Novak was the only one who believed he could beat Roger and Rafa and become No. 1 tennis player. I remember the time when any player basically just conceded the match to Roger because of how amazing Roger played tennis with the exception of Rafa on clay. I always rooted for the underdog Novak and am glad he has achieved greatness due to hard work and mental belief.
His achievement to be No 1 with 2 other legends in their prime is simply staggering. Seeing players now... cracking after 1 defeat is just funny. He would have 3 grand slams more if they allowed him to play in USA and Australia. Guess that's reality of democracy for U.
@@Stardumz : Any player out of western europe Us Australia wld hv got the same treatment which joko got …..joko is still treated as an outsider by the dominant tennis powerhouse nations …..
Novak since 2011 and onward is the true embodiment of what mental resilience of the highest caliber in an athlete can accomplish, truly the goat of tennis.
playing Roger/Rafa across the net and succeeding most of the time against the two is a tough task alone, yet he also had/has to play against the crowd... this is why his mental resilience is above everyone... but he is also human after all (too much pressure in the last Olympics, and vs Medvedev in US '21 going for Calendar Slam)
@@zlatkostevanovic5891 no need to disrespect Federer. I'm a huge fan of Nole and he is no doubt the GOAT, but Federer was a great tennis player as well and is one of the best to ever play
Novak was never scared of anyone, ever, because even when he was pre 2011, he always had the talent to destroy anyone...just not the serve or fitness. Since he improved those, he's been the guy to beat, more often than not...and always a danger to everyone at his worst, never mind his best. Djokovic at his very best needs a truly Herculean effort to beat. Edit: forgot to mention he always had the confidence that he could win against everyone, no matter the surface.
he never had the talent to beat nadal , nadal made him what he is today by giving him lot of wins free because nadal has to pause at that time (2011 afterwards ) djokovic grabbed lot of titles when both federer and nadal paused in this time and also gained confidence .... if nadal and federer won the titles they could win by this time both would have 30 grandslams and 50 masters ... djokovic is always number 3 behind nadal and federer... in simple words djokovic is great federer is greater nadal is the greatest .... at the most djokovic can claim he is better than federer and second place .. but he will always be no 2 to nadal
@@bhungry2889 not true the hater media says that, wawrinka is 6-20 in head to head, and he reach his peak in 2013 to 2017, yes he beats nole in majors finals 2 times, but overall counting all matches best of 3 and 5, Novaks leads 8 to 4, so please stop saying and spread liers, wawrinka was never consistent enough to play aagainst djokovic many times, only whan he performs at his best in particularly moments. Tsonga was another case who beat djokovic in a slam too and 6 times, when both start his career tsonga was leading 6-2 until 2011, after djokovic reach his best the serbian won 10 or 11 matches straights and put the head to head 17-6 in his favour
Djokovic was a breath of fresh air-a young player who didn’t fear Federer or worship the ground he walked on, unlike so many other players who, at the time, did. Novak was a Godsend for tennis.
This is a great video. I didn’t like Federer because of the way he treated Djokovic but then as you point out, Federer’s attitude towards Djokovic began to change for the better. Meanwhile, Djokovic always spoke of Federer with respect. At the end of the day, they got to the right place and it was wonderful to see the warmth between them at Federer’s retirement ceremony. We were all blessed to be able to watch these two warriors go at it for 15 years.
Federer and Djokovic are alpha personalities, Rafa is a total beta hence why he got along with Roger (he would have gotten along with Novak if he started playing first as well). But basically, Roger and Novak personalities clash
Ohh typical Srdjan sponsored rant. Djokovic and his father always had a cringy behaviour. He was obsessed with Federers popularity and that is why his family used to make personal attacks of Federer. Never once Robert Federer or Roger himself replied cos they are a class apart from this cringe worthy family
@@blistering2900 There was no jealousy or envy. Srdjan was annoyed at Federer making fun of Djokovic early in his career and has never let it go. Federer started the whole cycle with his comments. Djokovic himself never joined his father in these criticisms so you can’t apply your critique to the whole family. In any case, it’s all moot now as Djokovic and Federer (as the video points out) have put the past behind them and treat each other with respect and admiration.
normal insecure behavior from Federer because probably he realized early that Novak will end up with most slams and weeks as no.1 maybe that could be the reason for a rough attitude from Federer for Novak , while Novak always was humble in interviews and social media , win or defeat he was always good in sportsmanship.
Hogwash. Federer was not as insecure as Djokovic. When a player keep breaking racquets as Djokovic does all the time, it shows his frustration. And consequently his high level of insecurity. Usually the history of Tennis shows that after 30 years old most players get injured more and many retire. In 2019 Federer beat Nadal in 4 sets and then lost to Djokovic in a match that was the longest in a long time. Federer scored more points, aces, winners and won the long rallies. At the last moment he lost the last point. Not bad for an old man of 37. And he did not brake any racquets as Djokovic usually does. Now that Federer retired and Nadal is injured; is less difficult for Djokovic to win slams. Only a fanatic would think that Djokovic has a normal personality. He tries to be nice but most people see thru that. Federer is the most popular player in history and his peers has voted him as the most popular tennis player in history. And his opposition to COVID19 shows the type of personality that he has. But he has possibly the strongest and most resilient body to play tennis. His brain? He has a long way to go. I call him Novax JoCOVID, it fits perfectly.
Don't forget the clear and immense pressure from fans clearly being against Novak or rather overtly in support of Federer. If any other player and it includes Federer and Nadal, they wouldn't have been able to handle jack.
I don't think so. Go watch some of Federer's early matches were the fans were not on his side. Federer played like he had nothing to lose. And won. Having the support of the crowd many times puts pressure on you because you're afraid not to disappoint the crowd, especially when you're the older guy whose time is running out. Novak has unrivaled mentality, but Federer is only underestimated because he faltered against his rivals when the pressure was on him.
Bull. Not being the favorite made it easier. It’s easier to hit from down. Last time Novak really had pressure was the us open where he could take the gs record and a major slam. But he played his worst tennis all tournament.
The reason behind it was, Novak djokovic was portrayed as a Villain and Federer as a Hero. So Novak Djokovic has nothing to lose, because he was already a Villain that's why he got so good in clutch moments and Federer didn't.
I really do think that Federer's lack of success in those moments came from his fear of losing - the weight of other people's expectations of him clearly wore him down and he was unable to play freely and in the moment. This was most evident to me when he lost the 5 setter at the australian open against nadal in 2009. He was literally in tears because he felt that he was no longer good enough to be number one. I think that if Roger would've encountered a bit more resistance and lost a couple of grandslams between 2004 and 2008 he would've been able to win more than just 5 after 2010 - for reference he made it to at least the semifinals between 2010 and 2021 before he retired and only won 5 in those 23 (22%). Compared to at least 23 semis between 2004 and 2009 and having won 15 of those 23 (65%). let's be generous and say Andy Roddick wins more than just one grandslam and actually wins the 2004 and 2005 wimbledon and the 2006 US Open, but Roger manages to win the 2005 French instead - he would have faced defeat earlier on and managed to spread out a more consistent success over the span of this 22 year career.
@@gerardoramirez115 man, this comment and theory is hot, you nailed it, I long for those days where these giants in their prime roamed the Earth but I really wish we had seen a more mental focused, consistent, humble and down to earth Federer, that would of been amazing
The main reason Djokovic thrashed Federer was because of the backhand. Federer's one handed backhand was pretty but lacked pace and precision. Novak, on the other hand, has a powerful, precise and far more consistent two handed backhand that puts way more pace and accuracy on the ball. Countless times Federer would bury the ball in the net with his backhand. Especially in must win moments when his nerves would surface, the deficiency of his backhand would really shine through. Meanwhile Djokovic uses his backhand to deliver powerful, reliable, and surgically placed shots in impossible locations and from impossible positions.
Personally, I think that the crowd cheering for Federer on those big occasions had a negative effect on Federer himself. The pressure is on him not to disappoint the crowd, while Novak had nothing to lose, only to gain, since the drive to execute revenge is always a plus.
Yep. People don't realize this but Federer being so beloved (and Djokovic being hated by some) put an immense amount of pressure on him. Way more than any other player. Djokovic on the other hand was free of this pressure and had nothing to loose each time, and even fueled on people's hatred towords him. Not to mention that when Federer became 33/34 + he also had the pressure of knowing his time was ending and every final could have been his last, while his rivals didn't. People say Federer had it easy and Djokovic got it the hardest but I think it's the opposite. During matches, conditions always favored Djokovic. Outside the court and with the media it's another story, with Federer having it easy unlike Djokovic. But what happens on the court is what counts and Federer had it way harder than anyone
"while Novak had nothing to lose" nonsense. You think there are no pressure when crowd is against you, obviously you never played some sport with crowd as you should know how crowd can affect you(player) especially when they are against you. That's mental strength boy not will you disappoint crowd or Novak had nothing to lose dumb thing to say. It's always harder to play when everybody is against you not opposite when you have support, there are reason why teams wins most of the time at home also
@@foxskyful I'm talking about Federer and Novak. Novak has a lot of mental fortitude, he's able to feed on the crowd's anger. Federer, on the other hand, crushes under the pressure to make people happy. Those are complex psychological situations, perhaps you can't grasp it.
@@theamazingbrokenman " to make people happy" what a dumb comment and pathetic excuse. Or maybe because he played against best player and strongest mentally player. Obviously you can't grasp. He didn't have problem before to make crowd happy till Nadal and Djokovic came.
