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Jun/17

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Remember, it was Lopez who first exposed the crack in the Djokovic armor

120 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Bios

 

Feliciano López

Feliciano Lopez is getting a lot of credit now for his superb grass results but one achievement of his career which is overlooked and forgotten is that the Spaniard was the first player to expose a crack in the mighty Djokovic armor last year.

Flashback to the Australian Open final last year. Djokovic was at the height of his power, having crushed Andy Murray in the Australian final 61 75 76 for his third consecutive major title. Djokovic had never looked better and was in top form.

Then in his next tournament in Dubai three weeks after conquering Melbourne, Djokovic appeared to be continuing his destruction of the ATP Tour. In the first two rounds of Dubai, Djokovic blasted Robredo and Jaziri by identical 61 62 drubbings. Then in the quarterfinal, Djokovic collided with Feliciano Lopez.

In an astonishing result, Lopez outplayed the world no. 1 with an impressive 6-3 first set. Djokovic strangely retired from the match citing or claiming a contact lens malfunction.

Djokovic had appeared unbeatable up until that set with Lopez but that one blip was considered a fluke result even though two weeks later Djokovic struggled to subdue journeyman Kukushkin in a five hour, five set marathon 67 76 46 63 62.

Djokovic regained his old dominant form by winning Miami and Indian Wells, Madrid and Roland Garros.

But it was that one curious, odd loss to Lopez which seemed to trigger the chain of events which eventually led to Djokovic regressing in the second half of the year with his poor results at Wimbledon, Rio Olympics and the US Open.

Is it possible Feliciano Lopez’s superb play caused the minute puncture in the Djokovic dam which subsequently eventually burst in total collapse?

Tennis history will forget this Djokovic vs Lopez duel in Dubai but it may have been the stimulus for the shift in the balance of power which saw Andy Murray to take over the no. 1 ranking in 2016 with now Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal now engaged in an epic fight to determine the 2017 world no. 1.

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120 comments

  • britbox · June 28, 2017 at 12:24 am

    Andrew, you kind of corrected yourself with your latest post on the matter because earlier you said you'd seen no change in the repertoire that Federer and Nadal were bringing over the last few years. The original post makes no sense when you consider the changes and adjustments Federer is making on an ongoing basis. We've seen Edberg come and go, refining Fed's net game, trials like SABR, Ljubicic coming in, a huge improvement in Federer's ROS this year and his backhand groundies… and then Nadal making changes, bringing in Moya – already you're witnessing a big variety in his serve.

    Point is, these are not static levels. All three have over time held the baton, with the others adjusting, improving, changing to grab it back. Mental strength and desire are also part and parcel of the equation. Federer and Nadal keep coming back to the well, retooling. You can't just attribute their success to Djokovic's downfall… the mental side is a huge factor in what makes them such great players.

  • britbox · June 28, 2017 at 12:28 am

    Scoop – I don't think Nadal settled the argument. The goalposts are changing constantly. He's also described Federer as unplayable on occasion. Federer has likewise praised Nadal with more lukewarm praise toward Novak. As DarthFed said also – matchups will also be significant on how one player sees another.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 28, 2017 at 1:36 am

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    What's more interesting is that if Dan Evans wins match point against Wawrinka at last year's Open, then Novak likely wins the title and his third Slam of the year. Crazy to think that Evans not closing out Stanimal ended up in Djoker losing another big match to Stan the Man and sending Novak into a tailspin he has yet to recover from. And now Dan Evans is banned from tennis. Wild, wild world.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 28, 2017 at 1:45 am

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    Not to get into this McEnroe silliness but interesting to note that the man ranked No. 701 right now is Dmitry Tursunov, who is now 34 year old. Dmitry weighed in: http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/…ighs-john-mcenroe-serena-williams-controversy It's all meaningless talk – we know Serena can't beat these guys but we also know it doesn't matter – but just affirms that I hate when non-tennis people try to debate these stupid issues.

