Tennis League All Thread

[vella85]

Chasing pack need to believe they can topple 'Big Three': Nalbandian

Former Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian said the younger players on the men's ATP Tour must start believing in themselves if they are to close the gap on Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Don't know if you guys are familiar with David Nalbandian but I've seen this guy play against the big 3. And I would say that he has a point there, if the young guys are mentally weak and not think that they can overcome the big 3 in Grand Slams, then they are not going to over over against Djokovic or Nadal in the next 2-3 years.

I am familiar with Nalbandian and I can partially agree. The young guys are closing in every tournament and I don't think all young players are mentally weak. Look at Tsitsipas who come from 2 sets down and still managed to win against Nadal.
One thing is sure, there are a lot of young talented players but I don't see anyone able to really dominate the field in the same way as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have done.

Yes Tsitsipas was able to come from behind and beat Nadal however as we have seen with Tsitsipas, when he has the winning momentum in tournaments he can't go on with it and actually win the title. We have seen it many times over the past several years with him and just when we think he is ready, he then puts in a bad performance and loses. To be honest the same can be said for many of the young talent, they do well in smaller tournaments and win titles but in the big tournaments they fail to achieve success. Yes ok Thiem won the US Open but if Djokovic was in the final would he of won? I doubt he would because Djokovic was in top form and looked like he would win again.

It all comes down to winning mentality and to be honest, the young talent don't seem to have it right now and it might not change until Federer, Nadal and Djokovic retire. 

Yes, this young talent has all the tools to beat the big 3, we have seen them in the past, they really can do it. But it boils down on their mind though, I would have to believed that majority of them are still intimidated when they are facing either Djokovic, Nadal and Federer in any court.

That's why David Nalbandian has a point, he has been there, and he did it (although we can argue that the big 3 is not yet on their peak, while Nalbandian is at his prime). Nevertheless, I will have to agree that most of the time, when you face the best in any sports, you got to believed that you can win against them. And they should focus 100% on that.

I agree, it comes down to mentality be able to have the confidence in beating the top 3 in big games.

Medvedev will be at world no.2 if he reaches Rotterdam Finals. The last time someone other than Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray occupied the top 2 spot was in July 2005. You can understand how dominant the big 4 have been for so long. Its incredible.

Yes we may see this happen for the first time since 2005 but lets not forget that Nadal has missed a lot of tournaments last year where as Medvedev played in most of them. I think Medvedev reaching number 2 rank doesn't mean much right now but I see that its something big as no other player has been able to split the big 3 for so many years.

[1714625714]

1714625714

[1714625714]

1714625714

[1714625714]

1714625714

[7788bitcoin]

Yes we may see this happen for the first time since 2005 but lets not forget that Nadal has missed a lot of tournaments last year where as Medvedev played in most of them. I think Medvedev reaching number 2 rank doesn't mean much right now but I see that its something big as no other player has been able to split the big 3 for so many years.

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer are the best players the world has seen and for a long time i thought Murray would perform consistantly as well but injuries sidelined his career and the difference between Nadal, Djokovic and Federer and the rest of the players is the consistency and if we have to think beyond them we need to see someone who could be as consistent as them and i am yet to see players that could do that but there are many promising players.

 

[vella85]

Yes we may see this happen for the first time since 2005 but lets not forget that Nadal has missed a lot of tournaments last year where as Medvedev played in most of them. I think Medvedev reaching number 2 rank doesn't mean much right now but I see that its something big as no other player has been able to split the big 3 for so many years.

Nadal, Djokovic and Federer are the best players the world has seen and for a long time i though Murray would perform consistantly as well but injuries sidelined his career and the difference between Nadal, Djokovic and Federer and the rest of the players is the consistency and if we have to think beyond them we need to see someone who could be as consistent as them and i am yet to see players that could do that but there are many promising players.

 

That is true. I think once these three players retire we'll see Men's tennis a bit like what we are seeing in Women's tennis and that there will be many different players winning grand slams. Osaka could be the next Serena Williams and dominate Women's tennis for years but even then I think we'll see many other players winning grand slams where as on the Men's side its just Federer, Nadal and Djokovic winning grand slams so once they retire we might see it open up with no one, two or three dominate players always winning. We can already see that there is a lot of young talent coming through and most of them are around the same mark when it comes to winning smaller tournaments with no real stand out player. I think Medvedev, Thiem, Zverev, Tsitsipas and even Rublev are evenly matched so in the future we could see grand slams won by each of these players as long as they remain fit and healthy. I actually think it will be good for Men's tennis in the future.
 