@@foxskyful These fanatical fans of Djokovic don’t get it. Djokovic and Nadal started playing in 2003. Who reached 20 GS earlier in 2018? Federer of course. Nadal had 18 GS in 2018 and Djokovic 14. After 2019 When Federer and Nadal were injured; in other words, most dangerous competitors are out then won more GS. If you start counting from 2003 Federer Won more GS. reached more finals, semifinals, Q- Finals that the rest of the players. The insecure Djokovic had a record of breaking racquets, a sign of psychological weakness. So a comment made that No-Vax has mental fortitude is a lot of hogwash. Federer lost 2019 Wimbledon. Djokovic did not do anything spectacular; Federer just missed. But the reality was that Federer played a better match. You can double check all the statistics.
Djokovic has always had the better toolset than Federer and Nadal. Even before Djokovic starting beating Federer and Nadal, I could see this. His mental game finally caught up around 2011.
@godfreyassenga9958 Why is it utter nonsense? I think it's quite obvious he has the better toolset. If one is not being overly emotionally invested in Federer or Nadal, it's pretty much clear to see.
@@lookinforthe70s What toolset does Novak has? I’ve heard some ridiculous comparisons to Federer, but having a better toolset has to top the most ridiculous ones i’ve heard so far. Nobody can play tennis like Federer- only Nadal came close. I don’t even know where to start from. Novak has won more slams but once Fed got to 20, anything above that is pretty redundant to me. Federer has too much. Toolset? Man please. Novak’s game is basic- except he’s very precise, good returner and loves to rally. Federer’s toolset is exactly why he doesn’t do long rallies- he simply didn’t need to because no one could stand too long with him- he had too many weapons/ But Novak has to rally 20+ and waste 20 seconds per serve. And i’m not even going deep here, this is just me giving you a hint that Novak’s toolset is a talking point that’s not realistic compared to Federe and Nadal, and to some extent Wawrinka.
@@godfreyassenga9958 You know not acknowledging Djokovic's obvious toolset is not going to help make Federer or Nadal any greater in people's eyes. Just because Djokovic is better doesn't mean Federer or Nadal are any less great. It's just that Djokovic is better. And he's always had the better physical tools, to repeat. Which you know what I mean. I'm trying to give you the credit for being intelligent. I've had many players over the years that I've rooting for. But that didn't keep me in denial about someone else who was better than them. That's just childish and doesn't end well.
@@lookinforthe70s Lol, first of all… Novak is not better than Federer or Nadal- he’s not even on their level- and I don’t think he’ll ever be- they’re way more talented but they delivered as well- It doesn’t make me regard Novak less. I mentioned the things he’s good at- great returner and defender, good rallies although quite boring, good server but wasted too much time bouncing the ball, I mention what he’s good at- But if I start mentioning what Fed and Nadal are better at, it will take me all day! Novak has won more slams cus he’s younger and this generation are not as good at the ones Fed and Nadal met in the 2000s. So- you can’t even back it up technically that Novak is better cus he’s not. Not even close. I liken him to Andy Murray- except Murray was unfortunate with the injury in 2016 after becoming no.1- otherwise he would have maintained no.1 for a while and beat Novak to more slams- so my man, I know what i’m talking about- based on just tennis in the court, nobody equals Federer’s game- too many weapons, very fabulous style of play, very skilful, less than 10 rallies most points cus he’s just too good for opponents to hang with him for too long. What else have you got? 😎
The answer is simple. Novak was always focused on the process and not the result. You can see from his game. Every point he plays, he gives everything to win those points.
Federer, Nadal i Novak su vanserijski igrač i suvereno vladaju tenisom već 20 godinai. Svako je specifičan na svoj način i tako igra svoj tenis. U tih 20 godina prošlo je mnogo tenisera ali niko da im se približi pa čak i kad su prešli 37godina života. To sve govori kakav je njihov nivo igre. Imali smo sreće da toliko godina gledamo tri majstora belog sporta. .
Cause he's natural born winer, warrior... Something what Federer never wasn't. He grew up in Suisse, always calm, never struggle, with anything, money.. anything!!! And Novak come from Serbia, we're every day is a battle, all the time!!! When Federer was training in fancy, nice, clean tennis courts, Novak was training in some dark empty places, cause of the war, cause they didn't have money enough... And that make just stronger!!! He has a mind of a warrior!!! Always fighting, never give up!!! That's the main difference!!! Plus Novak have natural gift talent!!! Plus, the way he treats his body!!! Like nobody ever before him!!! Everyday yoga, training, plus food...
Great Upload.. Toronto Final 2007.. Turned A Key in A Developing Mind Which Became A Fortress.. Beating Andy Roddick and Rafael Along the Way.. All his Career Fought Himself - Crowd - Media and Fellow Players . And Came Out - On Top.. With Class.. In Swahili.. Safi Na Kweli.. ( Pure & True )..
The Federer Djokovic rivalry is really all about Novak getting able to clutch out in those matches. I wouldnt say Djokovic is a bad matchup for Fed, because their H2H is really close... Its purely mental. Federer blew his chance at FO 2011 in the finals with Rafa as well... Rogers mental game is the reason he lost like 5 major finals from Djok and Nadal, and thats why Federer cant be the goat imo...
He nonetheless is what made Rafa and Novak who they are. Each member of the big 3 is a goat in their own way. Novak will no doubt finish as the most accomplished tho
Djokovic and Federer faced each other 50 times, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head record 27-23, including 13-6 in finals. More about numbers and facts th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=goatkovic
You failed to mention probably the most important factor - Djokovic's diet. I think it was in 2010 when he discovered that he was allergic to gluten. He changed his diet and in 2011 won 3 GS. He was always mentally strong, but his body wouldn't cooperate - until he fixed his diet. You also didn't breakdown their games technically - Djokovic is quicker, has more stamina, more athleticism, a better forehand, a better backhand, a better return of serve and a better drop-shot. Federer is only better in three parameters - serve, volley and smash, when you factor all that in, it's no surprise that Djokovic has the wood over Federer. Nadal on the other hand, is a much stiffer test for Djokovic because they are more even technically.
Diet is 1 of the factors but his sliding is biggest factor of winning in tennis which he manage to extend by 1 step further since 2011. No other can slide as well, to be fair Djokovic other parts of game is not top 10 level. He is heavily dependent on the slide during return serve and return rally. Federer serve and hit harder/faster groundstrokes, Nadal is better defender and hit with more power. Djokovic backhand better than Federer's but in terms 2 handers his backhand is normal in top 10. Players like FAA, Fritz, Medvedev or any top 10 hit better groundstrokes, the factor is SLIDING which kept Djokovic in. Djokovic without this sliding is like his 2007-2010 level.
Better forehand?😭😭😭 You don't know tennis. Only reason Djokovic has the edge over Federer is because of age. 6 years is a whole generation in tennis and Federer was Djokovic's biggest opponent even in his late 30s.
The only reason fraudrer has 20 grand slams is because he is 6 years older than djokovic and Nadal. If he was the same age his record would be the same as Murray. Weak era champions won 16 of his 20 slams before 2011. He won three other in 2017-18 when djokovic was injured.
Good point about the diet, not sure about Djokovic having the better forehand or stamina. In wimbledon 2019 they are 21-24 for Novak when it comes to rallies +10 shots, with 33 of them being on Novak's serve points. Had Federer had less stamina he would be totally crushed and outrunned in these kind of rallies, yet he lost only 3 less...this also shows how age didn't really play a big role.
Even at yheir height, Fed and Rafa were never about consistency. They were focused on majors. Nole was focused on every tournament he played and wanted that No 1 ranking. Majors were just a part of the puzzle. He always wanted that ATP overall trophy at the end of the season, because that will always be the greatest trophy in tennis.
Rafa's M1000s total is solid and Fed is #3 on that list. Federer also has 6 ATP Finals, so I think both of them were focused beyond the majors. Djoko is different tho
He had nothing to lose because he was playing the GOAT at those times and for the most part of his career, he had been playing catch up. And catch up he did... but psychologically, his losses affected him little and with each win he gained confidence that he at least belonged in the same class as the 2 men that were leading him until recently.
Federer Fans Should Thank Robin Soderling , He was the only reason why Federer is still in The Goat Debate Thanks to the Soderling he finally won hes RG title .
Federer was great, but he was the most dangerous when he was the underdog (which was very rare). In my humble opinion the biggest win in Federer's career and his most impressive was against Djokovic in Roland Garros 2011 Semifinal. His raised ring finger celebration (I am still the Nr.1) was legendary. Yes, the QF Djokovic opponent withdrew before the match and broke his tournament rhythm, but Federer did the impossible in 2011.
Novak is the best ever, his average quality of all matches he played, all surfaces and pick quality in matches played. However, that match on RG from 2011...if Federer played comparably well against Rafa in finals he would have won it. Only the crazy Wawrinka from RG finals rivals that game. Unfortunately, against that Federer Novak was on some 85% of its capabilities and against Wawrinka on some 70-75% of its capabilities. Which usually was enough, but not in these two occasions given that both Federer and Wawrinka were at 110% of their capabilities.
Yes! I think people don't realize how much more good you had in the way up to the rankings that climb is really hard, and 06 07 federer is really good, but a like the most in 2004 when he was as you say an underdog, or a least not the favorite! and that version a see the attitude a see in novak as well, with that glare! And i truly believe Roger was a better player even on clay at that point! and them he was in decline! focusing much more con grass, and later skipping the French open!
