Bodo: Wawrinka the biggest threat to the reign of Novak Djokovic

[britbox]

The Secret Rivalry

More than ever, Wawrinka the biggest threat to Djokovic's reign wites Peter Bodo on ESPN:

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/i...-wawrinka-biggest-threat-novak-djokovic-reign

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[britbox]

I don't buy this view... Stan is without doubt a dangerous opponent for Novak... but he's far less consistent and he won't make enough appearances at the final dance to put too many dents in the reign... let alone end it.

What will end Nole's reign is a decline at his end coupled with the emergence of the bunch of hungry talented youngsters.

 

[Denis]

Lol no.

I'm more worried about Kyrgios recent inroads.

 

[britbox]

Lol no.

I'm more worried about Kyrgios recent inroads.

Agreed Denis - Kyrgios and I think a couple of the others who will make big inroads over the next couple of years - Zverev, Thiem and maybe Fritz - all getting a lot better quickly.

 

[Carol]

Bodo says what......so many years watching and writing about tennis and then......he s getting old

 

[Moxie]

Yeah, that seems like Bodo had a deadline and a failure of imagination. Wawrinka is more spoiler than great champ, even with his two Majors, and yes, he has spoiled things for Djokovic in a couple of very big moments. That doesn't qualify as a "rivalry," with that H2H. I agree with those who say that it'll be the inevitable decline, and the youngsters who will build a game to beat him that are most likely to do the damage. However, Stan has in the bank that he has gotten "this" Djokovic in the big moments, so he might catch him again, a time or two.

 

[Tennis Fan]

Yeah, that seems like Bodo had a deadline and a failure of imagination. Wawrinka is more spoiler than great champ, even with his two Majors, and yes, he has spoiled things for Djokovic in a couple of very big moments. That doesn't qualify as a "rivalry," with that H2H. I agree with those who say that it'll be the inevitable decline, and the youngsters who will build a game to beat him that are most likely to do the damage. However, Stan has in the bank that he has gotten "this" Djokovic in the big moments, so he might catch him again, a time or two.

Great post, sound logical thinking. I was just talking to a tennis buddy about why Stan wasn't officially a member of the Big Four. He lacks consistency and is a spoiler. I don't see him ever having the sustained consistency required of a great champion. But Stan thinks he is in that simply because his head is inflated. He might win big again, but I don't know...

 

[ClayDeath]

bodo is an imbecile.

clearly he has not seen djokovic's transformation.

stan is an aging player who is now declining relatively rapidly.

 

[Tennis Fan]

bodo is an imbecile.

clearly he has not seen djokovic's transformation.

stan is an aging player who is now declining relatively rapidly.

Bodo really is a Bozo. I can't stand people who lack common sense. The stuff he writes doesn't even make sense. He has no objectivity and there is an undercurrent of nastiness under the surface of his writing. He seems frustrated, miserable and angry. I see why Wertheim is consistently selected over him. He's too bitter and always there seems to be this passive-aggressive need to bring the top players down in a deceitful way.

Stan can win, but only if it's his day, otherwise he's too inconsistent to be a constant threat to Novak or anyone else.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

LOL Bodo has always been a 'drama filled journalist' anyone that reads and takes notice of his comments really needs a reality check

 

[ClayDeath]

stan is a joke now.

he is done. and bodo is a bloody moron.

he should read Camelot and Discuss Tennis.

 

[ClayDeath]

Bodo really is a Bozo. I can't stand people who lack common sense. The stuff he writes doesn't even make sense. He has no objectivity and there is an undercurrent of nastiness under the surface of his writing. He seems frustrated, miserable and angry. I see why Wertheim is consistently selected over him. He's too bitter and always there seems to be this passive-aggressive need to bring the top players down in a deceitful way.

Stan can win, but only if it's his day, otherwise he's too inconsistent to be a constant threat to Novak or anyone else.

excellent post.

stan is simply too inconsistent. his greatest achievement will be RG.

he got very lucky in Melbourne.


stan worked very hard on his game and his fitness prior to his RG campaign. and it worked out.


he went for broke against djokovic and all his shots found their mark. it worked out. stan found himself in a zone that day while djokovic was out of zone.

stan cant beat djokovic today on any surface.

stan is fat, complacent, and slow these days. he got his 2 majors and his endorsements. now he is rich beyond belief.

