Sorry to keep you guys waiting for this one. Thanks for the understanding and the support! Check out CoachLife and use the discount code, GG: coachlife.com/?ref=GG
I'm a big fan, but I'm honestly a little disappointed by the BetUS sponsor. Sports betting is one of the worst things for the game of tennis. I know you have to pay the bills, but you also should feel a responsibility to the fans and players of the sport you love.
@@BarryMcCockiner1 why don't we defer to Sampras himself on this 😂 Djokovic -> Quote "he is the greatest of all time". " He did it at a time where he dominated Roger and Rafa, and he handled the next generation of players very well - all at the same time."
Honestly Gill, waiting for this episode reminded me of why you are the best in analysing tennis matches. No one does it like you! Thank you for doing this!
I agree with you, unlike other Tennis analysts who are so biased even in their analysis towards their preferred players, Gill just nails it. His analysis is just the Best and very objective and well thought through.
@@GillGross you made a preview for the olympics overall. Which was the only thing you did make and that is what I was referring to. edit: this is where you 'preview' the final and what I was referring to. literally titled... "Paris Olympics 2024 (Men's Tennis) PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS | Monday Match Analysis" from 12 days ago. don't be disingenuous please. @40:21 (in that video, with the graphic) is the simple summation of what I was referring to, you had alcaraz 1st = wrong, zverev 2nd = wrong, ruud 3rd = wrong. This is the 'birds eye' view of your predictions.. which were all wrong. Going deeper you said something like '"wanting it badly is not good enough"'.. in referencing djokovic and his chances. which would also = wrong. I could go into other things you said and were wrong/clearly biased.. but I think you get the point.
I could watch that gold medal-winning point a hundred times and not get tired of seeing it. Novak's celebration -- one of sheer joy and utter disbelief -- was epic.
Djokovic did not mentally or emotionally show up for the final in Wimbledon. You could see it in his demeanor, his lack of real focus, lack of grit and motivational determination and lack anger at himself that day. However, he did show up at 37, 16 years older than his opponent on Olympic Sunday and it was an awesome display of his past resilience and tactical skill.
Athletes from all over the world are becoming more and more longevous. LeBron James is another great example. As impressive as Novak’s level was the other day, you also can’t disregard how a kid, just 21 years old is competing almost evenly against a goat. Too bad we won’t be able to see them facing each other at their absolute primes. Imagine Alcaraz at 27-28 y.o. and Novak from 2015-2016.
I disagree: he was ready for BOTH Wimbledon and the Gold Medal Match, the massive difference was Carlos. Carlos was a B-minus; many errors and point construction mistakes. His serve was on, but not echoes of Sampras/Federer precision. Novak encountered B-minus and lower quality play from his ALL his opponents throughout the OLY rounds. (Forget Ebden) Additionally, his decline versus lower caliber on the day = “drama” and he will win. Which we did see in each match with two exceptions. We know Stef is a Lost Generation guy, which means a spiced up version of the players Fed steamrolled in 2003-2007/8. More decorated losers aint nothing on which to hang a hat. They’re still losers regardless of the achievement gap; they’re easy to dispatch for the legend in question, whether Fed at 23/24 or Novak at 36/37. If all things are equal, a player with a 4-0 lead in a second set with a somewhat injured opponent, is a front runner and wins that set. We must accept that as a greater than 0 outcome. Yet, we know what happened. Novak at decline versus A-level = Wimbledon 24 F, AO24 SF. We can all recognize the nuance and subtleties of these OLY24 matches. Whether it’s accepted, maybe another matter. Novak still had to “hold it together” and win, but as his knee didn’t have additional issues, he could move toward victory in a Bo3 match versus a B-minus, albeit better player. I highly doubt we will be treated to another Novak title run, but this got the feels and bookends a strikingly accomplished pro tennis career. Massive achievement, and even more so when things go your way. Luck helps for sure, but you got to show up and do enough, which fortunately he did. 🥇
Great video and analysis. Been watching Djokovic since 2007 as a teenager, now I'm 32 with a wife and two kids and this guy is playing one of the best matches of his life at 37+ minnd blowing 🤯
For Djokovic fans: Golden dream achieved: A Novak Djokovic poem Many critics and pundits declared the Serb’s fate Father Time had seized him, they dismissed him with hate The new king Carlos was anointed, the Spanish great All expected another Alcaraz victory to coronate The media begrudged, they doubted they berate The most decorated champion and determined of late 2024, he lost in Oz, Paris and London to date Surely his Olympic quest would meet the same fate But Novak Djokovic did the unthinkable, the suspense, the wait He captured Olympic gold to consolidate His records, resumé reaffirmed, an epic update The Greatest of All Time has ended the debate Carlos was electric, but could not duplicate Roland Garros or Wimbledon, Novak would dictate In tiebreaks, Djokovic went God mode to create Sublime tennis, his best to elevate At 37 years, striking groundstrokes that penetrate Running with youngsters, still accelerates An athlete of integrity to dedicate Overcoming injury, prejudice and jab mandates Cut from a different cloth, a level separate Consummate pro, supremely motivate Devout husband, father, virtue to demonstrate Serbia and fans adore their son affiliate Novak deserves nothing but praise, not hate His character they try to assassinate In spite of his charity, his courage he cultivates Novak Djokovic the legend we commemorate
@@ProbablyLying Nahh....😂😂😂 not sure whether to take that as a compliment or insult. AI or algorithms can likely kick my ass at most things, but I'd like to think that I can beat them at poetry.... 😉😅
On any given day, you might expect to see 5-10 high quality exchanges between two elite players in a 3 set match. In this one, I lost count after 20! Both brought the goods and held their nerve on their serve. So many phenomenal points. We were spoiled as fans of tennis on Sunday! PS. Oxford has updated their definition of motivation: instead of academic or clever words, they’ve simply inserted a picture of Novak Djokovic winning gold! True story! 😊
Now, for the FeDal fans (and more so Djoker haters) they truly get their bromance back .... They can enjoy that again. The big 2 legends of tennis, Federer and Nadal. And then there is Djokovic, a titan, sitting there above, now truly in a league of his own, watching all the tennis mortals. The man beat tennis!🥇🇷🇸💪🏼
I think if it’s only Carlos and Sinner as the big big threats, and Medvedev a threat, Djokovic will be still be able to grab some more big trophies for the next year and a half. I think we need another big time player to emerge
I really don’t believe he looks down on Federer or Nadal or even Murray. All this goat talk nonsense is just a way for the fans to rival against each other. I find it complete nonsense. Goats will keep coming and breaking records. Who knows? May be 10-15 years from now Alcaraz is sitting at 20ish slams and Sinner 15-20, and they both about to take over all the remaining records. Only time will tell
@@David_james77 it's a hyperbole....sheeesh Don't ruin it 😂 Or maybe there is ww3 and sports end along with other things....who knows what the future brings....we are here, in the now
@@David_james77"Goats will keep coming"? No, you're confusing goats and sheep. There's only one GOAT and his records will stand for 100+ years from now. Who knows, the game of tennis itself may be renamed as "Novak" one day.
Wow Gill, you deserve an award or a Grammy award for your perfect analysis.. You are the only one that I can listen to even if it's 2hours analysis I will listen word by word.. You are the goat of tennis analysis
Gill, never in my life have I checked for an update as much as I did for your analysis! Well worth the wait. Great analysis. My pre-match thoughts were the only chance Novak had was the bring some fire power first strike tennis. No way to beat Carlitos with stellar defense and lockdown mode alone. Incredible win. First time in my long life I’ve ever shed tears for a complete stranger. Unbelievable.
Great analysis Gill, appreciate your take! Love that Novak won - hoped that he would as a fan of his since 2008- but to see him surprise me again. Amazing performance! So clutch!
The best part of being Djoko fan is that - he still even surprises his own die-hard fans ( like me ) and gladly so .. thats what is to love about this legeND !!!
He's not, and will not. There was one guy better than him in one surface, and since one guy was better than him in one surface, he can't be be the greatest of all time, quite simple.
Novak has set fhe bar ao high that a year with a semifinal at AO, final at wimbledon with a surgery and was playing superbly at FO and couldve reached the finals that all the haters wrote him off. Compare that to how they still celebrate nadal even though hes being beaten in the 1st or 2nd rounds. The bias from the media is disgusting. And in classic Novak atyle, he comes back and wins the Olympic Gold, the last remaining thing to achieve in his last chance. GOAT. Novak the living legend.
Thanks for your wonderful analysis. I was lucky enough to be there courtside, rooting for Nole, though I love Alcaraz too. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd split down the middle and fully fired up. What unfolded was a tennis fan’s dream as two masters of their craft spent the next three hours bending the laws of physics, pushing one another to the limits and together creating a work of art of a match that will go down as perhaps one of the most sublimely played sporting clashes ever recorded. I will forever be grateful to them both for their passion, their strength of will and the courage they showed in pursuing their Olympic dreams. It was a blast.