One thing that isnt talked about: Federer was never quite comfortable in long matches and matches in which he was trailing compared to Rafa,Novak even Murray and other big caliber players. I once read a quote from Toni Nadal who said that his main advice to Rafa against Roger was telling him to grind him out and make the points longer than 3 shots and eventually Federer will break down. I think Fed only beat Rafa twice after losing the first set and only once Novak and has abysmall record in 5 setters and matches longer than 3 hours.Even if u remove those 2 guys Fed barely has 55-60% winrate in 5 setters which is nowhere close to the big players(i remember his wimb match against Beneteu i think i saw a stat during that match that said back then Fed had only 2 more wins than losses in 5 set matches), fact is he was never a big clutch player
I disagree that he wasn't a big clutch player but you're right that he tires and gets frustrated easily in longer rallies against baseliners who get back everything...he becomes impatient This is why he loses from break up multiple times especially when his serve is down too Federer sometimes tried to finish the match quickly( which he was used to) by paying a huge cost
Federer has won plenty of 5 set matches, a lot against Nadal as well. Yeah, he doesn't like to rally but that's because physically he wasn't as potent as Novak and Rafa since he's literally, you know, 5 years older than them. Playing long points is always easier said than done but yeah, they did do that well against Roger.
Still somehow played 4 5-set matches against 4 top 10 players including 2 slam finalists and 2 multi slam champions including his biggest nemesis at the age of 36. Guess that was fluke eh? 😂
@@spideyocd because Federer was an attacking agressive style player, and thats the big reason of success on grass for him, he goes for winners and wanted to finish the points early, basically he was more kind of school type while , Rafa and Novak are great on defense and they got enough fuel for long long rallies.
Well Federer is an artist and most entertaining to watch. For me he will always be my GOAT 🐐 Difference between Novak and Roger is that Roger plays effortlessly and doesn’t put more efforts in get the point on court if it requires sprints still he manages to win 20 Grand Slams. I would say he is naturally gifted to play this sport unlike any other player in the history of tennis. Roger That!
Why Djokovic Was Never Scared Of Federer? Djokovic is never scared of anyone...including Federer. Djokovic is not only great player, but he is a great character, and has the highest tennis IQ. He is only one, and we will never have another one like him again...unfortunately.
Federer wasn't able to adapt fully (as much as his other two rivals) to the longer baseline rallies that dominated the game from 2008 onwards. Several of the big matches he lost, you can see he's trying to keep the points short. For comparison, see Stan, the only single-hander backhand to win recent Slams... he would go toe-to-toe with Djoker and arguably, Stan has fewer weapons than Fed (serve, forehand etc.) And finally, absolutely, first Rafa and then later, Djoker got into Fed's head. He seemed to wonder "how can these guys beat me even though I'm more talented" instead of thinking "I have to work my hardest to beat these two"
@@aranyaism Define 'kid'. Some 'kids' at 19 years old or earlier have even won grand slams (Alcaraz, Nadal, Borg, Sampras, etc). Was Nole a 'kid' in 2008 when he won the AO?
@@my8osprive 24 times roger lost from match points up. More than 2/3rd of this 24 before the age of 32. Rafa lost 7 and nole 3 times from match points up. Its quite simply CLUTCH MENTALITY 👍
Roger was slightly better than Novak, but Roger’s problem was his nerves got the better of him when the pressure hit, Novak always rose to the occasion. It was the same issue he had with Rafa until 2017 when he turned the tide on him.
I believe Roger was better in every aspect, is much taking away from him like the mental strength, like is easy to manntain the bar that high for that many year, I think being the favorite brings a lot more pressure, and force you to deliver, that add much more difficulty when dealing with crucial points, and to not be forgotten federer actually was the leader of the table of GS since 2009 to 2021, that many years competing and being the "goat" Is like every time you had to deliver results because of your status! I will add "that many times Djokovic rose to the occasion" was because he was losing! that is no being the best! I thing the real strategy of Novak was agitate the crow to being more vocal and add even more pressure to Roger!
Novak was losing at the beginning cause he didn't know that he's gluten intolerant!!! Soonest he changed his way of diet, he becomes the greatest athlet!!!
Djokovic has a winning record against federer. He was losing because he was gluten intolerant and had not reached his peak. Fraudrer the weak era champion
In a sense Djokovic is the true successor of federal. The dominant number 1 , who was world class on all the surfaces. Who went out to have all the records.
5 Consecutive Wimbledon Titles 5 Consecutive US Open Titles 237 Consecutive Weeks As World No.1 19 Consecutive ATP Fans Favorite Awards The Greatest And Most Influential Tennis Player Of All Time! Roger Federer ❤
0:15 - I hate to be this picky, but Wimbledon 2019 was the only time Djokovic saved Championship points against Federer in a Slam. The two USO examples were "just" match points as they were both SFs
You can see how brilliant Djokovic is even when he steps up to the microphone, it's a real pleasure to listen to him, while you can never hear anything new from Federer and Nadal, here you can also see the intelligence in comparison to the other two, just imagine the dominance of Novak if the bribed people from the media were not so inclined against Novak, how right was he when he didn't want to vaccinate, people today are suffering the consequences caused by Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci, it is interesting that they were never responsible for the huge number of people who died as a result of a heart attack, not to mention how suspicious the death of the Nobel laureate virologist Luc Montagnier.
Well, I get your point, he's always trying to improve his mindset, but so did the others. Djocovich did some bigger mistakes, tho. His Corona Event/Party and teaming up with some rubbish magic-fake-food. Nobody is perfect. For me, the most respectful honest of the 3 is Nadal, but also he's the most boring one when it comes to his personality.
Finally, somebody points out that Roger put himself in this mental issue by trash talking him earlier on. Biggest mistake of his career BY FAR! Coming from a Fed Fan!
This video is so on the money. Novak has a more complete game and stronger mentality than federer, and I’m a huge fed fan. Fed also wasn’t the most humble and a very sore loser imo late 2000s and early 2010s by not giving his competitors their due; Nadal even called him out on it. Novak’s strong return of serve also negated fed’s huge serve and slower courts tipped in novak’s favor as well.
Federer was never nice to Novak - he couldn't accept that Novak had his number. A good thing Roger finally came to his senses and appreciated Novak's worth
That's the mentality for sure. Before this topic comes to the table everyone argued that Roger cannot win again against Rafa on any surface. But, Roger won AO against Rafa in 2017 and after that Rafa only won against Federer only in RG. If Federer had a chance to beat Novak in the similar way after 2015, he wouldn't have let him taken on him till he retired for sure. And don't forget that Roger also six years older than Novak. And Federer never took medical time outs like Novak and most of these which Novak had were obviously fake. (2015 Wimbledon)
Great point about the backhands. Beautiful as the one-handed backhand was, I wonder if Roger would've been better served mastering a two handed backhand. It seems to be more popular for a reason.
Novak is natural successor of Roger. I think Novak is the GOAT, there is no dispute in that. But Roger is the second GOAT. Both showed best level of tennis ever.
I give credit to Djokovic for in beginning of career was behind both Federer and Nadal. Then throughout the years kept getting better till he head to head won over them. To mentally hang in there for over 5 years till he was able to beat them makes him the greatest of all time.
He wasn't afraid of djokovic, just he was six years older... Djokovic managed to tie the h2h matches during 2014 when Federer was 34 years old... In case he was retired prior 2014 Roger would lead their h2h.
You could also say that when they met in federer, specially in the 2010‘s djokovic had nothing to loose, he was the young guy who made it to the final and was challenging while federer going into most tournaments as the clear favorites alongside nadal had it all to loose, so mentally the situation going into the games was easier for djokovic
*Novak only started winning against Fed more often after Fed turned 30 and was past his prime (2003-2009)* *Djoker is 6 years younger which is gigantic in sports* The h2h between them started to turn to Novak's favor after Fed turned 34/35
Both players are great… tennis played at the level they play will always be an advantage to the one who is much younger, which is the case for these two… Peace…
Federer chased Sampras' record like a bullet train. After AO '10 and 16th slam maybe he lost some motivation. He said that what came after the 15th was a bonus. He also dethroned Djokovic in 2012 from No1, but couldn't sustain that level because of injuries. Let's not forget, he was playing with the smallest racket on tour. He truly rebuilt his game only in 2017, prior to that he lost to many other players in GS, not just Novak. Also Novak hasn't got a true opponent today, as Federer had in Novak when he was his age. With Murray injured, Federer was still Novak's biggest challenge at Wimbledon since 2018. I doubt Fed has any regrets from his career, so all his fans should be happy about it. Tennis is big enough for all these 3 champions and many others.
AND BABY immature djokovic was prime federer bigest opponent on hardcourt from 2004-10, novak beat him twice by grandslams AO2008 and us open 2010. If there would not djokovic, federer would win every year 1-2 grandslam from 2011-16 like 2017. THERE IS a reason why federer won only 1 grandlam from 2011-2016 and 3 grandlams from AO2017-AO2018. I mean how federer dominate 2017-2018, He would also dominate from wimbl.2015- AO2016, when djokovic would be injury like 2017-AO2018. With that small racket h dominate the tour from 2004-10
What did you expect? Djokovic is 6 years younger than Federer and once Djokovic is in his peak Federer was several years beyond his. The fact that Federer still played on par with Djokovic inspite their age difference just shows how much better player Federer was. With 6 years age difference Djokovic should have won Federer in 65-70% of their matches, but ONLY managed to beat him 54%. That is the greatness of Federer.
