Telling It All Podcast With Ben Goodman - Rio 2016 Summer Olympics

Topics Include: Rio de Janeiro As The Host City (1:00). NBC's Coverage Of The Olympic Games (12:10). Experiences As A Fan At Rugby, Table Tennis, Swimming, and Volleyball Events (20:25). Lilly King-Yulia Efimova Swimming Rivalry (28:40). Mainstream Sports At The Olympic Games (34:05). Overall Impressions Of The Olympics (39:55).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Telling It All Podcast With Dylan Flanagan - State And Future Of United States Tennis, Australian Open Second Week

Topics Include: The State Of Tennis/ATP Tour Financing (1:00). The Future Of United States Tennis (7:35). The Advantages And Disadvantages Of College Tennis (14:15). Seven Empty Seconds As Mysterious As The Missing Audio From The Apollo 11 Moon Landing (16:35). Australian Open Men's Singles Second Week Predictions (16:45).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

Telling It All Podcast With Ben Goodman - AFC/NFC Championship Games, Mets Signing Yoenis Cespedes, Cavs Firing David Blatt, Australian Open Second Week

Topics Include: Broncos AFC Championship Game Victory Over The Patriots (0:30). Our Thoughts On The Panthers Dominating The Cardinals In The NFC Championship Game (11:40). Reactions To The Mets Re-Signing Yoenis Cespedes To A 3-year, 75 Million Dollar Contract (14:00). Second Week Preview of Australian Open Men's Singles (19:00). Super Bowl 50 Predictions For Broncos And Panthers Game (23:30).

SoundCloud Podcast Homepage: https://soundcloud.com/ctellallsports

What I Am Thankful For In Sports

There are clearly a lot of things to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day: your family, your friends, the men and women who fight to protect this country, twitter, and obviously sports. While most Americans associate Thanksgiving with turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes, my Thanksgiving is dominated by football, even if the Lions and Cowboys, who have both hosted Thanksgiving Day games every year since 1978, have only won a combined 3 division titles in the last 15 years. With a feast of games on Turkey day (pun intended) including three big NFL matchups (Texans-Lions, Redskins-Cowboys, Patriots-Jets) and a newly installed college football in-state rivalry (TCU-#16 Texas), the Thanksgiving Day action should fill the bellies of hungry football fans (last pun, I promise). Here is what I am thankful for in sports on this 391st Thanksgiving Day.

Despite the fact that the LA Kings championship run as an eight seed was incredible to watch last year, I am thankful for the NHL lockout because now America doesn't have to pretend that we actually care about hockey. For the National Hockey League to be locked out for the 3rd time since 1994 and the 2nd time in the last 8 years is an absolute disgrace. I would advise Gary Bettman, who has dealt with more labor stoppages since he became NHL Commissioner in 1993 than ever imaginable, to not travel to Canada anytime in the near future.

I am thankful that Chelsea fired Roberto Di Matteo because at this rate, I have a chance to become the Blues manager. The European Champions, who fired Di Matteo a little more than six months after he completed the FA Cup and Champions League double, have had more managers since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 than Egypt have had Presidents. The London club have now had 9 different managers in a six year span since September of 2007 (Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Ray Wilkins, Guus Hiddink, Carlo Ancelotti, Andre-Villas Boas, Roberto Di Matteo, and Rafa Benitez). In fact, neither one of their last two managers, Andre-Villas Boas or Roberto Di Matteo, lasted 10 months with the job. Good luck to Rafa Benitez because looking at Chelsea's past managerial history, come a year from now, he will likely be watching the Chelsea games from his couch like the rest of us.

I am thankful for Cleveland sports teams because whenever I am feeling down in the dumps about the Red Sox, I remember that it could be worse: I could be a Cleveland sports fan. The Browns have made the playoffs just twice in the last 23 years, while the Indians and Cavaliers have lost superstars left and right including CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, and some guy named LeBron James. Cleveland sports teams are like a sequel to a bad movie; you think that they might improve, but they just wind up terrible once again.