  • sharoten · June 28, 2017 at 2:20 am

    sharoten writes:

    Andrew Miller · June 27, 2017 at 9:54 pm "I'm not making it up that Djokovic had double the slam count for the half decade of his dominance, which ended in mid 2016. That's real, he was the best player by far from 2011 to 2016…." Oh he was, was he? Is that why Rafa regained the #1 ranking in 2013? Rafa didn't even play for seven months after mid-2012 which gave Novak an easy path to his titles that year. Then in 2014 Rafa hurt his back in the AO and struggled with that all year until he had a stem cell procedure done on it in November, plus he had the right wrist injury which caused him to miss both Wimbledon and the USO and then the appendix in the fall. Again, Novak had the luxury of not having his toughest opponent around for 2014. No one will dispute that Rafa had a tough year in 2015 with his mental problems – Uncle Toni says Rafa didn't trust his body that year and couldn't rely on the athleticism that he had had all his career, but he was starting to get his form and confidence back in 2016 until the wrist injury in Madrid which caused him to miss most of that year too. Finally now, in 2017, Rafa is feeling good again and look at the results he's getting. #1 in The Race by quite a margin. Djokovic is good, there's no question about that, but it annoys me when people call him the best ever when he's been very fortunate with his opponents aging and having injuries and a whole generation of players flopping badly between the Big Four heydays and this supposed Next Gen. Rafa and even Fed to some degree have had their wins this year disqualified by much of the media and many fans as not really counting because Novak and Andy are going through rough patches. A couple of people in this thread have praised Novak for reaching the USO final last year – he only had to play three matches for heaven's sake! Never has one player benefited from so many walkovers and retirements in a slam. I'm happy to give credit where credit is due, but I've never seen a player as lucky as Djokovic. He earned his titles fair and square but he sure wasn't the greatest from 2011 to 2016.

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 2:59 am

    catherine writes:

    Duke- McEnroe is bringing up these silly arguments just to sell his book – pointless piffle. I'm surprised Serena rose to that one. I've never taken much notice of 99% of the stuff that comes out of Mac's mouth, even in his playing days. Kyrgios had the right response to Mac's offer to help Nick with some coaching input: 'He's dreaming.'

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 3:28 am

    catherine writes:

    Interesting – Chris Evert says she would get rid of bathroom breaks if she was in charge of the game. Totally agree. I can't remember anyone running off the court for that particular reason, not in 15 years watching tennis. Most of the time it's cheating, pure and simple. I'd also get rid of OCC and restrict MTOs. I'm not sure because I didn't follow matches live, but I don't know if there was any OCC at the Birmingham WTA tournament – didn't hear of any in the final.

  • Federberg · June 28, 2017 at 4:27 am

    Actually if you listen to the radio broadcast, Mac tried to avoid this. He was pushed into it by the interviewer who clearly had an agenda. He was full of praise for Serena. He was effusive. The interviewer pushed when he called her the best female player of all time. "Why not the best player John? Why do you have to qualify it?" Well… she's simply not the best tennis player of all time. That's just silly. Greatest? Yes probably (all though I still think Martina's body of work is superior when you factor in all the doubles titles). But if you're talking "best"… best means you can beat everyone. That's just silly. There's too much pc outrage in the world today. He said nothing wrong imho

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 5:24 am

    catherine writes:

    Federberg McEnroe has been around for a long time and done zillions of interviews and publicity puffs etc and he should have known better than to take the interviewer's bait and respond with provocative blather. He could have just cut that line of questioning off. I don't think there's much sense in all these GOAT type nerdy arguments myself but I do tend to agree with you that Martina has the superior career overall and was, as you say, a great doubles player.

  • Federberg · June 28, 2017 at 5:51 am

    I really don't see that he said anything that was untrue though. That's my issue. I'm a Federer fan, and a Vika (and Venus) fan too. I can state categorically that Serena has had a greater career than Roger. But she is NOT a better player than him. I've heard too many people make that statement and it's silly and false. In my view, feminism should be about fighting for equality, no excuses, no frills. I would be the first person to say that Laver was a greater player than Lendl, but if anyone stood up and said he was a "better" player than Lendl I would just laugh. Should I be called ageist for that? (even though my comparison would be if they played against each other at their respective peaks). We all know what Mac is like, and even though I loved him as a player, too many of these old timers say things to remain relevant. The simple truth is that he was factually accurate. I recall Serena interviewed on Letterman years ago conceded that she would bet tuned if she played against men. Are we really saying that it's ok for her to say it, but for no one else?

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 6:21 am

    catherine writes:

    I just find the whole men/women thing a kind of non-argument arising from non-questions. Men are physically stronger than women and that's a fact. There's no comparison. Good women players like to hit with men because obviously that helps their games but there's no way they are going to directly compete. Men and women should be judged by comparison with their own sex. Otherwise it's just sophistry, most of this stuff and usually only comes up for controversial discussion when there's nothing much else going on. After a few years I can assure you it gets really boring.

  • Federberg · June 28, 2017 at 6:26 am

    I totally agree! My point is, you should be blaming the interviewer who was looking for notoriety, not Mac, who when pushed was honest

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 28, 2017 at 7:28 am

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Tursunov 606060 vs Serena.

