There is a situation that every great tennis player of the 21st century has had to face in his career.
In a press conference , a journalist will stand up and ask this question which often has no connection with the progress of the interview: "According to you, which player of the top 3 is the GOAT?"
This strange sounding word is actually an abbreviation of the expression "Greatest of all time" often used to designate either Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.
This question has become so important that it overshadows another equally interesting one : Which player had the best season in tennis history?
Over a 12-month period, who came closest to absolute perfection?
With 82 wins and only 6 losses, the 2015 season was an opportunity for Novak Djokovic to demonstrate the perfection of his game, leaving only crumbs to his opponents.
Close to perfection, the Serb's 2015 record nevertheless seems to have been tarnished by one particular defeat at the Doha ATP 250.
As the Serbian was preparing his season and making it through the first two rounds with ease, a very special opponent was about to make him experience a nightmare.
Djokovic vs Karlovic at the Doha ATP tournament, source : Kunnue
Ivo Karlovic is Croatian, then ranked 23rd in the world, already 36 years old and had never won a major title on the ATP circuit despite his long career.
Rather slow on a tennis court, having trouble keeping up with a rally of more than 5 strokes, Karlovic didn't seemed to be a threat for the Serbian.
However, Karlovic had a weapon capable of turning the match in his favor: his serve.
As a real aces machine, the Croatian was determined to trap the man who is still considered to be the best returner of all time.
Karlovic's strategy was simple : securing his service games and take the maximum risk on return games in order to break his opponent.
"I don't think he (Djokovic) likes my game.."
Ivo Karlovic
2H00 later, the situation is quite shocking. Djokovic didn't just fail to take his opponent's serve, he simply didn't have the opportunity to do so.
What's worse, the Serbian's attitude is totally different from what we know him to be, giving us the impression that he's giving up on a match that he probably still considers unfair.
His opponent of the day completely suffocated him and the Croatian's service games seemed ridiculously easy against a Djokovic who doesn't know anymore what to do to in order to counter the serves of his opponent.
Despite being known for his calmness and ability to concentrate, the world number one repeatedly threw his racket with rage and his shouting spoke volumes about his frustration.
After a great battle, Karlovic will eventually win the match with a score of 6-7 7-6 6-4, scoring 21 aces against the best player in the world.
It was impossible to beat Djokovic on a regular basis and Karlovic was well aware of this..
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