Amazing win for Stan Wawrinka, well deserved. He was definitely the best player of the tournament and was unplayable for most of the match. I felt a little bad for Novak, but I think he’ll still have a couple more chances to win the French Open. I felt that Stan was almost always controlling the outcome (like against all his previous opponents) as he was so aggressive and dictated play – when he played that magnificent return game to break Novak to love in the third set, it didn’t look like he would lose. This was just one of those days where Novak was not able to find the right solutions – perhaps things would have been different had he been able to extend the match to 5 sets.

The “Nadal Curse” also continues: the 2 people who have beaten Nadal at RG have ended up not winning the title. In fact, they both ended up losing in the Final to a Swiss man.

Side notes: it was nice that the crowd decided to give Novak an ovation at the end, but it felt a bit fickle to me given that they had been rooting against him for most of the match.

I think it is tough to say without a doubt that someone deserved more the title than another. I get the point you make, Djoker really beat Nadal (the King of Clay), and he got all the credits for it. However, was Nadal really “the beast” in this year’s tournament? I don’t think so… I can even see Nadal losing to Murray or Stanimal if they happened to meet in the quarters. Also, I think each tournament has its own story, so just because one guy has a better record on it, I don’t agree he deserves more the title just because of it. This whole story of deserving is a bit of subjective for me, and regularly gets biased depending on who someone is cheering for.
About Djokovic’s attitude, I agree it was admirable, but I do not agree with the critics about RF and RN. First of all, they (RF, RN and ND) have different personalities. For instance, one can be more passionate, another one can be cold, or more elegant, and so forth. Secondly, each situation tells a different story and has distinguished backgrounds. Thirdly, certain attitudes don’t or shouldn’t erase other facts about a person, like trying to distract the rival in important moments or trying to waste time to bother the opponent when in a good moment, that is, just trying to win at any costs.
About 2009’s final at Australian Open, Federer was playing another final against his rival who had just beaten him in his favourite tournament the year before. Federer was chasing his 14th Grand Slam – try to think about the pressure he was handling from the press, from the fans, even from his friends and family. And, just to put an extra pressure, all the legends were right there to see the historical moment. And… after a brilliant final he ends up losing it in a harsh five setter. I just can’t conceive that there are people that don’t have the feelings to understand that particular situation. I can only see that Roger showed us right there that he was a human being. On the contrary, It would be very strange if he was alright there after defeat. (Not to mention the Stefan Edberg’s awards Federer has been winning again and again – Djokovic has none, this should indicate something to us…) Yeah, Djokovic was handling a tough situation as well, but he is the dominant player in the world at the moment, and he knows he will have other chances, not just in RG, to win other GS.P.S. I don’t know if we have to like less one guy to start liking another.
About the tournament itself, I believe what Stanimal made in RG was just incredible. He just blow off the court Federer (who was playing a decent tennis himself, and Stan confused us with his own level ), the GOAT for many. After that, he beat Tsonga, who was playing well too and had the crowd’s massive support. And, at last, he wins the final against the number one, the one who is dominating the sport nowadays, the one who beat the King of Clay, the one who was at a 28 victory streak. Therefore, If those accomplishments don’t mean Stan the man had all the merits, I don’t know what a player has to do to earn it. Well, that’s my opinion anyway…

This is one of your weirder post. i always knew you liked Djokovic because he is Nadal’s nemesis but this article instead of being biased towards Federer (like you mentioned in your last line) is actually biased towards Djokovic.

As for the match itself, this was what we expected from an in form Wawrinka vs an in form Djokovic. Lots of baseline rallies. Djokovic was showing a lot of his improved net skills. And he was pretty clutch as usual. But Wawrinka was just at another level. We were talking in the last post about how Djokovic just can’t use brute force to boss rallies. He mainly uses angles to get the job done and Wawrinka today was actually running pretty well and took his chances whenever he got them. Also he was crazily clutch just like in the Tsonga match. I feel pretty bad for Djokovic as well. That is just because as a tennis fan I feel he has more than earned the right to win this particular tournament, But like Roger he has now lost in 3 finals and I think he is definitely going to win it next year. But one should really try to remember that he is not the only guy making sacrifices. Wawrinka actually separated from his wife twice for his career. If it is one guy who deserved this one it is him. Also I find the statement about Djokovic going through extreme setbacks in his childhood and Roger having a cozy childhood to be slightly biased. I mean we all know the genius talented Roger but he must have also faced problems in his life. Also we have no real idea of the kind of problems Novak exactly faced in his childhood.

