nole you legend! no words at this moment.

congrats to rafa for his tremendous never die attitude.

Crazy, crazy, CRAZY!!!! I have the greatest admiration for Rafa after watching this match. Simply incredible. It would be completely unfair to say "Nole owns Rafa" simlpy because he's now won 7 in a row. Rafa was anything but dominated. Nole may have carried his string of victories into the new year, but this is not quite the ssame rivalry we saw in 2011. Rafa CAN beat Novak, as we saw he very nearly did... Any honest viewer would admit that at the end this match was a coin-toss. Sure, Nole looked like he had the upper hand more often than did Rafa, but Rafa had his opportunities. And those chances weren't given to him, they were earned. Brutal loss, feel like crying for him. And I was rooting for Djoko (what's more, I'm also a Roger man!)

Well I'm sure there are some very happy Novak fans here today.
Well done to Rafa for taking it to 5 sets ... positive really considering his prep and the the last few times he and Novak have played.
Bringing the chairs on court for the trophy ceremony was a first ...

Congrats Djokovic and his fans. Congrats tennis!!!

Congrats djokovic! Respects rafa!

Djoker is a freakin legend! Even if he never wins another match. This blows Wimby08 out of the water as greatest match. Nadal must feel awful after 6 hrs to lose again. If he loses to him at the French the rivalry will be all but over. Djokerslam will be on the line if he has any energy left. So Djoker does to Nadal what Nadal does to Fed. Guess the tennis gods have a sense of humor.

Topspin , 1/29/12 4:56 PM

Class and reason.........................

Great agree match by both of them: Agree with Numero above. Kind of feels similar to the point where RG is Nadal's last stronghold, as Wimbledon was for Fed. If Djokvic can beat him there that will be really a blow.
To me Djkovic combines the best aspects of both Federer and Nadal - the ability to strike with a hard flat groundstroke, but also the patience to grind it out, being rock solid on both sides, with wonderful fitness.

Greatest match of the year so far from both players! I'm thinking over the idea to change my user's id to Noleisthebest

Greatest match of the year so far from both players! I'm thinking over the idea to change my user's id to Noleisthebest??

yeah cause obviously groaning like an idiot and just slamming the ball for hours is really classy isnt it. This match was nothing but a boring slugfest. Granted there was tension at times and some entertaining rallies. BUT ITS THE SAME THING EVERY TIME. Hit the ball back and forth 50 times, take an hours break between points and start again. Federer has the elegance and grace while playing which makes tennis so much fun to watch. These guys just same old boring baseline rallies. The AO surface is too damn slow. The Wimby 08 match had variety in it even from Nadal this was just the same thing over and over again. Looks like in today's age good netplay, serve, clean tennis wont get you anywhere you have to bulk up and just slam the ball hard.


Need to hit the ball as hard as I can now, cross-court preferably so that he has to run to retrieve it. Ok it's coming back to me on the opposite side of the court, pretty fast too, I must run. Ok I've only just cleared the net, need to hit harder next shot.

13 minutes later I am leading 1-0. He is on serve now.

Would I pay to watch the match today? Heck no! 6 hours of women's tennis? Heck no! 6 hours of repetitive point construction? Heck no! 6 hours of time wasting between points? Heck no! 6 hours of blatant dialogue with the player's box? Heck no!

The surfaces and balls must revert to a time when this was an exciting "blink-and-you've-missed-it" entertainment. This is not tennis, it's carambole billiards.

Today's match underlines the worrying trend, players won't be able to finish points and their bodies won't last the distance (career wise) unless they use PED's to recuperate.

Save tennis now, or it will die a slow death.

" I'm thinking over the idea to change my user's id to Noleisthebest".

vjakov: that wouldn't be very classy ;)

Taxon, please stop watching tennis and start playing chess - that game might be better for you to understand

taxon....? wtf?
Are you naturally such moron or you were trained by your fake idol???

