From A Djok to a Riddle
Well the score line reads 7-5, 6-3 and the winner steps to the center
of the court with his arms raised. A finalist is crowned and a champion
is sent packing. Rogers Cup 2007. The man sent home was the number 2
seed Rafa Nadal in a shocking upset. The man moving on was the Serb on a long awaited rise to the top Novak Djokovic. Up untill
now, his potential was talked about more than demonstrated but this was
the weekend that changed everything. In the finals was the immovable
object, 11 time grand slam champion and current Wimbledon champion Roger
Federer.
Up until this point, Federer’s
was a perfect 4-0 against the Serb and hardly contested. I remember
watching some of their matches and thinking, this guy’s game plays
right in to Federer’s perfectly. That being said, Djokovic
took his career in to his hands and disposed of the Swiss in a tight
three set match winning the Canadian Rogers Cup in most impressive
fashion. Taking down Roddick, Nadal then Federer, from that point on an elite top three player was solidified.
After winning the Rogers cup Djokovic followed it up with a US Open final in which he lost in three competitive sets to Roger Federer. Now it was official, Djokovic
in a final was no longer a surprising result. Ironically after his Aussie title
in 08 began the slight undoing of the Serb.. His fun light hearted imitations were not nearly as appreciated
by his peers as they were by his fans. Even his on court comments and actions led to
some of his fans turning on him in some cases stadiums. even his parents became an issue to some degree. He was turning into the new bad boy of
tennis, but there was one problem. Unlike John McEnroe in the early
80’s who thrived under that title, Djokovic was buckling under it.
While it’s fair to say that with Federer and Nadal ruling the landscape, no one could fault Novak for being a distant third, in fact he was even one win away from overtaking Nadal
at one point and claiming the number 2 slot. However, he was easily the
red headed step child of the three. And after a couple of years it
appeared that it was going to stay that way. I recall watching the US
Open where questions were being raised to Brad Gilbert about whether he
thought Novak would ever take a slam again. BG Said “yes” but his time had to be now!
So this was the time. Djokovic
needed to be asserting himself as “the man” and he was double faulting
more than he was acing. Still the forever number 3 player pulled off
Masters titles here and there and when he did it seemed par for the
course. No one got too excited nor did they down play it. He was a solid
threat! A genuine, bonifyed slam threat but really, the way things were going, that was all.
So then 2011 happens… Who called this? Novak Djokovic
puts up one of the best seasons in tennis history claiming 3 slams
including his first Wimbledon and US Open. He won a record breaking 5
Masters Events and 10 titles in total. The Serb also became the number 1
player in the world during this time and did it by dominating his
equals. He beat Nadal 6 straight times, all in finals. He took a decisive edge in the matches against rivals Federer and Murray. He outright dominated the rest of the ATP unlike anyone other than Federer’s
04,05and 06 seasons. When he
took to the court, he seemed unbeatable. His serve was clutch, his
speed was impossible to hit around, his returns reached epic status and
his aura of invincibility was off the charts. Just ask Federer who lost the US Open semi while serving and holding two match points.
While as the year progressed Djoko
came slightly down to Earth, he continued to surpass the expectations
of almost anyone in the sport. Commentators struggled to answer “how”
Media were scrambling to seek the answers “why” How did he get so good
so fast? Why was he able to turn things around? Let’s remember this was a
guy who had a reputation of calling trainers, pulling out of matches
and called mentally weak. It’s crazy to think that he went from all that
to becoming the most mentally imposing man on the tour and that
included Nadal, just ask him yourself.
So here we are all cozy and
acclimatized in 2012. A season nowhere near the standards of 2011 but
the start was something different all together. It seemed like we were
heading for a repeat early on.
The Australian Open of 2012 was for me the greatest slam Djokovic
won. While it seemed early on that he was at his form from a year ago,
he entered the semis and played good friend and last year’s finalist,
Andy Murray. The route from 2011 was a memory as Murray took the Serb to
a 5th set where Djokovic prevailed 7-5. Some would argue if he was the better man on the day. Then the finals, against Nadal of course. Nadal took the 4th set in a hard fought breaker to force a 5th set. After getting an early break, Nadal was poised to end the reign of the Serb and
re-claim a slam for himself. It looked like Djoko
was hurt, ailing, playing up hill, in sand and yet, against all the
sanity of the sport, he won the match. It was after that match I
believed he was a champion that long after he is done, will be regarded
as one of the best. That win said so much about his heart and it once again
served notice to the field that they were in for a long year.
But something happened after that. Maybe the struggles against Murray and Nadal should have tipped us off but it’s not like they were hacks incapable of taking sets from Novak. All that considered, 2011 that was in fact the case.In 2011 Novak was an unbelievable 12-2 against the other big four. 2012 he is 5-6. Not to mention when Nole was winning matches in early rounds last season, he was bageling left right and center.
Nokak
defended his Miami title but other than the 2 mentioned, he has
struggled to win titles. Yet every time we see him in a tournament, he
is a favorite. His legacy of a year past earns him the “favorite”
title. But is he? Certainly not in on the clay where he struggled to
equal last year’s results. Not on the grass where he was tossed aside by
the ageing Federer and even in the Olympics where he failed to medal. Novak
was able to ride last season’s wave and have us ignore the signs before
us but three quarters in to the season, there is no place left to hide.
While the aura seems to dissipate more with every tournament played and lost, one has to wonder what is the place of Novak in the game for the coming years. Is this just a blip on the radar or was last season the, rather large, blip?
When you look at it, and I
have at great lengths, this guy is just hard to figure out. I don’t
think he’s going anywhere and I think he needs this follow up year to
end so he can reset himself. However, he needs something to end this
season on a positive. When you look closely you see the Novak
of 07-10 right now. You see a strong tennis force, who can do
it all and beat anyone he plays. You see a guy full of promise and
determination, but like those years, you also see someone who can lose
and someone who is beatable in any round. There are two huge differences
however. One is, his game and mental attitude are far more superior now
than before. That is, hands down, an understatement. But two, his aura.
The one that he painstakingly built for himself climbing every ring of
the success ladder last season. It’s stayed
intact up until now buts it’s cracked. It is damaged in a grand way.
It's easily fixed cause once you build it, it’s part of you but it is on
the verge of shattering. When it does, will he be able to or even
desire to rebuild it? Something his rival Federer has done better than anyone else.
My point is, look at Novak Djokovic
this season and do all you can to try and forget about last season,
just for arguments sake. Don’t you see that third wheel that played
behind Federer and Nadal
all those years? The guy is more than capable of winning but also
easily capable of the quiet exit? That is what I see. The question I
pose is, what is next? He is healthy, in his prime and knows how to be a
champion, but what road is he travelling on? I think I am writing a
blog on the 2012 US Open champion, but in mid September when a clearer
picture is before us, maybe I am writing about the guy who everyone is
talking about for all the wrong reasons. Like last season but in a
totally different context “what's with Djokovic”?