All in all I think Wawrinka was the worthy winner. He defeated the number 1 and number 2 just like he did when he won the AO a year ago. Djokovic was unlucky in having to come through Nadal and Murray before the finals but I don’t think the Nadal match took that much out of him, it was the Murray match that might have made him a little tired. Also its good that Djokovic is not completely dominating ATP like Serena is in WTA. That would really take the excitement out of the game, I still think Djokovic will win one of Wimbledon or US this year, But Roger really has a good chance in Wimby. If draw goes slightly his way and he has a little luck he can win it I think.

To Ruan personally I was just going through some of your older posts and its remarkable how much your writing has matured. I think you are one of the very few Fed Fans who is also a true tennis fan. Keep up the good work !!

Wow, just wow!!! Novak bring more inspirational than Roger ever was?!! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions but this is blasphemy on so many levels. Roger will always the better player and the better man. His achievements on and off the court trump Novak’s. Yes, he is an inspiring figure himself but to say that he is more gracious in defeat than Roger ever was is nonsense. I have been reading your blog for a while now and I know you have become a bigger Djoker’s fan than you ever were a Roger’s fan but that is probably only because he was able to beat Nadal consistently – something that Roger could never do.

But achievements in tennis always come down to titles, slams, win streaks, etc. Roger’s wins in 2009 will forever be etched in every sportsfan’s memory. The Career Slam and beating Pete Sampras’s record in the beautiful sunny day at Wimbledon was the best and most inspirational memory I have ever witnessed in my life. I guess you have forgotten. Let me remind you! No mortal will ever touch him in the pantheon of Tennis Gods. Not Rafa Nadal and certainly not Djokovic. Roger Federer is the Greatest Tennis Champion of All Time. I understand this loss hurts you but to spin it in a way that Novak didn’t choke is just crazy. You are 0:40 at 4:3. Couldn’t he take one of those points?! Novak faced 2 second serves and couldn’t get it done. I BET that if Roger was in the same position and he missed too – you would have him a choker. But not with Djokovic. You are very biased right now. So what is it?

1. Are you a True Unbiased Tennis fan?

2. Are you a Novak Djokovic fan? Or

3. Were you a PROUD Roger Federer fan once, only to forsake him in search of glory with another player – namely Djokovic, only to witness him lose Too and now feeling that his persona is somehow more inspirational than Roger’s!!!!

Roger is a LIVING Legend! An enigma! A master! The likes of which we have never seen before and we’ll never see again! That 23 SF streak. 10 Straight Finals. Winning 3/4 Slams 3 Times. Novak and Nadal have only done it once. They can hold to their little H2H records against each other and against Roger’s but in the end Roger will be ThE Last Man Standing with the Most Grand Slams in History and Simply the BEST!!!

Whatever! Roger has won. Stan too. And Novak didn’t. Karma is a bitch. I told myself – if God lets Roger win at Wimbledon in 2014, he can let Novak win the Elusive French Open in 2015. But I guess he had other plans… No need to feel sorry for Novak and yet call the Master Roger Federer a choker and Nadal’s bitch. This blog has BECOME way to biased for me. If you can’t accept the loss and move on and treat everyone with the same respect than there is no point. I am sorry!!!!

Take a bow Stan the Man. Take a well earned bow. I wanted to be mad at him when he beat Roger, but Stan played one of the best matches to beat him. Every strike of his, every shot of his was pure gold. Even when he defeated the Goat, I couldn’t be mad at him. But the way he played today?? Wow, just wow. It took THAT level to beat Novak.

Good to see that Stan was not byest towards Novak. He got the same treatment Roger got from Stan. The winners were flying of his racquet left and right, up and down, in the middle and the sky Sooooo many winners. Really makes you wonder why Stan hasn’t won more slams.

By the way…. nice to see all throughout the slam that Novak, Rafa, Stan and Muzza also shank balls. I thought only Roger has a patent for that

Ps: I am not a fan of Novak, but… take a bow Novak. You played great and a fair match. It took Stan to play the best match of his life to defeat you. Novak deserves serious credit for beating Rafa and Andy.