Go take a look at menstennis forum and all te other tennis forums! 70% of the people over there agree with this statement. They hit more unforced errors then winners. At least my fake idol didn't lose 7 finals in a row, it think it's a record?? Hell Novak may do the rafa slam if he wins RG!!

Oh...I see... you ARE natural :(

Taxon..

Every brand of tennis has his own fun.

Who the hell cares and gives a damn what "70%" think?!
But you DID lose 6 hours right, because you DID see the match otherwise you wouldn't be commenting on the rallies and tennis they played. You are entitled to your opinion and that's fine.

Congrats to both of them gladiators. Nole and Rafa. This is not about tennis. This is about motive, about will, zeal, fight for goals... It's on another level.

How is it called the Rafa Slam? He's never held all 4 at the same time.

Honestly, I thinkg the Murray-Djoko match was MUCH better than this one.

Anyway, speaking of the match. I have NEVER seen Nadal with such will to win a match. I'm still pumped he lost that 5th set. He's never lost a 5th set since Wimby 2007 agaisnt Federer. In fact, when he won the Tie breaker, I would bet my house for him to win. You can tell how Djoko feels he owns Rafa in the mental part of the game. That's the only way to explain how we ended up winning that last set.

Great match, epic 5th set. 7 finals lost in a row for Nadal now. That must really hurt.


And btw, I think Roger would have won against this Djokovic without 1st serves.

*HE ended up winning that last set.

And Rafa rarely lost the set when he's 4-2 up! I'm afraid going forward, we'll see this version of Rafa rather than the Rafa of old, ie the clutch serving, gutsy, willing to take risk Rafa. Rafa played too defensively this match, when he's ahead, instead of taking some risk and finish the point asap, he simply put the ball in play and hope for Nole to make an error. He's rather risk adverse this whole match, it's only during the fourth set where he was about to go home that he played his best tennis to force a fifth set.

The warrior Rafa is still there but he's no longer that fearless youngster we once know. As he matures, the battle hardened warrior is also feeling wearied with some of the hard losses he suffered during his battles. I hope he continues to soldier on and rekindles that fearless nature in him that hes so well known for.

As for Nole, he is not only the Champion but also the warrior. He's the better player in this match, willing to be aggressive and went for his shots, willing to take risk when it mattered. He's not only the perfect player, he's also the perfect warrior. Well done Nole!

Rafa still has plenty to catch up with this Nole, after he had fallen so hard in 2011, in both his game and his warrior spirit.

I also must add that after what Rafa had achieved in 2010, ie getting his career slam and winning three slams in a year, his weariness had begun to show. It's like he had already achieved what he set out to achieve in his tennis career and since missing his chance for a Rafa slam at the AO 2011, he had practically started his decline albeit rather slowly. I doubt he'll get back to his 2010 level, especially with this Nole around. Nole looks hungry for more, so I think he'll set out to win more titles and more slams. He may end up with the same number of slams as Rafa, or even more, but like Rafa, weariness may set in one day. Let's see whether he'll repeat what he did in 2011, or even better. Fingers crossed.

Lucky...I agree with you that Rafa played to safe yet he didn't have much of a game plan as Nole merely dominated most of the rallies. Even Mattas Wilander noted that he wasn't taking chances enough...although he turned that around in set 4 and 5 which proved that it works when he plays aggressive.

Positive takeaways:
- His service was more consistent, better placement and rotation
- He showed Nole that he has the physical stamina and drive to go the distance which brings enough fear that Nole doesn't want another marathon match like this next time
- His forehand was exeptional during clutch points which, at times, moved Nole around especially when he flattened out the forehand. I'm sorry but the topspins only play to Nole's advantage.

Negative takeaways:
- Cross-court forehand was suicidal in that it allowed Nole to dictate the rallies by pushing Rafa wide and behind the baseline, and ending with a down-the-line backhand winner. His solution HAS to be Nole's forehand.
- Rafa was successful at the net when he had the opportunity but he needs to shorten the rallies more by going to the net more often.
- Taking the ball very late and giving Nole time to recover. He needs to take the ball earlier and initiate pressure rather than start as the defensive.