I am thankful that J.J. Watt is a pro football player because he is much too talented and way too hard of a worker to be delivering pizzas in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. Watt, who I kid you not, worked for pizza hut after he dropped out of school because he no longer wanted to play tight end for Central Michigan, is now one of the most dominant defensive ends in the NFL, and he is the front-runner to win the Defensive Player Of The Year Award at the mid-season mark. The former Wisconsin standout (he transferred to the Big Ten school in 2008 and played 2 years there) deflects more balls at the line of scrimmage than anybody else in the NFL and his 13.5 sacks are 2nd most in the league, only behind San Francisco's Aldon Smith (15).

I am thankful that Novak Djokvoic is the world's number 1 ranked tennis player. While I enjoy watching the Serbian's mastery on the court, it is a nice bonus that his girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, is a spectacle to see on her own. Since Ristic is shown on TV more than Rob Ryan during the Cowboys games, it is undeniable that Djokovic brings the total package to his matches. But in all seriousness, Djokvoic deserves a lot of credit for reclaiming the number 1 ranking from Roger Federer and winning the year end ATP World Tour Finals.

As hard as this is for me to say, I am actually thankful that #1 Notre Dame is undefeated because outside of Gainesville nobody wants to see #4 Florida in the BCS National Championship Game. The Gators, whose offense has looked so anemic this year that you wonder how they have only lost one game, would likely wind up in the National Championship if they were to beat #10 Florida St. and Notre Dame were to lose to USC. This Florida team, which at home needed two touchdowns in the last two minutes to beat Louisiana-Lafayette, would not be able to score against any of the top college football teams.

I am thankful that Andrew Bynum's hair is one of the main talking points of the early NBA season; now if only the big 7 footer could get onto the floor for the 76ers. Although Bynum should have a nice role in Doug Collins's offense, the injury prone center is still suffering from right and left knee setbacks, which could keep him out until January. Hopefully, Bynum can return to action for Philadelphia shortly, because then people can start talking about Bynum and basketball, along with his hair of course.

Andrew Bynum then

Andrew Bynum now

But enough about me already. What are other people in sports thankful for?

Toronto Blue Jays fans are thankful for their new best friend, Miami Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. After Loria decided that he was fed up with the Marlins large payroll, his fire sale saw the team's two best pitchers (Josh Johnson and Mark Buehrle) and star shortstop (Jose Reyes) head north of the border to Toronto. Now that the Marlins shed nearly 150 million dollars in the mega-trade and their opening day payroll is currently projected at less than 40 million (in comparison the Padres and A's are arond 55 million) it is evident that Loria cares less about his team than a male audience cares about the new Twilight movie.

Washington Redskin fans are thankful that they now have a real quarterback with Robert Griffin III. Nothing against Jason Campbell, Tood Collins, Rex Grossman, and John Beck, but the Skins haven't had a real quality quarterback since the Stone Age. Ok, more like Joe Theismann in the 1980's but it feels like forever. Not only is RGIII the most dynamic quarterback to ever play in the NFL, but his Heisman Trophy socks were beyond awesome. In any case, Washington should be thankful for their rookie sensation.

Although the Luck vs RGIII debate will rage on for years, we can all agree that Griffin trumps Luck in the sock department.

Finally, Tim Tebow is thankful for God, but who didn't know that one already.

Novak Djokovic Will One Day Be In The Discussion Of The Greatest Tennis Players Ever

Following 5 hours and 53 minutes of unbelievably high level tennis, Novak Djokovic was finally able to knock off his rival Rafael Nadal in the finals of the Australian Open 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5-7), 7-5.

