved and appreciated by all camps. It’s very easy to see how much work he puts into his tennis. You can hear and feel it with every stroke he hits.
Federer is like a prime Mayweather. Very pretty to watch. Technically brilliant. People may think his persona isn't true or is overly engineered, but he’s at least very consistent with that image. This is in addition to the gracefulness in movement and play that he displays on the court.
Novak is like Carl Froch or Holyfield. Not great at anyone thing. But very good at everything. Very tough. Very durable. Never quits. Hard to put down. Hard to discourage and just keep on coming and coming and coming.
Novak for whatever reason is the least popular by far and that annoys him.
His personality is not as smooth as Federer's, or as humble as Nadal. He is somewhere in between and it’s just hard to figure out.
It’s easy to root for this
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...48c41280dcddb0
Or this
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...ab8d137690b653
But not so much this
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...d00c7ffb035181
I think a lot of it is classism and snobbishness. Novak is a Serb. He's an eastern European. The tennis crowd is mostly European and European Americans. They are more Anglophilic. If Novak was French, Spanish, Scandinavian or American it would be different.
If your an Eastern Europe and you kick ass you're not going to be popular. Go and ask Navratilova or Ivan Lendl.
Now if your on Eastern European that has one or two ass kicking moments like when Goran ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 then o sh*t, the crowd will go nuts for you. Or if your eastern European female and ppl think your attractive ? Like a Maria Sharapova or a Anna Kornikova or a Ana Ivanevic then yeah they'll cut you some slack too.
When Djokovic came to the scene, he was a number 3 player for a long time. Federer and Nadal were winning all the big titles and Djokovic was… just there. He was good, but he wasn’t winning. Obviously, the fandom began to develop for Federer and Nadal at a rapid pace.
So when Djokovic started winning. He was seen as this new kid who was beating their heroes and he was beating them IN THEIR PRIMES.
If a young Djokovic was to come along NOW and start beating Nadal and Federer then it would have been much easier for the crowds to take.
Timing is important. Nadal and Federer came at the right time.
They smoothly took the baton off Sampras and Agassi who were the two dominant players before them and who were bowing out the game. By the time Djokovic started winning most people were already firmly in the Federer or the Nadal camp.
Djokovic has proven that he can play tennis as well as the other two guys. But there is a lot more that goes into making fans love someone. Sometimes the reasons are obvious. And sometimes, they’re not as clear. But that’s just how it works.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Did you know that Nadal signs with his right hand and is not naturally left handed?
https://www.essentiallysports.com/th...p-tennis-news/
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Denilson3.0
1. Nadal
2. Federer
3. Novak
In Boxing terms. Nadal is like a prime Tyson. He puts his all and tries to knockout his opponent with every shot. Nadal seems generally loved and appreciated by all camps. It’s very easy to see how much work he puts into his tennis. You can hear and feel it with every stroke he hits.
Federer is like a prime Mayweather. Very pretty to watch. Technically brilliant. People may think his persona isn't true or is overly engineered, but he’s at least very consistent with that image. This is in addition to the gracefulness in movement and play that he displays on the court.
Novak is like Carl Froch or Holyfield. Not great at anyone thing. But very good at everything. Very tough. Very durable. Never quits. Hard to put down. Hard to discourage and just keep on coming and coming and coming.
Novak for whatever reason is the least popular by far and that annoys him.
His personality is not as smooth as Federer's, or as humble as Nadal. He is somewhere in between and it’s just hard to figure out.
It’s easy to root for this
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...48c41280dcddb0
Or this
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...ab8d137690b653
But not so much this
https://qph.fs.quoracdn.net/main-qim...d00c7ffb035181
I think a lot of it is classism and snobbishness. Novak is a Serb. He's an eastern European. The tennis crowd is mostly European and European Americans. They are more Anglophilic. If Novak was French, Spanish, Scandinavian or American it would be different.
If your an Eastern Europe and you kick ass you're not going to be popular. Go and ask Navratilova or Ivan Lendl.
Now if your on Eastern European that has one or two ass kicking moments like when Goran ivanisevic won Wimbledon in 2001 then o sh*t, the crowd will go nuts for you. Or if your eastern European female and ppl think your attractive ? Like a Maria Sharapova or a Anna Kornikova or a Ana Ivanevic then yeah they'll cut you some slack too.
When Djokovic came to the scene, he was a number 3 player for a long time. Federer and Nadal were winning all the big titles and Djokovic was… just there. He was good, but he wasn’t winning. Obviously, the fandom began to develop for Federer and Nadal at a rapid pace.
So when Djokovic started winning. He was seen as this new kid who was beating their heroes and he was beating them IN THEIR PRIMES.
If a young Djokovic was to come along NOW and start beating Nadal and Federer then it would have been much easier for the crowds to take.
