OT: Djokovic one match away from Calendar Grand Slam

[wco81]

Of course he gets exempted. Not like there’s any history or nothing.

Another reason many people will never like him, no matter how many Slams he wins.

[lambchop]

This thread has made me realize it is very strange how basketball fans use advanced stats in conversation. It is a de-humanizing way to describe achievement, and it completely omits both the personality of a sports star and the weight of the era in which they played.

Which is crazy because basketball players probably seem the most human in the sense that it's absolutely not unusual to see NBA players or ex players playing pick up ball against average joes. And those Joes aren't even looking for autographs, just wanna play. These guys even engage in Twitter beefs with trolls, reply to IG messages etc.

Anyway, good to see Novak playing. Governments being hypocritical is nothing new, people should have known. Actors were travelling in and out of Australia while their own citizens struggled to enter the country. Lol

[beeshma]

I think that players come to mean something to their fans. That is what advanced stats utterly fail to convey. As an example, my mom was absolutely in love with Evonne Goolagong, and Chris Evert. It was partly their style of play, partly their biographical narrative, and partly how they responded in the moments of greatest competition. This type of fan response is so much more meaningful than stats. But the awful fact is that stats can be calculated decades and centuries later and come to dominate the narrative, because the actual fans who lived through it are no longer alive to testify to a player's greatness. I think that we as fans should fight against overweighting stats, when we evaluate players from previous eras. We should be a bit humble and realize that we have no visibility into the human element anymore.

[rzzzzz]

That is what advanced stats utterly fail to convey. As an example, my mom was absolutely in love with Evonne Goolagong, and Chris Evert. It was partly their style of play, partly their biographical narrative, and partly how they responded in the moments of greatest competition

I really like the way Evonne moved around the court. Like a great shortstop. Chris was prolly GOAT until they changed the racquets. She didn’t complain about it, as far as I know, just switching to the new tech and going on. Martina said about playing with her new Yonex, “It feels like cheating, but I’d be a fool not to use it.” And then, of course, she dominated. But her serve and volley game would be replaced by the big, top-spin beaters. Aided by the decided decision to slow down the speed of all the major courts. Now its like a combination of ping-pong and softball. Current players are world class athletes, but I miss the speed, grace and guile of the old game. Glad that other sports have been far more cautious about equipment change.

[azcatz11]

Of course he gets exempted. Not like there’s any history or nothing.

Another reason many people will never like him, no matter how many Slams he wins.

His game is just so boring. I don't deny his greatness but I fall asleep watching his matches. That's also why his fan base is extremely small

[QPR]

As someone that lives in Melbourne and has made a lot of sacrifices in the last two years, this is a real slap in the face. There is a lot of anger here.

[Cubbies2120]

As someone that lives in Melbourne and has made a lot of sacrifices in the last two years, this is a real slap in the face. There is a lot of anger here.

Hopefully it's at the tennis org that's allowing him to play, not at him for applying for an exemption (which is clearly within the rules).

[wco81]

So Djoko's medical exemption has caused a bit of a firestorm in Australia, with the PM saying he may not grant him an entry visa despite the exemption from vaccination that the tennis authorities granted.

Very negative reaction on social media from Australians.


But it sounds like Djoko is even more nutty than Favre when it comes to covid, vaccines and modern medicine in general.

While Djokovic never explicitly revealed his vaccination status, he has offered numerous indications of his general stance. Long before vaccines were available, he stated his concern about having to be vaccinated in order to travel. He has often stressed the importance of embracing “natural” solutions; early in the pandemic he held Instagram live conversations in which he spoke of how the power of gratitude could “turn the most toxic food, or maybe most polluted water into the most healing water.” After he underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2018, a procedure that has allowed him to win nine grand slam titles since, he said that he cried for three days.

His belief in alternative medicine is complemented by his commitment to alternative history. He frequently retreats to hills in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he meets up with the businessman Semir Osmanagic – whose claims that there are ancient man-made structures with magical healing powers, refuted by scientists, have turned the hills into a lucrative tourist destination. Djokovic has also expressed his support for the ultranationalist alternative historian Jovan Deretic, whose writings claim, among other things, that numerous European cultures, including ancient Greeks, Celts and Etruscans, are descended from Serbs.

What a surprise, he's at least a sympathizer with Serbian nationalists.