Also at times I think Novak being gracious in defeat is overrated…. but NOT today. He was honestly happy for Stan. And he was genuine gracious. The standing ovation he got was well earned. Take a bow Novak. To be honest, I did feel a tiny bit sorry for Novak when he sad alone on the chair, but true sportmanship from Stan to go to Novak. Great respect and good examples for the upcoming stars.
When I see the ladies shake hands at the net after a match, I always think… why?? Why does it have to be so businesslike, so cold?? Look at how the guys do it…

After Roger’s game, there are 2 people’s game I really love to watch (no matter if they end up beating Roger) and those 2 are Delpo and Stan.
When THIS Stan plays like THIS…. he truely outplayed Roger and Novak….
That backhand… after 300 years, they will still be talking about Stan’s backhand

And want to bet that next year they all will be wearing Stan’s tablecloth??

Hey Ru-an, I just wanted to say something “personal” to you. You know I am a big big fan of the way you write (especially when you used to write about Roger), but…. to be honest… I don’t know what to make of this post. I don’t agree with somethings you write.

My Dutch teacher used to say, you never know what goes on behind closed doors. No one is or has a perfect life. Roger’s and Rafa’s may seem perfect, but who can say that for sure??
To give you a personal example… people who see my mom, my sisters and myself from far, may say we have a perfect life, never been through stuff and don’t know what it is to suffer…. but my mom was a widow when my youngest sister was only 1 year old. She raised 4 little girls all on her own. She gave up her happiness for us (never even thought about remarry, let alone let a man come near us). We have been through some “stuff”, but we don’t show it or talk about it and maybe that is why people think we have it “perfect”. We don’t know the things a player goes through. Even if it is Roger, Novak, or even a Dimi or Kohlschreiber. Novak didn’t have a perfect life, he saw things a child should not see, but…. which player has had a perfect life??

I also notice that lately you make a remark about Fedfans or Fedfanatic on almost every post. Why?? You are above that Ru-an. Let “them” be. Just focus on yourself and your blog. This may sound harsh, but hope you know, I mean well.

Congrats to Stanimal and commiserations to Nole and his fans. He will have another chance next year.

Just wanted to mention, and I’m sure Fed fans here know this, Roger had that terrible hardship in his early tennis career too, losing his coach to a car accident. So he’s had to overcome a tough loss.

Anyway, ‘deserve’ is not always the best word when talking about winning matches and titles.

On to Wimbledon!

I have been following and enjoying your blog for a number of years, so many thanks for that. I would normally not post a reply but your last post however puzzled me a bit.

I was surprised by how much you focused on Djokovic’s loss compared to how great of an achievement this was for Stan. He played great tennis, his back hand was phenomenal, he stayed strong physically and mentally and in the end totally deserved to win.
That means that on the day Djokovic was lacking a little something and deserved to come in second.
Djokovic showed a good attitude in defeat as has Federer and other players in the past but that alone doesn’t all of a sudden make them heroes in my book. It mostly shows that they don’t have any obvious character flaws : )

This is high level sport and anyone who reaches the top is extremely competitive and puts in a lot of work and sacrifices to get there. Stan being a great example of that. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic are not nice guys when they step on the court. They all want to win and when they don’t they handle it as best they can based on their character.

Federer has had problems at times in his career with the mental aspect of the game and it did cost him some titles but let’s be honest no one else has had to put up with that amount of pressure. From the start he was hailed as a genius that redefined tennis and everyone expected him to win every match he was in. I remember after he won 4 or 5 majors the media and respected commentators were stating that he should reach 16,17 or more no problem. That’s still a lot of work to do when you’re on five! And that is just to live up to what others have established as your base line.
He is also a world celebrity and that brings extra media pressures and so on. None of the other guys have that level of exposure.
I certainly don’t feel sorry for him but from a tennis perspective he never had the luxury of playing the underdog role like Nadal and others did for so long.
Now at the end of his career he can do so but the benefits of that are much reduced as his level has or will drop.

That brings me back to Djokovic at RG, this time he had to handle the sort of pressure Federer had most of his career. He was expected to win, everyone thought so but he couldn’t.
He is a great champion and totally deserves to win it but my point is that things become a lot harder when you are the favorite.