Timing is important. Nadal and Federer came at the right time.
They smoothly took the baton off Sampras and Agassi who were the two dominant players before them and who were bowing out the game. By the time Djokovic started winning most people were already firmly in the Federer or the Nadal camp.
Djokovic has proven that he can play tennis as well as the other two guys. But there is a lot more that goes into making fans love someone. Sometimes the reasons are obvious. And sometimes, they’re not as clear. But that’s just how it works.
Nice boxing analogy... except you probably should've put an asterisk on the Federer-Mayweather analogy with a big ass footnote underneath saying... "ONLY AS FAR AS TECHNIQUE IN THEIR CRAFT". ;D
That's because their personalities are not even in the same galaxy, and it pains me to see both names in the same sentence.
Interesting take on the "snobbish" component of it. I can't dispute that, since I'm not European. But I'll just say that if Federer had a boorish personality, it would matter little that he's Swiss. He wouldn't be so much of a crowd favorite. Also, there's more to Djokovic than just being Serbian. He had a horrific childhood, to which the childhoods of Federer and Nadal couldn't possibly compare. That of course has had a lot to do with Novak's scrappy attitude, and that laser focus he's got on eventually being all-consensus tennis male GOAT. Let's face it. That doesn't exactly endear him to some people.
Me? I still root for Djokovic over Nadal in head-to-heads (although by all rights I should be rooting for the Spaniard), mainly because I have a problem with someone being male GOAT on the strength of Roland Garros alone. Which is why I have Nadal # 3 behind Novak and Roger.
Good point about the timing also. I myself hated when Federer (my favorite of the three) began losing to Novak when it was supposedly still Roger's "time." I resented a young upstart coming in and cutting Federer's run short, instead of letting Roger accumulate a few more majors and maybe put that career record out of reach. But all credit goes to Djokovic, who did just that.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TitoFan
Nice boxing analogy... except you probably should've put an asterisk on the Federer-Mayweather analogy with a big ass footnote underneath saying... "ONLY AS FAR AS TECHNIQUE IN THEIR CRAFT". ;D
That's because their personalities are not even in the same galaxy, and it pains me to see both names in the same sentence.
Yeah true was speaking just styles not personalities
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TitoFan
Interesting take on the "snobbish" component of it. I can't dispute that, since I'm not European. But I'll just say that if Federer had a boorish personality, it would matter little that he's Swiss. He wouldn't be so much of a crowd favorite. Also, there's more to Djokovic than just being Serbian. He had a horrific childhood, to which the childhoods of Federer and Nadal couldn't possibly compare. That of course has had a lot to do with Novak's scrappy attitude, and that laser focus he's got on eventually being all-consensus tennis male GOAT. Let's face it. That doesn't exactly endear him to some people.
I do think the snobbish part hurts Novak big time. It's like in central America Puerto Rico is more of a respected country than Guatemala or Honduras. In South America Brazil and Argentina are more respected than Ecuador and in terms of snobbishness Switzerland were Federer is from, snobbish wise, is arguably the most snobbishly respected country in Europe, EG Swizz watch. Swizz Bank and all that and Spain is very respected too.
Where as Novak was brought up in the Slobdoan Milosevic (Former President of Serbia) brutal genocidal era. Look up Srebrenica massacre (when 8732+ civil Bosnians were massacred by the Serbs the biggest European massacre since WW2) and then NATO responded by Bombing Serbia in 1999.
(I'm no expert on Balkan history so I'm ready to be corrected if someone in Saddo lives in that part of the world. But that what's I've read but you never know who to believe)
Novak could easily been killed when he was a kid in the NATO response. He's talked about it many times. I guess that why he has a bit of that Ivan Drago "If he dies, he dies" vibe on the court
So basically Novak isn't from a HYPE COUNTRY. Not so much to do with his personality really. John McEnroe was a madman on court but he was from a hype country (America) so he was seen as edgy.
Nor does Novak come from a rich or well to do family (Rare in tennis). And all that bothers ppl. As if the audience says "You don’t belong here". But he does. Since he is a true fighter and one can actually learn a lot from his perseverance.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I don’t agree with your argument about Djokovic being from a less snobbish respected country, but I do think you’re onto something about his socio economic status.
Its definitely true that many tennis players (and fans) are firmly upper or middle class. Djokovic has had to scrap against the odds all his life much more than his peers, and that fight and determined spirit runs through his game. Maybe that’s what some fans don’t like?
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
So Djokovic has tumbled out of the Olympics without winning a medal
He flung a racket into the empty stands and smashed another against the net post. It’s is just unlikeable behaviour and incredibly bad sportsmanship, especially at the Olympics.
Bad. And he wonders why he is not loved like Federer and Nadal.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
X
So Djokovic has tumbled out of the Olympics without winning a medal
He flung a racket into the empty stands and smashed another against the net post. It’s is just unlikeable behaviour and incredibly bad sportsmanship, especially at the Olympics.