Read in The Guardian: https://apple.news/A6H43pU5WRUCfU0_9_gISag

[AdagioPace]

So Djoko's medical exemption has caused a bit of a firestorm in Australia, with the PM saying he may not grant him an entry visa despite the exemption from vaccination that the tennis authorities granted.

Very negative reaction on social media from Australians.


But it sounds like Djoko is even more nutty than Favre when it comes to covid, vaccines and modern medicine in general.

While Djokovic never explicitly revealed his vaccination status, he has offered numerous indications of his general stance. Long before vaccines were available, he stated his concern about having to be vaccinated in order to travel. He has often stressed the importance of embracing “natural” solutions; early in the pandemic he held Instagram live conversations in which he spoke of how the power of gratitude could “turn the most toxic food, or maybe most polluted water into the most healing water.” After he underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2018, a procedure that has allowed him to win nine grand slam titles since, he said that he cried for three days.

His belief in alternative medicine is complemented by his commitment to alternative history. He frequently retreats to hills in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he meets up with the businessman Semir Osmanagic – whose claims that there are ancient man-made structures with magical healing powers, refuted by scientists, have turned the hills into a lucrative tourist destination. Djokovic has also expressed his support for the ultranationalist alternative historian Jovan Deretic, whose writings claim, among other things, that numerous European cultures, including ancient Greeks, Celts and Etruscans, are descended from Serbs.

What a surprise, he's at least a sympathizer with Serbian nationalists.

Read in The Guardian: https://apple.news/A6H43pU5WRUCfU0_9_gISag

sorry for our serbian friends here but Novak is the typical reactionary, antiscience, "cult of tradition" puppet . such a coincidence that Umberto Eco would have been 90 years old today and he has given hundreds of lectures about these kinds of people and Ur-Fascism.
lol imagine saying Etruscans (proto-non-indoeuropeans speaking a language isolate) are serbians, super lol

no surprise this case has triggered outrage, not only in Australia. I'm waiting to see if the medical exemption is really medical related or bullxxx related.

[Bum Adebayo]

Djokovic will never be GOAT

[Mavrelous]

So Djoko's medical exemption has caused a bit of a firestorm in Australia, with the PM saying he may not grant him an entry visa despite the exemption from vaccination that the tennis authorities granted.

Very negative reaction on social media from Australians.


But it sounds like Djoko is even more nutty than Favre when it comes to covid, vaccines and modern medicine in general.

While Djokovic never explicitly revealed his vaccination status, he has offered numerous indications of his general stance. Long before vaccines were available, he stated his concern about having to be vaccinated in order to travel. He has often stressed the importance of embracing “natural” solutions; early in the pandemic he held Instagram live conversations in which he spoke of how the power of gratitude could “turn the most toxic food, or maybe most polluted water into the most healing water.” After he underwent surgery on his right elbow in 2018, a procedure that has allowed him to win nine grand slam titles since, he said that he cried for three days.

His belief in alternative medicine is complemented by his commitment to alternative history. He frequently retreats to hills in Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where he meets up with the businessman Semir Osmanagic – whose claims that there are ancient man-made structures with magical healing powers, refuted by scientists, have turned the hills into a lucrative tourist destination. Djokovic has also expressed his support for the ultranationalist alternative historian Jovan Deretic, whose writings claim, among other things, that numerous European cultures, including ancient Greeks, Celts and Etruscans, are descended from Serbs.

What a surprise, he's at least a sympathizer with Serbian nationalists.

Read in The Guardian: https://apple.news/A6H43pU5WRUCfU0_9_gISag

sorry for our serbian friends here but Novak is the typical reactionary, antiscience, "cult of tradition" puppet . such a coincidence that Umberto Eco would have been 90 years old today and he has given hundreds of lectures about these kinds of people and Ur-Fascism.
lol imagine saying Etruscans (proto-non-indoeuropeans speaking a language isolate) are serbians, super lol

no surprise this case has triggered outrage, not only in Australia. I'm waiting to see if the medical exemption is really medical related or bullxxx related.

The basic anti-fascist act is to stand up to state mandated medical intervention, that limits the movement of those refusing it.
You're confusing who's being fascist here.

[Fade_awayJ]

Laughs in Nancy Pelosi and Gavin Newsome..