NB: I would also not hold it against someone for not having experienced a public childhood tragedy. People can only develop based on their reality and so far Federer seems to be pretty decent guy. It’s hard to gage what people go through from the outside anyway.

Anyway, thanks again for the blog

Mark

I have some mixed feelings about this. I rooted for Stan to win here, and I got what I wanted. But I realized that part of the reason I rooted for Stan was I kind of just assumed Novak would win here. But as the match went on and was slipping away for Novak I didn’t want either player to lose. When Stan served for the match I was just stunned. I expected Novak to dig deeper and find an extra gear, but it just didn’t happen. Maybe playing a 5 set match against Murray over two days cost him too much physically, and maybe beating Nadal drained him a bit mentally as well, despite steamrolling him. But then again, Stan was probably just too good on the day.

I’m really happy for him and he deserves it. He played amazing, just crisp hitting and unreal power. It was just spectacular to see. He has had some bitter losses to Djokovic in the past too, epic 5-setters that could have gone either way, so no-one can say that he didn’t deserve this victory.

It’s just that Djokovic deserved it a little more. He did most of the hard work by dispatching Nadal and Murray, and he has been the only serious challenger to Nadal in the last few years. So I think he should be the rightful heir to the clay throne. Maybe Stan felt that way too. His celebration was very muted, seemed very conscious about not rubbing it into his opponents face. It almost looked he was feeling guilty of having comitted a crime. Novak took the loss like a true champion, and the ovation he got from the crowd was very moving. I really hope he can win here next year, it’s long overdue.

You wrote 95% about djoker’s emotions and loss. Nothing about Wawrinka.. There is no term DESERVING in tennis.. Djoker is simply not good enough to win RG. its was his 3rd final and he lost in 4 sets in all three finals which means he didn’t even took the match to distance. Stan played incredibly well. Whoever plays best wins the best prize.. Its life and i am so much happy for stan.. And you said you willwill be a biased fed fan again but now you look a biased djoker fan all its about him nothing about Wawrinka who won his 2nd slam proved everyone wrong he has beaten fed and djoker in route world number 2 and 1 and he has aweful h2h against them he was 6-33 against them yet he has beaten them CONVINCINGLY . wow hats off to Stan you are a Champion. And yes i would suggest you to write another post for Stan the man afterall its a TENNIS blog. Its a HUGE achievement and you need guts to beat such players in 4 sets and straight sets to Win a grandslam.. CHEERS Stan ALLEZ

Stan credits his shorts for his win.

https://twitter.com/rolandgarros/status/607612708914085888/photo/1

Hi all,

Really happy for Stan’s win. In fact, I am happy any of them won apart from Nadal.

The win for Stan totally changed the outlook for rest of the seasons this year.

What does this mean rest of the field in Wimbeldon a couple of week’s time from now?

Novak – it will leave behind him a scar and his confidence could decline. He knows he won’t be invincible and will be fearful if Stans in his draw. Likely not defending his title and a SF appearance would be all.

Murray – his game suits the grass and confidence remain high after a SF run in RG which Brought Novak to 5 sets. Expect him to make SF or final.

Nadal – low confidence and likely to exit before QF given his past 3 Wimbeldon performances. His game no longer a serious threat on grass.

Federer – he will be highly motivated to win this quite possibly his last chance as he is passing 34 soon. Pressure may be too much for him but expect Fed to make SF or F if he gets a good draw.

And Stan? It could go either way as he might still in shelf shocked after winning RG or he could be the killer everyone fears to play. Expect a QF or SF run.

Bottom line is the talk of ‘calendar slam for Novak is ain’t happening and not going to happen. Whether he can win RG next year is still questionable.

Can we see other players Nishikori, Cilic, Nygros, Roanic etc making a deep run, quite possible but the big 4 + stanimal isn’t going anywhere. I predict Murray, Fed Novak & Wawrinka the last 4 men standing, Wawrinka being the man no one dares to play.

Wawrinka is ‘in the zone’ and he is that good so long he is free from injury and fatigue. Even he might not in Wimbeldon, he is definitely a force to be reckon with for USO. Go Stan!