I agree with your analysis about where Carlos lost the match, but as a long time fan of his since challengers years, this was one of the most consistent matches I saw from him ever, those break points were key obviously, but tbh I can't complain too much about his perfomance, he played 3h without dropping his focus and he gave everything he had, Djokovic peaked at the 2 tb and he couldn't match that level, it's sad for him because probably no other player could have challenged his level on Sunday, but at the end sometimes your rival has that 0,1 extra more than you and you have to accepted and move on until the next time
Carlos would have thumped every single player in the final including Fedal but Joker is in another level. 37 year old beating 21 year old in his prime, absolutely incredible.
This is well said. Carlos played so, so well. The match was such high quality. I think Djokovic's mentality was just too much. Carlos is going to dominate the game though for years to come. So good and will just get better. Sinner is great too. In the end, Djokovic has to be remembered for his game style adaptations throughout the years. The way he played in this final was the only chance he had and he executed it to beat perfection. Have to tip the cap.
@@JAM-fm8lt Well we don't know if Carlos is in his prime yet, we can say he is in his 1st prime, which is when a great of the sport starts winning big titles etc...let's hope he has another couple of prime levels in the next years
Your analysis sounds like chess game. Nice to reflect on the game in hindsight. I keep wondering though whether the players in split seconds were constantly rationalizing. They both played very very well. Djokovic just injected that little something extra with determination, and resilience. 7-6; 7-6 says it all. I will not attribute the win/loss to anything extraordinary from either player.
You should be working on ESPN or Tennis Channel, your commentary is always extremely insightful, you can turn a puzzling situation into perfectly understandable one and you taught me a lot. Kudos to you!
Djokovic was the GOAT 4 years ago...if Federer had Novak's stats, there would be zero debate anywhere by anyone. Shows you how high the bar people have set on Djokovic. Next people will say he can't be the GOAT because he hasn't won a Slam in doubles
Next argument: Federer was too gracious, Nadal too injured, Alcaraz too young, Michael Jordan athleticism and mentality, Usain Bolt speed, Michael Phelps gold medals record, Margaret Court’s record, Messi won the World Cup, Djokovic isn’t vaccinated, he threw the racquet many times and other time by mistake threw a ball to a great actress line woman, he said “Gooooooood Night”, he played the violin to the haters, he dared to impersonate some tennis players back in the day, he dared to organise the Adria Tour, Federer’s hair was more stylish, Nadal’s biceps were bigger, Alcaraz smiles more, Sampras smash, Agassi’s great personality, no gold on doubles, he broke his t-shirt twice vs Nadal and vs Alcaraz, his wife is the prettiest of the Big 3, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth, Bruce Lee, Tom Brady, Jesse Owens, Tiger Woods. Federer said lucky shot, Nadal said obsessive, Murray said miserable, they lost h2h vs him because he’s too Djoker. He was a skinny kid from Serbia, now he’s the ultimate golden G.O.A.T. how’s that possible? We need to find a more stupid argument to try to change his status, that’s it: Serena Williams won a Grand Slam being pregnant. That’s the one we need, THE G.O.A.T. CAN’T GET PREGNANT.
I notice on all the reviews, nobody mentions the difficult draw that Djokovic also had to contend with…never mind the injury, facing the best player who beat you 3 weeks before etc etc. Nadal then Tsitsipas then Musetti which was extremely tough
On paper it may have been difficult but Nadal is a shell of himself, Tsitsipas was given a huge gift of Djokovic’s knee issue and massively choked it, and Musetti was very nervous and didn’t serve well. So in reality I don’t think he had it all that tough
@@BillyBob-xi9ih And so what, guy? Everyone had an easy draw in your opinion? 🙄 "On paper".🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Everything is previously on paper, guy! It's obvious! We cant predict anything; we cant "see the future"! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Tsitsipas and Musetti on clay cant be considered "easy" at first. And no one expected Nadal was COMPLETELY dominated by Nole how it was. 😏 Overall, it was a stupld comment.
The point at 45:50 Gill made is something I’ve noticed with Alcaraz too, and I’ll take it even further: Alcaraz shows clear signs of nerves even in big matches he WINS. He just gets through them because 1. His peak level is basically untouchable, and every time his back is against the wall, he brings out that peak level 2. His opponent also tightens up in certain cases 3. Going back to point 1, Alcaraz is great at getting himself back together when he’s about to lose. When he’s down 0-40 in a service game he snaps back into form, when he’s down 2 sets to 1 he raises his level. We saw this at RG against Sinner and Zverev, two matches where his opponent didn’t exactly play their best level, yet he found himself down 2 sets to 1. In both matches, his third set level dip was inexcusably bad, but he followed them up with monster 4th and 5th sets. We also saw this against Tiafoe at Wimbledon. We even saw it against Djokovic at Wimbledon 2023. He lost the first set 1-6 thanks to nerves. He lost the 4th set due to serving yips. But he pulled it together in the 5th set and clutched the match in the end. Alcaraz has some nerve management to work on, but it’ll get better over time, and his clutch play can’t go unnoticed either.
"His peak level is basically untouchable, and every time his back is against the wall, he brings out that peak level" 1. Man, I know this loss hurts much, and maybe because of that you couldn't think and see things clearly as they are. But - what are you smoking? Alcaraz WAS against the wall in this match, definitely in the 2nd set tie-break - and he's made a couple of UE then. So what are you talking about here? 2. He's reached his peak level for, let's say, 95% of the time of this match, I don't have time for going into details but even his positive winners-UE ratio (with his ultra aggressive style of play) says the whole story. And every reasonable tennis analyst confirms that now. Let's face what you've seen: the best 21 year old in tennis' history, already established legend with 4 majors at this age, never lost the major final, having won RG and Wimbledon in recent 3 months, smashing the GOAT in Wimbledon final 3 weeks ago (beating him in back-to-back Wimbledon finals), playing much better than 3 months ago when winning RG, without losing a set going into the final (smashing FAA in semis), superconfident he's gonna bring the gold to Spain (I'd say overconfident). Simply young, wild tennis animal, feeling no pressure but only the blood of his fauvorite victim. He was absolutely at his current best and played at that level basically the whole final. That's why I would have still been amazed by Novak even if he lost both tie-breaks and the match 2:0. On the other hand: 37 years old GOAT of tennis (whose physical prime was seen for the last time in June 2016), 2 months after knee surgery (moving still great but not even at last year's level - lets forget about 2011-2016 prime years), on his worst surface, without a title and any big win this season. With all the pressure on him, playing the biggest final of his life at this particular moment of his career. Simply the biggest pressure he's ever had. And Alcaraz couldn't break him the entire match (for almost 3 hours)! And this Novak played a great match, like a man on a mission, didn't crack under any pressure at any point. It doesn't mean it was a perfect match by him. Still some sloppy mistakes, some passive backhands on Alcaraz's service games, and Novak payed for them, being down 30:15 instead of 15:30 up in these games. Some bad decisions, bad directions or bad smashes here and there. It wasn't perfect tennis like 2016 Doha final against Nadal or first 2 sets against Federer at 2016 AO semis. Also Alcaraz wasn't that perfect. But - overall - they both played their current best and the match was decided just by a few points in both tie-breaks. This version of Djokovic has showed that peak Alcaraz is absolutely in his reach. He moved him around the court enough to force enough errors (22, twice more that Novak's 11 forced errors). He served great (apart form the 1st half of 1st set) and his return is obviously the best in the history and it was also a factor in this match. Alcaraz is a great returner, too, but absolutely not on Novak's level. Improved his serve massively - but still not on Novak's level, too. Gill is absolutely right that big serve and big return, aggressive play from the first forehand of the rally - is the only way to beat Alcaraz at the moment. He is NOT untouchable, as Novak proved on Chartier on Sunday. Also defence is not only running fast (that Novak cannot do on Carlitos' level since 2016) but also the technique of defensive shots, and Novak is the best in the history at this (also return of serve is a defensive shot, obviously). Maybe it was slightly faster Chartier than in May/June usually but even at the French Open great servers can take a big advantage against best clay court players sometimes (like Roger did to Novak in 2011 RG semis, or like Isner took 2:0 lead over Nadal in the same tournament) - but, generally, more friendly conditions for great servers and great returners than usually on clay. Maybe. But the temperatures are somtimes higher and days sunnier at the French than it was on last Sunday. Last but not least: it was the GOAT who stepped up in the decisive moments of the tie-breaks - not Alcaraz. And it was Alcaraz who cracked under pressure ("against the wall") shortly after.