[Quattro]

As if people needed yet another reason to dislike this guy.

[Marmoset]

I think that players come to mean something to their fans. That is what advanced stats utterly fail to convey. As an example, my mom was absolutely in love with Evonne Goolagong, and Chris Evert. It was partly their style of play, partly their biographical narrative, and partly how they responded in the moments of greatest competition. This type of fan response is so much more meaningful than stats. But the awful fact is that stats can be calculated decades and centuries later and come to dominate the narrative, because the actual fans who lived through it are no longer alive to testify to a player's greatness. I think that we as fans should fight against overweighting stats, when we evaluate players from previous eras. We should be a bit humble and realize that we have no visibility into the human element anymore.

This is a big part of why I lost much of my interest in baseball. It's always been more stat heavy than most sports, but modern baseball feels like nothing but a spreadsheet to a lot of people. Stats don't do a good job of showing players that rose to the occasion - Jack Morris in MLB, Grant Fuhr in NHL, these are examples of guys where just looking at stats does not give you a full picture of what those guys were. Scottie Barnes isn't putting up spectacular numbers as a rookie, just solid ones, but to me he has the 'it' factor that the stats don't capture.

Djokovic will very likely finish with more slams than Federer and Nadal, but many will not regard him as the best for a lot of different reasons. (I'll wait until they are all done to judge). This latest ridiculousness with the Australian Open won't help. Novak genuinely seems to have no understanding of why he is nowhere near as beloved as Federer and Nadal but the answers are so obvious. Those two guys would never do something like what Novak is doing to play in Melbourne. Those two guys have captured the imagination of fans for their style, their personalities, their decency, and their rivalry. I don't think Novak will ever get it, which is a shame. He could have been the undisputed GOAT if he understood all of this. Not just the guy with the most slams, but the guy regarded as the best. It's not the same thing.

[gigantes]

Djokovic will never be GOAT

As if people needed yet another reason to dislike this guy.

He's always been a super-likeable guy to me, and going by his ATP wins, he's arguably the best candidate amongst the big three to challenge Rod Laver's GOAThood. But this anti-vaccine nonsense is just a killer. Literally a killer.

Later on, when the world is over CV19 one way or another, Djokes will probably have to be considered the undisputable GOAT due to having the most singles grand slams and being the more modern player (Laver and his colleagues basically got screwed over by the pro-am transition).

I still don't think I'll ever feel the same about him, though. Not that he cares, but when he chose the side of ignorance over life & science, he lost me in a lot of ways.

[Marmoset]

I still don't think I'll ever feel the same about him, though. Not that he cares, but when he chose the side of ignorance over life & science, he lost me in a lot of ways.

I think he does care though. I think it really bothers him that he's not regarded the same way as the other two greats. If Novak wins 40 slams he'll never be adored like they are.

[azcatz11]

Djokovic will never be GOAT

As if people needed yet another reason to dislike this guy.

He's always been a super-likeable guy to me, and going by his ATP wins, he's arguably the best candidate amongst the big three to challenge Rod Laver's GOAThood. But this anti-vaccine nonsense is just a killer. Literally a killer.

Later on, when the world is over CV19 one way or another, Djokes will probably have to be considered the undisputable GOAT due to having the most singles grand slams and being the more modern player (Laver and his colleagues basically got screwed over by the pro-am transition).

I still don't think I'll ever feel the same about him, though. Not that he cares, but when he chose the side of ignorance over life & science, he lost me in a lot of ways.

There has never been a GOAT in any sport who has literally no fan base like Joker has. It's pretty interesting. Fans actively boo him when he's playing marginal players. He's always had a huge chip on his shoulder because he never got the love Fed / Nadal have.

[Hobo4President]

He can be unlikable, doesn't mean he's not the GOAT though. Think he's certainly the best of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic. Peaked the hardest, has the highest winning percentage against top players by a huge gap, will likely retire with the most slams in history.

[Bum Adebayo]

Yes but Laver is on another level, what he did achieving CYGS multiple times is literally unrivalled, he transcended the sport. Djokovic choked when he had to achieve the most important achievement (CYGS) and when he had to win the most prestigious tournament (Olympics) in the weakest era ever from 2018.

[Sgt Major]

He's the GOAT

He's annoying AF and I can't stand him off the court, but he's clearly the best ever.