Djokovic just can't get enough

Not sure what brought about this change of fortunes for Djokovic, but even for someone like myself who is not his fan, his achievements so far this year are utterly impressive. He has been on top of the game since January, when he surprised everyone with a dream run to his second Australian Open crown. Since then it continued to grow in magnitude and the Serb kept on winning, capturing titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Rome and Madrid. He added a Wimbledon trophy and now, after capturing another Masters trophy, at Montreal, it looks like Novak just can't get enough of his recently acquired status. As surreal as it might seem, he is enjoying every minute of this wonderful period in his career and probably he is praying to keep it going for as long as possible.
His almost flawless season reached new heights when the Serb matched Pete Sampras' feat of winning the first tournament as the world number 1. Moreover, after his three sets victory over brave American Mardy Fish, Djokovic became the first player to win five Master events in one year.
Although currently the world is at his feet, Novak declared that he is still human. I tend to agree with him and to back Tsonga in his claim that the key behind his extraordinary run of form lies in his amazing consistency. After retiring injured in their semifinal clash, the Frenchman argued: "He doesn't hit harder, he doesn't hit the ball earlier. But he's always there. He does not have the best return on the Tour. But on every return, he returns well, and he's always there. So what does it is his consistency, and he has no weaknesses." As excellently captured by Tsonga, although his game lacks a killer weapon, it grew so solid that, at the moment, his rivals fail to find a way to outgun him. This probably makes him the best player on the men's tour. And after compiling a 53-1 match record, his position atop of the rankings is more than justified.

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From the 2010 Davis Cup finals to the 2011 French Open, Djokovic is on a 41 match win streak,  which includes titles at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Masters, Serbia Open, Madrid Masters, and the Rome Masters. He has won 39 straight matches since the start of 2011,[3] which is the second longest streak to start the year since 1980, behind John McEnroe (started 42–0 in 1984

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Novak is on top of the world

What a year this was been for Novak Djokovic! What started off as a bit of a surprise with his win at the Australian Open has grown and is now threatening to transform into a walk in the park for the Serb. At this stage, no one can argue that he has been the dominant figure in men's tennis this season. Except for his loss to Federer at the French Open, Novak has been undefeated, winning everything. Nevertheless, his crown was missing an important jewel: the ultimate tennis achievement, i.e. a Wimbledon title. He made sure to add it to his resume after an easy win over defending champion, Rafael Nadal in Sunday's showdown.

The Serb has stayed under the radar for the majority of the fortnight, quietly managing his way through the draw. Easy wins over Jeremy Chardy, Kevin Anderson, Marcos Baghdatis and Michael Llodra guaranteed his quarterfinal berth. It was a time when his experience proved crucial in getting the better of promising star, Australian Bernard Tomic, after a challenging four sets encounter. Benefiting from the unexpected loss of his Roland Garros conqueror, Djokovic found it easier to cope with the powerful Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. At the end of a match that lasted for four tight sets, Novak received the ticket to his first Wimbledon final. Moreover, the win marked a milestone in Djokovic's career, as starting on Monday, the 4th of July, the Serb will become the new world number 1, overtaking Nadal.

He might have surpassed the Spaniard at the top of the rankings, but the ultimate battle between them was carried on court, the two going head-to-head in the final act. Having beaten Rafa in four finals this season, Novak came out strong, confident and determined, winning the first two sets 6-4,6-1, after a clinical display. The defending champion witnessed a mid-match resurgence, storming through the third set 6-1. Djokovic was back at his best in the fourth, capitalizing on some error from his opponent to win the set 6-3.

At the end of the most wonderful three days of his life, the Serbian was left to savour his victory. At the end of the final Novak took a bite from the Center Court grass, which has been so generous with him this year. It tasted sweeter than everything he has ever experienced. "This is the best day of my life, this is the tournament I always dreamed of winning", said a mesmerized Djokovic who was scared he will wake up to find this was only a dream. He has nothing to worry about though, as the new rankings released on Monday will attest his reign. 

I must admit that I always doubted he would carry on winning for as long as he did so. Nor did I ever expect him to achieve such heights. Nonetheless, the Serb insisted in proving me wrong. Congrats to him for his impressive success!

photos (top-down / left-right):  Reuters (x2), GETTY IMAGES (x2)

Djokovic passes supreme test!

