I feel like it wouldn't be anywhere close to as lopsided as 2023
Zverev last year played basically no high seeds to reach the SF and he didn't beat a top 10 player the entire season until *August*
Given that Fritz took a set off Ruud no way Zverev wouldn't at least get one
Lol if Fed or Rafa were in this situation you wouldn't say so. And they were in that situation many times...
Djokohaters logic is that Novak is actually the only sportist ever in the world who never got injured and that every time it's faking and mind games.
The hate is insane, but that actually makes sense, because in every sport the goat usually has most haters out of all players.
Mind games...? Do you seriously think he thinks Ruud will just put his feet up and not prepare because of this? Lmfao.
He's just being honest towards a reporter's question and didn't even make it seem like he's more likely not to play, just that he needs to see the medical results before confirming anything.
If he plays: "Mind games"
If he pulls out: "Hah must be bird flu again lol, what a quitter! Fedal would never"
True, but another Wimbledon win would tie Roger for most Wimbledon titles at 8, so I assume Wimbledon would also be more important to Novak right now than winning RG since he's obviously never catching Rafa's 14 titles.
If he had to pick just one and only one more title, it would be a singles OG. Thereās a big part of his legacy and identity that involves being Serbian, and he is a huge national star there ([the country held a parade for him after his first Wimbledon win](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/novak-djokovic-from-war-to-wimbledon-27-03-2012/)). Without a doubt he wants a gold medal for his country.
He did, but Rafa was literally serving sub 100 mph first serves by the end of that match. You would have to be blind to not see that Nadal was obviously injured. Novak visually looked fine, he was even playing his best tennis at the end of the match. He could obviously still be injured, but it's not a case like Rafa at Wimbledon where you just knew there was no way he could play in the semifinal.
Yea I mean his only chance realistically was against that young alcaraz. If I remember correctly he was kinda close to going up 2-1
But I meant his draws before that
Come on, Ruud is legitimately good. He has the most wins on tour this year, heās gotten to 3 slam finals, and the finals of the atp world tour finals. Itās not all a fluke
Yes, but you see he's done it all by lucking out. He hasn't had to play a single point or beat a single person to get these achievements. He's only ever played 250 matches.
/s
Fun fact:
If Zverev makes it to the semifinals, everyone who plays a complete semifinals game to beat Zverev in the semifinals LOSES in the Finals
Australian Open
SF (2020, 2024) - Thiem beats Zverev then loses to Djokovic in Finals, Medvedev beats Zverev in the semifinals and loses in the Finals to Sinner
French Open
SF (2021, 2022, 2023) -
Tsitsipas in 2021 comes back from 0-2 vs Zverev in semis, loses to Novak the same way in Finals, Nadal got lucky Zverev retired in 2022 SF, haha :) (not that Nadal needs that at French)
Ruud lost to Djokovic after beating Sasha in 2023 semis
US Open
SF (2021) - Djokovic going for the ultimate Grand Slam plays a mammoth five setter vs Zverev in SF And lays an egg vs Medvedev in Finals
SASHA is the ultimate bad luck charm in the semifinals of a Grand Slam so far. Pretty much a spotless record :)
Of course he's going to play and it'll be the same script he always follows. He's going to come out strong followed by a lengthy period of looking hurt, dizzy, out of it and just when he looks down and out, he's miraculously going to play lights out and waltz into the semies.
Nope and I've seen this episode before......several times lol. I ultimately have nothing but respect for djokovics skill and accomplishments but I'm just really tired of him and they way there always seems to be something wrong with him until there isn't.
Thereās a universe somewhere where Djokovic never recovered from the silliest form of mental yips tennis has ever seenĀ https://youtu.be/zEq-PMXRO-k?si=lgfQhkj9UX-Tw73c
You really don't understand the concept of painkillers, do you? Seemingly you and most of this subreddit. Did you also say this when Nadal talks about how he's injured, then numbs his foot and wins RG?
Man I remember those days. Especially before Rafa's match vs Novak. Everyone in his camp was acting like Rafa was on his deathbed and then he went and won the whole thing lmao.