Bad. And he wonders why he is not loved like Federer and Nadal.
Shame he has failed to get the golden slams. That would have elevated him to a bigger head than he has already.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Just seen the footage. Great Olympic spirit shown there. Never understood why pro sports were allowed in but that's the way it is now I guess.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
So it was fun watching bad boy Novak losing to Medvedev. Failing to complete a calendar grand slam sweep, and overtake Fed/Nadal. Shame.
On a positive note is Emma Raducanu achievement the greatest in tennis/sport? A qualifier to win a slam, not dropping a set and was 150 placed at the time. Unbelievable
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Master
So it was fun watching bad boy Novak losing to Medvedev. Failing to complete a calendar grand slam sweep, and overtake Fed/Nadal. Shame.
On a positive note is Emma Raducanu achievement the greatest in tennis/sport? A qualifier to win a slam, not dropping a set and was 150 placed at the time. Unbelievable
She is amazing and it was a mind blowing feat. Surprised there was no thread on her progress thru the tournament.The final was fantastic and to be honest the men's tennis has been incredibly boring for years. There can be few duller sportsmen in the history of sport than Federer and Djokovic.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I watched Raducanu final, the first women's tennis match I have watched for years and when I say years I mean a lot!
A hell of an achievement. I do wonder how strong the female game is at the moment ? I looked back at names she had beaten and hadn't heard of any of them but I guess there's no dominant female at the moment. Hopefully she can become that figure and have a rivalry with someone else - that is good for the game. (I grew up in the Evert-Navratilova rivalry era).
As for Djokovic you did sense that was coming. He'd struggled in a couple of matches at times and last night I actually felt sorry for him as he had nothing in the tank it seemed for the most part. Again fair play to Medevedev though, great performance.
I do think there are now 3 fitter stronger younger players on the mens tour - Tsipitas, Zverev and Medvedev - and it could well be that the old guard will be second to them (Fed for sure). You do think if Djok is going to get to 21 he has to do pretty sharpish. You don't know what yesterday took out of him either, he probably knows he won't get another chance to do the season grand slam now the young 3 are coming of age.
Maybe the main 3 old guard will all finish on 20 slams which would probably be about fair to be honest. They are the 3 GOATs and people can then argue forever over who was best.
I still believe on his day though Jeremy Bates would tear them all another arsehole.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Novak will get to 21. It's not that I want him to, because my favorite of the Big Three has always been Roger. But Roger yielded TBE status a long time ago to both Novak and Rafa. TBH... between Novak and Rafa I'd rather it be Novak who takes over the mantle. He may be a bit boorish at times (and a McEnroe wannabe with all the racket smashing)... but he's good on ALL surfaces. I refuse to acknowledge a mega-clay-specialist as TBE. Rafa's #3. But Novak is still young, and it's just a matter of time. As far as the young'uns... it was bound to happen at some point. It may seem these guys have come out of nowhere... but that's just the way tennis is. As for the female side of things, it's good to see some new blood up there as well. With Serena now out of the picture due to age, the field is wide open for some of these upcoming young ladies to take over. There doesn't seem to be a Serena in there just yet, though.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Not sure how you can say Roger yielded TBE status a long time ago ? With no home surfaces and in their prime I'd still pick him against the other two.
And French aside Rafa hasn't won consistently on the other surfaces like the other two have so I'd always say its between Roger and Novak anyway - with Nadal the best there has ever been and ever will be on clay by a country mile.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I'm a Roger fan, so I'm not trying to throw shade his way. At their respective primes, Roger very likely beats Novak more than Novak beats him. But Roger lost some key head-to-head matches against Rafa, for instance. Even at Wimbledon! That one hurt more than most. Only fair Roger should've taken a French away from Rafa. ;D
Look at the head-to-head matchups. It's maddening to me... but I'm not going to ignore the numbers just because I'm a Federer fan and don't like Nadal. Federer has by far the inferior head-to-head numbers in Grand Slam finals between the three of them. It seems Roger sometimes failed when it counted the most. Nadal only broke into the win column at the Australian Open because he won it against Roger, for crying out loud. Nadal is up there in majors not only because of course he's a specialist on clay... but because he took his only Australian Open from Federer and one of his two Wimbledons as well.
Also, Roger hasn't won a major since 2018. Since then, Novak has racked up 8 majors and Rafa has won 4. In tennis terms, that's a long time ago for me.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Roger was 37 in 2018. The other two 6 and 7 years younger.
Fed and Djokovic were pretty even until Rog hit 33ish.
Nadal had the better head to head but the clay match ups just about all went Nadals way.
It’s impossible to say. Just stick to your own opinions I guess.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
The Australian business has been a disaster for Djokovic.