Big congratulations to Stan he was just too good. If Novak had won that would seem to have been more deserved but who can say I can’t remember a lot of sympathy for Nadal when Soderling won although I realise this was a final! As a tennis fan I think it is good that we again have someone who can throw a spanner in the works. Djo no doubt is the No 1 player at the moment but I’m sorry he just doesn’t do it for me and it isn’t because I love to watch Fed play…it’s just that I remember so well all the antics he pulled and to some extent still does. However Ru-an you confuse us by ditching ‘Ruans Federer Blog’ and renaming ‘Ultimate Tennis’ when it seems that you have just replaced Federer with Novak……I love your blog and I hope that tennis will win out!

Hey, everyone!

First off, I would like to start by saying that I have no personal issues with Mr. Ru-an. I have followed his blog for several years now and I started seeing a shift this year maybe after the Australian Open. I am not a blind Roger supporter. I get frustrated with him just as well.

But I would like to speak on behalf of all those who might be afraid to say what needs to be said. So here it goes:

Every person is entitled to sympathize with whomever they choose. Some people choose to be loyal and others – well sometimes we call it – glory hunters, they pick and and choose to sympathize with a new face.

When Roger was on Top, it was easy to be his fan. Throughout his downfall and later on with his “Redemption” we stuck together and experiences some of the greatest memories a sportsfan can experience.

Now, however, all of a sudden with Djokovic’s undeniable dominance over the tour (apart from the French Open riddle – which still remains elusive to Novak), some people choose up gloss over Roger Federer’s achievements and call him names and epithets that do not befit a true legend of the sport and the greatest tennis player that perhaps has ever picked up a racquet.

I have no problem with Ru-an sympathizing with Djokovic. I can even understand it. What I don’t understand is how freely he is willing to just diss Roger and biasly defend Djokovic. It used to be that he was one of the happiest man when Roger crushed Novak at the French in 2011, and yet now he blames Roger for doing so.

Also, the enigma of the French obviously involves going around Nadal and not through him. No mortal has ever beaten Nadal at the French and won the title. That simple feat was repeated yesterday. I would have loved to hear a little more about that.

And how about Stan’s achievement? At 30 he is 2 for 2 in slam finals and against Nadal and Djokovic nonetheless. Remarkable. Stan and Murray combined have the Career Slam. That’s quite remarkable as well.

In any case, no hard feeling. Just wanted to call it like I see it – something that certsainly is promoted on this blog.

I am just happy that neither Roger, nor Novak won. Cant ask for more than that really. I am almost shocked at the almost complete 180 turn that Ruan has made with regard to being a Fedfan. Makes for an interesting read though, and definitely better than the nauseating Fed worshiping of last years. Kudos!

That aside though and on a serious note, Stan played out of this world tennis. He most definitely deserved that win. And yes I felt a tiny flicker of pity (for lack of a better word) for Nole. He gave his all against Rafa and Andy. But that’s tennis. He just has to pick himself up and try again.

The comments are great. Being a fan of some or other tennis player is like falling in love; there is zero logic here. Djoker had some heartbreakers at RG and any decent logic human being should have cheered for him. I tried to cheer for Novak, but each time it got tight I found cheering for Stanimal. So just cheer for your guy, who cares.

Hey Ruan look I have read all your posts from the beginning and I know how much you like Roger. Don’t let this stupid Fed fanatics get to you because I see you are suddenly a lot more pissed off with Roger as well. Take it easy because at the end of the day you can always choose to ignore the trolls.

Hey Ru-an,

Thanks for all your great posts recently, and for taking the time to respond to virtually every comment.

I honestly don’t know what is more impressive: the volume, depth, and accuracy of your analyses, or your willingness to spend countless hours having long conversations with us about what you really said, and correcting people who simply misread your posts!

Cheers,
Joe

Hey Ruan,

Congratulations to Stan for a wonderful win, he played very well in the final and deserved the title. I am really happy for him but I am sad for Djokovic. He wants the French really bad and you can see it in his eyes. You can see how much it meant for him when the French crowd gave him a long standing ovation. I think some people are still living in the past as they want to see the Fedal matches and there’s nothing wrong in that but they are forgetting the present which at the moment is Djokovic. He is playing great tennis and every tennis lover should appreciate it.

Congratulations on the new-look blog. Feels great.

