He unleashed Tiger Woods fist pumps after, it seemed, every winner he hit. He yelled at himself and gesticulated toward his box after every shot he dumped into the net.
He had all the talent in the world — that wasn't hard to see — but his mind wasn't calibrated to win championships, to defeat the rock-solid Roger Federer in his prime.
So even as I watched Djokovic exchange forehand for forehand and big serve for big serve against Federer in the 2007 U.S. Open final, the outcome was inevitable.
Roger Federer def. Novak Djokovic 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-4.
Fast forward five years and four months.
Djokovic was having similar issues. He had outplayed Andy Murray for most of the Australian Open championship's first set, but had failed to capitalize on any of five break point opportunities. In the tiebreak, he had fallen apart. First, he had double-faulted. Then came four unforced errors, yelling at himself, and, very quickly, a lost set.
The break between sets hadn't helped. On serve down 0-1 in the second, Djokovic now faced three break points, the match seemingly, already, hanging in the balance. But this moment showed just how much he's matured, how he's learned to become a multiple-time grand slam champion against the world's best.
Djokovic outlasted Murray during the ensuing rallies to stave off the points, got a huge forehand winner down the line for the advantage, and then claimed the crucial game.
He would only face one more break point the entire 3-hour, 40-minute match — and save that one too.
By the fourth set, Djokovic was cruising, moving around the court like a gazelle, barely breathing as the more-than-game Scot labored from a bloody blister and what appeared to be an aching backside. This also spoke to how far Djokovic has come as a big-match player. He got better as the night wore on. His serves became bigger; his ground strokes crisper; and he played incredibly efficient at the net — not a talked-about strength of his — where he converted 35 of 41 points.
Novak Djokovic def. Andy Murry 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-2.
Let me introduce you to Novak Djokovic:
Six-time grand slam winner.
Four-time Australia Open winner, including an Open-era record three in a row.
The undisputed world No. 1.
Even when Djokovic won his first Aussie Open in 2008, he was young and immature. He didn't gain a lot of friends on tour by making a habit of performing crowd-pleasing imitations of other players. He was playful but also acerbic, incredibly talented and hard-working, but raw.
For three years, Djokovic remained stuck in the world's No. 3 slot, not that there was anything wrong with that. He was behind two of the greatest who have ever played the game — Federer and Rafael Nadal. Still, he gained a not-good reputation of retiring from matches. He advanced deep in many tournaments, but couldn't finish them. He failed to advance past the quarterfinals of any of the 2009 majors before losing to Federer in the semis at the U.S. Open in a match similar to their '07 meeting.
Djokovic's 2010 season wasn't all that different from '09 — at least at the grand slams — until his epic, unleash-the-forehand-on-match-point win over Federer in the semifinal rematch at the U.S. Open. Until that match, you still couldn't put the Serbian on the same level as the Great Two. But then he won that match. Then he gained a real swagger, a real belief.
And, well, Djokovic's 2011 season was, as 14-time major champion Pete Sampras said, "One of the best achievements in all of sports."
Since that epic, three-major-winning year, Djokovic has had to share victories with his Big Four companions. After all, Nadal, when healthy, still owns the French; Federer, ever the stubborn champion, refuses to take his 17 majors, two kids and wife and build himself a white picket fence; and Murray, born a week before Djokovic, is as tough of an opponent as ever after getting that first-grand-slam monkey off his back at September's U.S. Open.
But the least amount of question marks surround Djokovic and his half dozen majors. He's still young at 25 unlike Federer, 31; he's healthy unlike Nadal, who's been sidelined since last June with his knee injury; and Murray, while playing very impressive of late, still has shown the ability to win a major just once.
After that '08 title, during the drought years of '09 and '10, the question was asked about Djokovic: Was he just a one-hit wonder? Now, of course, that seems silly but will be asked about Murray until he wins more titles. Which will likely mean going through the man who outlasted him Sunday night in Melbourne.
Djokovic's antics can still seem a bit outrageous on center court. After outlasting Stan Wawrinka in a memorable five-set match earlier in the tournament, he tore off his shirt in celebration.
But the key difference is when that behavior is on display — after he's won another match.
As for the matches themselves, Djokovic is focused, honed in, and as rock-solid a No. 1 player in the world as you can have.
No comments:
Post a Comment