What most people do not understand is every player has to go through their own demons and come out of it victorious to prove to themselves and to the world that they are champion material. With these three great champions we have witnessed in the same era.we should be thankful for that instead most of the fans are trying to pull the other fans legs when there is a chance. I have seen this time and again and I have had enough.Those are not fans but cowards and opportunists who doesn’t care about other people and players. They created an evil atmosphere instead of a healthy competition in the stadiums which made players and their families uncomfortable. In my opinion what big 3 achieved is a collective effort of competitiveness,modern science,respect towards each other and self belief.Everything fell in place perfectly. Without these there wouldn’t be longevity,thirst for more like never before.
One thing I noticed about Roger was his unwillingness to concede the baseline.Novak hits with consistent depth and Roger just didn't have the time to run around the backhand to hit forehands.
A little to much revisionist history in this video about Djokovic's fearlessness. At Wimbledon 2019, Djokovic chipped a weak forehand return on the second match point, so he was a little tight, too. Federer choked and hit an even worse forehand approach shot that allowed Djokovic to hit an easy passing shot. Aside from that crazy cross court forehand serve return winner at the US Open, it would be more accurate to say that Djokovic maintained his level of play in crucial situations, while Federer broke down after reaching match point.
Djokovic ofc was not scared of Federer ...after he turned 30+ years old. Many tennis players start thinking about retirement at around that age of even before.
Djokovic was not scared of Federer per se but it took him quite some time to start beating him in GS matches. He lost from US open 07 to 09 to Federer in close matches where Federer was closer to his prime. Then in 2010 he turned it around and never looked back He won in 2008 AO and 2007 but those were few and far between
Federer does not have a legitimate claim to be the greatest due to his poor record against his biggest rivals, especially in the grand slam finals. Nadal relied too much on RG and wasn't as competitive on other surfaces when playing Djokovic especially. Djokovic was up there in every tournament, on every surface and has a better H2H against both. To say that mental strength is the deciding factor would be to omit a lot of technical details where Djokovic is clearly ahead of Federer and Nadal - return, backhand, drop-shot, decision-making and rhythm control. It's no longer an argument - don't forget the mainstream media and the Western bullies tried to prevent him from doing what he eventually did by banning him from AO and USO, and then there is the ridiculous disqualification from the USO a few years back. The guy could legitimately have had 26 by now, and he is still the best in the world. It's not an argument at all.
Federer had a pretentiously and unnecessary complicated way of playing. Djokovic is good at that that is utterly effective. Federer is mentally the weakest of the big three, Djokovic the strongest. Djokovic has a specialty, stretched backhand and forehand. That makes the field smaller, difficult to play but quite effective. So that’s basically it, tactics are more effective and mentally much stronger. Bonus point, Djokovic’ diet makes it possible to have more fit uptime, Federer is an animal product consumer, which often means, more inflammation.
Djokovic defensive skills , his returning skills , and physicality is unmatched even being up 10-12 years old up he is always favourite to win against next gens in five setters.
I think people are still surprised, after all the years Novak spent on tour, when he says or does something as insincere,phony,calculated, rehearsed or improvised just so that he can be liked more by those who hate him, since Djokovic disturbed careers of those who they support.Djokovic early in his career understood and said himself many times that in order to get where he needs to be ( on the top, the best, no.1)he needed to improve his game to the point where he could beat consistently ( more or less( Federer and Nadal.Djokovic was right when he realised early that he would have to go through these two players most of the time on his way to the titles.I will always remember young Djokovic in an interview for Serbian tv when the reporter asked him if he ( Novak ) "...was afraid of losing to Federer " ? Novak said that he was not afraid to lose, and he was NOT AFRAID TO DEFEAT Federer, and then I realized that Djokovic was a " real deal" as Americans like to say, and would be nearly the top for a very long time.Of course,everybody can say whatever they want, nd it sounds bombastic and Luke bragging, but Djokovic DID ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING , and much more , he said he was going to do, including becoming world no.1.
The thing is concerning the superior backhand. Except you attack with the majority of your backhands like Thiem and Wawrinka did it years ago, you will be always in a situation with more pressure on your backhand also for the simple fact that two hands can hold the racket more firm than one hand will ever do. The two handed backhand will always be more stable than the one handed backhand as you also see in the number of tennis players using the one hander. In the men‘s game you still have Tsitsipas, Gasquet, Shapovalov, Dimitrov, Lajovic, Wawrinka, Thiem and some other players using the one hander but that‘s maybe 10% in the top 100. If you look at the women‘s game the one-handed backhand is gone with 2-3 exceptions and has basically died in the women‘s game and will probably die in the men‘s game too for the fact that it produces too many unforced or forced errors as it is harder to control. You do have more touch at the net or by doing slices but this tactics are not very usefull if you cannot apply the finesse if this game like a Master like Federer did. Wawrinka and also Thiem are very rare cases of an explosive backhand and they had success with it but if they play don‘t play in their prime they will certainly lose against a solid Djokovic, Nadal, also Medvedev, Alcaraz, Sinner snd others because the opponents will attack this one handed backhand TO THE END until the one handed backhand players will do unforced errors or being forced to produce a difficult passing shot or take more risks than usual.
Am I the only one who remembers Djoker shaking and quivering like mad in the Indian Wells match in 2014 during one of the changeovers (end of the set, I think)? It wasn't even a slam. I can't be the only one, 'cos I remember some Djoke fans panicking that it was some neurological symptom, lmao
The problem of Djokovic is that he is the best according to statistics, but if you look carefully you will see that Djokovic won just one slam when Federer was at the top from early 2000s till 2011 when Federer was 30 years old. From 2011 till 2014 Djokovic won other 6 Grand Slams but at that time Nadal had 14 Grand Slams and Federer 17, Djokovic had just 7. It's only when Federer was aging and Nadal started having injuries that Djokovic started winning. Therefore, from 2015 till now Federer wom 3 Grand Slams, Nadal 8 and Djokovic 16, mostly against weaker opponents such as Tsitsipas, Berrettini, Ruud and others. Furthermore some of his behaviour are childish such as breaking the racket. Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in history, but in my opinion Federer and Nadal are the best.
Never thought Nole would compete with Federer and Nadal.. the man just turned super sayan at some point and obliterated everyone and everything in his way.. still going strong with 2 slams this year.. maybe all 4 in a calendar in the twilight years of his career?
![PURPEECH - นี่ฉันเองคนที่... (It's me) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NuhHd0hOOg8/mqdefault.jpg)
Novak was the only one who believed he could beat Roger and Rafa and become No. 1 tennis player. I remember the time when any player basically just conceded the match to Roger because of how amazing Roger played tennis with the exception of Rafa on clay. I always rooted for the underdog Novak and am glad he has achieved greatness due to hard work and mental belief.
and now he is the best player statistically.
@@tennis.with.srijan and now he is the GOAT ever
His achievement to be No 1 with 2 other legends in their prime is simply staggering. Seeing players now... cracking after 1 defeat is just funny. He would have 3 grand slams more if they allowed him to play in USA and Australia. Guess that's reality of democracy for U.
In Serbia we ALL believed in Novak all the time!!!
@@Stardumz : Any player out of western europe Us Australia wld hv got the same treatment which joko got …..joko is still treated as an outsider by the dominant tennis powerhouse nations …..
Novak since 2011 and onward is the true embodiment of what mental resilience of the highest caliber in an athlete can accomplish, truly the goat of tennis.
playing Roger/Rafa across the net and succeeding most of the time against the two is a tough task alone, yet he also had/has to play against the crowd... this is why his mental resilience is above everyone... but he is also human after all (too much pressure in the last Olympics, and vs Medvedev in US '21 going for Calendar Slam)
I became a Novak fan even before he won a Grandslam just by seeing his fighting spirit against Roger & Rafa. Can't imagine I was a Roger fan before :)
@@ruchirpareek roger was not that good really, inconsistent when it mattered
@@zlatkostevanovic5891 no need to disrespect Federer. I'm a huge fan of Nole and he is no doubt the GOAT, but Federer was a great tennis player as well and is one of the best to ever play
Novak was never scared of anyone, ever, because even when he was pre 2011, he always had the talent to destroy anyone...just not the serve or fitness. Since he improved those, he's been the guy to beat, more often than not...and always a danger to everyone at his worst, never mind his best. Djokovic at his very best needs a truly Herculean effort to beat.
Edit: forgot to mention he always had the confidence that he could win against everyone, no matter the surface.
I agree he's not scared of anyone, but the one person who he was wary of or gave him pause is Stan Wawrinka
he never had the talent to beat nadal , nadal made him what he is today by giving him lot of wins free because nadal has to pause at that time (2011 afterwards ) djokovic grabbed lot of titles when both federer and nadal paused in this time and also gained confidence .... if nadal and federer won the titles they could win by this time both would have 30 grandslams and 50 masters ... djokovic is always number 3 behind nadal and federer... in simple words djokovic is great federer is greater nadal is the greatest .... at the most djokovic can claim he is better than federer and second place .. but he will always be no 2 to nadal
@@bhungry2889 Not really. Stan had a few big wins but overall is 19:6 for Novak.
@@satishkumar77 H2H: Djokovic > Nadal > Federer which translates to 23 > 22 > 20. No if, would've, could've, or any other excuses.