The ever-present reader,
Vamesh

It is Wimbledon 2015, the Djoker just thrashed Stan the man in the semis and Roger Federer beat Nadal in a classic 5 setter. Ru-an for which dude are you vouching for?

Hello again!

I read all of the comments and I must say that whomever invented the word “Fed Fanatic” should define it for us fans and readers of this blog. Because I am certainly confused.

My definition is that these are fans that see no fault with Roger, think that he is invincible and that he’ll always be the best player in the world.

I certainly do not believe that Roger is that. He has faults. He has lost important matches. But he has won some amazing matches as well.

I am not sure what to do. Am I Fed Fanatic for defending Roger against those who chose to call him a mental choker and someone’s bitch?! Whomever uttered those words should apologize. Emotionally affected or not.

Or if that’s not the case, than the same standard should be used with all the players as well. If Roger choked at match point at the U.S. Open against Dhokovic in 2011, by the same token Djokovic blew it (choked) a 3:0 lead and TRIPLE break point at 4:3 in the fourth set here. We also have to look at the perspective.

Roger won his only French Open title in 2009 at a time when Nadal was crushing everyone at the French Open. He had won 4 FOs before and as history showed us – 5 more after that. Federer’s majestic win also came at a time when Nadal had inflicted two devastating loseses to Roger – at Wimbledon in 2008 and at the Australian Open in 2009. Nadal was number 1 in the World. Roger had started to show some real vulnerability at the time. And yet, despite his trials and tribulations he was able to come true! He had only ONE shot at it and he took like the True Grand Slam Champion that he is.

In comparison, Novak is in his absolute prime. He crushed a Nadal who is a shadow of himself, beat in form Murray and didn’t have Roger standing in his way. And yet he crippled. He couldn’t get it done. He first lose his serve to lose the 3rd set. And then after having the early lead, choked it away. It’s as if Roger with the WORLD watching lost to Robin Soderling in the Finals that year.

Novak had no excuses. He had to deliver. And he didn’t. That’s the truth. He was gracious in defeat, yes but in the end he still lost. And I am not sure that he’ll recover from this either.

What’s the problem with that view? If everyone is allowed to speak fairly, there should be no problem. And yet, I feel that on fm this blog unless you conform to certain views, you will be either banned or called a Fanatic. If that’s the case, I am certainly guilty as charged for defending Roger.

A close-up analysis on how the players behave after the results. A very nice review, just like both players being reviewed are also very admirable ones.

In all honesty, I am a bit concerned about the Djoker’s future after this heartbreaking loss. Just like Roger before 2009, he had to endure losses upon losses before he finally won it. Granted, 2008 RG loss was not heartbreaking as he was totally schooled. After a point, when you suffer heartbreaks upon heartbreaks, you just lose it and eventually give up. For the Djoker, there has been so many pains in this tournament. It could be that this is one too many.

I certainly hope not and next year he comes back as strong as ever. Yet he’s not young anymore and next year he’ll be 29. So, looking at his loss is very tough for me, even more so when he finally cried. But then…if he had won, the other player might never get anymore GS, admirable as he was.

How’s your view on this Ru-an? Do you think the Djoker can recover from this loss and come back strongly, or will this prove to be the straw that breaks the camel’s back in terms of chasing the career slam? Also an interesting question…how Stan will pick up this win. I hope for him to take this as a platform to mount strong challenges at other GSs. This way, the tennis world will become more interesting.

This shot from Stan though. #immense

The 5 minute ovation for Djokovic was stunning and his reaction makes it hard to dislike him. I have always liked Djokvoic anyway, simply because he had the guts to stare down Nadal at slam finals, especially AO 12 and US 11. As Ru-an said it’s one thing to be gracious but another to actually be truly happy for your opponent and I thought Novak was for Stan. He really is the most classy player in defeat.

That aside, Djokovic’s task was made more difficult I think by having to play into Saturday another set and a half pretty much. Those were long grinding rallies with Murray and he is human, it must have tired him out. That does not detract from Stan though. His groundstrokes were inredible as usual. But what really struck me was that he was pretty clutch and won a lot of the long rallies as well, which you would expect Djokovic to win since Stan generally had to win his points with a winner or forced error.