  • Federberg · June 28, 2017 at 7:34 am

    Agreed! The only discussion would be how many points she would get! As an aside.. Tursunov at 700??? Wow…

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 7:52 am

    catherine writes:

    Djokovic through in straights. Plenty happening in Eastbourne while the rain holds off.

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 9:34 am

    catherine writes:

    In his post match interview Djoko was full of praise for Eastbourne and mentioned he'd 'been to Beachy Head. It does wonders.' Not sure if Novak is aware that Beachy Head is probably the most famous suicide spot in the British Isles. So maybe a trip there would concentrate the mind somewhat.

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 9:45 am

    catherine writes:

    Kerber through in 3 sets. Odd match, 6-1 in the 2nd, but Angie got the job done.

  • catherine · June 28, 2017 at 9:50 am

    catherine writes:

    If weather permits, some unlucky people Halep, Kerber. Mladenovic etc, could play twice today according to the timetable. Not good.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 28, 2017 at 10:57 am

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    Donald Young advances to play Novak. They have met just once in the '06 USO. Call me crazy but I feel D-Young has some semblance of hope here. Another tough loss for Tiafoe. He just isn't breaking through on the tour yet but I predict it will happen.

  • Chazz · June 28, 2017 at 12:00 pm

    Chazz writes:

    Yeah, another tough loss for Tiafoe against Gasquet. He will get there, just needs to start winning more of the close matches. Why isn't Sock playing any of these tournaments after a first round exit at Roland Garros? It seems he needs the match play to get out of his slump. His Wimbledon results will be interesting.

  • Andrew Miller · June 28, 2017 at 2:15 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Yes, Djokovic was best from 2011-2016.

  • Henk · June 28, 2017 at 2:55 pm

    Henk writes:

    It's official: Wimbledon has seeded Roger at 3 and Rafa at 4, Andy no.1 and Novak no.2. So… there's a chance of another Roger-Rafa GS final. Thiem no.8 and Zverev no. 10. Feliciano Lopez gets 19 and Cilic 7. We may be in for one of the most interesting Wimbledons with potential huge upsets in the early rounds, or an amazing semi final line up of the top 4 battling it out.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 28, 2017 at 3:20 pm

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    Impressive wins for Fritz and Kudla as they move closer to SW19. Sandgen loses and Kozlov goes down to Novikov in a disappointment. Klahn, McDonald, Snyczek and Fratangelo all go down.

  • Andrew Miller · June 28, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    That's a USA wipeout in the qualies.

  • Andrew Miller · June 28, 2017 at 8:01 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Wow, those men's Wimbledon qualifier and the ATP event are proof positive how tough the tour is and how good the players are. Novikov certainly isn't a favorite but his power game must work well on the grass. Guys like Rosol, Tsitsipas advanced. Of next Gen guys Jay Clarke, completely overlooked player from the wta, knocked off Elias Ymer from Sweden, one of the Ymer boys. And out of nowhere, nowhere! Christian Garin pulls a solid qualies win. No one saw that coming. Garin, the Chilean – nowhere!!! Mischa Zverev continues to be the standard for Harrison. You can tell where Harrison is by whether he can top Mischa Zverev, which he couldn't this time out. Among the ladies, I figure I'm alone in being surprised that Vickery and Asia Mohammed are one match away from the main draw, wow.

  • Andrew Miller · June 28, 2017 at 8:02 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    That wta event is confounding. Why is Muguruza losing so badly? 0 and 1? For a former Wimbeldon finalist? Yikes.

  • Andrew Miller · June 28, 2017 at 8:05 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Jay Clarke is from the lta, not wta. Again I was surprised when UK journalists were lamenting the there's no one beyond Murray and our junior system is awful and this kid Clarke was top 20 juniors I think with almost no lta support.and here he is a match away from the draw.

  • Andrew Miller · June 28, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Maybe Kudla really is a grass specialist.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 28, 2017 at 8:14 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Kudla did well in Newport his first time up there about five years ago – A lot of shorter players do well on grass like Larcher De Brito Santoro Hewitt Darcis etc and I would expect Nishioka to be a grass court terror –

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 1:33 am

    catherine writes:

    Andrew – you mentioned before Muguruza seems to have lost the plot and here seems more confirmation. And she's not the only Wimbledon finalist who's struggling. Maybe being runner-up in SW19 is not always the best thing. Looks like Eastbourne could be a washout.

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 1:54 am

    catherine writes:

    Wimbledon top seeds Murray and Kerber, no surprise, but also two players who are questionable Number 1s and neither of whom want to face humiliation opening the program on the Centre Court. I can't get Angie's 3 setters – she'll go through the 2nd like butter and then it's uphill in the 3rd (Eastbourne and others) as though she really can't believe what she's done.