In summary, Rafa showed stamina, heart and determination, but lacked on strategy and tactics. His serve saved him this time but the core problems still lie. Uncle Toni, please advise Rafa.

taxon,
I agree with you regarding point construction in the match. It was a baseline slugfest that lacked the excitement I get from watching a Federer-Nadal match, even with Federer losing badly.
----
For the most part, I thought Djokovic was playing a gear or 2 below his best, partly because of physical fatigue. Nadal may have been aggressive and playing some of his own best tennis to see him lose from 4-2 up in the 5th set tells a lot about his mental fragility when playing against Nole. It will be fascinating to see how this will unfold if another matchup between the two of them at RG should presents itself.

I thought both will collapse by the end of the 5th.
6 Hrs????
ATP must act to bring this down to 3.00 -4.00 Hrs, otherwise more retirements, injuries will be the result.
Like soccer, Tennis also better if it is short, a high quality(like ytrd's) match for 3.5-4 hrs.
what you say?

Nadal played a great match... He was more aggressive and had a gameplan this time against Djokovic. He played his heart out, even when Djokovic was clearly outhitting him in the second, third en most of the fourth. He hang in there and created chances to win this match.

But Djokovic still won. After almost 6 hours of play, it is Djokovic who outlasts Nadal. Nadal his fitness has set him apart from the rest of the field, but Djokovic can match him in this department. Nadal his heavy lefty forehand, which does enormous damage to the rest of the field, doesn't seem to bother Djokovic that much. Nadal needs to find new solutions, because even when Nadal gives his all Djokovic still beats him.

http://www.mondo.rs/slike/vesti/002/323/v232308p1.jpg Wow. Look at Djokovic's socks... Was that ever a brutal match..

^^^^^^^opportunity for Nike right there, lol!!!

What a match. I was so engrossed that I couldn't bring myself to write a comment until the fourth set was over, but then whe I tried to login, I got a bad gateway response.

I've done my celebrations, coincidentally this is the second year in a row that Nole's given me a birthday gift, something more to cheer for :D I hope all the Nole fans - zare, rfzr, mriiidula, smr, stu, danica, nemanja, anji and the rest - had fun celebrating this one.

Commiserations to Rafa fans and Rafa himself. The guts to hang in there was something else, and I thought the match was done for at 4-2 in the fifth. If you told me pre 2011 that this match would have happened I would have never believed you. Rafa is getting close though, and maybe he might find a way around Nole sooner rather than later. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season - something tells me that Nole is ready to give us another very special season.

very great match

Congrats to Novak -- best player in the world
Rafa showed his tremendous never die attitude ---really fighter

Let's see whether rafa finds solution for Nole in future.

Nole---Best luck for the rest of the season

It was a great match played by two extraordinary champions, they gave their all.

I am of course saddened by Rafa's loss but I am going to take it gracefully just like he has. There are a lot of positive things to be taken from it and I hope that Rafa will succeed in his quest to get even better. I am so proud of him, win or lose I feel the same about this very special human being.

Topsin 29/01 @ 4.56pm - what a great post and I totally agree with you.
Welcome to TT.

Thx samprallica for including me in that illustrious list :) ... I am a fan of many players including Nole ... but I was really hoping for a Rafa win tbh. I'm not a fan of the weird Rafa/Roger thing that goes on here so I limit my Rafa comments ;).
I thought this year's Australian Open was a really great tournament all round .. although I'm exhausted and will be happy to get back to a normal sleep pattern. Very hard on the N. American viewers.

hey guys,
I was there for all of Novak's matches this year. To witness such an unbelievable fight between two true champions was a privilege.
The tennis was out of this world and I was so engrossed in the contest in front of me, that looking at the clock, I couldn't believe how long it went for.

one of goosebumps moments was, after a long rally in the 5th, that went for ~30 shots, the whole Rod Laver Arena erupted and stood up and clapped the two champs.