@@bhungry2889 not true the hater media says that, wawrinka is 6-20 in head to head, and he reach his peak in 2013 to 2017, yes he beats nole in majors finals 2 times, but overall counting all matches best of 3 and 5, Novaks leads 8 to 4, so please stop saying and spread liers, wawrinka was never consistent enough to play aagainst djokovic many times, only whan he performs at his best in particularly moments. Tsonga was another case who beat djokovic in a slam too and 6 times, when both start his career tsonga was leading 6-2 until 2011, after djokovic reach his best the serbian won 10 or 11 matches straights and put the head to head 17-6 in his favour
Djokovic was a breath of fresh air-a young player who didn’t fear Federer or worship the ground he walked on, unlike so many other players who, at the time, did. Novak was a Godsend for tennis.
I believe that's one of the reasons why he could go to the number 1 spot on the ATP rankings.
This is a great video. I didn’t like Federer because of the way he treated Djokovic but then as you point out, Federer’s attitude towards Djokovic began to change for the better. Meanwhile, Djokovic always spoke of Federer with respect. At the end of the day, they got to the right place and it was wonderful to see the warmth between them at Federer’s retirement ceremony. We were all blessed to be able to watch these two warriors go at it for 15 years.
Federer and Djokovic are alpha personalities, Rafa is a total beta hence why he got along with Roger (he would have gotten along with Novak if he started playing first as well). But basically, Roger and Novak personalities clash
Ohh typical Srdjan sponsored rant. Djokovic and his father always had a cringy behaviour. He was obsessed with Federers popularity and that is why his family used to make personal attacks of Federer. Never once Robert Federer or Roger himself replied cos they are a class apart from this cringe worthy family
@@blistering2900 There was no jealousy or envy. Srdjan was annoyed at Federer making fun of Djokovic early in his career and has never let it go. Federer started the whole cycle with his comments. Djokovic himself never joined his father in these criticisms so you can’t apply your critique to the whole family. In any case, it’s all moot now as Djokovic and Federer (as the video points out) have put the past behind them and treat each other with respect and admiration.
normal insecure behavior from Federer because probably he realized early that Novak will end up with most slams and weeks as no.1 maybe that could be the reason for a rough attitude from Federer for Novak , while Novak always was humble in interviews and social media , win or defeat he was always good in sportsmanship.
Hogwash. Federer was not as insecure as Djokovic. When a player keep breaking racquets as Djokovic does all the time, it shows his frustration. And consequently his high level of insecurity. Usually the history of Tennis shows that after 30 years old most players get injured more and many retire. In 2019 Federer beat Nadal in 4 sets and then lost to Djokovic in a match that was the longest in a long time. Federer scored more points, aces, winners and won the long rallies. At the last moment he lost the last point. Not bad for an old man of 37. And he did not brake any racquets as Djokovic usually does. Now that Federer retired and Nadal is injured; is less difficult for Djokovic to win slams. Only a fanatic would think that Djokovic has
a normal personality. He tries to be nice but most people see thru that. Federer is the most popular player in history and his peers has voted him as the most popular tennis player in history. And his opposition to COVID19 shows the type of personality that he has. But he has possibly the strongest and most resilient body to play tennis. His brain? He has a long way to go.
I call him Novax JoCOVID, it fits perfectly.
I would argue that Federer was more scared of Djokovic.
More like nervous and it was so visible
True 👍
He surely got nervous against him in tight situations.
He was petrified.
So many photos of Fed with the plate and Djoko with the cup! greater than 2 to 1 , 13 to 6 in finals. almost 2 to 1, 11 to 6 in slams.
Don't forget the clear and immense pressure from fans clearly being against Novak or rather overtly in support of Federer. If any other player and it includes Federer and Nadal, they wouldn't have been able to handle jack.
Very well said, I think this can be seen on next gen a lot.... Like Rune blowing chances with Rublev
I don't think so. Go watch some of Federer's early matches were the fans were not on his side. Federer played like he had nothing to lose. And won. Having the support of the crowd many times puts pressure on you because you're afraid not to disappoint the crowd, especially when you're the older guy whose time is running out. Novak has unrivaled mentality, but Federer is only underestimated because he faltered against his rivals when the pressure was on him.
Exactly!
never underestimate an underdog, could be a big mistake...
Bull. Not being the favorite made it easier. It’s easier to hit from down. Last time Novak really had pressure was the us open where he could take the gs record and a major slam. But he played his worst tennis all tournament.
The reason behind it was, Novak djokovic was portrayed as a Villain and Federer as a Hero.
So Novak Djokovic has nothing to lose, because he was already a Villain that's why he got so good in clutch moments and Federer didn't.
agreed.
I really do think that Federer's lack of success in those moments came from his fear of losing - the weight of other people's expectations of him clearly wore him down and he was unable to play freely and in the moment. This was most evident to me when he lost the 5 setter at the australian open against nadal in 2009. He was literally in tears because he felt that he was no longer good enough to be number one.
I think that if Roger would've encountered a bit more resistance and lost a couple of grandslams between 2004 and 2008 he would've been able to win more than just 5 after 2010 - for reference he made it to at least the semifinals between 2010 and 2021 before he retired and only won 5 in those 23 (22%). Compared to at least 23 semis between 2004 and 2009 and having won 15 of those 23 (65%).
let's be generous and say Andy Roddick wins more than just one grandslam and actually wins the 2004 and 2005 wimbledon and the 2006 US Open, but Roger manages to win the 2005 French instead - he would have faced defeat earlier on and managed to spread out a more consistent success over the span of this 22 year career.
@@gerardoramirez115 man, this comment and theory is hot, you nailed it, I long for those days where these giants in their prime roamed the Earth but I really wish we had seen a more mental focused, consistent, humble and down to earth Federer, that would of been amazing
That's a great argument...
The main reason Djokovic thrashed Federer was because of the backhand. Federer's one handed backhand was pretty but lacked pace and precision. Novak, on the other hand, has a powerful, precise and far more consistent two handed backhand that puts way more pace and accuracy on the ball. Countless times Federer would bury the ball in the net with his backhand. Especially in must win moments when his nerves would surface, the deficiency of his backhand would really shine through. Meanwhile Djokovic uses his backhand to deliver powerful, reliable, and surgically placed shots in impossible locations and from impossible positions.
Personally, I think that the crowd cheering for Federer on those big occasions had a negative effect on Federer himself. The pressure is on him not to disappoint the crowd, while Novak had nothing to lose, only to gain, since the drive to execute revenge is always a plus.
Yep. People don't realize this but Federer being so beloved (and Djokovic being hated by some) put an immense amount of pressure on him. Way more than any other player. Djokovic on the other hand was free of this pressure and had nothing to loose each time, and even fueled on people's hatred towords him. Not to mention that when Federer became 33/34 + he also had the pressure of knowing his time was ending and every final could have been his last, while his rivals didn't. People say Federer had it easy and Djokovic got it the hardest but I think it's the opposite. During matches, conditions always favored Djokovic. Outside the court and with the media it's another story, with Federer having it easy unlike Djokovic. But what happens on the court is what counts and Federer had it way harder than anyone
"while Novak had nothing to lose" nonsense. You think there are no pressure when crowd is against you, obviously you never played some sport with crowd as you should know how crowd can affect you(player) especially when they are against you. That's mental strength boy not will you disappoint crowd or Novak had nothing to lose dumb thing to say. It's always harder to play when everybody is against you not opposite when you have support, there are reason why teams wins most of the time at home also
@@foxskyful I'm talking about Federer and Novak. Novak has a lot of mental fortitude, he's able to feed on the crowd's anger. Federer, on the other hand, crushes under the pressure to make people happy. Those are complex psychological situations, perhaps you can't grasp it.
@@theamazingbrokenman " to make people happy" what a dumb comment and pathetic excuse. Or maybe because he played against best player and strongest mentally player. Obviously you can't grasp. He didn't have problem before to make crowd happy till Nadal and Djokovic came.
@@foxskyful These fanatical fans of Djokovic don’t get it. Djokovic and Nadal started playing in 2003. Who reached 20 GS earlier in 2018? Federer of course. Nadal had 18 GS in 2018 and Djokovic 14. After 2019 When Federer and Nadal were injured; in other words, most dangerous competitors are out then won more GS. If you start counting from 2003 Federer Won more GS. reached more finals, semifinals, Q- Finals that the rest of the players. The insecure Djokovic had a record of breaking racquets, a sign of psychological weakness. So a comment made that No-Vax has mental fortitude is a lot of hogwash. Federer lost 2019 Wimbledon. Djokovic did not do anything spectacular; Federer just missed. But the reality was that Federer played a better match. You can double check all the statistics.
Djokovic has always had the better toolset than Federer and Nadal. Even before Djokovic starting beating Federer and Nadal, I could see this. His mental game finally caught up around 2011.
Utter nonsense
@godfreyassenga9958 Why is it utter nonsense? I think it's quite obvious he has the better toolset. If one is not being overly emotionally invested in Federer or Nadal, it's pretty much clear to see.
@@lookinforthe70s What toolset does Novak has? I’ve heard some ridiculous comparisons to Federer, but having a better toolset has to top the most ridiculous ones i’ve heard so far. Nobody can play tennis like Federer- only Nadal came close. I don’t even know where to start from. Novak has won more slams but once Fed got to 20, anything above that is pretty redundant to me. Federer has too much. Toolset? Man please. Novak’s game is basic- except he’s very precise, good returner and loves to rally. Federer’s toolset is exactly why he doesn’t do long rallies- he simply didn’t need to because no one could stand too long with him- he had too many weapons/ But Novak has to rally 20+ and waste 20 seconds per serve. And i’m not even going deep here, this is just me giving you a hint that Novak’s toolset is a talking point that’s not realistic compared to Federe and Nadal, and to some extent Wawrinka.