@@marekwichniarek2681. I said “basically untouchable.” Even in this loss it was 6-7 6-7, and he’s coming off RG+Wimbledon wins. 2. Not everything is a slight to Djokovic man. This comment was focused on Alcaraz, and that’s it, because the original point Gill brought up was talking about Alcaraz.
@@SJ-di5zu Sorry, English is not my first language, and to me "basically untouchable" means simply "untouchable". Untouchable to anyone (including Djokovic). And in the very next sentence you wrote Alcaraz always brings his peak level when against the wall. Two strong, general statements to me, nothing less, nothing more. Correct me if I missed something. This version of Djokovic simply showed last Sunday Alcaraz's peak level isn't untouchable, also we've all seen how Alcaraz cracked under pressure. As simple as that.
Novak is soo strong mentally because of all the times the crowd was unfairly against him all the tennis announcers unfairly against him and frankly all the heart breaking losses he endured with patience
Nobody has dominated three generation of players like Novak. This is unprecedented in any sport and this remarkable and unparalleled quality seamlessly makes him the Greatest Athelete of all time. Just imagine the kind of pressure he put on himself even at the risk of undermining his own legacy by making winning a Olympic gold medal significant and equal to a Slam in tennis when it is definitely not. And to do that against a 21 year old on the top of his game, growing with confidence after winning successive slams in which Novak himself was a victim, is really out of the world. If he had lost to the kid again, just imagine the consequences. He would have been teared apart in social media by Fedal fans and there will also be analysts and critics to opine that he was overrated. Fortunately all fell in place and he placed the people against him to pin drop silence.
@@exceptico6156 He still leads them in H2H 4-3. LoL 🤣🤣🤣 Tell me any example in tennis history of a player being so close to players who are 16 yrs and 14 yrs younger?? Laver, 16 years older than Borg was 2-8 against the latter; Rosewall was 1-7 vs Connors; Mcenroe , 12 years older than Sampras was 0-3 against the latter. You don't know anything about Tennis. Just SU, you are so funny 😁😁😁😁
@michael8597 dont get nervous little talifan. Your God Nole dont even know of your existence. 4-3 is not a domination in anysport. Today older players stay competitive for much longer than before, not only in tennis with the big3 as an example but basketball, soccer so your biased argument doesn't make much sense nowadays. Sure we can't take anything away from Nole
@@exceptico6156 Domination is not about only H2H. Kiddo 🤣🥺😲 Just last year, Novak won every tournament that he entered except Wimbledon which he lost to the kid by Whisker and fluke. LoL 😂😂😂 He was world no. 1 for a monumental 428 weeks which is suggestive of how he dominated across eras. And lastly, as I already said, you cannot even give a single example in tennis history, male or female, of how a 37 year old player breathing down the neck of dominant players who are 16/14 years younger. Sinner is just 23 and he is looking like he is 33. LoL 😂😂😂 The kid too is an injury prone player 😭😔😔😭 Why do you get nervous and perturbed when I sobriquet Novak as the GAAT. LoL 🤣🤣🤣🤣 You are crazy Nerd.
@@exceptico6156 It is not just about H2H Kidd0. Just grow up. Who is nervous ?? LoL 😂 😂 😂 It is you who is so nervous and perturbed. Just last year, Novak won every tournament he entered except Wimbledon which he lost by whisker and fluke. There is no evidence in Tennis history of a 36/37 year old player breathing down the neck of dominant players who are 16/14 years younger. LoL 😂🤣 🤣🤣🤣 The fact that he has this mammoth record of world no. 1 for 428 weeks is testimony of his absolute dominance across eras. And the record eight times year end No 1 is testament of his impeccable consistency. Sinner is frail and already looking like a 33 year old player. The less said about injury and cramps prone kid, the much better it would be. LoL 😂😂😂 I challenge you to give one example in any sports history of a player dominating so long. Cry 😭😭😭 much about a 37 year old, half lame and out of form player spanking the kid in his least favourite surface in what was his last chance in a tournament he was so desperate to win. LoL 😂😂😂
Honestly, I don't agree with most of the criticism towards Alcaraz here. He played an amazing match, close to his best level. The main difference between him and Djokovic was determination. Djokovic went all in and with greater faith in himself, ready to give his life for the win. Alcaraz started on the same level but Djokovic was totally on fire, specially with his serve, which was flawless since mid first set. When a player like him is on fire, you just try to survive and wait for your oportunity. The oportunity didn't come and I think this three set format helped Djokovic massively. He took the match by storm and well deserved though.
Very little to separate the two. Both played phenomenal tennis! Novak had that little bit extra "faith, determination" as u say. Or INAT, refuse to lose mentality...
Was Gill "criticising"? He laid out one if not the most technical analysis of nearly every single crticial shot in the match with objectivity, in addition to their strengths and weaknesses as evidenced by this match and previous ones. It would be disheartening to have a blanketing rebuke of simply saying the diff. was Djokovic's determination.
@enigmaparadox987 and the experience helped a lot too. Carlitos is still under construction as a player, he will toughen up mentally over time. At this age, Novak won his bronze Olympic medal. People talk about Alcaraz like if he was fully mature and experienced.
Yes. Novak wanted it much more, anticipation was amazing, and in some sense I felt Carlos wasn't quite there emotionally, I don't know if the Nadal send off might have played a part.
Nah, it’s Big 3. Djokovic competed with 2 other once-in-a-lifetime players who motivated and pushed him until he came out on top. And that makes his achievements even more remarkable
Novak played so many incredible ahots throughout the tournament. Dont think i have seen him play so many amazing ahots in a single tournmanet in a while. He was super dialled in. 2 of my favourite points he won in the olympics are both against the spaniards. 1st was his running forehand winner down the line outside the net against nadal and the insane cross court forehand against Alcaraz. He was probably more dialled in than he was at AO 2023. It is insane that he has been the man to beat for 3 generation of players.
I heard that Alcaraz gave an interview where he promised Spain he’d bring Spanish people the gold medal. Doesn’t he has people next to him that would advise him not to take things for granted? What about the one where he says “finals are not for to play, but for you to win”. NOBODY wins everything. That being said. NOLE THE GOAT. IDEMO 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
Acting like confidence and belief is a bad thing when it's the bedrock of any athlete's ability to achieve things. Djokovic said no one can take his scalp before wimbledon's final in 2023 before losing lol It's healthy competition
""I am going to give Spain what it wants, the gold" "Get ready... for the show that I am going to give you" - Oh dear 😂 He thought that he had Djokovic in his pocket but Djoko "show"-ed him. Put pressure on himself which bit him in the behind in the match. Silly Billy.
@@devikuSoul Djokovic was directly asked a question about being a target for the whole tour. He gave a long answer about "pressure is a privilege" etc and put that bit in at the end. Alcaraz was asked an open question about what's your message to the Spanish people and he decided to dig himself a hole.
@@devikuSoul Q. Every time you come out here, you have a target on your back. You are the one to beat. Billie Jean King famously says that pressure is a privilege… How do you cope with that mentally? I think any tennis player wants to be in a position where everyone wants to win against you on the court. It is a privilege, as Billie Jean said. Pressure is part of what we do, it is part of our sport. It’s never going to go away, regardless of how many Grand Slams you win or how many matches you won or how many years that you’re playing professionally on the tour. The pressure is paramount, every single time I come out on the court, particularly here on Centre Court at Wimbledon. But at the same time it awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of, and it inspires me to play my best tennis. I know that they want to get a scalp, they want to win… but it ain’t happening, still.
What he did at his age I don’t think we’ll ever be repeated. He has one almost as many championships grand slams past the age of 30 then he did before and I don’t think anyone will ever equal that not only in my opinion he’s the greatest tennis player ever he’s the greatest athlete Past the age of 30 to win all these championships in a sport that is physically and mentally demanding an individual sport unlike Tom Brady, who basically is a team player and just has to go back and throw the football Novak be unbelievably fit and mentally strong to accomplish what he has accomplished I don’t think people will ever appreciate just what a great athlete he is when ESPN gives out awards. They always seem to ignore him and always try to pick other people mainly Americans that are so prejudice against Novak and his accomplishments. My mind again the greatest tennis player and the greatest athlete in the past 10 years congratulations Novak you’re the greatest
He put his body on the line. It was clear that he was ready even if the match ended his career. He was ready to break his bones. No holding back. By the middles of second set, I looked up above and prayed to god “man this guy deserves the gold. God, give him what he is seeking”. Hats off. Nothing much to say.
Break point no 8 just shows what Novak said in press is true - he doesn't win by coincidence he works as hard or harder than anyone to make these things happen. Ivanisavic said he obsessive, he will play a great match and then be annoyed because he felt his BH wasn't working and practice the following day at dawn.