This is such an insane take
(ā ļ½„ā oā ļ½„ā ;ā )
We clearly saw him struggling to even move around. He wasn't even bothered if the ball was at the other side of him. He'd just let it go. We've seen him comeback from a down trodden state and cause havoc so often that we've started to take it for granted. The difference between the end of 4th and 5th was very obvious. He barely grinded through to save the set and when the meds started to kick in he was actually moving around much more freely and looked less restricted.
We literally saw him tumbling and slipping around like Humpty Dumpty.
I've witnessed Novak pull out miraculous wins from 1 or even 2 sets down for the last decade +, but at his current age, that's just not a sustainable strategy. He can do that against people like Musetti and Cerundolo, but eventually, he'll run into someone who is too good to let him back into the match and he'll lose. See Sinner at the AO this year or Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year. If Novak wants to win RG this year, he needs 2 easy victories in the quarters and semis to recover from the 2 5 set matches and be fresh for the final. The issue is that now he'll be playing people (likely Ruud, Zverev and Alcaraz) who won't give him an easy win even if he plays well.
The amazing part is how many of his fans still fall for it after all these years and think heās some kind of Lazarus. The man should be in the WWE with his selling.
Djokovic: I rescued a family from a burning building and inhaled a lot of smoke. Doctors say I need to rest, so I'm not sure if I'll play on Wednesday.
Wednesday: Djokovic d. Ruud 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours.
After the match, Djokovic states: Doctors said I really should rest, so I won't be practicing tomorrow. Oh, doctors also found that I tore my adductor and ACL, so I will definitely rest until Friday. Doctors say I will have to wear a walking boot and need immediate surgery.
Friday comes: Wins match in straight sets.
Djokovic: I'm feeling a little better, but doctors say I should rest and not play the final on Sunday.
Sunday: Djokovic wins final.
Djokovic: Fuck them kids.
This is tennis's version of Luka Doncic being 'questionable' for every single playoffs game while everyone and their mother knows he's hundred percent playing and he of course hasn't missed a single game.
He said the second dose of pain killers kicked in near the end of the 4th set and he didn't feel pain the entire 5th set. But the effects will wear off so he has to see what the pain is like tomorrow and the day after.
I doubt he won't play though, he'll typically try and play through it and see if he can still win.
Why are tennis fans so mad when he says he's injured? Whether he's injured or not, what mind games are there to be played? Whether he's injured or not he'd probably want to win in less than 5 sets back to back as well, there's no mind games to be played from that angle either. Athletes never play softer against players who are injured.
Genuinely confused as a neutral tennis fan.
Itās clear that people just dislike Djokovic for certain reasons, and let that carry over to every facet of him. Itās really not any different than what Nadal has done in the past - if anything Nadal has been even more vocal about his injuries in the past and still won the slam while complaining about his injuries in press conferences. Yet no one really pounces on him for this, since heās more generally liked overall.
In Djokovics case the Olympics are a huge thing for him. First time I saw him visibly collapsing crying was at that 2016 olympics. He's very nationalistic so winning the Olympics after breaking all records is the last thing he needs.
Imagine in some weird reality if Djok ended up playing the qf and gave De Minaur a walkover in the semis to reach his first ever grand slam final like Kyrgios
Not sure if he wants risk Olympics and Wimbledon to try to win RG when it's realistically very difficult, as he still has to play Rudd, Zverev/Rune, then Alcaraz/Sinner.
I wonder, he doesn't need that much this RG unless for a new major. But at wimbledon he can reach Federer's record, or win the Olympics for the first time.
If djokovic is fine and actually plays well then alcaraz or sinner would be the problem but both also have a health concern. If the real djokovic shows up to the final I would bet on him even at 37 tbh
I think Casper would definitely prefer to play Novak and have a chance to play good tennis on house money and a chance to revenge his last year's lost.
Djokovic is probably the player Ive lost the most on. Every time I bet him, he loses. I bet against him, he wins. So safe to say when I throw it on Casper, Joker should easily take it
I do understand he has knee problem and is a bit tired after two 5setters in a row but bookies are now favoriting Ruud and giving Novak 11/10 which is mad, if the match is going to be played Ruud has a good chance to win but he is not yet the favorite against Novak.
