Novak Djokovic: The Balkan Warrior

It’s been a fulfilling year for Novak Djokovic. In fact, that’s an understatement. Back again in Serbia with the group that won the nation’s first ever Davis Cup title, it almost appears that you can’t get him out of a tennis court. He plays, he wins; and plays the next match. “I haven’t changed my approach. But yes, I have started going for a lot more of it in the semifinals and finals.”

That’s how Novak Djokovic puts it. A point that only the best being “in the zone” will be able to understand. It seems he could do anything — whether it be a monstrous forehand to make sure Roger Federer played a further few points to be dumped out of the US Open to having the number of Rafael Nadal this year having beaten him in all the six finals.

Perhaps, he has been an understudy to Roger and Rafa long enough to understand what it takes to dominate proceedings. For, it was the very same opponent who beat him in last year’s final to complete a ‘Career Slam’. Except that Novak Djokovic put those lessons into practice fairly early this year. He conquered Australia, the United Kingdom and now the United States amidst the many ports in between. And in the process, he’s lost just two matches.

He still isn’t as graceful as Federer, is a fair distance away from being the pugilist that Rafael Nadal has been over the years now, but Djokovic is playing far better than Roger and Rafa at the moment. An average of seven strokes per rally is virtually unheard of in a Grand Slam final, but then 55 winners as opposed to the Spaniard’s 33 meant the Serb had that one extra shot to every rally. “The chances are that it can never be repeated”, said Nadal who knows a thing or two of streaks himself.

Ask the members of the Arsenal football club of 2003-04 or a Steffi Graf when she won the Golden Slam in 1988. Such fulfillment is rare. Such consistency is a rarity in sport. For what Djokovic has achieved is not a result of what he did at the Arthur Ashe stadium over four hours against Rafael Nadal. It’s not even about picking up three of the four Grand Slam tournaments on offer this year. In fact, it’s about what he has done over the last 300 days.