Djokovic said he grew up on clay, why cant he beat Nadal?

Question

I took this paragraph to show that he actually said it:

I grew up on clay,” Djokovic told Reuters in an interview at the Hamburg Masters (Source: Yahoo!Sports)

Answer 1

Nadal is far better than Djokovic on clay

He proved it during the hamburg semis

Djokovic can on saying anything he wants    but the truth is that he is not as good as Nadal  

Nadal is a far better - Playing with a strong two-handed backhand, well-angled heavily topspun strokes, fast mobility on the court, excellent defense, good feel and touch at net, and a preference to play from the deep court    

djokovic does not have as many capabilities as nadal does

Answer 2

cause he isnt that good

Answer 3

yes,I read that in a newspaper interview. I think that he is right to think that having grown up playing on clay means that Rafa doesn't have THAT advantage over him. Djokovic also knows how to play on clay and therefore stands a fair chance against Rafa.

That being the case,why doesn't he beat Rafa consistently on clay? Because of their very different physiques and different mental attitudes,Nadal's game is better suited to clay (so far).

1. physically, Rafa's body matured really precociously so that he has been able to achieve wonders on clay at a really early age. Djokovic only bloomed last year and is still improving. Rafa has been much stronger and has greater physical stamina than Djokovic. However,Rafa's body has taken a greater beating than Djokovic's so we may see a change. Djokovic's body is relatively fresher and undamaged.

2. mentally Rafa is more mature too. He knows how to make matches go his way through patience. Djokovic "wants it all and he wants it NOW" as the words of the song go and that is often his undoing. The clay courts especially favour Rafa's patient strategy and often upset Djoko's faster "let's get it over with" type of game. Djoko's attitude works better on hard courts.

But I think that if Djoko can learn to curb his impatience he can eventually score some wins over Rafa on clay,maybe even more than Federer has.

However,I think we have been witnesses to the greatest clay court player that has ever competed and so far that is Rafa Nadal and neither Djokovoc or Federer are going to be the men to take that title away from him.

Answer 4

Nadal is both physically and mentally strong. You saw it in the Finals Nadal vs Federer. Federer was 5-1 lead and Nadal won it !!!!!!!!

Answer 5

Same reason why Federer and countless others who grew up on clay has such little success against him: Nadal's got a phenomenal clay game.

Nadal's defensive capabilities and speed on the slow red surface makes it nearly impossible to get a ball by him. His spinning lefty shots takes a great deal of patience to control.He's also not afraid to to step in and be offensive when the opportunity presents itself.

Djokovic plays Nadal tough and that's the best one can hope for when the opponent is so dominant. Rafael Nadal is truly the king of clay right now, no doubt about it.

Answer 6

Nadal is the king on clay but Djokovic is a better all-rounder.

Answer 7

nole grew up in clay... but he has not fully grown up yet... he is very immature no?

Answer 8

All Eurpoean players grew up on clay, and the only players to have beaten Rafa in the last 3+ years are Federer and Ferrero (due to Rafa not being 100%).  Djokovic grew up on clay as well, but his best surface is hard courts.  Still, Nole is very good on clay, and almost beat Rafa in Hamburg, and one day he will beat him.

Answer 9

i grew up in clay. you heard about me? nay. djokovic can say and claim whatever he wants. maybe he also grew up in a grass but fed will always be infinitely better than him.  that is why nadal is always better than him. he is patient and doesn't say much only to find him with a foot in his mouth.

Answer 10

even clay courts vary in speed some are faster than others Hamburg and Rome are the two fastest clay courts that will sometimes play like a hard court. But all clay courts are going to play slower causing a player like Nolle that loves the fast surface to be unable to get any kind of rhythm going at all.

So even if Nolle was raised on clay the clay he played on was completely diff rent and played very much like a hard court.

Answer 11

I actually think he said that because, while spending time in Kopaonik (a mountain range in Serbia) as a kid, he played mostly on clay courts.

Answer 12

It's not his time yet, right now, plus Rafa is too over powering on clay that's why he's king on clay. A King rules over a newly born on clay. Rafa is so accustomed to clay at the moment that no player can over power his talent on that surface.

Answer 13

because Nadal is better...?

Answer 14

because Nadal grew s up on clay much more :D

Nadal is more Professional on  clay than novak.

and his style of play is more compatible to the clay

Answer 15

Nadal is the best clay court player in the tour right now, he is so difficult to beat even if a player grew up on clay, like Roger and Novak.  But, they will eventually get there. In Tennis, anything is possible.

Answer 16

because nadal is so physically and mentally strong.. and on clay that really matters!

nadal is so fast, and so much stamina.. never die attitude..

Answer 17

Rafa is patient, faster, mentally and physically stronger. Clay is a very slow surface that requires you to be able to actually have a real game and not just go out banging balls all over the place. Nadal grew up on clay just like Djokovic did, but Nadal's game has the versatility in it and he's willing to change up things to make it work, that's why Nadal is far better on clay than anyone else on the entire tour.