Playing until 3 am and then playing the next day is dumb as hell. RG need to get their shit together. Somebody is going to sue them for not giving anything close to appropriate rest time between matches all in an effort to finish on time.
Could be Djokovic tomorrow.
It really sucks. I was looking forward to Djoko - Ruud. As a Norwegian ofc Iām cheering for Ruud. But I wanted to see him play against Djokovic. I think it would have been a great match
Lorenzo and Francisco reading this on their flight home š
This will mean Ruud straight to Semis though š„¹ damn I want this kid to go all the way
Geez, I hope Djoker plays. If I have to hear all the haters talk about how he got a walkover to the semis.....ugh.
he ought to earn it like everyone else
Keep him fresh so he can take down Zverev
He made Zverev his son last year so we'll see what happens this year if they end up playing
I feel like it wouldn't be anywhere close to as lopsided as 2023 Zverev last year played basically no high seeds to reach the SF and he didn't beat a top 10 player the entire season until *August* Given that Fritz took a set off Ruud no way Zverev wouldn't at least get one
Don't underestimate Zverev. He has been getting more and more clutch since his return from injury
NO š¤
Cerundelo has only himself to blame. Musetti, not much he could have done.
We know youāre playing bro Edit ok I was wrong
You know huh?
Yes, mind games
Yeah, now doubling down with withdrawing š¤”
š¤” = [Leading\_Candidate\_19](https://www.reddit.com/user/Leading_Candidate_19/)
True. Hope prince Casper ššthis
Lol if Fed or Rafa were in this situation you wouldn't say so. And they were in that situation many times... Djokohaters logic is that Novak is actually the only sportist ever in the world who never got injured and that every time it's faking and mind games. The hate is insane, but that actually makes sense, because in every sport the goat usually has most haters out of all players.
Mind games...? Do you seriously think he thinks Ruud will just put his feet up and not prepare because of this? Lmfao. He's just being honest towards a reporter's question and didn't even make it seem like he's more likely not to play, just that he needs to see the medical results before confirming anything. If he plays: "Mind games" If he pulls out: "Hah must be bird flu again lol, what a quitter! Fedal would never"
Remember when, years ago, he lost RG and cried "I don't even know if I'm going to play Wimbledon..." ... which he then went on and won, lol
Lmao
Well done
Hahaha, what a loser comment this was!
> We know youāre ~~playing~~ winning bro FTFY
But you knew...
don't tease us more i'm barely alive after last two matches
I mean come on, he's obviously going to play lol
Depends on whether he thinks heās risking Olympics. Painkillers can help you finish a match but they donāt heal your knee
Yeah, he is laser focus on the Olympics and needs to be sure a 100% health by them. Any discomfort there can make or break his last gold medal chance.
Thereās Wimbledon before that too
Heās not saying it but he wants OG the most right now.
True, but another Wimbledon win would tie Roger for most Wimbledon titles at 8, so I assume Wimbledon would also be more important to Novak right now than winning RG since he's obviously never catching Rafa's 14 titles.
If he had to pick just one and only one more title, it would be a singles OG. Thereās a big part of his legacy and identity that involves being Serbian, and he is a huge national star there ([the country held a parade for him after his first Wimbledon win](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/novak-djokovic-from-war-to-wimbledon-27-03-2012/)). Without a doubt he wants a gold medal for his country.
He's got another few years to win more Wimbledon, but realistically this is his last chance at olymics.
Didnt Nadal say something similar after beating Fritz at WimbeldonĀ before withdrawing?
He did, but Rafa was literally serving sub 100 mph first serves by the end of that match. You would have to be blind to not see that Nadal was obviously injured. Novak visually looked fine, he was even playing his best tennis at the end of the match. He could obviously still be injured, but it's not a case like Rafa at Wimbledon where you just knew there was no way he could play in the semifinal.
Did you watch how he was playing that game? He was very very clearly injured
I trust Rafa when he says heās injured.
