Ian Gibson

I enjoy playing tennis and am a big fan of Novak Djokovic. I follow Birmingham City & am interested in history. I'm trying to live life as mindfully as I can

[Second Tier podcast @secondtierpod]

A reminder that it all started in the Championship with Birmingham City for Jude Bellingham.

This was his final game for the Blues 💙

[Robert Palmer @robertdpalmer]

It all started with a boy and his mom on a court in East St. Louis.

Gloria Connors put a racket in her son's hand before most kids even knew what the sport was. She didn't just teach him tennis. She wired him. She built something in her boy that the world had never seen and hasn't seen since.

109 tournament titles. Nobody in the Open Era has more. 1,557 matches played over 24 years. Nobody in history played more. 1,274 match wins. Nobody won more. 268 weeks ranked World No. 1. 160 consecutive weeks at No. 1, a record that stood untouched for 30 years. The only player in history to win the US Open on grass, clay, and hard court. 97 wins at the US Open alone, 18 more than anyone else who ever played there. Ranked in the World Top 10 a record 16 times across two decades.

US Open, 1991. He's 39 years old. It's his birthday. Down 2-5 in the fifth set against a 24-year-old. Nearly five hours into the match. Most men find a way to let that one go.

Jimmy won that match.

The trophies tell you what he won. That match tells you who he is.

And who he was started with a mother and her son on a court in East St. Louis.

Gloria gave him his game. Jimmy showed it to the world for 24 years. @advconnors @JimmyConnors

[Danny @DjokovicFan_]

Wimbledon 2019 final. Final set tiebreak at 12-12 (5-3).

Novak Djokovic hits arguably the most important shot in tennis history.

Commentator: “That backhand down the line. That might be the shot of the decade.”

Legendary mental strength.

[jeremy dale @JeremySDale]

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to work alongside someone who has done so much for our club - more than anyone will ever really know. All Blues fans are indebted to him for getting us to where we are now. Thank you for everything, Craig!

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@secondtierpod Average 6 / 10 . 1st season record points but mostly 1 goal victories won by pounding the rock as CD called it. Second season under performed , away form dire till season end , not convinced this will change next season ,would prefer him gone and a new manager in

[Danny @DjokovicFan_]

The greatest era in tennis looked like this.

🇷🇸+🇨🇭+🇪🇸+🇬🇧🎾

[Danny @DjokovicFan_]

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafa Nadal vs. Roger Federer vs. Pete Sampras - a complete career comparison:

Grand Slams:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 24 ✅
🇪🇸Nadal: 22
🇨🇭Federer: 20
🇺🇸Sampras: 14

ATP Finals:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 7 ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 6
🇺🇸Sampras: 5
🇪🇸Nadal: 0

Masters:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 40 ✅
🇪🇸Nadal: 36
🇨🇭Federer: 28
🇺🇸Sampras: 11

Weeks at #1:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 428 ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 310
🇺🇸Sampras: 286
🇪🇸Nadal: 209

Olympics (singles):
🇷🇸Djokovic: Gold + Bronze ✅
🇪🇸Nadal: Gold
🇨🇭Federer: Silver
🇺🇸Sampras: No medal

Big Titles:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 72 ✅
🇪🇸Nadal: 59
🇨🇭Federer: 54
🇺🇸Sampras: 30

Total Titles:
🇨🇭Federer: 103 ✅
🇷🇸Djokovic: 101
🇪🇸Nadal: 92
🇺🇸Sampras: 64

H2H record:
🇷🇸Djokovic leads Nadal 31-29 and Federer 27-23 ✅
🇪🇸Nadal trails Djokovic 29-31 and leads Federer 24-16
🇨🇭Federer trails Djokovic 23-27 and Nadal 16-24

Weeks at #1:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 428 ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 310
🇺🇸Sampras: 286
🇪🇸Nadal: 209

Year-end #1:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 8 ✅
🇺🇸Sampras: 6
🇨🇭Federer: 5
🇪🇸Nadal: 5

Overall win %:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 83.18% ✅
🇪🇸Nadal: 82.57%
🇨🇭Federer: 81.98%
🇺🇸Sampras: 77.44%

Top 10 wins:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 265
🇨🇭Federer: 224
🇪🇸Nadal: 186
🇺🇸Sampras: 124

Top 10 win %:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 68.65% ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 64.55%
🇪🇸Nadal: 63.92%
🇺🇸Sampras: 63.59%

Top 5 wins:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 128 ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 104
🇪🇸Nadal: 93
🇺🇸Sampras: 61