I'm Novak fan but Carlos is amazing too . Probably biggest talent ever . Fun fact Carlos won 2 g's aged 20 . Monika Seles won 8 . 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸 After that she was stabed by german secret service agent in Germany and German stefy graf become no1. Sorry Carlos I had to say it 😅
I think he cemented his legacy now as THE GOAT. He used to be just a GOAT. Because it is not just about winning Gold, but winning against his own demons, against Alcaraz in a Big Big final. Coming from a Rafa and Alcaraz fan!!
Very happy you’re back you’re the best analysis could not wait to hear from you 💯agree with you Novak was brilliant love this match congratulations again Novak you deserve the Gold Medal 👏👏👏👏❤️🥂🥇
This was an amazing performance for so many reasons … the level was so high throughout with so much on the line 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎾🔥 GOAT moment if it was in any doubt ✔️
Another embarrassing GOAT comment, when Gill has done a great job actually analyzing the MATCH. Even for those who couldn’t see the match, Gill’s comments were detailed enough to follow along and learn something.
@@br1729 I might be one of the few here that know more about tennis than the guy who makes this video …lol … im a full time coach & have played to a pretty reasonable level, to comment … my opinions are mine regardless of Gill’s analysis ( which is great ! ) I watched every point … it was the best performance I’ve ever seen from Djoc with all factors considered … not his best level … but his best win / performance ✔️ my Goat comment was warranted … it cements his greatness if there was any doubt before ✔️ So don’t hate on someone’s comment especially when you have no idea who you’re talking to … I’ve hit more balls & watched more tennis than you could dream of & The amount you know about tennis is likely less, than the stuff I’ve forgotten about 👊🏻
@@JonnyUK85 The GOAT comment is foolish, no matter how much you know about tennis. Players exist in their own eras, and compete against whoever is available. They do the best they can and then they stop playing. Moreover, players play at different levels even within their own careers. Djokovic at 21 (when he hadn't won as many majors as Alcaraz at the same age, for one thing) was not at the same level as 5 years later, 10 years later, or now, at 37. Which level do we use to determine GOAT status? Why add up titles across an entire career, as opposed to a single year? People will just say everything Djokovic does from now on cements his GOAT status, and if he starts losing they'll just say that he's no longer in his prime but is still the GOAT (no contradiction there, eh?). Rather than wasting time on meaningless GOAT references, you're better off using your expertise to bring insight into the only thing that really matters: the matches being played and how the players are playing them. Gill's video did this very well. Alas, his comment section too often falls short.
Awesome stuff Gill! Great offense & great defense & great saving of break points on both sides!!! WOW! What a match! Golden Career Slam! What’s left? GOAT-cubed stuff. Cheers, Milan
Extremely close match and a great one too. Both players gave absolutely everything. Djokovic was rock solid and gutsy. I think the slow clay helped him on this occasion.
Djoke is the goat no doubt of that but do not forget his other titles he is also the master of faked injuries, the owner of the extra minutes at the rest room, the duke of smashing rackets and bishop of bad gestures to the crowd and a true showman.
@@sergiofernandez4566 lol. You are a deluded Fedal fan. Maybe more Nadal fan who fakes injuries and miraculously recovers just in time for clay tournaments. Keep crying.
So for me what is comforting is this: Carlos is YOUNG and fiery. As he matures, he will tone down his firepower, and become more like a blowtorch. Right now he's a blazing inferno. And he still pushed Djokovic to the absolute limit of his experience and skill to take the W this Olympics.
Thanks Gill, I loved it - every single word was spot on, apprecaite your effort as always. I was blown away by Novak performance, especially with Carlos being at his peak, winning the last two GS, just incredible to watch. I am soooo glad Novak won it in that fashion.
I agree with your observation about 'semi-reckless' shot selection from Alcaraz. I took it to be overconfidence. From early in the match, I got the distinct feeling that Alcaraz & camp were viewing this match as a coronation of sorts - where he would be officially crowned as the next ATP king. I believe they told him he was invincible, and that the Wimbledon result had somehow crushed the Joker's spirit. What a miscalculation ......
Sorry to keep you guys waiting for this one. Thanks for the understanding and the support!
Check out CoachLife and use the discount code, GG: coachlife.com/?ref=GG
took you long enough!! but appreciate it.
You are forgiven Gill. Nothing to even apologize about. You've given so much already. Thanks for doing this again!
Take your time with things, we understand you are a very busy person Gill. Really appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos!!!
I'm a big fan, but I'm honestly a little disappointed by the BetUS sponsor. Sports betting is one of the worst things for the game of tennis. I know you have to pay the bills, but you also should feel a responsibility to the fans and players of the sport you love.
Just the fact that you are even doing these videos and putting so much effort into it, we all appreciate you very much!
Novak became the only Person in History to win all the 4 Slams+ the World Tour Finals+ All 9 Masters and the Olympic Gold.15/15 for the 🐐
but but, he doesn't have a doubles gold! (I'm assuming that'd be the next thing they try to pull, LOL)
@@mambi74 but but but but Margaret Court didn't even have a penis and was able to get 24 slams too!
Goat? No way. He’s not even better than Sampras. He’s definitely the best of the last 10 years though
@@mambi74 ... and he doesn't have silver in singles, only gold and bronze! 😂
@@BarryMcCockiner1 why don't we defer to Sampras himself on this 😂 Djokovic -> Quote "he is the greatest of all time". " He did it at a time where he dominated Roger and Rafa, and he handled the next generation of players very well - all at the same time."
Honestly Gill, waiting for this episode reminded me of why you are the best in analysing tennis matches. No one does it like you! Thank you for doing this!
I agree with you, unlike other Tennis analysts who are so biased even in their analysis towards their preferred players, Gill just nails it. His analysis is just the Best and very objective and well thought through.
@@jonaschilonga81 did you not see his preview for the final?
how do you call that un-biased lol
@@imokay1118 I didn’t even make a preview for this final 😂
I think he meant Tignor 🙂🤔, who was again wrong this time for Vekic and Carlos, and is always wrong 😀. I was delighted to see his preview actually.
@@GillGross you made a preview for the olympics overall. Which was the only thing you did make and that is what I was referring to. edit: this is where you 'preview' the final and what I was referring to. literally titled... "Paris Olympics 2024 (Men's Tennis) PREVIEW & PREDICTIONS | Monday Match Analysis" from 12 days ago.
don't be disingenuous please.
@40:21 (in that video, with the graphic) is the simple summation of what I was referring to, you had alcaraz 1st = wrong, zverev 2nd = wrong, ruud 3rd = wrong. This is the 'birds eye' view of your predictions.. which were all wrong. Going deeper you said something like '"wanting it badly is not good enough"'.. in referencing djokovic and his chances. which would also = wrong. I could go into other things you said and were wrong/clearly biased.. but I think you get the point.
I could watch that gold medal-winning point a hundred times and not get tired of seeing it. Novak's celebration -- one of sheer joy and utter disbelief -- was epic.
Best moment of his career! That forehand and the elation after! Wow!
Yes it was excellent.
In that second tie break he did 3 incredible massive forehands: at 0-0 first point of the tie break, at 2-2 and at 6-2 💪🏼
Then you should see his celebration after winning the Monte Carlo masters in 2013...
Finally! Never refreshed youtube so often in my life 😂
Same! 😂
Yea same ahahah
ditto
🤣🤣 same
Omfg. I thought I was the only one
Djokovic did not mentally or emotionally show up for the final in Wimbledon. You could see it in his demeanor, his lack of real focus, lack of grit and motivational determination and lack anger at himself that day. However, he did show up at 37, 16 years older than his opponent on Olympic Sunday and it was an awesome display of his past resilience and tactical skill.
Athletes from all over the world are becoming more and more longevous. LeBron James is another great example. As impressive as Novak’s level was the other day, you also can’t disregard how a kid, just 21 years old is competing almost evenly against a goat. Too bad we won’t be able to see them facing each other at their absolute primes. Imagine Alcaraz at 27-28 y.o. and Novak from 2015-2016.
Have you ever woke up and felt like shit or smtn .
People have problems
He wasn't 100 percent fit , which he needs to beat Alcaraz .
Because Wimbledon is already a huge win making the final
I feel kinda the same with Alcaraz in the Olympic final honestly
I disagree: he was ready for BOTH Wimbledon and the Gold Medal
Match, the massive difference was Carlos.
Carlos was a B-minus; many errors and point construction mistakes. His serve was on, but not echoes of Sampras/Federer precision.
Novak encountered B-minus and lower quality play from his ALL his opponents throughout the OLY rounds. (Forget Ebden)
Additionally, his decline versus lower caliber on the day = “drama” and he will win. Which we did see in each match with two exceptions.