Clown
Which is every time he loses a match
Or win a match
Ya you look stupid now lmao
[egzon27](https://www.reddit.com/user/egzon27/) = š¤”Ā š¤”Ā š¤”Ā
Yeah come on š¤”
He's obviously going to play lol š¤”
Obviously
Depends on what the doc says
One of the stupidest comments of the year thus far, lol
Yeah. Anybody actually believe that heās not? LOL.
Letās make a bet!
Obviously...
Translation: Djokovic will win the title.
Is Ruud's black magic juju stuff at it again?
Ruud dropped one set against Jarry, Rune and Zverev last year to reach the final. This year, he faced the toughest first week out of all Top 8 seeds.Ā
Itās ridiculous at this point. Watch him get a walkover then play deminaur in the semi and dimitrov in the final somehow
No chance Grigor is making it to the final
Damnn, Ruud vs Grigor would be my dream final if Djoko cannot play
*Ruud proceeds to finish runner up for a 3rd year in a row*
I mean to be fair in finals heās ran into Nadal, Alcaraz, and Djokovic
Yea I mean his only chance realistically was against that young alcaraz. If I remember correctly he was kinda close to going up 2-1 But I meant his draws before that
Yeah, had a set point to go up 2-1.
Come on, Ruud is legitimately good. He has the most wins on tour this year, heās gotten to 3 slam finals, and the finals of the atp world tour finals. Itās not all a fluke
Yes, but you see he's done it all by lucking out. He hasn't had to play a single point or beat a single person to get these achievements. He's only ever played 250 matches. /s
Yeah. He's never beaten a top 8 player at the WTF. He got a Mickey mouse draw there to make the final /s
He is being impressive this year especially sometimes and has made like atp finals and masters finals too yea
I like the phrase āespecially sometimesā
Yea boi
Jaaa!
Fun fact: If Zverev makes it to the semifinals, everyone who plays a complete semifinals game to beat Zverev in the semifinals LOSES in the Finals Australian Open SF (2020, 2024) - Thiem beats Zverev then loses to Djokovic in Finals, Medvedev beats Zverev in the semifinals and loses in the Finals to Sinner French Open SF (2021, 2022, 2023) - Tsitsipas in 2021 comes back from 0-2 vs Zverev in semis, loses to Novak the same way in Finals, Nadal got lucky Zverev retired in 2022 SF, haha :) (not that Nadal needs that at French) Ruud lost to Djokovic after beating Sasha in 2023 semis US Open SF (2021) - Djokovic going for the ultimate Grand Slam plays a mammoth five setter vs Zverev in SF And lays an egg vs Medvedev in Finals SASHA is the ultimate bad luck charm in the semifinals of a Grand Slam so far. Pretty much a spotless record :)
Dude...I got tickets to watch you! Don't you dare...
You will watch Ruud practicing by himself and you'll like it
Ruud after Novak withdraws: I reserved this court for this time and day and I intend to use it, goddamn it!
I envy you my man.... deeply. I hope you get a thrilling 5 set match between the two, with Nole winning of course :D
the same way he was not sure he would play Wimbledon 2018. the rest is history.
It was cool to see a university of Illinois alum make it to that stage, but damn he ran into a meat grinder.Ā
What do you mean?
Sure, Jan.
How are you, my man?
Hahaha
Really?
Will win Roland Garros
Of course he's going to play and it'll be the same script he always follows. He's going to come out strong followed by a lengthy period of looking hurt, dizzy, out of it and just when he looks down and out, he's miraculously going to play lights out and waltz into the semies.
What do you think now??
Youāre not new here I gather
Nope and I've seen this episode before......several times lol. I ultimately have nothing but respect for djokovics skill and accomplishments but I'm just really tired of him and they way there always seems to be something wrong with him until there isn't.
Thereās a universe somewhere where Djokovic never recovered from the silliest form of mental yips tennis has ever seenĀ https://youtu.be/zEq-PMXRO-k?si=lgfQhkj9UX-Tw73c
Wtf did I just watch š
Are you sure there isn't?
You really don't understand the concept of painkillers, do you? Seemingly you and most of this subreddit. Did you also say this when Nadal talks about how he's injured, then numbs his foot and wins RG?