@@godfreyassenga9958 You know not acknowledging Djokovic's obvious toolset is not going to help make Federer or Nadal any greater in people's eyes. Just because Djokovic is better doesn't mean Federer or Nadal are any less great. It's just that Djokovic is better. And he's always had the better physical tools, to repeat. Which you know what I mean. I'm trying to give you the credit for being intelligent.
I've had many players over the years that I've rooting for. But that didn't keep me in denial about someone else who was better than them. That's just childish and doesn't end well.
@@lookinforthe70s Lol, first of all… Novak is not better than Federer or Nadal- he’s not even on their level- and I don’t think he’ll ever be- they’re way more talented but they delivered as well- It doesn’t make me regard Novak less. I mentioned the things he’s good at- great returner and defender, good rallies although quite boring, good server but wasted too much time bouncing the ball, I mention what he’s good at- But if I start mentioning what Fed and Nadal are better at, it will take me all day!
Novak has won more slams cus he’s younger and this generation are not as good at the ones Fed and Nadal met in the 2000s.
So- you can’t even back it up technically that Novak is better cus he’s not. Not even close. I liken him to Andy Murray- except Murray was unfortunate with the injury in 2016 after becoming no.1- otherwise he would have maintained no.1 for a while and beat Novak to more slams- so my man, I know what i’m talking about- based on just tennis in the court, nobody equals Federer’s game- too many weapons, very fabulous style of play, very skilful, less than 10 rallies most points cus he’s just too good for opponents to hang with him for too long. What else have you got? 😎
The answer is simple. Novak was always focused on the process and not the result. You can see from his game. Every point he plays, he gives everything to win those points.
Federer, Nadal i Novak su vanserijski igrač i suvereno vladaju tenisom već 20 godinai. Svako je specifičan na svoj način i tako igra svoj tenis. U tih 20 godina prošlo je mnogo tenisera ali niko da im se približi pa čak i kad su prešli 37godina života. To sve govori kakav je njihov nivo igre. Imali smo sreće da toliko godina gledamo tri majstora belog sporta. .
Cause he's natural born winer, warrior... Something what Federer never wasn't. He grew up in Suisse, always calm, never struggle, with anything, money.. anything!!! And Novak come from Serbia, we're every day is a battle, all the time!!! When Federer was training in fancy, nice, clean tennis courts, Novak was training in some dark empty places, cause of the war, cause they didn't have money enough... And that make just stronger!!! He has a mind of a warrior!!! Always fighting, never give up!!! That's the main difference!!! Plus Novak have natural gift talent!!! Plus, the way he treats his body!!! Like nobody ever before him!!! Everyday yoga, training, plus food...
Not that the reason. Djokovic is doing something that Federer doesnt. He trains his mind
As much as his sport.
@@innosanto I think it's a combination of BOTH.
Djocovic is Actually a King Lonely Wolf.. i love this guy like a person and a player...Nadal and Federer is a kind different personality.
Federer is the GOAT for me. Pure class & that single handed backhand is art in motion
For me Fabrice Santoro is the GOAT 😂😂😂
for me Gaston Gaudio is the GOAT he has perfect GS record 1/1
Novak Djokovic is not only the goat but also the Got God of Tennis 🎾
after the last RG i can say: YES, no doubt now
Great Upload..
Toronto Final 2007..
Turned A Key in A Developing Mind
Which Became A Fortress..
Beating Andy Roddick and Rafael Along the Way..
All his Career Fought Himself - Crowd - Media and Fellow Players .
And Came Out - On Top.. With Class..
In Swahili..
Safi Na Kweli..
( Pure & True )..
The Federer Djokovic rivalry is really all about Novak getting able to clutch out in those matches. I wouldnt say Djokovic is a bad matchup for Fed, because their H2H is really close... Its purely mental. Federer blew his chance at FO 2011 in the finals with Rafa as well... Rogers mental game is the reason he lost like 5 major finals from Djok and Nadal, and thats why Federer cant be the goat imo...
agreed here !
all good points here mate !
He nonetheless is what made Rafa and Novak who they are. Each member of the big 3 is a goat in their own way. Novak will no doubt finish as the most accomplished tho
Djokovic and Federer faced each other 50 times, with Djokovic leading the head-to-head record 27-23, including 13-6 in finals. More about numbers and facts th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=goatkovic
Agreed; Roger was his own worst nemesis for at least as long as the other two were.
You failed to mention probably the most important factor - Djokovic's diet. I think it was in 2010 when he discovered that he was allergic to gluten. He changed his diet and in 2011 won 3 GS. He was always mentally strong, but his body wouldn't cooperate - until he fixed his diet. You also didn't breakdown their games technically - Djokovic is quicker, has more stamina, more athleticism, a better forehand, a better backhand, a better return of serve and a better drop-shot. Federer is only better in three parameters - serve, volley and smash, when you factor all that in, it's no surprise that Djokovic has the wood over Federer. Nadal on the other hand, is a much stiffer test for Djokovic because they are more even technically.
Diet is 1 of the factors but his sliding is biggest factor of winning in tennis which he manage to extend by 1 step further since 2011. No other can slide as well, to be fair Djokovic other parts of game is not top 10 level. He is heavily dependent on the slide during return serve and return rally. Federer serve and hit harder/faster groundstrokes, Nadal is better defender and hit with more power. Djokovic backhand better than Federer's but in terms 2 handers his backhand is normal in top 10. Players like FAA, Fritz, Medvedev or any top 10 hit better groundstrokes, the factor is SLIDING which kept Djokovic in. Djokovic without this sliding is like his 2007-2010 level.
Better forehand?😭😭😭 You don't know tennis. Only reason Djokovic has the edge over Federer is because of age. 6 years is a whole generation in tennis and Federer was Djokovic's biggest opponent even in his late 30s.
The only reason fraudrer has 20 grand slams is because he is 6 years older than djokovic and Nadal. If he was the same age his record would be the same as Murray. Weak era champions won 16 of his 20 slams before 2011. He won three other in 2017-18 when djokovic was injured.
Good point about the diet, not sure about Djokovic having the better forehand or stamina. In wimbledon 2019 they are 21-24 for Novak when it comes to rallies +10 shots, with 33 of them being on Novak's serve points. Had Federer had less stamina he would be totally crushed and outrunned in these kind of rallies, yet he lost only 3 less...this also shows how age didn't really play a big role.
@@SebastianKopacz age did play a role
Special Sublime Spectacular Selfless Successful Significant Sensational Stunning Standout Serbian Supreme Superpower Superman NOVAK DJOKOVIC !!
As a long time Fed fan.....I have no problem in admitting that....Nole is the BETTER player and the BIGGER man!!💯🐐
Novak plays shots that are simple, basic and repeatedly good and so does messi in football, that's why they are so G.O.A.T at their respective games.👍
In two years, when Novak makes 25 or 26 Grand Slams Federer will be so famost as Pete Sampras!
It's such a BS.😂😂😂
Even at yheir height, Fed and Rafa were never about consistency. They were focused on majors. Nole was focused on every tournament he played and wanted that No 1 ranking. Majors were just a part of the puzzle. He always wanted that ATP overall trophy at the end of the season, because that will always be the greatest trophy in tennis.
Rafa's M1000s total is solid and Fed is #3 on that list. Federer also has 6 ATP Finals, so I think both of them were focused beyond the majors. Djoko is different tho
Novak is an incredible champion with a winning mindset. I am so grateful for being able to watch this legend grace the game❤
Novak is an amazing person too ❤
He had nothing to lose because he was playing the GOAT at those times and for the most part of his career, he had been playing catch up. And catch up he did... but psychologically, his losses affected him little and with each win he gained confidence that he at least belonged in the same class as the 2 men that were leading him until recently.
Any time I hear 'the answer might surprise you", I close the vid.
Federer Fans Should Thank Robin Soderling , He was the only reason why Federer is still in The Goat Debate
Thanks to the Soderling he finally won hes RG title .
Federer was great, but he was the most dangerous when he was the underdog (which was very rare).
In my humble opinion the biggest win in Federer's career and his most impressive was against Djokovic in Roland Garros 2011 Semifinal. His raised ring finger celebration (I am still the Nr.1) was legendary.
Yes, the QF Djokovic opponent withdrew before the match and broke his tournament rhythm, but Federer did the impossible in 2011.
Novak is the best ever, his average quality of all matches he played, all surfaces and pick quality in matches played.
However, that match on RG from 2011...if Federer played comparably well against Rafa in finals he would have won it. Only the crazy Wawrinka from RG finals rivals that game.
Unfortunately, against that Federer Novak was on some 85% of its capabilities and against Wawrinka on some 70-75% of its capabilities.
Which usually was enough, but not in these two occasions given that both Federer and Wawrinka were at 110% of their capabilities.
Yes! I think people don't realize how much more good you had in the way up to the rankings that climb is really hard, and 06 07 federer is really good, but a like the most in 2004 when he was as you say an underdog, or a least not the favorite! and that version a see the attitude a see in novak as well, with that glare!
And i truly believe Roger was a better player even on clay at that point! and them he was in decline! focusing much more con grass, and later skipping the French open!
One thing that isnt talked about: Federer was never quite comfortable in long matches and matches in which he was trailing compared to Rafa,Novak even Murray and other big caliber players. I once read a quote from Toni Nadal who said that his main advice to Rafa against Roger was telling him to grind him out and make the points longer than 3 shots and eventually Federer will break down.
