Who will be the Djokovic's Nadal?

The title probably doesn't make much sense but like McEnroe toppled Borg, Becker toppled McEnroe, Agassi=>Pete=> Federer=> Nada=>Djokovic=> someone is going to be Djoko's nightmare. Nadal was Fed's nightmare, Djoko was Nadal's....hence who is going to be Djoko's Nadal?

Djokovic has certainly raised the retrieving skills to higher levels than Nadal and is dominant like Nadal and Federer were. His ATP point clearance is very impressive....yet we know, certainly I know, a younger, better player will get the better of him very soon. Who do you thin it will be?

Nishi can probably run him close or even beat him. An in form Cilic could do just that  to. But none of them will be able to sustain regular wins v Djoko.

I think the new Kokki or Kyrgios are the ones to watch, Coric Zverev are also showing great potential though it is still very early days. Here is a list of young players sorted by age with the ranking next to it.

Vesely is probably my first bet as he has a great serve as well as great ground shots...make your guesses.

Birth DateAge Player NationalityRank #

136 10 mo17 yrs Zverev, Alexander
60 3 mo18 yrs Coric, Borna  
174 5 mo18 yrs Donaldson, Jared
122 9 mo18 yrs Chung, Hyeon  
124 10 mo18 yrs Kokkinakis, Thanasi
190 10 mo18 yrs Ymer, Elias  
194 4 mo19 yrs Jarry, Nicolas
147 5 mo19 yrs Nishioka, Yoshihito  
37 10 mo19 yrs Kyrgios, Nick
153 2 mo20 yrs Edmund, Kyle  
112 mo21 yrs Pouille, Lucas
173 1 mo21 yrs Coppejans, Kimmer  
182 2 mo21 yrs Broady, Liam
162 2 mo21 yrs Saville, Luke  
46 6 mo21 yrs Thiem, Dominic
170 7 mo21 yrs Fratangelo, Bjorn  
45 7 mo21 yrs Vesely, Jiri
150 9 mo21 yrs Kubler, Jason  
154 10 mo21 yrs Delic, Mate
60 11 mo21 yrs Carballes Baena, Roberto  
164 2 mo22 yrs Bolt, Alex
35 4 mo22 yrs Tomic, Bernard

Good question. Unless conditions change, I am not sure there will be one; unless his body fails him.

Do you really think Djokovic will only start to lose when he declines?

I can't see anyone displacing him this year or next.

I expect Nole will start having more surprising losses by next year, if not even this year; simply because he is getting closer to 30, and it will start becoming more difficult to keep the high level of consistency.

From the young guys, maybe Kyrgios or Coric, or Kokkinakis could start beating him, who knows.  But I think he is just as likely to simply start losing more even to players his own age (or older ones), just on the account of reduced consistency when he gets older.

A bit of an easy answer SB. We may argue he is already losing more often than in 2011. So already being over the hill. His USO 2014 defeat v Nishi could also typically be down to age.

I don't buy any of that. He will be beaten by better players....like all the previous players without exception.

It will have to be someone who either:

1) does everything Nole does best (moves fast and has good ball control) but better, from your list it's Coric in a year or two
2) someone who takes time away from him. At the moment only Federer can do it, of the younger players nobody has that talent so it will have to be a big hitter with good movement, and consistent. Pouille has the potential and I hope he fullfills it.
I can't see anyone like that yet. Vesely is not the best competitor, it seems.

noleisthebest wrote:It will have to be someone who either:

1) does everything Nole does best (moves fast and has good ball control) but  better, from your list it's Coric in a year or two

and Kokki....

2) someone who takes time away from him. At the moment only Federer can do it, of the younger players nobody has that talent so it will have to be a big hitter with good movement, and consistent. Pouille has the potential and I hope he fullfills it.

All the SVers. Those with big serves. (Rao Kyrgios). I expect Rao to hurt Djoko soon.

I can't see anyone like that yet. Vesely is not the best competitor, it seems.

You bet...once he reaches his confidence wave...

Bottom line, the game is too physical for young players now.

I feel if Vesely and Pouille had complete teams behind them they'd improve quicker.
Coric seems to have good support and network, so does Raonic who would've been a "nobody" had he stayed in Montenegro.

Tennis has become more expensive than ever.

In the past it was just expensive for parents and then if a player was promising - they'd get help from their national tennis federation (if they were lucky to have a good one France, Switzerland, Britain, Canada...).

Now, a player has to have a coach, physio as a minimum, and who can afford triple plane ticket/food/hotel bills to Miami and be knocked out in the first round of qualifications...
No wonder betting match-fixing mafia has got its grip on tour.

Unless conditions get sped up, young players are going to get older and older.

Did you know there is such a thing as ATP University?

Kokkinakis:

"We learned about a lot of things, including officiating, the player pension and knowing what you have to do to earn that. It's also been great to have it in Miami. We got to catch a Heat game, so the experience has been great for us."

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/03/12/ATP-University-Miami.aspx


Amazing.

There is a generation of giants coming.
Kokki, Zverev, Vesely, etc.....And I am pretty sure their tactic won't be to rally for ever.

Yes...you've got the point there..

I like Kyrgios and Vesely, they both have nice loose games.
And above all: weapons!

Wow!!!
A 14 year old has got an ATP ranking this week, he beat Guiccone ranked 67 in some Challenger....




As for making Emirates ATP Rankings history, Felix remains grounded. With a shiny new singles ranking of No. 1257, the sky’s the limit for the teen, but it’s just one step in a long journey.

“Obviously, my goal is to keep improving and I believe there is still a lot of room for that. Lately, I have been working hard with my coaches on my transition game and my defensive shots. I know that if I want to succeed, I need to have an all-around game. I’ve also been focusing on improving my returns. I think that is one thing that helped me a lot last weekend against some big guys – my big serves.”  

An accomplished junior player, Felix started playing tennis at age four when his father Sam, a tennis coach, first introduced him to the sport. Already well ahead of the curve, Felix’s tennis acumen is far beyond his years, and standing at 5’10” and 145 lbs, he has the firepower and pinpoint accuracy from the baseline to accompany it. A precocious talent with a first-strike attacking mindset, he produces an impressive shot-making display and is a swift, agile mover around the court.

A 5ft 10 14 year old with a big serve has got to mean talent..

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/03/12/Emirates-ATP-Rankings-Felix-Auger-Aliassime-Feature.aspx

What Thiem does for his age is remarkable. He makes still too many easy mistakes but every now and then he hits a blue patch and he has class. He is currently versus Shwatzmann who is very talented as well. Quite a good match .