Someone above wrote: did Djokvoic choke this one glorious chance he had, unlike Fed vs Soderling in 2009? Both were facing enormous pressure, and I would argue Fed faced more to win. Fed had also played 2 5 setters before (Haas and Del Potro). But Fed got it done. Both were against big hitters, but Stan is a slam winner already and better balanced on both wings then Soderling. So I can’t really say Djokovic ‘choked’ here. But it’s a fair point.

That one-handed backhand is something to behold. I hope kids are watching this and starting to play that way as well. Stan can go down the line and cross court easiliy with it, and even if you see it coming it’s hit so hard and flat you can’t react in time…if Roger had that backhand he might have won 20 slams.

So fifrst Halle, and then onto Wimbeldon…

More. What a beauty

Please Ru-an I don´t want to receive all the comments 37 comments too much I´ve no time working and studying all day..

Ru-an, there’s a lot to digest about this result so I hope you make some more posts about it. There are so many more aspects to touch on: the future of the “big four”, what this means for Wawrinka, for Federer, for Nadal, etc.

For the Djokovic side: many factors played a role: first, the “curse of Nadal,” which I think is easily explained. Beating Nadal at RG is emotionally draining in and of itself, it’s like playing a second final before the actual final. That’s just too much to deal with. My feeling is that the only way that anybody could beat Nadal and win the title at RG is to beat him in the final.

The signs were already apparent in the semi, Djokovic should never have let Murray take it to the fifth set. With his back against the wall, Murray started playing hit-and-hope tennis, trying to be more aggressive, and it worked for two sets, until he overexerted himself by playing too aggressively and Djokovic was able to reassert himself. IMO, people have mixed up cause and effect here: it wasn’t the exhaustion of playing five sets that caused Djokovic to lose the final; the very fact that he let it get to five sets that was a sign that mentally, he wasn’t quite ready to win the title. He had a huge lead but nearly pissed it away against a player who, as you say, is largely a “pusher.” In the final he came up against a player who was the opposite of a pusher, and who simply blasted him off the court.

There’s also the fact that he was carrying a 28-match winning streak into the final, which added its own pressure. He did everything right this year–won nearly every big match from AO onwards, collected every Masters title and beat all the top players, even beat Nadal at RG (which only one other man has ever done)–and yet, during the biggest match of his career, he fell short. He clearly planned his entire season to peak for Paris–ripping through the spring HC season, playing MC to wallop Nadal again, skipping Madrid to conserve energy while minimizing rankings points loss, and then returning for Rome to get peak confidence just before RG. And all of that planning came to nought.

Maintaining a winning streak takes energy; the more you win without losing, the more of a mental burden it becomes to keep it going, the more you’re going against the laws of probability, and eventually you’ll lose. I’m sure Djokovic would have traded all his non-AO titles this year for RG, even if he won’t say so.

It’s not clear that Djokovic will a) be able to recover fully from this loss or b) have another such golden chance to win the title.

Even after being thrashed in 2008 in the final in Paris for the third straight year, Federer still believed fully in his chances of winning RG. And once he saw his opportunity in 2009, he moved heaven and earth to seize it. In retrospect, that was pretty much the only real opportunity he’d have, given that Nadal reestablished his stranglehold on the title for the five years after that, and Federer’s consistency declined significantly with age after 2010. Had Federer missed that forehand against Haas in the fourth round, he might never have won the title, and if he hadn’t won it then, he might never have won it and he might have retired a couple years after that a broken, disappointed man, having failed to break Sampras’ record or win the Career Slam. The window is that narrow.

And I think the window will be equally narrow for Djokovic. I doubt he’ll have a better chance than this one. And he’s not that young anymore; he’s going to be 29 next year. Suppose Nadal is back to full strength by then (and I think his doctors are well capable of coming up with some way to do this) and then beats Djokovic in another close, grueling five-setter at RG. Then where does Djokovic go from there, getting into his thirties without having entered the tiny pantheon of players who have mastered all four Grand Slams?

As for whether he can handle this defeat, I’m not as sanguine about that as everyone else seems to be. Of course, Djokovic will say he retains his belief that he can win RG. (What else is he going to say?) He may even consciously think he retains his belief. But the truth lurking deep in his subconscious will only come out once he’s on Court Philippe Chatrier, playing in the semis or final. And I think we may have already seen that truth exposed to the harsh light of day.