In an epic final in Melbourne, Djokovic and Nadal fought it out in the longest Grand Slam final of all-time surpassing the previous longest match in major final history of 4 hours and 27 minutes when Mats Wilander beat Pat Cash in the 1988 Australian Open championship. It was also the longest match ever in Australian Open history breaking the previous longest match in the tournament's history when Rafael Nadal knocked off Fernando Verdasco in the 2009 semifinals in a 5 hour and 14 minute match. Only John Isner and Nicolas Mahut's 11 hour and 5 minute match in the first round of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships and Arnaud Clements and Fabrice Santoro's 6 hour and 33 minute match in the first round of the 2004 French Open were longer Grand Slam matches than Djokovic and Nadal's final.

The top two ranked players in the world put on an incredible display of tennis for nearly 6 hours. Just when you thought that one of them was down and out, they would fight back and keep the match alive.

In the fourth set, it appeared that Djokovic would run away with the match. The world number 1 had gone up on Nadal 2 sets to 1 after dominating the Spaniard in the third set 6-2. Although Djokovic was all over Nadal's serve in the fourth set, he was unable to convert a break point, as he was 0 for 3 in the set. Despite not having a sniff of a break point on Djokvoic's serve, Nadal was able to scrap and fight and win the set in a tiebreak 7-5.

After pulling out the fourth set much to the dismay of Djokvoic, Nadal looked like he was going to take the decisive fifth set. At 3-2, Nadal broke Djokovic for the first time on his first break point opportunity since the second set and was up 4-2. However, much like how Nadal refused to quit in the fourth set, Djokovic was able to fight back and break Nadal in the next game to bring the match back on serve. With the Djokovic and Nadal tied at 5 in the fifth, Djokovic was able to convert his second break point opportunity of the game and served out the match to win the Australian Open title.

The Djokovic and Nadal final is now in the discussion with the Nadal and Federer 2008 Wimbledon final and the Borg and McEnroe 1980 Wimbledon final as the greatest Grand Slam final matches of all-time.

Novak Djokovic also proved that he will be at the top of the men's game for a very long time and his incredible season last year wasn't a one year fluke. Djokovic looks like he will one day be in the discussion of the greatest tennis players of all-time. Djokovic's 2011 season is up there with

Nole's 2011 year will go down in history as one of the greatest single seasons in men's tennis history.
His overall record was an astounding 70-6 and before Djokovic lost some matches at the end of the year because he was slowed down by injuries, his record was an unprecedented 64-1. Djokovic's 2011 season is up there with Rod Laver's 1969 year when he won all four grand slams, Roger Federer's 2006 season when he was 92-5, and John McEnroe's 1984 year when he was 82-3 as the greaest single seasons of all-time.

The Joker began the 2011 season sizzling hot, as he won his first seven tournaments including the year's first major at the Australian Open. Djokovic's first loss didn't come until the semifinals of the French Open when he fell to Roger Federer in a very tight match 6-7 (5-7), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (5-7).

His 41-match win streak to begin 2011 was just one win shy of John McEnroe's record of 42 straight victories to begin a season, which he did in 1984 before losing to Ivan Lendl in the 1984 French Open finals. Djokovic's 43 straight match victories dating back to 2010 were just 3 shy of Guillermo Villas's record of 46 straight victories, which he did in 1977 before losing to Ilie Nastase in the final of the Aix-en-Provence final. Djokovic also was just one tournament victory shy of joining Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe as the only players to ever win 8 singles titles in a row. Nole's loss to Federer was his first loss against a top 10 player since he lost to Federer in the 2010 ATP World Tour semifinals. His 13 match win streak against top 10 players was the third longest in ATP history only trailing Federer's 17 match win streak against top ten players from 2006 to 2007 and Federer's 26 match win streak against top ten players from 2003 to 2005.

Djokovic's 5 ATP Masters series titles were the most ever in a single season and he had a 35-match hard court win streak before he fell to Andy Murray in the finals of Cincinnati. His 35 straight victories on a hard court were the third most of all-time only trailing Federer's 36 hard court match streak from 2006 to 2007 and Federer's 56 match win streak from 2005 to 2006.