I think Fed only beat Rafa twice after losing the first set and only once Novak and has abysmall record in 5 setters and matches longer than 3 hours.Even if u remove those 2 guys Fed barely has 55-60% winrate in 5 setters which is nowhere close to the big players(i remember his wimb match against Beneteu i think i saw a stat during that match that said back then Fed had only 2 more wins than losses in 5 set matches), fact is he was never a big clutch player
I disagree that he wasn't a big clutch player but you're right that he tires and gets frustrated easily in longer rallies against baseliners who get back everything...he becomes impatient
This is why he loses from break up multiple times especially when his serve is down too
Federer sometimes tried to finish the match quickly( which he was used to) by paying a huge cost
Federer has won plenty of 5 set matches, a lot against Nadal as well. Yeah, he doesn't like to rally but that's because physically he wasn't as potent as Novak and Rafa since he's literally, you know, 5 years older than them. Playing long points is always easier said than done but yeah, they did do that well against Roger.
Still somehow played 4 5-set matches against 4 top 10 players including 2 slam finalists and 2 multi slam champions including his biggest nemesis at the age of 36.
Guess that was fluke eh? 😂
@@vyankateshrege9305 people just invent bs and get away with it.
@@spideyocd because Federer was an attacking agressive style player, and thats the big reason of success on grass for him, he goes for winners and wanted to finish the points early, basically he was more kind of school type while , Rafa and Novak are great on defense and they got enough fuel for long long rallies.
Well Federer is an artist and most entertaining to watch. For me he will always be my GOAT 🐐 Difference between Novak and Roger is that Roger plays effortlessly and doesn’t put more efforts in get the point on court if it requires sprints still he manages to win 20 Grand Slams. I would say he is naturally gifted to play this sport unlike any other player in the history of tennis. Roger That!
He collected 16gs alone
Why Djokovic Was Never Scared Of Federer? Djokovic is never scared of anyone...including Federer. Djokovic is not only great player, but he is a great character, and has the highest tennis IQ. He is only one, and we will never have another one like him again...unfortunately.
Federer wasn't able to adapt fully (as much as his other two rivals) to the longer baseline rallies that dominated the game from 2008 onwards. Several of the big matches he lost, you can see he's trying to keep the points short. For comparison, see Stan, the only single-hander backhand to win recent Slams... he would go toe-to-toe with Djoker and arguably, Stan has fewer weapons than Fed (serve, forehand etc.) And finally, absolutely, first Rafa and then later, Djoker got into Fed's head. He seemed to wonder "how can these guys beat me even though I'm more talented" instead of thinking "I have to work my hardest to beat these two"
good point.
Novak absolutely destroyed Federer and took everything from him. There is a reason he is the goat.
Federer 5 years older than Djokovic, any halfway decent comparison should mention this.
Six.
Federer also had an advantage when djokovic was a kid and he was in his peak
@@aranyaism Define 'kid'. Some 'kids' at 19 years old or earlier have even won grand slams (Alcaraz, Nadal, Borg, Sampras, etc). Was Nole a 'kid' in 2008 when he won the AO?
Stop BS.
roger lacked BACKHAND and MENTALITY. Simple. These fedtards and their drooling never stops🤦♂️
@@my8osprive 24 times roger lost from match points up. More than 2/3rd of this 24 before the age of 32.
Rafa lost 7 and nole 3 times from match points up. Its quite simply CLUTCH MENTALITY 👍
I still amazed how federer plays elegance , one handed backhand and he hits the ball effortlessly ,no need to scream not like nadal and djokovic😂
Awsome analysis
I agree.
Novak was the djoker, Roger was the choker.
Djokov1c is my #1...
...I like his fighting spirit and his continual pursuit to improve all aspects of his game 👍🥇👍
Federer is the only player to beat Djokovic at every Grand Slam
Djokovic is GOAT
Roger was slightly better than Novak, but Roger’s problem was his nerves got the better of him when the pressure hit, Novak always rose to the occasion. It was the same issue he had with Rafa until 2017 when he turned the tide on him.
I believe Roger was better in every aspect, is much taking away from him like the mental strength, like is easy to manntain the bar that high for that many year, I think being the favorite brings a lot more pressure, and force you to deliver, that add much more difficulty when dealing with crucial points, and to not be forgotten federer actually was the leader of the table of GS since 2009 to 2021, that many years competing and being the "goat" Is like every time you had to deliver results because of your status!
I will add "that many times Djokovic rose to the occasion" was because he was losing! that is no being the best! I thing the real strategy of Novak was agitate the crow to being more vocal and add even more pressure to Roger!
Novak was losing at the beginning cause he didn't know that he's gluten intolerant!!! Soonest he changed his way of diet, he becomes the greatest athlet!!!
He was loosing in the begining because he was worse than Federer, period.
Djokovic has a winning record against federer. He was losing because he was gluten intolerant and had not reached his peak. Fraudrer the weak era champion
In a sense Djokovic is the true successor of federal. The dominant number 1 , who was world class on all the surfaces. Who went out to have all the records.
No1e is G-reatest
O-f
A-ll
T-ime 🐐
Djokovic IS THE KING OF TENNIS ❤❤❤❤ TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT
Total GOAT~
Its unreal how he responds under pressure
I wish Roger and Novak being in same Era.
5 Consecutive Wimbledon Titles
5 Consecutive US Open Titles
237 Consecutive Weeks As World No.1
19 Consecutive ATP Fans Favorite Awards
The Greatest And Most Influential Tennis Player Of All Time!
Roger Federer ❤
the weak era hero lol era was so weak dude was able to deliver these 🐐broke him in 2010 US Open he hasn't been the same
"19 Consecutive ATP Fans Favorite Awards" ask yourself who was the sponsor of the event?
0:15 - I hate to be this picky, but Wimbledon 2019 was the only time Djokovic saved Championship points against Federer in a Slam. The two USO examples were "just" match points as they were both SFs
The last time Federer was favorite vs Djoko, was when Djoko had 20 years 😂
You can see how brilliant Djokovic is even when he steps up to the microphone, it's a real pleasure to listen to him, while you can never hear anything new from Federer and Nadal, here you can also see the intelligence in comparison to the other two, just imagine the dominance of Novak if the bribed people from the media were not so inclined against Novak, how right was he when he didn't want to vaccinate, people today are suffering the consequences caused by Bill Gates and Dr. Fauci, it is interesting that they were never responsible for the huge number of people who died as a result of a heart attack, not to mention how suspicious the death of the Nobel laureate virologist Luc Montagnier.
Well, I get your point, he's always trying to improve his mindset, but so did the others. Djocovich did some bigger mistakes, tho. His Corona Event/Party and teaming up with some rubbish magic-fake-food. Nobody is perfect.
For me, the most respectful honest of the 3 is Nadal, but also he's the most boring one when it comes to his personality.
My only disappointment with this video was that it ended so soon. Great insight
Finally, somebody points out that Roger put himself in this mental issue by trash talking him earlier on. Biggest mistake of his career BY FAR!
Coming from a Fed Fan!
This video is so on the money. Novak has a more complete game and stronger mentality than federer, and I’m a huge fed fan. Fed also wasn’t the most humble and a very sore loser imo late 2000s and early 2010s by not giving his competitors their due; Nadal even called him out on it. Novak’s strong return of serve also negated fed’s huge serve and slower courts tipped in novak’s favor as well.
This video was trying to depict a weak and bad Roger! What a shame to do so!!! 😂
Best video I saw on Djokovic ❤
Federer was never nice to Novak - he couldn't accept that Novak had his number. A good thing Roger finally came to his senses and appreciated Novak's worth
Around 2:30 is one of his Gumbi movements. Wow, they are all uniquely spectacular.
That's the mentality for sure. Before this topic comes to the table everyone argued that Roger cannot win again against Rafa on any surface. But, Roger won AO against Rafa in 2017 and after that Rafa only won against Federer only in RG. If Federer had a chance to beat Novak in the similar way after 2015, he wouldn't have let him taken on him till he retired for sure.
And don't forget that Roger also six years older than Novak. And Federer never took medical time outs like Novak and most of these which Novak had were obviously fake. (2015 Wimbledon)
Great point about the backhands. Beautiful as the one-handed backhand was, I wonder if Roger would've been better served mastering a two handed backhand. It seems to be more popular for a reason.
Those of us lucky enough to see them play live we know that Federer was just floating on the court...it was amazing
Novak is natural successor of Roger. I think Novak is the GOAT, there is no dispute in that. But Roger is the second GOAT. Both showed best level of tennis ever.
I give credit to Djokovic for in beginning of career was behind both Federer and Nadal. Then throughout the years kept getting better till he head to head won over them. To mentally hang in there for over 5 years till he was able to beat them makes him the greatest of all time.
In 50 years from now fans will still watch Federer and Graf matches on video.
Djokovic and Williams matches not so much.
2012 was the last year Roger beat Djokovic on a grand slam match.
Rivalry..🤣
Because Djokovic is GOAT.
He wasn't afraid of djokovic, just he was six years older... Djokovic managed to tie the h2h matches during 2014 when Federer was 34 years old... In case he was retired prior 2014 Roger would lead their h2h.
And only 17 GS
Very good, objective video. Congrats!