  • Andrew Miller · June 29, 2017 at 9:24 am

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Catherine, that's quite an observation. My guess is it depends on the player. Muguruza is more like past one hit French open winners such as Ivanovic, who never quite recovered her game. Kerber's a different beast, who is dumbfounded by her unbelievable 2016. By the end of 2016 you have this legitimate credible multi slam champion who put on a year like Serena Williams or Henin or Mauresmo in Mauresmo's two slam year. Unlike Pennetta she was as in Kerber was still hungry. Still saying the right things. Almost as if she had struck on some kind of secret to tennis domination. Nope. Agassi once said that he (1) knew that every match had a winner and a loser, and (2) after winning a slam there's an empty feeling and a what am I supposed to do now? sensation. That he had to reconcile or acknowledge this, that winning slams doesn't change all that much, it's still up to the player to figure out what to do next. He suggests without saying it that being a slam winner doesn't do much for your next tournament – a player would still need to have a routine, practice, get matches, eat, sleep, etc. The only thing that changes is likely what others think of the champion. I'd guess and we've said this before, Kerber became a celebrity athlete in Germany. On every talk show under the sun. More demands on her life. More pressure to explain the secret etc of her accomplishments and spell out her desire to do it all again, on top it. This pressure to improve in some way tore up Fish's career. His heart condition was the central reason obviously. But after a pretty solid run into the top ten and emergence as the USA top men's player, his mental state turned to complete fear. Could he keep it up? What if he couldn't? Could he improve? This growing avalanche of questions got to him and then all of the sudden he was off the ATP tour and playing semipro golf. Strangest occurrence in men's tennis here in the States. He literally had to escape the sport. My guess is that Muguruza, having done as well as possible, has been dealing with the what next thing. She's been pretty coaching resistant and gone for the old just play my game. Her game hasn't evolved much. And she's gone from champion to contender to competitor. So we could say well, it's sophomore slump, after a fantastic year you have an ok one. I don't buy it. I think it's a what am I going to do now thing, and in many ways a rejection of the need to prove themselves. Like Agassi says, winning a slam doesn't change how hard the sport is, what a player needs to do to remain relevant. But the psychology etc, that very well could change.

  • Ricardo · June 29, 2017 at 9:27 am

    who cares, they wouldn't handle ATP 800th ranked players.

  • Andrew Miller · June 29, 2017 at 9:39 am

    Andrew Miller writes:

    But Wimbledon does have a bunch of players who went on brilliant runs and have faded drastically. Maybe Catherine it's that this is my dream thing. Then the dream ends in a loss and smashes the illusion. For Sharapova that didn't happen. But it took her a while to return to the winners circle, from teenage champion to steely young veteran. Lisicki? Nope. Bouchard? The bubble burst, most have sold their stock (or should. I like Bouchard, I think she hustles out there. But she's never been the same player since her Wimbledon final blowout). So, goes both ways. You can be a champion and lose the thread. Or you can make the Wimbledon final and lose the thread. If what Agassi said is true and being s champion of a slam fills the bank account but doesn't guarantee anything else, same thing goes for finalists. Al Costa was a French open champ who didn't do much after it (though he didn't drop his level much either). Muguruza may have felt her close but no cigar final was a stepping stone to bigger things. And that her French was cant get better than this.

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 10:06 am

    catherine writes:

    Ricardo – if you mean that it's one of the silliest comments I've ever read. But possibly you don't ) Andrew – lots of good points – it's a puzzle with Muguruza, she's still very young, but losing so badly. Almost as though she doesn't care, although I'm sure she does. Caught in a spider's web – the more she struggles etc. And yes, I think that W'don loss to Kvitova changed something in Genie. Maybe it just haunts her. BJK wrote very well about the empty feeling you have after winning a big title – need to refill the tank. Great champions can do that. Eastbourne – Simona struggles through in 3, Angie straightforward in 2. Should cheer her. Kerber seems more at home on grass than Simona – not sure why, they have similar type games.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 29, 2017 at 10:38 am

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    Is it possible that Muguruza becomes a one-Slam wonder? I highly doubt it since she has the goods to win multiple for sure but it seems like the pack has caught up to her – or she has fallen back to it.

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 29, 2017 at 10:40 am

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    Brutal that D-Young has set point serving at 5-4 in the second and some more set points in the 11-9 breaker. Has to find a way to convert and extend the match.

  • Chazz · June 29, 2017 at 11:09 am

    Chazz writes:

    Fritz qualifies with a straight set win. Now let's see what he does in the main draw.