The most impressive part of Djokovic's season was his performances at the Grand Slams, where he had an incredible record of 25-1 and won the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and U.S. Open. Djokovic joined Rod Laver (1969), Jimmy Connors (1974), Mats Wilander (1988), Roger Federer (2004, 2006, 2007) and Rafael Nadal (2010) as the only players to win at least three Grand Slams in a single season since the open era began in 1968. Djokovic also joined Ivan Lendl (1987), Roger Federer (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009), Rafael Nadal (2008), and Andy Murray (2011) as the only players to reach all four Grand Slam semifinals in a single season since 1972.

Djokovic's overall prize money for the 2011 season was over 12 million dollars, which is the most by a player in one season.

With his victory at the Australian Open this year, Djokovic is already amongst the all-time greats. He has won 5 Grand Slams thus far, which to put that in perspective, is just one shy of greats like Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker and two behind John McEnroe and Mats Wilander.

Djokovic now has won three Australian Opens, which is tied with Mats Wilander for the third most all-time in the open era and is only behind Roger Federer and Andre Agassi's 4 Australian Open titles.

Nole has also won a Wimbledon title and a U.S. Open title, and just needs to win the French Open to complete the career Grand Slam. If he is able to win the French Open, he would join Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal as the only players to win the career Grand Slam.

The future is encouraging as well for the Serbian, as he has a lot of years of tennis left to play. Djokovic is just 24 years old and is just in his 8th year on the ATP tour.

Also, Nole is very solid and can play on every surface. Although he has never won the French Open, he has made the semifinals of the major three times and he also had two quarterfinal appearances since 2006.

Also, Djokovic's rivals can't figure out how to beat him. Dating back to last year in their last 7 matches, Nadal is 0-7 against Djokovic and all of their match-ups have been in finals including at three major finals. Although Federer has been on the brink of cracking the Joker, he is just 1-4 against him in their last 5 matches including losses at the Australian Open last year as well as the U.S. Open when he had 2 match points in the fifth set but failed to convert either one. Djokovic is also 3-1 against Andy Murray.

The future is very bright for the Serbian star and Djokovic may one day be atop the list of the men's all-time great tennis players.

Australian Open Week 1 Storylines

Australian Fire Power: There has been a tremendous amount of pressure on the top Australian players, Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt, as they are playing in their home country for this year's first major tournament. The fans expect a strong showing from their hometown players and expect them to perform well on the biggest stage and in front of the home crowd. Mark Edmondson remains the last Australian to win the Australian Open when he beat fellow Aussie John Newcombe in the 1976 final 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, 6-1. An Australian hasn't won the Aussie Open in the last 36 years and Australians Bernard Tomic and Lleyton Hewitt are looking to end that drought this year. Both Tomic and Hewitt have advanced to the round of 16 and of their 6 wins, 4 of them have been against seeded opponents. The 19-year-old Tomic has captured the Australian crowd through his tough and competitive victories. Tomic beat Fernando Verdasco and Alexandr Dolgopolov in two long and grueling five set matches. He has been feeding off of the crowd's enthusiasm and all their energy and support. The big 6 foot, 5 inch Aussie said after his victory over Dolgopolov, "Tonight was a really good match and a match that I need to win... I think the crowd made me win so thank you for coming out and supporting me." Lleyton Hewitt has been a home town hero in Australia since his first appearance in the grand slam all the way back in 1997, as he continues to wow the crowd to this day. As always, Hewitt has played very consistently and has limited his unforced errors. In his four set victory over #23 Milos Raonic in the third round, Hewitt had just 32 unforced errors compared to Raonic's 54.