You could also say that when they met in federer, specially in the 2010‘s djokovic had nothing to loose, he was the young guy who made it to the final and was challenging while federer going into most tournaments as the clear favorites alongside nadal had it all to loose, so mentally the situation going into the games was easier for djokovic
0:37 such a great picture
*Novak only started winning against Fed more often after Fed turned 30 and was past his prime (2003-2009)*
*Djoker is 6 years younger which is gigantic in sports*
The h2h between them started to turn to Novak's favor after Fed turned 34/35
Both players are great… tennis played at the level they play will always be an advantage to the one who is much younger, which is the case for these two… Peace…
Was there ever anyone who Novak was scared about to begin with?!
very good video mate
Glad you enjoyed it
Federer chased Sampras' record like a bullet train. After AO '10 and 16th slam maybe he lost some motivation. He said that what came after the 15th was a bonus. He also dethroned Djokovic in 2012 from No1, but couldn't sustain that level because of injuries. Let's not forget, he was playing with the smallest racket on tour. He truly rebuilt his game only in 2017, prior to that he lost to many other players in GS, not just Novak. Also Novak hasn't got a true opponent today, as Federer had in Novak when he was his age. With Murray injured, Federer was still Novak's biggest challenge at Wimbledon since 2018. I doubt Fed has any regrets from his career, so all his fans should be happy about it. Tennis is big enough for all these 3 champions and many others.
AND BABY immature djokovic was prime federer bigest opponent on hardcourt from 2004-10, novak beat him twice by grandslams AO2008 and us open 2010.
If there would not djokovic, federer would win every year 1-2 grandslam from 2011-16 like 2017. THERE IS a reason why federer won only 1 grandlam from 2011-2016 and 3 grandlams from AO2017-AO2018.
I mean how federer dominate 2017-2018, He would also dominate from wimbl.2015- AO2016, when djokovic would be injury like 2017-AO2018.
With that small racket h dominate the tour from 2004-10
What did you expect? Djokovic is 6 years younger than Federer and once Djokovic is in his peak Federer was several years beyond his.
The fact that Federer still played on par with Djokovic inspite their age difference just shows how much better player Federer was.
With 6 years age difference Djokovic should have won Federer in 65-70% of their matches, but ONLY managed to beat him 54%.
That is the greatness of Federer.
In 2023 Djokovic was 36 years old and won ATP player of the year. At 36.
Novak, Rafa, Roger, Murray, Stan never scared of anyone , they respected their opponents but never were scared.
I wouldn’t use the word scared, but Roger is the obstacle that he knows he has to climb though to surpass his inner struggles to glory
What most people do not understand is every player has to go through their own demons and come out of it victorious to prove to themselves and to the world that they are champion material.
With these three great champions we have witnessed in the same era.we should be thankful for that instead most of the fans are trying to pull the other fans legs when there is a chance.
I have seen this time and again and I have had enough.Those are not fans but cowards and opportunists who doesn’t care about other people and players.
They created an evil atmosphere instead of a healthy competition in the stadiums which made players and their families uncomfortable.
In my opinion what big 3 achieved is a collective effort of competitiveness,modern science,respect towards each other and self belief.Everything fell in place perfectly.
Without these there wouldn’t be longevity,thirst for more like never before.
One thing I noticed about Roger was his unwillingness to concede the baseline.Novak hits with consistent depth and Roger just didn't have the time to run around the backhand to hit forehands.
A little to much revisionist history in this video about Djokovic's fearlessness. At Wimbledon 2019, Djokovic chipped a weak forehand return on the second match point, so he was a little tight, too. Federer choked and hit an even worse forehand approach shot that allowed Djokovic to hit an easy passing shot. Aside from that crazy cross court forehand serve return winner at the US Open, it would be more accurate to say that Djokovic maintained his level of play in crucial situations, while Federer broke down after reaching match point.
Djokovic ofc was not scared of Federer ...after he turned 30+ years old. Many tennis players start thinking about retirement at around that age of even before.
Good video
Glad you enjoyed!
Djokovic was not scared of Federer per se but it took him quite some time to start beating him in GS matches.
He lost from US open 07 to 09 to Federer in close matches where Federer was closer to his prime.
Then in 2010 he turned it around and never looked back
He won in 2008 AO and 2007 but those were few and far between
He still lost for a little while: 2011 RG semifinal and 2012 SW19 semifinal.
is this channel dedicated towards djokovic ?
Federer comments on Djokovic in 2009 created the monster Djokovic we see till today.
Federer does not have a legitimate claim to be the greatest due to his poor record against his biggest rivals, especially in the grand slam finals.
Nadal relied too much on RG and wasn't as competitive on other surfaces when playing Djokovic especially.
Djokovic was up there in every tournament, on every surface and has a better H2H against both.
To say that mental strength is the deciding factor would be to omit a lot of technical details where Djokovic is clearly ahead of Federer and Nadal - return, backhand, drop-shot, decision-making and rhythm control.
It's no longer an argument - don't forget the mainstream media and the Western bullies tried to prevent him from doing what he eventually did by banning him from AO and USO, and then there is the ridiculous disqualification from the USO a few years back. The guy could legitimately have had 26 by now, and he is still the best in the world.
It's not an argument at all.
Novax is the GOAT...
The main reason why Nole is GOAT it's becouse Federer and Nadal didn't respect him enough.. Serbian 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸 word for that is "inat" hahahaaha❤❤❤
Federer had a pretentiously and unnecessary complicated way of playing. Djokovic is good at that that is utterly effective. Federer is mentally the weakest of the big three, Djokovic the strongest.
Djokovic has a specialty, stretched backhand and forehand. That makes the field smaller, difficult to play but quite effective. So that’s basically it, tactics are more effective and mentally much stronger.
Bonus point, Djokovic’ diet makes it possible to have more fit uptime, Federer is an animal product consumer, which often means, more inflammation.
Djokovic defensive skills , his returning skills , and physicality is unmatched even being up 10-12 years old up he is always favourite to win against next gens in five setters.
Hadn’t Fed been the victim of the bloodbath in 2008 AO ?😂
I think people are still surprised, after all the years Novak spent on tour, when he says or does something as insincere,phony,calculated, rehearsed or improvised just so that he can be liked more by those who hate him, since Djokovic disturbed careers of those who they support.Djokovic early in his career understood and said himself many times that in order to get where he needs to be ( on the top, the best, no.1)he needed to improve his game to the point where he could beat consistently ( more or less( Federer and Nadal.Djokovic was right when he realised early that he would have to go through these two players most of the time on his way to the titles.I will always remember young Djokovic in an interview for Serbian tv when the reporter asked him if he ( Novak ) "...was afraid of losing to Federer " ? Novak said that he was not afraid to lose, and he was NOT AFRAID TO DEFEAT Federer, and then I realized that Djokovic was a " real deal" as Americans like to say, and would be nearly the top for a very long time.Of course,everybody can say whatever they want, nd it sounds bombastic and Luke bragging, but Djokovic DID ACCOMPLISH EVERYTHING , and much more , he said he was going to do, including becoming world no.1.
The thing is concerning the superior backhand. Except you attack with the majority of your backhands like Thiem and Wawrinka did it years ago, you will be always in a situation with more pressure on your backhand also for the simple fact that two hands can hold the racket more firm than one hand will ever do. The two handed backhand will always be more stable than the one handed backhand as you also see in the number of tennis players using the one hander.
In the men‘s game you still have Tsitsipas, Gasquet, Shapovalov, Dimitrov, Lajovic, Wawrinka, Thiem and some other players using the one hander but that‘s maybe 10% in the top 100.
If you look at the women‘s game the one-handed backhand is gone with 2-3 exceptions and has basically died in the women‘s game and will probably die in the men‘s game too for the fact that it produces too many unforced or forced errors as it is harder to control. You do have more touch at the net or by doing slices but this tactics are not very usefull if you cannot apply the finesse if this game like a Master like Federer did.
Wawrinka and also Thiem are very rare cases of an explosive backhand and they had success with it but if they play don‘t play in their prime they will certainly lose against a solid Djokovic, Nadal, also Medvedev, Alcaraz, Sinner snd others because the opponents will attack this one handed backhand TO THE END until the one handed backhand players will do unforced errors or being forced to produce a difficult passing shot or take more risks than usual.
Am I the only one who remembers Djoker shaking and quivering like mad in the Indian Wells match in 2014 during one of the changeovers (end of the set, I think)? It wasn't even a slam.
I can't be the only one, 'cos I remember some Djoke fans panicking that it was some neurological symptom, lmao
cry more 😂😂😂
The problem of Djokovic is that he is the best according to statistics, but if you look carefully you will see that Djokovic won just one slam when Federer was at the top from early 2000s till 2011 when Federer was 30 years old. From 2011 till 2014 Djokovic won other 6 Grand Slams but at that time Nadal had 14 Grand Slams and Federer 17, Djokovic had just 7.
It's only when Federer was aging and Nadal started having injuries that Djokovic started winning.
Therefore, from 2015 till now Federer wom 3 Grand Slams, Nadal 8 and Djokovic 16, mostly against weaker opponents such as Tsitsipas, Berrettini, Ruud and others. Furthermore some of his behaviour are childish such as breaking the racket. Djokovic is one of the best tennis players in history, but in my opinion Federer and Nadal are the best.
pOdzielam ocenę całęj trójki; ze wskazaniem na R.F. l potem Nadal i na pudle -Novak...
please do the simillar video about the greatest rivalry in history of any sport - the djokovic vs nadal rivalry
Never thought Nole would compete with Federer and Nadal.. the man just turned super sayan at some point and obliterated everyone and everything in his way.. still going strong with 2 slams this year.. maybe all 4 in a calendar in the twilight years of his career?