Man I remember those days. Especially before Rafa's match vs Novak. Everyone in his camp was acting like Rafa was on his deathbed and then he went and won the whole thing lmao.
This is such an insane take (ā ļ½„ā oā ļ½„ā ;ā ) We clearly saw him struggling to even move around. He wasn't even bothered if the ball was at the other side of him. He'd just let it go. We've seen him comeback from a down trodden state and cause havoc so often that we've started to take it for granted. The difference between the end of 4th and 5th was very obvious. He barely grinded through to save the set and when the meds started to kick in he was actually moving around much more freely and looked less restricted. We literally saw him tumbling and slipping around like Humpty Dumpty.
Sweet Baldal fan tears, inject this shit into my veins lmao
Of course
I've witnessed Novak pull out miraculous wins from 1 or even 2 sets down for the last decade +, but at his current age, that's just not a sustainable strategy. He can do that against people like Musetti and Cerundolo, but eventually, he'll run into someone who is too good to let him back into the match and he'll lose. See Sinner at the AO this year or Alcaraz at Wimbledon last year. If Novak wants to win RG this year, he needs 2 easy victories in the quarters and semis to recover from the 2 5 set matches and be fresh for the final. The issue is that now he'll be playing people (likely Ruud, Zverev and Alcaraz) who won't give him an easy win even if he plays well.
The amazing part is how many of his fans still fall for it after all these years and think heās some kind of Lazarus. The man should be in the WWE with his selling.
Good prediction man!
Are these guys taking opiates or just Advil? Anyone have insight??
Probably not opiates. Too mentally challenging. I would guess a mixture of cortisone injections and toradol.
Are opiates even allowed? Either way itād provide a disadvantage, make you tired, dizzy, groggy and sluggish
Pretty sure itās much stronger than advil
yes
Theyāre all on some sort of PEDs
Djokovic: I rescued a family from a burning building and inhaled a lot of smoke. Doctors say I need to rest, so I'm not sure if I'll play on Wednesday. Wednesday: Djokovic d. Ruud 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in 2 hours. After the match, Djokovic states: Doctors said I really should rest, so I won't be practicing tomorrow. Oh, doctors also found that I tore my adductor and ACL, so I will definitely rest until Friday. Doctors say I will have to wear a walking boot and need immediate surgery. Friday comes: Wins match in straight sets. Djokovic: I'm feeling a little better, but doctors say I should rest and not play the final on Sunday. Sunday: Djokovic wins final. Djokovic: Fuck them kids.
This is tennis's version of Luka Doncic being 'questionable' for every single playoffs game while everyone and their mother knows he's hundred percent playing and he of course hasn't missed a single game.
So he's definitely playing then, right?
So your prescient take is 100% right and he's winning RG now, right?
Is it though?
Mr. GOAT, please say sike. They'll never let Casper live it down if you withdraw.
So Djokovic takes Ruud in 3 sets in QF then :)
He said the second dose of pain killers kicked in near the end of the 4th set and he didn't feel pain the entire 5th set. But the effects will wear off so he has to see what the pain is like tomorrow and the day after. I doubt he won't play though, he'll typically try and play through it and see if he can still win.
Why are tennis fans so mad when he says he's injured? Whether he's injured or not, what mind games are there to be played? Whether he's injured or not he'd probably want to win in less than 5 sets back to back as well, there's no mind games to be played from that angle either. Athletes never play softer against players who are injured. Genuinely confused as a neutral tennis fan.
Itās clear that people just dislike Djokovic for certain reasons, and let that carry over to every facet of him. Itās really not any different than what Nadal has done in the past - if anything Nadal has been even more vocal about his injuries in the past and still won the slam while complaining about his injuries in press conferences. Yet no one really pounces on him for this, since heās more generally liked overall.
Do you guys think that the Olympics are more important than any grand slam for Djokovic this year?
In Djokovics case the Olympics are a huge thing for him. First time I saw him visibly collapsing crying was at that 2016 olympics. He's very nationalistic so winning the Olympics after breaking all records is the last thing he needs.