The Dominance Of The Top Four: The women's tennis game has been pretty wide open since 2009. Since the 2009 French Open, 7 different women have won a grand slam. However, the men's game has been dominated by the top four players (Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal Roger Federer, and Andy Murray). Since the 2005 French Open, Juan Martin Del Potro's U.S. Open championship in 2009 is the only time a player aside from Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer has won a grand slam and this year looks no different from any other. The top four players have been dominate thus far and look on a collision course to all meet in the semifinals just like they did at the French Open and the U.S. Open last year. Djokovic has lost a total of 10 games in 3 matches and he has faced just 8 break points in three matches. The four time grand slam winner has hit 80 winners and just 42 unforced errors. Like Djokovic, Nadal and Federer haven't dropped a set thus far and Murray has lost just one set. Nadal and Federer have both won over 80 percent of their first serve points. However, Djokvoic and Federer won't have a lot of fan suport in their next match as the Joker plays Lleyton Hewitt and Fed plays Bernard Tomic. Looking down the road, the biggest threats to stop the top four meeting in the semi-finals are likely Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin Del Potro, who have Andy Murray and Roger Federer in their quarters respectively.

Marcos Baghdatis's Meltdown: With the top players all having little trouble through the first week and a lack of upsets, as only four of the 16 remaining players are unseeded, one of the highlights of the tournament was Marcos Bagdatis's meltdown. Marcos Baghdatis has been loved in Australia since he made his incredible run to the finals of the major back in 2006. Also, Baghdatis has received huge fanfare and support in Melbourne because of the large Greek-Australian population there. The Cyprus born star has a great following at the tournament. However, in this year's Australian Open in a night match on Margaret Court Arena in the second round, Baghdatis didn't fare as well. While he was down 2 sets to love and a break to #21 Stanislas Wawrinka, Baghdatis had an eruption and an emotional breakdown. To take out his frustration and anger, Baghdatis smashed four of his rackets during a change-over. It was quite a meltdown to witness. Serena Williams said, "I've done that. That's impressive. Wow." 1992 and 1993 Australian Open Champion Jim Courier said, "I hope he gets a share of the YouTube clips. It was such a raw moment."

A Look Back At Novak Djokovic's 43-Match Win Streak

Coming into his match against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open, Novak Djokovic had a 41-match win streak to begin 2011, and a 43 match-win streak in a row dating back to last year. Djokovic needed 1 more win to tie John McEnroe's record of 42 straight wins to begin a season, which McEnroe did in 1984. He also needed just 1 more win to tie Ivan Lendl's 44-match winning streak, which Lendl did in 1982. Novak was also just two matches away from being one win short of Gullermo Vilas's record for 46 straight match wins, which Vilas did in 1977.

Djokovic said about the incredible win streak, "It [has] to end somewhere. I [know] it’s coming." Although it appeared at times that Djokovic would never lose, his streak came to an end in the semifinals of the French Open against Roger Federer. Federer beat Djokovic in four grueling sets 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-5). The match could have gone either way. To honor one of the greatest streaks that tennis has ever seen, here are some highlights.

Winning the Australian Open: One of the most impressive things about the Joker's streak was that he won a major during it. When John McEnroe won 42 matches in a row in 1984, he also didn't win a major during the streak. McEnroe lost in the final of the 1984 French Open to Ivan Lendl. When Ivan Lendl won 44 straight matches in 1982, he didn't win a major during the streak either. In fact, he didn't win his fist major until the French Open in 1984. However, Novak was able to play well under the pressure of a grand slam and was able to win his second major. In the semifinals, Djokovic beat Roger Federer in straight sets 7-6 (7-3), 7-5, 6-4. He had previously been 2-4 against Fed in majors. Djokovic joined Rafael Nadal as the only player to beat Federer in consecutive majors, as Djokovic beat Federer at the US Open last year in the semifinals. It was also his third win over Federer in the semifinals of a major, while no other player has more than one win over Fed in the semifinals of a grand slam. In the final, Novak beat Andy Murray 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to take the title and his first grand slam since the Australian Open in 2008. He lost just 1 set the entire tournament.