We know Stef is a Lost Generation guy, which means a spiced up version of the players Fed steamrolled in 2003-2007/8.
More decorated losers aint nothing on which to hang a hat. They’re still losers regardless of the achievement gap; they’re easy to dispatch for the legend in question, whether Fed at 23/24 or Novak at 36/37.
If all things are equal, a player with a 4-0 lead in a second set with a somewhat injured opponent, is a front runner and wins that set. We must accept that as a greater than 0 outcome. Yet, we know what happened.
Novak at decline versus A-level = Wimbledon 24 F, AO24 SF.
We can all recognize the nuance and subtleties of these OLY24 matches. Whether it’s accepted, maybe another matter.
Novak still had to “hold it together” and win, but as his knee didn’t have additional issues, he could move toward victory in a Bo3 match versus a B-minus, albeit better player.
I highly doubt we will be treated to another Novak title run, but this got the feels and bookends a strikingly accomplished pro tennis career. Massive achievement, and even more so when things go your way.
Luck helps for sure, but you got to show up and do enough, which fortunately he did. 🥇
Great video and analysis. Been watching Djokovic since 2007 as a teenager, now I'm 32 with a wife and two kids and this guy is playing one of the best matches of his life at 37+ minnd blowing 🤯
For Djokovic fans:
Golden dream achieved: A Novak Djokovic poem
Many critics and pundits declared the Serb’s fate
Father Time had seized him, they dismissed him with hate
The new king Carlos was anointed, the Spanish great
All expected another Alcaraz victory to coronate
The media begrudged, they doubted they berate
The most decorated champion and determined of late
2024, he lost in Oz, Paris and London to date
Surely his Olympic quest would meet the same fate
But Novak Djokovic did the unthinkable, the suspense, the wait
He captured Olympic gold to consolidate
His records, resumé reaffirmed, an epic update
The Greatest of All Time has ended the debate
Carlos was electric, but could not duplicate
Roland Garros or Wimbledon, Novak would dictate
In tiebreaks, Djokovic went God mode to create
Sublime tennis, his best to elevate
At 37 years, striking groundstrokes that penetrate
Running with youngsters, still accelerates
An athlete of integrity to dedicate
Overcoming injury, prejudice and jab mandates
Cut from a different cloth, a level separate
Consummate pro, supremely motivate
Devout husband, father, virtue to demonstrate
Serbia and fans adore their son affiliate
Novak deserves nothing but praise, not hate
His character they try to assassinate
In spite of his charity, his courage he cultivates
Novak Djokovic the legend we commemorate
Mission Accomplished! - fiero4251.blogspot.com/2016/08/fan-page-novak-nole-djokovic.html
😂🎉
Did you ask chat gpt to write this? Be honest.
Хвала од ❤ ❤🇷🇸
@@ProbablyLying Nahh....😂😂😂 not sure whether to take that as a compliment or insult. AI or algorithms can likely kick my ass at most things, but I'd like to think that I can beat them at poetry.... 😉😅
On any given day, you might expect to see 5-10 high quality exchanges between two elite players in a 3 set match. In this one, I lost count after 20!
Both brought the goods and held their nerve on their serve. So many phenomenal points. We were spoiled as fans of tennis on Sunday!
PS. Oxford has updated their definition of motivation: instead of academic or clever words, they’ve simply inserted a picture of Novak Djokovic winning gold!
True story! 😊
@enigmaparadox987; did Oxford include Rafa for his tenacity and nevergiveupness under any circumstances?
@@ManuelPorcell-el9cx They replaced Salty with a picture of Rafa.
Can you send a link or something
@@ashoknayak6915
2 comments, and you chose to type toxicity? Do us a favor and comment further
It's not just that he won it. It's that he won it against Alcaraz -- after losing his mojo in the Wimbledon final. He needed that. 👍🥳💪😁
Novak's motivation is the drive for him and when he's motivated, he's unbeatable
@@dadohollywood he’s 37, motivation may be a factor but so is age. He’s not getting any younger
Now, for the FeDal fans (and more so Djoker haters) they truly get their bromance back .... They can enjoy that again. The big 2 legends of tennis, Federer and Nadal.
And then there is Djokovic, a titan, sitting there above, now truly in a league of his own, watching all the tennis mortals.
The man beat tennis!🥇🇷🇸💪🏼
I think if it’s only Carlos and Sinner as the big big threats, and Medvedev a threat, Djokovic will be still be able to grab some more big trophies for the next year and a half. I think we need another big time player to emerge
I really don’t believe he looks down on Federer or Nadal or even Murray. All this goat talk nonsense is just a way for the fans to rival against each other. I find it complete nonsense. Goats will keep coming and breaking records. Who knows? May be 10-15 years from now Alcaraz is sitting at 20ish slams and Sinner 15-20, and they both about to take over all the remaining records. Only time will tell
@@David_james77 it's a
hyperbole....sheeesh
Don't ruin it 😂
Or maybe there is ww3 and sports end along with other things....who knows what the future brings....we are here, in the now
They are ending their careers with a close friendship, and he is what he always intended to be: a god who is worshipped. Funny how that happened.
@@David_james77"Goats will keep coming"? No, you're confusing goats and sheep. There's only one GOAT and his records will stand for 100+ years from now. Who knows, the game of tennis itself may be renamed as "Novak" one day.
Wow Gill, you deserve an award or a Grammy award for your perfect analysis.. You are the only one that I can listen to even if it's 2hours analysis I will listen word by word.. You are the goat of tennis analysis
Gill, never in my life have I checked for an update as much as I did for your analysis! Well worth the wait. Great analysis. My pre-match thoughts were the only chance Novak had was the bring some fire power first strike tennis. No way to beat Carlitos with stellar defense and lockdown mode alone. Incredible win. First time in my long life I’ve ever shed tears for a complete stranger. Unbelievable.
Great analysis Gill, appreciate your take! Love that Novak won - hoped that he would as a fan of his since 2008- but to see him surprise me again. Amazing performance! So clutch!
The best part of being Djoko fan is that - he still even surprises his own die-hard fans ( like me ) and gladly so .. thats what is to love about this legeND !!!
@@ashoo1807 True That!!!!! Love the word legeND - that is cool!
Thanks djokovic. You are indeed the greatest of all time. Please do not retire soon. Love to see you again .love to keep watching tennis.
He's not, and will not. There was one guy better than him in one surface, and since one guy was better than him in one surface, he can't be be the greatest of all time, quite simple.
Novak has set fhe bar ao high that a year with a semifinal at AO, final at wimbledon with a surgery and was playing superbly at FO and couldve reached the finals that all the haters wrote him off. Compare that to how they still celebrate nadal even though hes being beaten in the 1st or 2nd rounds. The bias from the media is disgusting. And in classic Novak atyle, he comes back and wins the Olympic Gold, the last remaining thing to achieve in his last chance.
GOAT. Novak the living legend.
Finally its here! Made my day
Thanks for your wonderful analysis. I was lucky enough to be there courtside, rooting for Nole, though I love Alcaraz too. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd split down the middle and fully fired up. What unfolded was a tennis fan’s dream as two masters of their craft spent the next three hours bending the laws of physics, pushing one another to the limits and together creating a work of art of a match that will go down as perhaps one of the most sublimely played sporting clashes ever recorded. I will forever be grateful to them both for their passion, their strength of will and the courage they showed in pursuing their Olympic dreams. It was a blast.
I agree with your analysis about where Carlos lost the match, but as a long time fan of his since challengers years, this was one of the most consistent matches I saw from him ever, those break points were key obviously, but tbh I can't complain too much about his perfomance, he played 3h without dropping his focus and he gave everything he had, Djokovic peaked at the 2 tb and he couldn't match that level, it's sad for him because probably no other player could have challenged his level on Sunday, but at the end sometimes your rival has that 0,1 extra more than you and you have to accepted and move on until the next time
Carlos would have thumped every single player in the final including Fedal but Joker is in another level.
37 year old beating 21 year old in his prime, absolutely incredible.
This is well said. Carlos played so, so well. The match was such high quality. I think Djokovic's mentality was just too much. Carlos is going to dominate the game though for years to come. So good and will just get better. Sinner is great too.
In the end, Djokovic has to be remembered for his game style adaptations throughout the years. The way he played in this final was the only chance he had and he executed it to beat perfection. Have to tip the cap.
@@JAM-fm8lt Well we don't know if Carlos is in his prime yet, we can say he is in his 1st prime, which is when a great of the sport starts winning big titles etc...let's hope he has another couple of prime levels in the next years
Your analysis sounds like chess game. Nice to reflect on the game in hindsight. I keep wondering though whether the players in split seconds were constantly rationalizing. They both played very very well. Djokovic just injected that little something extra with determination, and resilience. 7-6; 7-6 says it all. I will not attribute the win/loss to anything extraordinary from either player.