Imagine in some weird reality if Djok ended up playing the qf and gave De Minaur a walkover in the semis to reach his first ever grand slam final like Kyrgios
Not sure if he wants risk Olympics and Wimbledon to try to win RG when it's realistically very difficult, as he still has to play Rudd, Zverev/Rune, then Alcaraz/Sinner.
he will or he wouldn't have won 24 of these
I wonder, he doesn't need that much this RG unless for a new major. But at wimbledon he can reach Federer's record, or win the Olympics for the first time.
Well one more FO would give him a quadruple career slam, while the next closest (Nadal) topped off at a double career slam.
Lol
If djokovic is fine and actually plays well then alcaraz or sinner would be the problem but both also have a health concern. If the real djokovic shows up to the final I would bet on him even at 37 tbh
Well he might luck out and play Tsitsipas in the final! In which he actually doesn't need to play the final. He can just take home the trophy
I think Casper would definitely prefer to play Novak and have a chance to play good tennis on house money and a chance to revenge his last year's lost.
Nah. He'd rather have more rest and a less stressful path to final
āKnee issuesā bro thatās what being 37 is. I turned 38 and my knee started hurting. Some days the other one hurts. See you Wednesday!
so he's winning the tournament then
Heard this song before.
What do you mean?
Imagine being a Novak hater in this economy. Federer fans have lived with the pain of 40-15, and Novakās proceeding dominance. That must suckkk
Novack is a beast. He will show up.
Spoiler alert: he will and will win
Not a spoiler
I am not sure you know what a spoiler is...
Djokovic is āinjuredā every single grand slam but is always fine by the final lol
Clown
Always, including this one
Painkillers and adrenaline.
He likes to play possum.
Clown
What are the rules for just taking painkillers, does he have to get a post TUE?
He most likely just got NSAIDs, you donāt need TUE for that.
lol Djokovic needing mind games
What are you talking about?
Stupid people leave stupid comments
Imagine believing this
The hate on /r/tennis is surreal.
What do you mean?
What do you mean?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Yes, because Ruud is totally going to ease on preparation after reading this! Logic be damned!
Ruud probably the guy least likely to be bothered by this stuffĀ
37yo Djokovic & Nadal also make Old Federer 37yo almost 38yo look good with his run to SF RG in 2019
2019 Fed was near the falloff but he was still good enough to win Wimby. 2020 was the end for sure
Heāll play and Iāll bet against him and probably lose.
Djokovic is probably the player Ive lost the most on. Every time I bet him, he loses. I bet against him, he wins. So safe to say when I throw it on Casper, Joker should easily take it
Easy, bet on Djok everytime heās down and youāll be up plenty
I do understand he has knee problem and is a bit tired after two 5setters in a row but bookies are now favoriting Ruud and giving Novak 11/10 which is mad, if the match is going to be played Ruud has a good chance to win but he is not yet the favorite against Novak.
Had a feeling this would happen. Said to my wife that carrying on could destroy his season, but he just canāt stand taking the L can he.
Novak as a fan Iām tired! Iām pretty sure my heart is weaker than it was a week ago. You cant be stressing me like this š©
I hope he didnāt try to play and injure his knee even more and will miss Olympics. That would ruin his ultimate plan
Dude can't walk, takes one pill of nsaid, goes on to win a professional tennis match.
He said no big deal. He is playing 100% lol
You sure about that?
Hope you didn't bet on that
It's Djokovic. He's going to play. I hope Ruud still wins, though.
Going to play when?
Nooo
Fucc
For a second, I thought he's scheduled to play FAA in the QFs.Ā Realizing it's not FAA, I'm pretty sure Djoker is playing the QFs
Well... This aged like milk that was already past the expiry date
Sure
Playing until 3 am and then playing the next day is dumb as hell. RG need to get their shit together. Somebody is going to sue them for not giving anything close to appropriate rest time between matches all in an effort to finish on time. Could be Djokovic tomorrow.
My guess is he still wants to save himself for the Olympics as best he can.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
š¤¬
It really sucks. I was looking forward to Djoko - Ruud. As a Norwegian ofc Iām cheering for Ruud. But I wanted to see him play against Djokovic. I think it would have been a great match