Victories Over Rafael Nadal In Four Finals: Coming into 2011, Novak Djokovic was just 7-16 against Rafael Nadal including 0-5 against him in finals. That all changed during the streak as he beat Nadal four times in finals. The first victory came at Indian Wells in March on a hard court. He beat Rafa in three sets after dropping the first 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Joker's next victory over Nadal came at Miami a week later. He once again dropped the first set but came back to win in a 3 hour and 21 minute match 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4). No only did he prove to himself, Nadal, and the world that he couls beat Rafa but he also showed he could do it coming from behind. Djokovic became the first player to win the Austrlian Open, Indian Wells, and Miami in one season since Roger Federer in 2006. He became the seventh player in history to win both Indian Wells and Miami in the same year. Djokovic entered the clay court season undefeated joining Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi as the only players to do so. However, questions still remained on whether Djokovic could beat Nadal on clay, as he was 0-9 against him on the dirt and has only won 3 sets in nine matches. He proved the doubters won in his next two tournaments. At Madrid, Djokovic beat Nadal in the final 7-5, 6-4 on clay. He proved that it wasn't a one time thing when he beat Nadal at Rome the next week once again in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 on clay. He became the only player to ever to beat Nadal multiple times on a clay court in one season. As Rafael Nadal said after he loss to Novak at Rome, "He is doing amazing things. He is playing fantastic, doing a lot of things very well and has a lot of confidence. The most important thing for me is to be confident and be happy with what I am doing. I have done everything I can, I cannot ask more of myself but one player is doing better then me."

Victories Over Roger Federer: This season, Djokovic joined David Nalbandian, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal, as the only players to beat Federer 3 times in one calenday year. After the Joker beat Fed at the Auzzie Open, he beat him at Dubai in a final. He joined Rafael Nadal as the only player to beat Federer in the semifinals or later of a major and then beat Federer in the next tournament he played in. During their match at Dubai, the Joker won an impressive 81 percent of his first service points. At Indian Wells in March, he beat Federer for a third straight time in the semifinals in three sets 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. With his victory over Nadal in the final of that tournament, he joined David Nalbandian and Nikolay Davydenko as the only players to beat Federer and Nadal in the same tournament.

After Djokovic lost to Roger Federer in the semifinals of the French Open in a great match 7-6 (5-7), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5) snapping his win streak, Djokovic said, "It had to end somewhere. Best five months of my life, my tennis career. I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible peroid."

A Dream French Open Semifinal

In one heavyweight semifinal the number 1 seed Rafael Nadal will play the number four seed Andy Murray. In the other semifinal the number 2 seed Novak Djokovic will play the number 3 seed Roger Federer. The top four seeds all advancing to the semifinals of a major has only happened 11 times in the Open era and the last time it occurred was at the French Open 5 years ago in 2006. Previously, these four guys along with fifth seeded Robin Soderling became the first top five seeds since Wimbledon in 1989 to all reach the quarterfinals of a major. Pretty amazing stuff; I would definitely agree with that statement. 

Rafael Nadal is just two matches away from winning his 6th French Open title, which would tie him with Bjorn Borg for the second most French Open championships in history.

Will Rafa tie Borg for the second most French Open titles?

Novak Djokovic has a 41 match win streak to begin 2011, and now has 43 wins in a row dating back to last year. Djokovic needs 1 more win to tie John McEnroe's record of 42 straight wins to begin a season, which he did in 1984. If Djokovic beats Federer in the semifinals, he would tie Ivan Lendl's 44 match winning streak, which he did in 1982. If Novak wins his next two matches at the French Open, he will be just one short of Gullermo Vilas's record for 46 straight match wins, which Vilas set in 1977.

Will the streak continue?

After beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 7-5 in the round of 16, Federer broke Jimmy Connors record of most consecutive quarterfinal appearance at a major by reaching his 28th straight. Federer is looking to win his first major since the Australian Open in 2010 and is looking to extend his record 16 major victories to 17.

Will Roger win his second French Open?

Andy Murray has made three glam slam finals and has not won a set in any of the three matches. He is looking to break through and win a major at this year’s French Open. Murray is also just the second British player to reach the semifinals of the French Open in the Open Era. In 2004,Tim Henman made the semifinals before losing to Guillermo Coria.

Will Murray finally win his first major?