After all, he had many chances in this final. He won the first set. He was up 3-0 in the fourth and had 0-40 at 4-3 on Wawrinka’s serve. He even had a break point when Wawrinka served for the match. He really should have been able to drag it into a fifth set, where he would have had the advantage of greater endurance–indeed, their previous three Grand Slam matches had all gone five sets. Sure, Wawrinka played amazing tennis, but there’s no denying that Djokovic had plenty of chances and failed to take them. The problem wasn’t just Wawrinka’s power, but Djokovic’s mentality. There were doubts and hesitations somewhere in his mind–the same ones Nadal exploited in their last few encounters in Paris–and they surfaced yet again in this final.

When Federer had the Career Slam in his sights, he closed it out ruthlessly. He was absolutely surgical against Soderling in the first set, and then when it got close in the second, he landed four straight aces in the tiebreak and took all but one of Soderling’s service points. Had Soderling leveled the match, he would have felt energized at the thought of possibly winning in four or five sets, while Federer might have started feeling fatigue from his grueling trek to the final. But with the two-set lead, Federer was able to finish it before fatigue became a factor. He did exactly what he needed to do to get the title. This is one of the qualities that sets Federer apart from the merely great champions and puts him the rank of the greatest champions. He played with the hunger and desire of a young player going for his first Grand Slam title, not a man going for his 14th, and yet he had the clarity of mind to know exactly what to do.

Djokovic, by contrast, never looked like the winner in his final. Even when he won the first set, I felt it was more due to Wawrinka’s nerves than the exceptional quality of Djokovic’s play. He never played with the intensity of a hunter with his long-sought quarry finally in his sights, the way Federer did. He didn’t close it out, he didn’t have that mentality that sets the greatest champions apart from the great champions. I never felt clear thinking or clear intentions from him. There was confusion emanating from his racket. He didn’t play with the hunger and desire he should have had. This is not to say he played poorly–individual shots were often good. But they didn’t cohere into a whole. And you can’t win a Grand Slam title with that kind of tennis, let alone the Career Slam.

Of course, everyone wants to be nice to Djokovic in defeat, so they’re saying he deserves the title and he’ll win it for sure next year. (If Federer had fallen short against Soderling, they wouldn’t have said such nice things–they’d have called him a choker and charlatan who deceived them by promoting himself as the “greatest,” even though he himself never made any such claims).

But sport is cruel and unforgiving, especially individual sport. There is no “deserve.” Take a great and underrated champion, Andy Roddick. In most people’s estimation, he deserved a Wimbledon title. But he was unlucky to come up against a Federer seeking to break Sampras’ Grand Slam record. To play as well as he did, to serve 38 games without dropping serve, only to be broken at 15-14 for the championship–there can be no crueler way to lose a Grand Slam final. A year after that, he got knocked out of Wimbledon early after suffering from mono. And then two years after that, struggling with age and injuries, he retired at the US Open. No final blaze of Wimbledon glory. That’s what awaits the vast majority of players, even the vast majority of great champions: McEnroe, Becker, Lendl, Wilander, Edberg… It could all be over tomorrow. So who knows if Djokovic will ever make another final in Paris?

And just because it wasn’t a five-setter doesn’t mean it wasn’t harsher than the 2013 loss. Maybe this defeat has left deeper scars than the last two–deeper, because in his heart of hearts he knows he can’t blame Nadal for this loss, and because he knows he won’t get too many more chances. It will certainly prompt a period of deep introspection for Djokovic, and who knows what, if anything, he will get out of it.

Btw, Ru-an, I do feel for Djoker, although I am ecstatic for Stan. He has grown so much from his imitation days. The classiness and dignity he showed in his loss. Unequaled. If anyone but Stan had been in the final, I feel Djoker would have won. I said Stan would be sternest test yet for Djoker and sure he was. Still, I expected Djoker to win; especially when he won the first set. He handled the early pressure so well by sweeping through his draws. Then maybe it did get to him eventually, in the final, I suppose, because he did some choking and couldn’t play his signature bhdtl. But I believe he can win it in the next couple years. He is still the best player in the world and in his prime. Nadal maybe back next year. But it maybe a mountain too high for him to climb back to being Clay Monster. At the end of the day, as you said, Ru-an, it was already a huge achievement in itself, by Djoker to dethrone the Clay King. Onwards and upwards!!