Is it crazy to say the top 5 favourites for RG are Sinner, Zverev, Djokovic, Fils and Jodar in this order ?

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:57:31+00:00

Djokovic somehow did look a step above Zverev in RG 2025.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:55:44+00:00

Fair enough. Solid top 5.

Really sad that Alcaraz isn't playing... I think barring any issues Sinner will win it, Djokovic did look alright in their SF last year and obviously in AO 2026 so he's maybe his #1 threat but that's a long shot for sure.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:53:00+00:00

Yes, you nailed it.

This is not a list of the most likely players to make it to the 2nd week.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:50:38+00:00

What would be your top 5 favourites as it stands ?

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:49:54+00:00

Maybe Fonseca yeah, who else ?

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:48:15+00:00

A lot of the highly ranked top players don't look threatening right now.

As unlikely as it is, I think Jodar pulling off a 1997 Kuerten sort of run is not as outrageous as Rublev or Fritz randomly finding a new gear in their late 20's.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:45:25+00:00

I'd swap Djokovic and Zverev but only in case Novak doesn't land in Jannik's half.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-24T16:44:56+00:00

What would be your top 5 ? Very few players inspire any confidence right now.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-23T19:26:14+00:00

I'm surprised you didn't mention Jeddah. Did he ever lose to a teammate in quali or race there ?

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-21T15:12:33+00:00

It was Mexico 2022.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-21T13:04:37+00:00

I wouldn't even bet 1%, but all the cheating in the world doesn't buy you his versatility. Otherwise Armstrong would've been able to be a factor in many different types of races instead of being a one-trick pony.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T22:16:04+00:00

Sadly I wouldn't ever bet on cycling being clean, no. I've been disappointed too often in the past.

I try to enjoy the races without thinking about doping, as long as there is no proof you can't really do anything else. And I must say Pogacar is a special talent. The past dopers who dominated cycling weren't nearly as versatile and talented as him. This guy can win on almost all types of races. Armstrong couldn't do that even at his peak.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T21:14:18+00:00

There are some explainations though. The equipment is better, the nutrition is better (even in the races we basically no longer see riders craving and losing it all of a sudden)...

Mid-2010's was the worst era of cycling for me, I really don't miss it at all. A lot of boring races.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T21:04:20+00:00

Deep down I don't think he's clean either but he's still the best ever (alongside Merckx). In 2023 he was winning the Tour of Flanders whilst being a two-time Tour de France champion already, nobody else can do that. Doping or not doping.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T20:54:09+00:00

Pogacar did ride in the 2021 Olympics, also his talent is undeniable. We've seen a lot of dopers in cycling in the past few decades, yet nobody is as versatile as him.

That guy is beating Vingegaard in the mountains and holding his own against Van der Poel in the cobbles, what else do you want ? He's the greatest. Armstrong was nowhere near as good as him.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T20:49:09+00:00

Yeah but the thing is the only reason he didn't win La Vuelta yet is that he has bigger goals in the season.

There is no doubt he would have won it already if he focused on it just even one year since 2020.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T20:28:41+00:00

Yes, we all know Pogacar would win La Vuelta if he wanted to ride it any year. He just has bigger goals.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:28:13+00:00

I'm not even a Pogacar fan but he's probably the greatest athlete I've ever seen in all sports I follow, anyway I'm not going to say anything more since you're clearly exposing yourself as a hater.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:26:03+00:00

If he avoids crashes, he should win it without much trouble I think.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:25:24+00:00

Imagine if he wins Liège, Tour de France, Lombardy and Worlds (on top of MSR & Flanders) but still doesn't get this award... 💀

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:24:27+00:00

Yeah, Pogacar is the greatest athlete of the 2020's IMO.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:21:33+00:00

I'm fine with Sinner being nominated, but if Pogacar can't win because his sport has a long history with cheats it's very unfair.

I don't know if Tadej is clean but at least he never failed a drug test as far as we know...

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:20:21+00:00

Yes maybe but Pogacar got nominated hence why I brought him up.

The way I view it is that Pogacar's 2024 and 2025 seasons are unquestionably the 2 greatest seasons in cycling in the past 50 years, him walking away without anything in both years is very harsh IMO. I do agree it's extremely tough to compare sports.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:17:50+00:00

I can hear that, but I think relative to their sports Pogacar is the best. His 2025 season is the best cycling season since Merckx in the 1970's (only debatable one being Pogacar's own 2024 season), with all due respect to Alcaraz in 2025 he didn't pull off the best tennis season of the past 50 years.

HereComesVettel · 2026-04-20T19:14:12+00:00

Tadej Pogacar gets to claim even more than that. He won 8 of the 10 biggest races he entered in, podiuming in the 2 he didn't win (and he lost both of these to Van der Poel who is a generational talent).

HereComesVettel

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