[Kemarit]

Medvedev will be at world no.2 if he reaches Rotterdam Finals. The last time someone other than Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray occupied the top 2 spot was in July 2005. You can understand how dominant the big 4 have been for so long. Its incredible.

And this one as well: World No.1 Novak Djokovic ties Federer’s record for weeks at the top.

Novak Djokovic is gaining on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the grand slam standings, and he’s already caught Federer in another significant statistic: as of Monday, Djokovic has been No.1 in the ATP rankings for a total of 310 weeks.

That equals Federer’s career record for most time spent atop the rankings. And no matter what happens over the next week, Djokovic is assured of breaking Federer’s mark on March 8.

And that shows how dominant the big 3 is, they are just switching rankings in the last decade or so.

Hopefully Medvedev can maintain his position, but it will be hard pressed to topple Djokovic at the top open. Nadal is somewhat plague with injuries and cannot perform 100% now, Federer is still out.

[Trofo]

Hopefully Medvedev can maintain his position, but it will be hard pressed to topple Djokovic at the top open. Nadal is somewhat plague with injuries and cannot perform 100% now, Federer is still out.

Medvedev is playing in Rotterdam this week. His first match is against Lajovic which should be a very easy one considering they are playing indoors on fast surface, very bad surface for Lajovic. I took 5.5 handicap on Medvedev @2.2 which is really a lot on fast surfaces but I feel like at least one set will be a one way street and that should cover this handicap.

Edit: My prediction did not age well but it was almost worth it to lose the bet just to see that mental breakdown from Medvedev  He serves a couple of double faults and then yells on ref and even earns a penalty point, priceless.

[vennali]

Medvedev will be at world no.2 if he reaches Rotterdam Finals. The last time someone other than Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray occupied the top 2 spot was in July 2005. You can understand how dominant the big 4 have been for so long. Its incredible.

Well, thats not happening now I suppose. I have to check what the top 5 standings would be with Medvedev out of the tournament. He started off really well but Lajovic was very consistent throughout the sets and I suppose that annoyed Medved? Not sure, but I did witness complete meltdown from him.

My prediction did not age well but it was almost worth it to lose the bet just to see that mental breakdown from Medvedev  He serves a couple of double faults and then yells on ref and even earns a penalty point, priceless.

Yeah, I suppose thats one thing that separates the current and next gen from the Big 4. Although you do see Djokovic lose it sometimes..its mostly about him underperforming and trying to do better. The mentality to win is still there..but for next gen players, once they are annoyed(which isnt hard) they just go on a full on meltdown..hit everything out.. try some wacky stuff etc.

[Juggy777]

Medvedev will be at world no.2 if he reaches Rotterdam Finals. The last time someone other than Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, Murray occupied the top 2 spot was in July 2005. You can understand how dominant the big 4 have been for so long. Its incredible.

Well, thats not happening now I suppose. I have to check what the top 5 standings would be with Medvedev out of the tournament. He started off really well but Lajovic was very consistent throughout the sets and I suppose that annoyed Medved? Not sure, but I did witness complete meltdown from him.

My prediction did not age well but it was almost worth it to lose the bet just to see that mental breakdown from Medvedev   He serves a couple of double faults and then yells on ref and even earns a penalty point, priceless.

Yeah, I suppose thats one thing that separates the current and next gen from the Big 4. Although you do see Djokovic lose it sometimes..its mostly about him underperforming and trying to do better. The mentality to win is still there..but for next gen players, once they are annoyed(which isnt hard) they just go on a full on meltdown..hit everything out.. try some wacky stuff etc.

@vennali Medvedev is a talented player, but his lack of self control is effecting his game, and if doesn’t learn to control himself in situations like this then he’ll never be able to reach the top position which he does deserve in my opinion. @Trofo Djokovic is a different character and yes he does loses his cool at times, but he has a winning mentality too which Medvedev clearly lacks hence we can’t compare these two.

Source:

https://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2020/02/djokovic-explains-mentality-behind-his-unbeaten-start-season/87733/

[vella85]

Well Medvedev blew his chance to become number 2 ranked player in the world. Looking at the current rankings we can see that Medvedev has played in 6 more tournaments then Nadal and Djokovic and like I was saying it just shows how hard it is to knock off the top two players even though they play in less tournaments because they play and win the major tournaments where as the younger players don't win. Its ok to say that you are ranked number two if Medvedev did get there but in my opinion being ranked number two and playing in several more tournaments doesn't really justify the ranking in my opinion because these young players need to start winning grand slams and major tournaments to justify their high rankings. This is just my opinion on the rankings, I know some might disagree with my statement here but until the young talent starts winning major tournaments, then I think it will justify Medvedev taking the number two ranking.