Top 5 win %:
🇺🇸Sampras: 62.89% ✅
🇷🇸Djokovic: 60.09%
🇪🇸Nadal: 59.62%
🇨🇭Federer: 58.1%

Peak points total:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 16,950 (#1 all-time) ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 15,495 (#2 all-time)
🇪🇸Nadal: 15,390 (#3 all-time)
🇺🇸Sampras: 11,005 (#7 all-time)

Peak ELO rating:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 2629 (#1 all-time) ✅
🇪🇸Nadal: 2552 (#4 all-time)
🇨🇭Federer: 2550 (#5 all-time)
🇺🇸Sampras: 2407 (#13 all-time)

ITF World Championships:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 8 ✅
🇺🇸Sampras: 6
🇨🇭Federer: 5
🇪🇸Nadal: 5

Slams on a hard court:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 14 ✅
🇨🇭Federer: 11
🇺🇸Sampras: 7
🇪🇸Nadal: 6

Slams on a grass court:
🇨🇭Federer: 8 ✅
🇷🇸Djokovic: 7
🇺🇸Sampras: 7
🇪🇸Nadal: 2

Slams on a clay court:
🇪🇸Nadal: 14 ✅
🇷🇸Djokovic: 3
🇨🇭Federer: 1
🇺🇸Sampras: 0

Big Titles indoors:
🇷🇸Djokovic: 14 ✅
🇺🇸Sampras: 7
🇨🇭Federer: 6
🇪🇸Nadal: 1

Holes in resume:
🇷🇸Djokovic: None ✅
🇨🇭Federer: Olympics, Monte Carlo, Rome
🇪🇸Nadal: ATP Finals, Miami, Paris
🇺🇸Sampras: French Open, Olympics, Monte Carlo, Madrid/Hamburg, Canada

Notable achievements:
🇷🇸Djokovic: Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam; Triple Career Grand Slam; Double Golden Masters; Channel Slam ✅
🇨🇭Federer: Channel Slam
🇪🇸Nadal: Channel Slam
🇺🇸Sampras: N/A

Conclusion:
Novak Djokovic is the undisputed greatest ever.

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@RottenKnee23 Best chance and last chance , Id love him to do it , but I just hope he plays great that says Ive done it all , nothing more to prove, I finish as the GOAT

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@DjokovicFan_ I really hope a big novak fan , he rests , practices well and plays great at wimbledon and whatever the result then says enough is enough as he won it all and is the GOAT. No need to lose to players 4 years he would be beating, nothing more to prove. Go out on top

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@DjokovicFan_ I love your positivity but this is a tough draw , 1st round could have been much easier , Fonseca has had a decent clay swing and Ruud is the player most in form on clay after Sinner so he is the worst 4th round possible . Only good thing is being the other side to Sinner

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@Olly_Tennis_ Horrible draw , round 1 tough , round 3 tough and round 4 ruud a real problem unless he is fully fit and dialled in

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@Big3Tennis Agree totally , put everything into Wimbledon and hope Sinner wins FO and is tired by the time he plays Wimbledon. On grass I can only see Sinner or maybe Draper beating Novak as long as he is fit

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@DjokovicFan_ I always thought he had one last shot this year at AO or Wimbledon. With Alcaraz out and hopefully Sinner tired after winning FO the door is open. My question then is he fit enough to manage 7 rounds one last time. If anyone can do this one last time its Novak

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@Scaramucci So true , everyone is saying he has gone more radical this time, no its just he was kept in check last time , hindsight shows it would have been better if he had won in 2020 with some controls still on him

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@alexedicken its 6 defeats in 8 and now 16th in the table . just not acceptable given the talent in the squad that should be top 6 easily , that sits with the manager and even last season the signs were there with narrow wins against vastly inferior , time for management change now

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@alexedicken Awful selection, priske, solis, Vicente should all be starting to build championship experience, I think a bad defeat at Ipswich which is coming will deservedly be the end for davies

[Danny @DjokovicFan_]

There is no debate.

Novak Djokovic is the undisputed greatest of all time.

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@sha1875 Totally agree , this is the sensible thing to do

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@secondtierpod Hackney

[Ian Gibson @ianagibson]

@KeepRightOnPod @alexedicken @talkdants @RyanDeeney2194 Great pod but I disagree on timing of the change . Surely it makes sense to get a new manager in for the last 7 games so they can assess the squad ahead of next yesr. I know there is sentiment for CD but pragmatically a change now makes sense and especially with Frank available