I am only disappointed with Australian fans, who have once again showed to me how little they appreciate Novak and his talents. They simply do not like him & do not like him winning there. To continually, year after year, cop abuse from elderly people at the AO, because I wave the Serbian flag and chant "Ajde Nole" is just despicable.
To them it is inappropriate that I, a Serb who was born in Serbia and spent most of my life there, support my countryman, but it is ok for an Aussie to support a Spaniard. Very, very disappointed again....

bianca, it's probably nothing to do with Nole or with being Serbian. Perhaps the Australians do not like change or they are unusually loyal. Don't forget that it took Rafa a while to win their hearts and minds because they were so loyal to Roger. Think of the disspeakable manner in which Rafa was treated during the presentation ceremony in 2010 when he won the title. That the organisers were downright rude to him is putting it mildly.

Not many people paid any attention to any other player for the 6/7 years of the Fedal domination, so not many people had really heard about Nole because even though he's been in the big 4 for years and No 3, Andy gets more coverage because of the over powering British media unlike anything the Serbian media can match, so it's taking Nole time to get into the consciousness of the public.

Corr - I meant to say Rafa won the title in 2009.

But what about Rafa at the French Open? How many titles and still the French crowd only grudgingly gives him applause? It's just something Nole will have to deal with too, same as Rafa does. Abuse towards the fans however is unacceptable and I'm sorry that was your experience Bianca.

nadline, I agree with you to some degree....(in particular the whole Fedal domination) .

Interestingly, the abuse generally tends to come from 55+ yr olds (both male and female). Young people ask what is it that we are saying and we explain to them what "Ajde Nole" "idemo" etc means in English...
I don't worry about Novak, he prob can and does deal with it, I am more upset at the fact that I cop abuse almost every time (generally at end stage matches of AO) ;-(((

Hehe... imagine me... in Geneva... hat with "NOLE" and little serbian flag inside "O"...
Especially after matches... I put in windows of my atelier HUGE Novak painting... 1m*2m... and nobody even thinks to abuse me... but it's easy for me... I am 1,91 cm and 110 kg... :)
Sorry to hear about your problems Bianca :)

Novak will have hard time being worldwide popular... he is kind of king-slayer. Replacing most loveable (Rafa) and most admirable (Fed) players on their throne. And I believe major reason is just that, not origin of the most media-trashed country, his extrovert personality, and even less his game style... But I bet the newbie who will replace Novak from throne will be savior and worshiped... it comes and go in waves...

@zare, you are living in the most ethnocentric society, at least from my impression from Zurich. So it is daring attitude, no matter size :)

The only thing epic about the match was the length, and not even that considering the players these day intentionally spend an enormous of time getting the towel to dry off, a ploy for recovery time.
Nadal should have one this match hands down. Sweet and simple, it was a grotesque failure of strategy on Nadal's behalf.
Djokovic, by far the overall better player, was a little tense/tentative in the first set and, IMO, that cost him the set and a 3 set match. But he cranked it up again in the next two sets while Nadal seemed to lose the fire he had in the opening set and Djokovic, now on fire, rolled over him.
But the real match didn't even start until the forth set. Djokovic has great defense, a notch below Nadal though. It was clear Djokovic was getting tired, but he pushed it to a tie-breaker, went up 5-3 and I thought for sure it was over.
But Nadal hung in there and Djokovic tried to hit two winners that he missed because he wasn?t in position to hit well. He was tired and didn?t move his feet. Even the announcers said it. As you know, Nadal broke back and took the set.

At this point, Nadal owned Djokovic if had simply executed one of the simplest strategies in any sport where stamina is a factor. Wear your opponent down. Had Nadal came out and ran Djokovic on every point from the beginning of the point, he would have walked through the 5th. But what did he do? He starts almost every point out hitting 3, 4, 5 sometimes 6 shots almost right back to Djokovic, all the while Djokovic is running Nadal all over the court.

How someone who has played tennis as long as Nadal has, won several grand slams and practically owns the GOAT head-to-head, cannot execute a simple tennis 101 strategy is absolutely dumbfounding. Difficult to imagine how anyone could play such downright stupid tennis.