[Strongkored]

I know some might disagree with my statement here but until the young talent starts winning major tournaments, then I think it will justify Medvedev taking the number two ranking.

I don't want to say whether agree or disagree with your opinion, but having a high ranking without the GS title does feel incomplete because GS is the main target of tennis players.
Seeing other players besides the top 3, winning the GS title is not an easy thing to, just look how D. Thiem had to lose several times in the GS final and only last year won one GS title, namely the US Open, so other players really have to fight harder to get to achieve the honorable title.

[Jating]

I know some might disagree with my statement here but until the young talent starts winning major tournaments, then I think it will justify Medvedev taking the number two ranking.

I don't want to say whether agree or disagree with your opinion, but having a high ranking without the GS title does feel incomplete because GS is the main target of tennis players.
Seeing other players besides the top 3, winning the GS title is not an easy thing to, just look how D. Thiem had to lose several times in the GS final and only last year won one GS title, namely the US Open, so other players really have to fight harder to get to achieve the honorable title.

And he won without Djokovic isn't it?

So it could be be a different picture if Djokovic is present there, maybe just maybe Thiem wouldn't won the US Open, so still that is an empty title in my opinion. To be able to say that they have broken the monopoly of the big 3, Medvedev and Thiem and other young players should won a grand slam beating any on those 3 to be able to say that they have indeed arrived and will be taking over tennis from the old guards.

[7788bitcoin]

~

That is true. I think once these three players retire we'll see Men's tennis a bit like what we are seeing in Women's tennis and that there will be many different players winning grand slams.

There is no doubt that Tennis would be much poor without Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. The problem i see with the new breed of players is that they lack consistency, just take a look at the match yesterday and how inconsistent Daniil Medvedev was and Dušan Lajović was a heavy underdog and Medvedev lost the match in straight set. Alexander Zverev the same, he was a heavy favorite yesterday against Alexander Bublik and lost the match. I placed $200 parlay on both these players and messed up big time  .

As a fan we are watching the best players in the history of the sport performing and it is impossible to replace Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

[cryptofrka]

Yup, consistency and mental strength is what truly separates these 3 champions from the rest. The 100-2 record that Nadal has on Roland Garros (13/13 finals won) alone speaks of the level of tennis they have reached and are maintaining.

Since 2010 only 4 other players (Murray 3x, Wawrinka 3x, Čilić, Thiem) have won Grand slam titles. Even more impressive taking their age into consideration is that in the last 5 years the only GS that wasn't won by Federer, Nadal or Đoković was the last US Open - Federer and Nadal weren't even playing and Đoković withdrew mid-tournament.

The more you dig in, the more evident their true quality becomes.

[vella85]

I know some might disagree with my statement here but until the young talent starts winning major tournaments, then I think it will justify Medvedev taking the number two ranking.

I don't want to say whether agree or disagree with your opinion, but having a high ranking without the GS title does feel incomplete because GS is the main target of tennis players.
Seeing other players besides the top 3, winning the GS title is not an easy thing to, just look how D. Thiem had to lose several times in the GS final and only last year won one GS title, namely the US Open, so other players really have to fight harder to get to achieve the honorable title.

And he won without Djokovic isn't it?

So it could be be a different picture if Djokovic is present there, maybe just maybe Thiem wouldn't won the US Open, so still that is an empty title in my opinion. To be able to say that they have broken the monopoly of the big 3, Medvedev and Thiem and other young players should won a grand slam beating any on those 3 to be able to say that they have indeed arrived and will be taking over tennis from the old guards.

That is my point when it comes to rankings. Grand slams and major tournaments are the ones the big three seem to always win and it shows in the rankings. No disrespect to Medvedev but if he did over take Nadal, I don't think him being ranked number 2 justifies the ranking because he hasn't won a grand slam but has won many smaller tournaments and has played in 6 more tournaments then Nadal.

@Jating

I agree when it comes to last years US Open. Now we can't say for sure but I really do believe that if Djokovic didn't get kicked out that he would of won the title. Yes we saw an epic final between two young guns of tennis but still I'm not sure that either one would of beaten Djokovic if he was in the final.

[abderrazak belkhir]

I know some might disagree with my statement here but until the young talent starts winning major tournaments, then I think it will justify Medvedev taking the number two ranking.