It's one of the most locked down countries in the world, and:
- he clearly breaks the law back home about self-isolating, showing that he disrespects the rules and that he thinks he is above them. That is not 'an error of judgement' as he claims, it is choosing to break the law.
- choosing to go out, while he is Covid positive to an event attended by children really is quite mind boggling
- hanging his agent out to dry, and saying that it wasn't his mistake in lying on his visa documents, also shows what type of guy he is. Incidentally, that is not how govt visa papers work - you can't just say that someone else filled them out for you and therefore it's not your fault.
Great tennis player, but something of a complete tool as a human being methinks.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Nadal was amazing yesterday coming back from 2 sets down and winning 21 slams.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Yes, what an amazing champion he is. A superb and miraculous win!
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Amazing achievement.
I think regardless how many these 3 end up on it's always going to be argued who the GOAT is - you can make cases for any of them.
Here's my method for deciding imo who the GOAT is - how I see a calendar slam season going if they all played in their prime against each other.
Australian - Federer v Djokovic final and it's going to 5 sets, flip a coin for who wins
French - easiest one of the lot, Nadal beats Djokovic in the final in straight sets
Wimbledon - Roger wins this one in 4 or 5 tough sets against Djokovic
US Open - Roger and Rafa in a 5 setter, it's going all the way but I'd slightly favour Roger
So for me in their prime I have Roger shading it I guess - crazy to think he'll more than likely end up on the least.
Nadal should add the French this year barring injuries so will hit 22.
Those 2 championship points Roger blew on his serve at Wimbledon in 2019 against Djok must haunt him.....
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Too bad Novak had to miss the Australian... but now I'm rooting for him to catch and pass Rafa.
Sorry. I don't want a clay court specialist to be considered the male tennis GOAT.
Had Novak been allowed to play, he arguably would've been the one to pick up his 21st.
I was always a HUGE Fed fan. But he lost too many head-to-head against the other two and doesn't deserve to be in the GOAT conversations, TBH.
Including a heartbreaker to Nadal at Wimbledon... FEDERER'S "TURF"!!
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Roger was past his prime when the other two hit theirs and the standard of these 3 has been that high that makes all the difference.
We are talking fractions here. How lucky we've been to witness this era. Can't see it happening again.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark TKO
Roger was past his prime when the other two hit theirs and the standard of these 3 has been that high that makes all the difference.
We are talking fractions here. How lucky we've been to witness this era. Can't see it happening again.
I think there was a bit of an overlap. It's not like Roger was an old man when he lost to Nadal. He'd be the first to say he blew some golden opportunities. By now, yeah... he's over the hill.
But yes... we're lucky indeed. We may well end up with the Big Three on top of the GOAT heap for quite some time.
But we're compelled to put them in order... and I for one will never think of Rafa as the GOAT.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Yes his clay record is that amazing it skews his overall slam record compared to the other two - but even without the French his record is still fucking brilliant!
His head to head record with Roger also skewed by his clay dominance. Is clay slower? I can't remember what the actual difference is and what makes it so perfect for nadals style.
Over the years we've seen many who struggled on grass and clay etc.
Hope Roger gets to play Wimbledon one last time for a Farewell.
Never actually checked how many slam finals they've each lost. I shall do that later when I'm working.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Clay is slower, requires more power and endurance. Perfect for Nadal.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
cheers - I'd since read up. Longer rallies and endurance. Surprises me at the French how still there's very few breaks of serve yet within 2 or 3 strokes of the rally starting you'd think it wouldn't matter.
Am I alone in being a big fan of the tennis played at Wimbledon from mid 80s when it was BOOM, BOOM and move in for the volley. I'm certain in one final in the Sampras era (might have been against Rafter the Shafter) the longest rally was about 4 strokes.
Australian open was played on grass till 1987, never knew that
US Open was played on grass till 74, then clay for 3 years till hard court came in
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
Also I bet Nadal was well chuffed he only had to play an extra 3 hours 57 minutes in the mens final than Ashleigh Barty in the ladies final to get the same pay cheque.
Equal rights indeed
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I was a Borg fan and did not like the young gun McEnroe.
Remember Becker as a 17 year old win Wimbledon - Loved Gabriel Sabatini but that is a separate subject. :lickish:
Wanted Ivan Lendl to win Wimbeldon and he failed every year but won French most of the time.
Never wanted Tim Henman to win Wimbeldon and loved it when Goran Ivanisevic won it.
Then Sampras took over.
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Re: So who's the male tennis GOAT?
I take it back Nadal is truly the greatest.
I was going to post this after beating Djokovic in an epic contest on clay but waited to see if he would win the whole tournament. Nadal did. At the age 36, with his body falling apart and foot needing injections. He is on 22 grand slam titles 14 of them French, he is truly the greatest tennis player ever.