Finally bro do you know how many times I’ve refreshed UA-cam for your breakdown lol
You should be working on ESPN or Tennis Channel, your commentary is always extremely insightful, you can turn a puzzling situation into perfectly understandable one and you taught me a lot. Kudos to you!
I was waiting for this ❤
Gil deserves 1M+ subs. What a pro 👏
TOTALLY AGREE
Djokovic was the GOAT 4 years ago...if Federer had Novak's stats, there would be zero debate anywhere by anyone. Shows you how high the bar people have set on Djokovic. Next people will say he can't be the GOAT because he hasn't won a Slam in doubles
They keep moving the goal post...now they say he still hasn't beaten Margaret Court's record 😂
NeXt argument: never won an NBA title!
Next argument: Federer was too gracious, Nadal too injured, Alcaraz too young, Michael Jordan athleticism and mentality, Usain Bolt speed, Michael Phelps gold medals record, Margaret Court’s record, Messi won the World Cup, Djokovic isn’t vaccinated, he threw the racquet many times and other time by mistake threw a ball to a great actress line woman, he said “Gooooooood Night”, he played the violin to the haters, he dared to impersonate some tennis players back in the day, he dared to organise the Adria Tour, Federer’s hair was more stylish, Nadal’s biceps were bigger, Alcaraz smiles more, Sampras smash, Agassi’s great personality, no gold on doubles, he broke his t-shirt twice vs Nadal and vs Alcaraz, his wife is the prettiest of the Big 3, Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth, Bruce Lee, Tom Brady, Jesse Owens, Tiger Woods. Federer said lucky shot, Nadal said obsessive, Murray said miserable, they lost h2h vs him because he’s too Djoker. He was a skinny kid from Serbia, now he’s the ultimate golden G.O.A.T. how’s that possible? We need to find a more stupid argument to try to change his status, that’s it: Serena Williams won a Grand Slam being pregnant. That’s the one we need, THE G.O.A.T. CAN’T GET PREGNANT.
What you guys are saying is completely AbSerb. 🙃
@user-tc9fn9ux2uIts not "in-between results" thats just stupid to say. Its about firts world bias and thats it
I notice on all the reviews, nobody mentions the difficult draw that Djokovic also had to contend with…never mind the injury, facing the best player who beat you 3 weeks before etc etc. Nadal then Tsitsipas then Musetti which was extremely tough
On paper it may have been difficult but Nadal is a shell of himself, Tsitsipas was given a huge gift of Djokovic’s knee issue and massively choked it, and Musetti was very nervous and didn’t serve well. So in reality I don’t think he had it all that tough
@@BillyBob-xi9ih🙄 Haters dont ever think Novak's draw is hard... 🙄 Maybe Alcaraz's was, right? 😏 What a joke!
@@criska3785 I didn’t think Alcaraz’s was either
@@BillyBob-xi9ih And so what, guy? Everyone had an easy draw in your opinion? 🙄 "On paper".🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Everything is previously on paper, guy! It's obvious! We cant predict anything; we cant "see the future"! 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄 Tsitsipas and Musetti on clay cant be considered "easy" at first. And no one expected Nadal was COMPLETELY dominated by Nole how it was. 😏
Overall, it was a stupld comment.
@@criska3785 lol ok thanks
The point at 45:50 Gill made is something I’ve noticed with Alcaraz too, and I’ll take it even further: Alcaraz shows clear signs of nerves even in big matches he WINS. He just gets through them because
1. His peak level is basically untouchable, and every time his back is against the wall, he brings out that peak level
2. His opponent also tightens up in certain cases
3. Going back to point 1, Alcaraz is great at getting himself back together when he’s about to lose. When he’s down 0-40 in a service game he snaps back into form, when he’s down 2 sets to 1 he raises his level.
We saw this at RG against Sinner and Zverev, two matches where his opponent didn’t exactly play their best level, yet he found himself down 2 sets to 1. In both matches, his third set level dip was inexcusably bad, but he followed them up with monster 4th and 5th sets. We also saw this against Tiafoe at Wimbledon. We even saw it against Djokovic at Wimbledon 2023. He lost the first set 1-6 thanks to nerves. He lost the 4th set due to serving yips. But he pulled it together in the 5th set and clutched the match in the end.
Alcaraz has some nerve management to work on, but it’ll get better over time, and his clutch play can’t go unnoticed either.
Alcaraz is incredible, but his peak is not untouchable...both Nadal and Djokovic at their peak would have defeated him
"His peak level is basically untouchable, and every time his back is against the wall, he brings out that peak level"
1. Man, I know this loss hurts much, and maybe because of that you couldn't think and see things clearly as they are. But - what are you smoking? Alcaraz WAS against the wall in this match, definitely in the 2nd set tie-break - and he's made a couple of UE then. So what are you talking about here?
2. He's reached his peak level for, let's say, 95% of the time of this match, I don't have time for going into details but even his positive winners-UE ratio (with his ultra aggressive style of play) says the whole story. And every reasonable tennis analyst confirms that now.
Let's face what you've seen: the best 21 year old in tennis' history, already established legend with 4 majors at this age, never lost the major final, having won RG and Wimbledon in recent 3 months, smashing the GOAT in Wimbledon final 3 weeks ago (beating him in back-to-back Wimbledon finals), playing much better than 3 months ago when winning RG, without losing a set going into the final (smashing FAA in semis), superconfident he's gonna bring the gold to Spain (I'd say overconfident). Simply young, wild tennis animal, feeling no pressure but only the blood of his fauvorite victim. He was absolutely at his current best and played at that level basically the whole final. That's why I would have still been amazed by Novak even if he lost both tie-breaks and the match 2:0.
On the other hand: 37 years old GOAT of tennis (whose physical prime was seen for the last time in June 2016), 2 months after knee surgery (moving still great but not even at last year's level - lets forget about 2011-2016 prime years), on his worst surface, without a title and any big win this season. With all the pressure on him, playing the biggest final of his life at this particular moment of his career. Simply the biggest pressure he's ever had. And Alcaraz couldn't break him the entire match (for almost 3 hours)!
And this Novak played a great match, like a man on a mission, didn't crack under any pressure at any point. It doesn't mean it was a perfect match by him. Still some sloppy mistakes, some passive backhands on Alcaraz's service games, and Novak payed for them, being down 30:15 instead of 15:30 up in these games. Some bad decisions, bad directions or bad smashes here and there. It wasn't perfect tennis like 2016 Doha final against Nadal or first 2 sets against Federer at 2016 AO semis.
Also Alcaraz wasn't that perfect. But - overall - they both played their current best and the match was decided just by a few points in both tie-breaks. This version of Djokovic has showed that peak Alcaraz is absolutely in his reach. He moved him around the court enough to force enough errors (22, twice more that Novak's 11 forced errors). He served great (apart form the 1st half of 1st set) and his return is obviously the best in the history and it was also a factor in this match. Alcaraz is a great returner, too, but absolutely not on Novak's level. Improved his serve massively - but still not on Novak's level, too. Gill is absolutely right that big serve and big return, aggressive play from the first forehand of the rally - is the only way to beat Alcaraz at the moment. He is NOT untouchable, as Novak proved on Chartier on Sunday. Also defence is not only running fast (that Novak cannot do on Carlitos' level since 2016) but also the technique of defensive shots, and Novak is the best in the history at this (also return of serve is a defensive shot, obviously).
Maybe it was slightly faster Chartier than in May/June usually but even at the French Open great servers can take a big advantage against best clay court players sometimes (like Roger did to Novak in 2011 RG semis, or like Isner took 2:0 lead over Nadal in the same tournament) - but, generally, more friendly conditions for great servers and great returners than usually on clay. Maybe. But the temperatures are somtimes higher and days sunnier at the French than it was on last Sunday.
Last but not least: it was the GOAT who stepped up in the decisive moments of the tie-breaks - not Alcaraz. And it was Alcaraz who cracked under pressure ("against the wall") shortly after.
@@CW-rx2jsUntouchable in the current field, and I’m mostly referring to RG and Wimbledon where he went on a tear and won the two titles
@@marekwichniarek2681. I said “basically untouchable.” Even in this loss it was 6-7 6-7, and he’s coming off RG+Wimbledon wins.
2. Not everything is a slight to Djokovic man. This comment was focused on Alcaraz, and that’s it, because the original point Gill brought up was talking about Alcaraz.