 

[Tennis Fan]

LOL Bodo has always been a 'drama filled journalist' anyone that reads and takes notice of his comments really needs a reality check

I haven't read him in awhile and I'm shocked that this man still has a job. He seems to bitter and jaded. Why? Why is he so intent on tearing players down? It's sad, really.

 

[Tennis Fan]

stan is a joke now.

he is done. and bodo is a bloody moron.

he should read Camelot and Discuss Tennis.

You think Stan is a joke as a player? He's alright, I think he's a jerk as a person, but as a player he is nowhere near where he thinks he is. Bodo is a joke. I can't with him anymore. It's not worth the brain cells lost.

 

[Tennis Fan]

excellent post.

stan is simply too inconsistent. his greatest achievement will be RG.

he got very lucky in Melbourne.


stan worked very hard on his game and his fitness prior to his RG campaign. and it worked out.


he went for broke against djokovic and all his shots found their mark. it worked out. stan found himself in a zone that day while djokovic was out of zone.

stan cant beat djokovic today on any surface.

stan is fat, complacent, and slow these days. he got his 2 majors and his endorsements. now he is rich beyond belief.

That's how I see it, too. He got real lucky in Melbourne. And that match with Novak was just a player going for broke. It doesn't make sense that if he is as good as they try to persuade us that he is, that he would have such inconsistent matches with Novak. But speaking of Novak how many major finals has he lost? 2 from Murray, at least four from Rafa, and how many from Federer? His record doesn't seem to be too good. I need to look that up. I'm curious.

 

[Billie]

That's how I see it, too. He got real lucky in Melbourne. And that match with Novak was just a player going for broke. It doesn't make sense that if he is as good as they try to persuade us that he is, that he would have such inconsistent matches with Novak. But speaking of Novak how many major finals has he lost? 2 from Murray, at least four from Rafa, and how many from Federer? His record doesn't seem to be too good. I need to look that up. I'm curious.

Nole is 11:8 in slam finals (19), which is tied for 3rd in the open era with Ivan Lendl. He has been to every slam final at least 3 times, joining Nadal and Federer (5) as the only players to do so.

4 losses to Nadal, 2 to Murray, 1 to Roger and 1 to Stan, I don't think those are bad. These losses were all caused by his opponents playing extremely well and Nole underperforming in some of them, which is understandable. 2 losses at USO (in 2010 and 2013) came when Nadal was his absolute best in NYC, and 2 FO losses were expected. 2 losses to Murray came after brutal tournaments for Nole so that helped Murray a bit. Obviously Wawrinka was playing lights out last year. The lone loss to Federer came in 2007 when Nole just made his first grand slam final.

 

[Ricardo]

excellent post.

stan is simply too inconsistent. his greatest achievement will be RG.

he got very lucky in Melbourne.


stan worked very hard on his game and his fitness prior to his RG campaign. and it worked out.


he went for broke against djokovic and all his shots found their mark. it worked out. stan found himself in a zone that day while djokovic was out of zone.

stan cant beat djokovic today on any surface.

stan is fat, complacent, and slow these days. he got his 2 majors and his endorsements. now he is rich beyond belief.

you don't know anything about tennis do you? in all those slam matches he either beat or took Djokovic to 5th set for like 5 matches in a row. One may be a fluke, not 5.

and i thought Nadal was done, according to you........

 

[Ricardo]

Bodo talks BS. Of course Stan does have it in him that he plays lights out once in 50 matches, and in that zone he is better than Djoker but in 49 other matches where he becomes 'normal', Djoker is far better.... period.

 

[ClayDeath]

Bodo the color blind circus clown.

 

[calitennis127]

I don't buy this view... Stan is without doubt a dangerous opponent for Novak... but he's far less consistent and he won't make enough appearances at the final dance to put too many dents in the reign... let alone end it.

What will end Nole's reign is a decline at his end coupled with the emergence of the bunch of hungry talented youngsters.

I still have a hard time taking Wawrinka seriously.....his two Slam victories seem like they happened by accident. He was too mediocre up until age 28 for me to remember him as a great talent. He is a hard worker and persistent, but his talent would have showed much earlier if he was in the class of the best players. They don't take until their late 20s to make a mark.