I don't want to say whether agree or disagree with your opinion, but having a high ranking without the GS title does feel incomplete because GS is the main target of tennis players.
Seeing other players besides the top 3, winning the GS title is not an easy thing to, just look how D. Thiem had to lose several times in the GS final and only last year won one GS title, namely the US Open, so other players really have to fight harder to get to achieve the honorable title.

grand slam titles has their own charm, a GS is like the world cup of tennis, but i can see why Medvedev is in that spot in the rankings, when you guys say that he played a lot of tournaments, i see it as a really good thing that shows how consistent he is, also he didn't get injured a lot which is a good thing about him even though he played a lot of tournaments one after the other, props to him, he deserves his spot.

[Kemarit]

Yup, consistency and mental strength is what truly separates these 3 champions from the rest. The 100-2 record that Nadal has on Roland Garros (13/13 finals won) alone speaks of the level of tennis they have reached and are maintaining.

Since 2010 only 4 other players (Murray 3x, Wawrinka 3x, Čilić, Thiem) have won Grand slam titles. Even more impressive taking their age into consideration is that in the last 5 years the only GS that wasn't won by Federer, Nadal or Đoković was the last US Open - Federer and Nadal weren't even playing and Đoković withdrew mid-tournament.

The more you dig in, the more evident their true quality becomes.

Yup, 100% agree, mental toughness for the big 3, and we have been calling the young generations to at least developed this. However, it seems that the big 3 has mastered it already, and it's not taught inside the tennis court.

Just a masterful craft from Djokovic, Federer and Nadal.

Qatar Open womens semi finals: Kvitová vs Pegula, Azarenka vs Muruguza.

[Jating]

@vella85 - Yes I do agree, it was very unfortunate that Djokovic was disqualified that year, if now the complexion is going to be different and who knows what will be the outcome of the US Open.

I wanted the current breed of players to play against a healthy big 3 to really gauge if they have the mindset to turn it upside down. But in the Australian Open, we have seen Djokovic, with supposedly abdomen injury winning and I would say that it was a very easy win for him.

[vella85]

@vella85 - Yes I do agree, it was very unfortunate that Djokovic was disqualified that year, if now the complexion is going to be different and who knows what will be the outcome of the US Open.

I wanted the current breed of players to play against a healthy big 3 to really gauge if they have the mindset to turn it upside down. But in the Australian Open, we have seen Djokovic, with supposedly abdomen injury winning and I would say that it was a very easy win for him.

Yes this is what we are all waiting for, the young talent to rise up and take on the big three and even beat them in finals but they still can't do it even when Djokovic was carrying an injury at the AO, still Medvedev couldn't beat him and as you said Djokovic won the final easy. Medvedev said in a press conference that all the pressure is on Djokovic but really it was on him because the young talent still can't beat the top 3 and the pressure continues to build on the young talent to beat the top 3 because that is what we are all waiting to see. Also in the AO final, we could see that the pressure was getting to Medvedev so I found it funny that he said the pressure was on Djokovic but it was actually on Medvedev to rise up and beat Djokovic that was carrying an injury.

[Kemarit]

Rotterdam semi-finals: Tsitsipas vs Rublev

What are your thoughts on this one?

Of course I have Tsitsipas winning, but Rublev is also playing super tennis in this tournament. H2H though, Tsitsipas has the advantage, so probably a great match but I'm going to Tsitsipas to win here.

[Strongkored]

Rotterdam semi-finals: Tsitsipas vs Rublev

What are your thoughts on this one?

Of course I have Tsitsipas winning, but Rublev is also playing super tennis in this tournament. H2H though, Tsitsipas has the advantage, so probably a great match but I'm going to Tsitsipas to win here.

I have the same prediction with you that Tsitsipas will advance to the Final, while for other semifinals between Coric vs Fucsovics, Coric is ahead in H2H with Fucsovics and I think this is the advantage for him to advance to the final against Tsitsipas, just my prediction.

[Jating]

Rotterdam semi-finals: Tsitsipas vs Rublev

What are your thoughts on this one?

Of course I have Tsitsipas winning, but Rublev is also playing super tennis in this tournament. H2H though, Tsitsipas has the advantage, so probably a great match but I'm going to Tsitsipas to win here.

I have the same prediction with you that Tsitsipas will advance to the Final, while for other semifinals between Coric vs Fucsovics, Coric is ahead in H2H with Fucsovics and I think this is the advantage for him to advance to the final against Tsitsipas, just my prediction.

Stepanos Tsitsipas just lost the double match today, and I think it later he will have this semis with Rublev. I'm sure that it will have an effect on his body with back to back matches, just saying.

I will also go with Coric, on the second semis, and I will say that he is more battle tested than Fucsovics.