@@SJ-di5zu Sorry, English is not my first language, and to me "basically untouchable" means simply "untouchable". Untouchable to anyone (including Djokovic). And in the very next sentence you wrote Alcaraz always brings his peak level when against the wall. Two strong, general statements to me, nothing less, nothing more. Correct me if I missed something. This version of Djokovic simply showed last Sunday Alcaraz's peak level isn't untouchable, also we've all seen how Alcaraz cracked under pressure. As simple as that.
Been waiting for this analysis of the masterpiece
Love your analysis. Thanks for your hard work.
Novak is soo strong mentally because of all the times the crowd was unfairly against him all the tennis announcers unfairly against him and frankly all the heart breaking losses he endured with patience
Nobody has dominated three generation of players like Novak. This is unprecedented in any sport and this remarkable and unparalleled quality seamlessly makes him the Greatest Athelete of all time.
Just imagine the kind of pressure he put on himself even at the risk of undermining his own legacy by making winning a Olympic gold medal significant and equal to a Slam in tennis when it is definitely not. And to do that against a 21 year old on the top of his game, growing with confidence after winning successive slams in which Novak himself was a victim, is really out of the world.
If he had lost to the kid again, just imagine the consequences. He would have been teared apart in social media by Fedal fans and there will also be analysts and critics to opine that he was overrated. Fortunately all fell in place and he placed the people against him to pin drop silence.
Wtf he hasn't dominated Alcaraz/Sinner. It is funny how some of you see Nole (or any legendary sportman) as gods
@@exceptico6156 He still leads them in H2H 4-3. LoL 🤣🤣🤣
Tell me any example in tennis history of a player being so close to players who are 16 yrs and 14 yrs younger??
Laver, 16 years older than Borg was 2-8 against the latter; Rosewall was 1-7 vs Connors; Mcenroe , 12 years older than Sampras was 0-3 against the latter.
You don't know anything about Tennis. Just SU, you are so funny 😁😁😁😁
@michael8597 dont get nervous little talifan. Your God Nole dont even know of your existence. 4-3 is not a domination in anysport. Today older players stay competitive for much longer than before, not only in tennis with the big3 as an example but basketball, soccer so your biased argument doesn't make much sense nowadays. Sure we can't take anything away from Nole
@@exceptico6156 Domination is not about only H2H. Kiddo 🤣🥺😲
Just last year, Novak won every tournament that he entered except Wimbledon which he lost to the kid by Whisker and fluke. LoL 😂😂😂
He was world no. 1 for a monumental 428 weeks which is suggestive of how he dominated across eras.
And lastly, as I already said, you cannot even give a single example in tennis history, male or female, of how a 37 year old player breathing down the neck of dominant players who are 16/14 years younger.
Sinner is just 23 and he is looking like he is 33. LoL 😂😂😂
The kid too is an injury prone player 😭😔😔😭
Why do you get nervous and perturbed when I sobriquet Novak as the GAAT. LoL 🤣🤣🤣🤣 You are crazy Nerd.
@@exceptico6156 It is not just about H2H Kidd0. Just grow up. Who is nervous ?? LoL 😂 😂 😂 It is you who is so nervous and perturbed.
Just last year, Novak won every tournament he entered except Wimbledon which he lost by whisker and fluke.
There is no evidence in Tennis history of a 36/37 year old player breathing down the neck of dominant players who are 16/14 years younger. LoL 😂🤣 🤣🤣🤣
The fact that he has this mammoth record of world no. 1 for 428 weeks is testimony of his absolute dominance across eras. And the record eight times year end No 1 is testament of his impeccable consistency.
Sinner is frail and already looking like a 33 year old player. The less said about injury and cramps prone kid, the much better it would be. LoL 😂😂😂
I challenge you to give one example in any sports history of a player dominating so long.
Cry 😭😭😭 much about a 37 year old, half lame and out of form player spanking the kid in his least favourite surface in what was his last chance in a tournament he was so desperate to win. LoL 😂😂😂
Nole was in sync with his will to win! He is amazing, I'm so happy for him! Thanks for your amazing work, this just saved my life!
Latest news: NASA recently just discovered a new massive star, they named it Super Nova-K.
Good one.
Honestly, I don't agree with most of the criticism towards Alcaraz here. He played an amazing match, close to his best level. The main difference between him and Djokovic was determination. Djokovic went all in and with greater faith in himself, ready to give his life for the win. Alcaraz started on the same level but Djokovic was totally on fire, specially with his serve, which was flawless since mid first set. When a player like him is on fire, you just try to survive and wait for your oportunity. The oportunity didn't come and I think this three set format helped Djokovic massively. He took the match by storm and well deserved though.
Any one criticising Alcarez are morons . He is the real deal. Any hating Joker are even more unhinged. Joker= GOAT + GAOT .
Very little to separate the two. Both played phenomenal tennis! Novak had that little bit extra "faith, determination" as u say. Or INAT, refuse to lose mentality...
Was Gill "criticising"? He laid out one if not the most technical analysis of nearly every single crticial shot in the match with objectivity, in addition to their strengths and weaknesses as evidenced by this match and previous ones. It would be disheartening to have a blanketing rebuke of simply saying the diff. was Djokovic's determination.
@enigmaparadox987 and the experience helped a lot too. Carlitos is still under construction as a player, he will toughen up mentally over time. At this age, Novak won his bronze Olympic medal. People talk about Alcaraz like if he was fully mature and experienced.
Yes. Novak wanted it much more, anticipation was amazing, and in some sense I felt Carlos wasn't quite there emotionally, I don't know if the Nadal send off might have played a part.
There is no doubt that Novak has lost a step, but he has made up for it with his improved serve, his improved forehand and his improved net game.
And his more than improved knee ;)
He still needs to improve touch drop shot cover and of course smach@@David_james77
@@David_james77 that too! ;)
Its no longer Big 3. Its the Big One now
Nah, it’s Big 3. Djokovic competed with 2 other once-in-a-lifetime players who motivated and pushed him until he came out on top. And that makes his achievements even more remarkable
@@BillyBob-xi9ih agreed. Djokovic wouldn’t have reached the heights he did without his rivals.
Been waiting all day for this!
Thanks!
Djokovic is the only player in singles to have won all of the Big Titles over the course of his career. Achievement unlocked.
Novak played so many incredible ahots throughout the tournament. Dont think i have seen him play so many amazing ahots in a single tournmanet in a while. He was super dialled in. 2 of my favourite points he won in the olympics are both against the spaniards. 1st was his running forehand winner down the line outside the net against nadal and the insane cross court forehand against Alcaraz.
He was probably more dialled in than he was at AO 2023. It is insane that he has been the man to beat for 3 generation of players.
OMG! Have been waiting for this episode. Thanks Gill😅
This was my favorite episode by far! Great analysis, thanks Gill!
Thank you, Gill❤
An epic, in depth analysis Gill. Much anticipated and you didn't disappoint. Many thanks again for the time and trouble you go to.
Thank you Gill.
I always love your analysis.
Djokovic beat Alcaraz mentally. The two sets have been very equal.
Novak was just mentally stronger specifically in the tiebreaks.
And out served him. Alcaraz serve is still a glaring weakness.
I heard that Alcaraz gave an interview where he promised Spain he’d bring Spanish people the gold medal. Doesn’t he has people next to him that would advise him not to take things for granted? What about the one where he says “finals are not for to play, but for you to win”. NOBODY wins everything. That being said. NOLE THE GOAT. IDEMO 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
Acting like confidence and belief is a bad thing when it's the bedrock of any athlete's ability to achieve things.
Djokovic said no one can take his scalp before wimbledon's final in 2023 before losing lol
It's healthy competition
""I am going to give Spain what it wants, the gold" "Get ready... for the show that I am going to give you" - Oh dear 😂 He thought that he had Djokovic in his pocket but Djoko "show"-ed him. Put pressure on himself which bit him in the behind in the match. Silly Billy.
@@devikuSoul Djokovic was directly asked a question about being a target for the whole tour. He gave a long answer about "pressure is a privilege" etc and put that bit in at the end. Alcaraz was asked an open question about what's your message to the Spanish people and he decided to dig himself a hole.
@@devikuSoulthat is not confidence at all. That’s being presumptuous. And it can and will bite your as* 😊
@@devikuSoul Q. Every time you come out here, you have a target on your back. You are the one to beat. Billie Jean King famously says that pressure is a privilege… How do you cope with that mentally?
I think any tennis player wants to be in a position where everyone wants to win against you on the court. It is a privilege, as Billie Jean said. Pressure is part of what we do, it is part of our sport. It’s never going to go away, regardless of how many Grand Slams you win or how many matches you won or how many years that you’re playing professionally on the tour.
The pressure is paramount, every single time I come out on the court, particularly here on Centre Court at Wimbledon. But at the same time it awakens the most beautiful emotions in me and it motivates me beyond what I’ve ever dreamed of, and it inspires me to play my best tennis.