Although it sounds cliché, tennis is really the winner in this situation. Although everybody likes an underdog story, a semifinal that includes the top four players in the world, who are all playing at such a high level, and all have so much to play for, is just something spectacular. No matter if Nadal ties Borg for the second most French Open victories, or Djokovic's streak continues and he breaks McEnroe's record, or Federer extends his record for major victories by winning his 17th, or Andy Murray becomes the first player from England to win the French Open, it should be a hell of a Friday and Sunday of tennis.

Novak Djokovic, Not Rafael Nadal, Is The Favorite To Win The French Open

On November 27, 2010, Novak Djokovic lost to Roger Federer 1-6, 4-6 and was knocked out of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in the semifinals. Djokovic hasn't lost a match since then and has a 39 match win streak dating back to last season. Novak has started his 2011 season with a 37 match win streak. In 1984, John McEnroe began his season with 42 straight wins. The record for most victories in a row was set by Guillermo Vilas in 1977 when he when 46 matches in a row. Djokovic would surpass McEnroe and tie Guillermo's record for consecutive victories if he wins all seven of his matches at Roland Garros.

Nobody has been able to stop Novak this season. He has won all seven of the tournaments he has entered. His previous high for titles in one season was 5 in 2007 and 2009. He began his season with a victory at the Australian Open including a win over Roger Federer in the semifinals in straight sets. He beat Federer once again in the Dubai final in two sets a month later. At Indian Wells, he knocked off Federer for the third straight time and then beat Nadal in the finals. At Miami, Djokovic beat Nadal in a second straight final. A month later, Novak won the Serbia Open in his home country without dropping a set in the tournament. His most impressive displays have been at the last two tournaments. At Madrid, Djokovic beat Nadal in the final 7-5, 6-4 on clay. At Rome the next week, he once again beat Nadal in a final on clay in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Before those two matches, Novak had been 0-9 against Nadal on clay and had only won 3 sets in 9 matches against him. However, it looks like Djokovic has cracked the code on how to beat Nadal on clay. He has been taking a lot of chances and has been very aggressive against Nadal in the previous two finals on clay. He is the only player to ever to beat Nadal multiple times on a clay court in one season. Djokovic is a combined 7-0 against Nadal and Federer and is 13-0 against players ranked in the top 10 this year. As Rafael Nadal said after he loss to Novak at Rome, "He is doing amazing things. He is playing fantastic, doing a lot of things very well and has a lot of confidence. The most important thing for me is to be confident and be happy with what I am doing. I have done everything I can, I cannot ask more of myself but one player is doing better then me."

Djokovic has shown unreal confidence during his 39 match win streak. After his victory over Nadal at Rome, Novak said, "I'm just most happy about the game I have this year on clay. The way I'm striking the ball and the way I'm so self-confident. I always knew I could beat the top players, but now I have the confidence to do it... I have won against him [Nadal] twice in the last eight days, which I think is incredible, an incredible achievement for me, and has given me a lot of confidence for the French Open."

John McEnroe said, "Nadal doesn't seem to know what to do against him, and quite honestly, if Nadal is baffled by playing him, then that just shows you how great he's playing on clay. You're looking at a guy [Djokovic] who's the best player in the world right now." Pete Sampras added, "I've seen him play a number of times over the years, and he was at the level with Roger and Rafa, but you never felt like his temperament could withstand a four-hour match. It always felt like he was a little bit up and down, a little bit emotional... It took him a few years to find his way.... And this year, something clicked in him, where he just sort of became a little bit more positive... And now he has that aura now where he's really, really tough to beat."

Djokovic also has a great chance to get to number 1 in the world for the first time in his career. No matter how he fares at the French Open, if Nadal doesn't win at Roland Garros, then Novak will rise to number 1. 

Djokovic beat Nadal 7-5, 6-4 at Madrid for his first victory over Nadal on a clay court.

Djokovic beat Nadal in a second straight final at Rome 6-4, 6-4. He became the only player to to ever beat Nadal multiple times on a clay court in one year.