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 11:41 am

    catherine writes:

    No sooner has Angie run through a straight sets win than she has to turn around today and play Konta. I won't be putting much on the result. Eastbourne has been a bit of disaster this year. The 'sun-trap of the South' hasn't delivered.

  • Andrew Miller · June 29, 2017 at 12:42 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Kerber should oust Konta convincingly. But "should" means nothing in the sport. Surprised that draw has so many big wta names. Appearance fees? More spending cash for London? Why not an extra match before Wimbledon, beats practicing?

  • Duke Carnoustie · June 29, 2017 at 1:26 pm

    Duke Carnoustie writes:

    Djokovic really is still struggling. D-Young didn't play that well and really could have won the match. DY hit a UF on set point at 5-4 and was sloppy in the tiebreak, double-faulting at 9-9. DY was actually outhitting Djoker in parts of the match and Djoker is still oddly reaching for the ball on some strokes due to poor body position. Djoker does not look that fit either. Call me surprised if he gets past the quarters at SW19.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 29, 2017 at 1:34 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Garby was very confident heading into the French Open and she looked and looks fitter than ever but she didn't get the job done and thus I believe she lost confidence. When you get super fit and feel you are playing great and have nothing to show for it then you can lose confidence.

  • Scoop Malinowski · June 29, 2017 at 1:35 pm

    Scoop Malinowski writes:

    Struggling with DY shows that Djokovic is a shell of his former self. Whatever it is that has caused this we can only speculate.

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 1:39 pm

    catherine writes:

    Simona is out after playing two 3 set matches today and I expect Angie to lose to Konta, who is playing in her home town. She is trailing 0-3 in first set. Wonder if Angie is that motivated, playing her second match of the day and now in evening. Don't know what this will mean for the No 1 ranking. Some players who skipped B'ham for various reasons have come to Eastbourne for grass practice.

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    catherine writes:

    Also Angie has a lingering hamstring problem which I'm sure she doesn't want to exacerbate a few days before W'don. So Konta will go through.

  • catherine · June 29, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    catherine writes:

    Konta beats Kerber ss – I can't imagine Angie is that distraught. Better to get a rest before next week than stay around in Eastbourne for an unimportant title.

  • Hartt · June 29, 2017 at 3:29 pm

    Hartt writes:

    What would be a terrific present for a pro tennis player's 17th birthday? Why to play in a Masters tournament! Felix Auger-Aliassime was given a wildcard for this summer's Rogers Cup in Montreal, and it looks like he will play on his actual birthday of August 8. Of course there is another tennis pro born on August 8, a certain superstar who is 19 years older than Felix and who has celebrated more than 1 birthday playing Rogers Cup. (Even the tourney's name seems fitting.) It's interesting that Luis Borfiga, head of high performance tennis at Tennis Canada, thinks Felix is ready to take on the challenge of playing a big match in his home tourney. They have been very protective of Felix, bringing him along as slowly as possible and trying to keep a lid on media hype. But when a 16-year-old kid wins a Challenger and is in the company of players like Rafa as one of the youngest ever to do that, the cat is out of the bag. Couple that with a charming, fluently bilingual youngster who could be a future superstar, and he is a journalist's dream. The birthday angle must have Canadian journalists (and others) licking their chops. Denis Shapovalov will also receive a WC. He has already been through the baptism of fire, playing his first Rogers Cup last summer when it was in Toronto, so it was his home tourney. He won against Nick Kyrgios, when Nick was in one of his I can't be bothered to play moods. But still good for Denis to withstand what must have been incredible pressure. Of course after receiving a WC for this year's Wimbledon, Rogers Cup won't seem like a big deal for the 18-year-old. They get jaded so quickly! 🙂

  • Andrew Miller · June 29, 2017 at 8:59 pm

    Andrew Miller writes:

    Garin, main draw! Tsitsipas, main draw! Fritz only USA guy to make the main draw of Wimbledon from the qualies? Kudla may get in as a LL is he's lucky?

  • catherine · June 30, 2017 at 6:35 am

    catherine writes:

    Murray and Kerber both to face qualifiers in their Centre Court 2017 debuts – exit to a qualifier ? It's happened before….

  • Hartt · June 30, 2017 at 7:33 am

    Hartt writes:

    Murray has a pretty good draw. Kyrgios could be a threat, but I don't see big problems otherwise. On paper Fed has a tough draw, but the way he has been playing this season don't think he will have many difficulties. If the seeds hold (and of course that is a big if), he will face Mischa Zverev, Dimitrov, Raonic, Djokovic and Murray.

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