I know that they want to get a scalp, they want to win… but it ain’t happening, still.
a big THANK YOU for this FAIR analysis. your loyal fan dan from nole's home town
Excellent analysis. Highly insightful, especially with regard to the break points and tiebreakers. Thank you!
Awesome stuff, Gill, thanks so much!
What he did at his age I don’t think we’ll ever be repeated. He has one almost as many championships grand slams past the age of 30 then he did before and I don’t think anyone will ever equal that not only in my opinion he’s the greatest tennis player ever he’s the greatest athlete Past the age of 30 to win all these championships in a sport that is physically and mentally demanding an individual sport unlike Tom Brady, who basically is a team player and just has to go back and throw the football Novak be unbelievably fit and mentally strong to accomplish what he has accomplished I don’t think people will ever appreciate just what a great athlete he is when ESPN gives out awards. They always seem to ignore him and always try to pick other people mainly Americans that are so prejudice against Novak and his accomplishments. My mind again the greatest tennis player and the greatest athlete in the past 10 years congratulations Novak you’re the greatest
Spot on!
Really waited for you this time around :)
He put his body on the line. It was clear that he was ready even if the match ended his career. He was ready to break his bones. No holding back. By the middles of second set, I looked up above and prayed to god “man this guy deserves the gold. God, give him what he is seeking”. Hats off. Nothing much to say.
Gill - when is the Three Podcast on Mens singles finals? Eagerly waitin for it !!!
@@AskNkash It’s recorded and now I’m editing and posting
@@GillGross- I am subscribed to both channels but have been checking so often. Looking forward to both
Just got posted!
@@GillGross❤️
The 8 break points analysis was great. Thank you, Gill
Break point no 8 just shows what Novak said in press is true - he doesn't win by coincidence he works as hard or harder than anyone to make these things happen. Ivanisavic said he obsessive, he will play a great match and then be annoyed because he felt his BH wasn't working and practice the following day at dawn.
waited so long for this
Legendary! He did the impossible and won everything!
goodness Gill, you are unbelievably good at this job 🎉
I'm Novak fan but Carlos is amazing too . Probably biggest talent ever .
Fun fact
Carlos won 2 g's aged 20 .
Monika Seles won 8 . 🇷🇸🇷🇸🇷🇸
After that she was stabed by german secret service agent in Germany and German stefy graf become no1.
Sorry Carlos I had to say it 😅
Dear Mónica, ahhh, what a missed opportunity to see what could have happened if she was not stubbed 😢😢😢
bravo
I think he cemented his legacy now as THE GOAT. He used to be just a GOAT.
Because it is not just about winning Gold, but winning against his own demons, against Alcaraz in a Big Big final.
Coming from a Rafa and Alcaraz fan!!
More like GROTT (greatest of the times. No such thing as a GOAT as “time doesn’t wait it on you it keeps on rolling” like the song. 😁
@@ManuelPorcell-el9cxyadayadayada 😂😂😂
Very happy you’re back you’re the best analysis could not wait to hear from you 💯agree with you Novak was brilliant love this match congratulations again Novak you deserve the Gold Medal 👏👏👏👏❤️🥂🥇
AAAA I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT
Have I ever been waiting for this one, Gill! 🎾💪🏼👏🏼
Nice Analysis @GillGross
Djokovic simply a genius and a beast. From now on he’s not just the goat but the golden G.O.A.T.
Cheers
Wow! Its finally here!
Wow, the boldest prediction i've seen from Gill, Bublik in a final?:)
As for Olympics, can't be happier for Novak, amazing performance over Alcaraz!
Thank you Gill we love listening to you. ❤
This was an amazing performance for so many reasons … the level was so high throughout with so much on the line 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🎾🔥
GOAT moment if it was in any doubt ✔️
Another embarrassing GOAT comment, when Gill has done a great job actually analyzing the MATCH. Even for those who couldn’t see the match, Gill’s comments were detailed enough to follow along and learn something.
@@br1729 I might be one of the few here that know more about tennis than the guy who makes this video …lol … im a full time coach & have played to a pretty reasonable level, to comment … my opinions are mine regardless of Gill’s analysis ( which is great ! ) I watched every point … it was the best performance I’ve ever seen from Djoc with all factors considered … not his best level … but his best win / performance ✔️
my Goat comment was warranted … it cements his greatness if there was any doubt before ✔️
So don’t hate on someone’s comment especially when you have no idea who you’re talking to … I’ve hit more balls & watched more tennis than you could dream of & The amount you know about tennis is likely less, than the stuff I’ve forgotten about 👊🏻
@@JonnyUK85 The GOAT comment is foolish, no matter how much you know about tennis. Players exist in their own eras, and compete against whoever is available. They do the best they can and then they stop playing. Moreover, players play at different levels even within their own careers. Djokovic at 21 (when he hadn't won as many majors as Alcaraz at the same age, for one thing) was not at the same level as 5 years later, 10 years later, or now, at 37. Which level do we use to determine GOAT status? Why add up titles across an entire career, as opposed to a single year? People will just say everything Djokovic does from now on cements his GOAT status, and if he starts losing they'll just say that he's no longer in his prime but is still the GOAT (no contradiction there, eh?). Rather than wasting time on meaningless GOAT references, you're better off using your expertise to bring insight into the only thing that really matters: the matches being played and how the players are playing them. Gill's video did this very well. Alas, his comment section too often falls short.
Finally
I waited for this soo much
Awesome stuff Gill! Great offense & great defense & great saving of break points on both sides!!! WOW! What a match! Golden Career Slam! What’s left? GOAT-cubed stuff. Cheers, Milan
WOW - just going through the comments...how many people have waited for this WOW
Extremely close match and a great one too. Both players gave absolutely everything. Djokovic was rock solid and gutsy. I think the slow clay helped him on this occasion.
@@JackBurton3963 true I think Djokovic has an advantage over Alcaraz on clay really as he has more time
Nole’s haters are boiling , the missing gold medal was the only argument they had left to blindly deny Novak’s GOAT. Status !!!😂😂😂😂
Haha true. Now they are going back to saying Fedal have more fans as if that's a metric that is even relevant or one that can be measured. 😂
Djoke is the goat no doubt of that but do not forget his other titles he is also the master of faked injuries, the owner of the extra minutes at the rest room, the duke of smashing rackets and bishop of bad gestures to the crowd and a true showman.
@@sergiofernandez4566 😂😂😂cry more!😂😂😂
@@sergiofernandez4566 lol. You are a deluded Fedal fan. Maybe more Nadal fan who fakes injuries and miraculously recovers just in time for clay tournaments. Keep crying.
@@sergiofernandez4566 you got these silly excuses. Do u have anything other than this?
Amazing detailed update ❤
Thanks for the video mate ! I was waiting for it and as always it was the best analysis I’ve listened to! 👏👏
Two impatient days waiting for this to come out :) you're the best Gil 👊
So for me what is comforting is this: Carlos is YOUNG and fiery. As he matures, he will tone down his firepower, and become more like a blowtorch. Right now he's a blazing inferno. And he still pushed Djokovic to the absolute limit of his experience and skill to take the W this Olympics.
My Wednesday just got so much better
And Big 3 Podcast was just icing in the cake
❤
At last! Been waiting for this. Your take is always the best.
Finally! Can't tell you how much I've waited for this 😍
Very articulate and thoughtful analysis. Wish you could do this along with video of actual points. 😊
Finally the episode is here
Thanks for delivering Gill, it was worth the way.
Finally here!
As always great analysis.. keep it going
Djokovic this archivement in History of sport will be named "Djokovic Full House"
Djoker Full House.
Thank you! It is not too late. You worked very hard. 👍
Thank you Gil you're the best !
Thanks Gill, I loved it - every single word was spot on, apprecaite your effort as always. I was blown away by Novak performance, especially with Carlos being at his peak, winning the last two GS, just incredible to watch. I am soooo glad Novak won it in that fashion.
Worth the wait!
Thanks Gill great analysis
I was waiting for this
Been waiting for this!
I was looking forward to this. Thank you so much Gill.
I agree with your observation about 'semi-reckless' shot selection from Alcaraz. I took it to be overconfidence. From early in the match, I got the distinct feeling that Alcaraz & camp were viewing this match as a coronation of sorts - where he would be officially crowned as the next ATP king. I believe they told him he was invincible, and that the Wimbledon result had somehow crushed the Joker's spirit. What a miscalculation ......
Those two forehands, Alcaraz could not even reach to it 😱
32:50 The shot that will live forever absolute stunner
You called it Gill. Bravo ❤
Nole is golden now
Amazing analysis!