Well, it might not be déjà vu after all. At least, not to the same degree as initially predicted. The villain to spoil Nadal's hometown celebration was not Del Potro, who had to retire before his third round match, but an uncharacteristically determined Djokovic. I guess Novak isn't fooling around anymore as I had hoped for. He grew stronger than I gave him credit and after yesterday’s success, he passed his ultimate test. I admit that I not his fan and that I was not one bit impressed by his incredible feat this year. In my mind, his results were due to the lack of form his main rivals, i.e. Federer and Nadal, were facing. However, after the completion of the Madrid Master, I guess I was proven wrong yet again. My naivety and wishful thinking probably got the better of me, but time has come to make some much needed corrections.

First of all, I must admit Federer is down and out, at least at the moment. He lacks strength, consistency and more worrying, he lost that unbeatable demeanor that made him look unreachable on court. He once again made it to the semis, but when confronted with a serious test, he failed. He did wonders winning the first set, coming back from a break down and playing unbelievably well to stun a shocked Nadal. He faded quickly afterwards though, looking like the shadow of the in form player he was at the end of 2010. I find his poor performances a bit embarrassing. Not being able to beat his two main rivals in five clashes this season is definitely an alarming statistics.

Secondly, Djokovic is seriously threatening Nadal's top ranking. I was expecting the Serb to lose the momentum and to return to his usual self. Nevertheless, he seems determine to spite me. After beating the Spaniard on home soil, on his beloved clay, Novak is one of the favourites for winning the Roland Garros crown later this month.

Thirdly, the question of how will Nadal react and whether he will be able to defend his French Open trophy remains a tricky one to answer. His defeats on clay are so scarce, that whenever confronted with such a blow, people tend to exaggerate. Time has proved that Nadal can bounce back independent on the circumstances. His Paris record, his clay-court dominance and his fighting abilities still point to him as the man to beat. Djokovic may have won an important battle, but the war is far from being over.

photos (top-down / left-right):   Agencies, GETTY IMAGES, Agencies

Will Djokovic reign supreme?

The beginning of this year witnessed Novak Djokovic stepping up the gear to collect his second Grand Slam title in Australia. His victory came as a surprise though, as in the last seasons, the Serb was kind of overlooked when predicting Glam Slam champions. He was always a tough contestant, but so far he never looked poised to threaten the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. At least not seriously or not on a consistent basis. Moreover, he even lost his ‘fiercest challenger’ status, after being overshadowed by Britain’s Andy Murray and Argentinean Juan Martin del Potro, both faring better than him when it mattered most. The Briton reached two Grand Slam finals recently, while Del Potro became only the second player except for Nadal and Federer (and after Djokovic) to win a Major title in the last 19^th tries.

After his fulminating rise climaxing with his first Melbourne trophy in 2008, Novak seemed to have sunk. He was always there, a constant top 4 presence, and his results were impressive, but Nadal and Federer were in a league of their own. His game was good, but still he always came short in decisive matches. He signaled an alarm last year after fighting off match points to beat Federer to advance to the US Open final. He put on a decent battle, but ended up being overcome by Nadal. However, after ensuring Serbia’s first Davis Cup title, something appears to have changed for the Serb, as he is yet to lose a match since. During this streak he destroyed Federer and Murray to capture the Australian Open for a second time. Moreover he backed up his success by once again silencing Federer in Dubai where now he’s a three times defending champion.

Even though his results are exceptional, it’s his form that strikes as magnificent. Winning 5 consecutive sets against Federer is quite a feat, especially since he never looked troubled during those two victories. I still think the Serb is not as good as Murray or Del Potro. Plus, I feel that Nadal is probably the most consistent of them all. If the Spaniard stays healthy he should hold on to the top spot for the next couple of months. Federer on the other side can and must improve. He was far beyond his best in his two defeats to Novak. I am yet to determine whether the Serb was so good or Roger so poor. Comparing his performances to other matches, the Swiss was obviously not at his utmost best. Even so, not being able to win a single set raises alarm signs.  Still, his resurgence last summer proved that his tank is not emptied yet. Furthermore, did Murray choked under pressure in the final or again, was Djokovic too strong? In the end it doesn't even matter so much. The most important thing is that Djokovic is undefeated in 2011 and that he's looking very solid at the moment. Consequently, now, the Belgrade native is clearly the man to beat and if he is able to carry the momentum he is definitely going to challenge the number 1 spot.

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