On Sunday Novak Djokovic scored an unpopular but emphatic victory over crowd favourite Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. For that reason alone, he will have upset many tennis fans.
But that is not all. Djokovic has, over the years, tried many things to endear himself to crowds around the world. A few years ago, before he became the dominant force he is now, he was so renowned for mimicking fellow players that he was requested to do so after every final. His impersonations of Rafa Nadal and Maria Sharapova drew laughs and established his reputation as the tour clown.
But Djokovic became more and more focused on his game, changing his diet and regimen and hiring a new team. Also, there were murmurs of other players not being too pleased about being ridiculed. Over the past few years, we have seen The Djoker give up his entertaining act and grow into the undisputed world number one.
Winning, but losing
Winning his third Wimbledon title, and his ninth Grand Slam, the Serb extended his lead in the rankings to more than 4000 points. His utter domination of the men’s game right now has to be admired. After all, he rose to the top in the era of two of the game’s finest players, Nadal and Federer. And yet, now that he seems almost invincible, instead of embracing him, tennis fans compare him to robots and machines.
The poor guy just keeps on winning on the court, but off it, when it comes to popularity, he just can’t seem to win. He has been criticised by fans for wearing flashy clothes, for having a strange sounding name (seriously!) and even for his spiky hair. This seems a little absurd especially in the light of all that he has to offer to the sport.
After a distressing defeat in the French Open final a few weeks ago, Novak Djokovic had declared his intention to turn things around at Wimbledon. The defending champion came to London with a few question marks hanging over him. Would he be too hung over from his loss in Paris? Was his draw too tough? Were new rivals like Stan Wawrinka, the French Open champ, beginning to find chinks in his armour? Was Andy Murray’s form simply superior coming into the tournament?
Djokovic answered all those questions on Centre Court. The first two sets were very competitive with the players trading tiebreaks. At that point most fans may have hoped for another epic encounter. But the world number one proved too strong for the Swiss veteran.
The truth is that while Federer had not faced very tough opposition up until the semis, the Serb had had to play a formidable line up of opponents – Philip Kolschrieber in the first round, Bernard Tomic in the second, and Marin Cilic in the quarterfinal. But it was his fourth round match against grass court specialist Kevin Anderson that he will remember most. Trailing two sets to love to the tall South African, he came back to win that match in five sets, and since then, with his confidence restored, he was invincible.
An athlete, not a robot
Those who tend to think of Djokovic as a robotic player who wins matches with mechanical precision should reconsider. In the final, he mixed up his pace, using placement rather than sheer power to win points. His defence is simply astonishing, as he slips and slides on the grass like most players do on clay, retrieving balls that everyone else would abandon. His ability to turn defence into offence and his mental toughness are what help him win big matches.
Unlike Nadal who burst onto the tennis scene at 19, Djokovic took his time. Towards the start of his career, his fitness was so questionable that he has the dubious distinction of withdrawing from three of the four Grand Slams. His difficulty with breathing, and numerous injury time outs earned him the reputation of a weakling early on. It is in this context that we must see his remarkable transformation.
Today Djokovic is probably the fittest player on tour. Even comparisons to machines are a testament to the hard work he’s put into his career to go from being a perpetual number three to an unbeatable number one.
Those who insist on comparing him to the more graceful Federer, claiming the Swiss legend’s artistry is superior to Djokovic’s mechanical play, should remember that we’re talking about tennis, not ballet. It’s a sport and these are athletes whose success in this day and age depends on excellent conditioning and physical prowess. Players should not have to perform pirouettes on court to be appreciated.
A pleasant man as well as a superb player
Off court, Djokovic continues to make jokes and be affable. Each time he wins Wimbledon he kneels on the grass and puts a tiny bit into his mouth, a delightful quirk. He is gracious in defeat and circumspect in victory. He tries his best to entertain crowds with humour.
At 28, Djokovic is also a family man. He and his wife Jelena Ristic were married and welcomed a baby boy last year. Fatherhood has not distracted him from his goals, however. While Nadal and Federer are slowly but surely winding down, Djokovic is on the rise.
He is going to continue to dominate men’s tennis and win slams for a few years. At the rate at which he’s going, he might well overtake Nadal’s tally of 14 slams and close in on Federer’s record of 17. These achievements don’t come automatically but are a result of steely determination and unrelenting preparation.
After this year’s French Open final, when he went up to receive the runner’s up trophy, Djokovic was moved to tears by the lengthy applause from the crowd. As fans recognised his desire to complete a career slam there and tried to comfort him in his moment of despair, he may have, for the first time outside Serbia, felt truly loved. He deserves that. Because after all, he’s no robot, just one of us who also happens to be the best in the world.
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But that is not all. Djokovic has, over the years, tried many things to endear himself to crowds around the world. A few years ago, before he became the dominant force he is now, he was so renowned for mimicking fellow players that he was requested to do so after every final. His impersonations of Rafa Nadal and Maria Sharapova drew laughs and established his reputation as the tour clown.
But Djokovic became more and more focused on his game, changing his diet and regimen and hiring a new team. Also, there were murmurs of other players not being too pleased about being ridiculed. Over the past few years, we have seen The Djoker give up his entertaining act and grow into the undisputed world number one.
Winning, but losing
Winning his third Wimbledon title, and his ninth Grand Slam, the Serb extended his lead in the rankings to more than 4000 points. His utter domination of the men’s game right now has to be admired. After all, he rose to the top in the era of two of the game’s finest players, Nadal and Federer. And yet, now that he seems almost invincible, instead of embracing him, tennis fans compare him to robots and machines.
The poor guy just keeps on winning on the court, but off it, when it comes to popularity, he just can’t seem to win. He has been criticised by fans for wearing flashy clothes, for having a strange sounding name (seriously!) and even for his spiky hair. This seems a little absurd especially in the light of all that he has to offer to the sport.
After a distressing defeat in the French Open final a few weeks ago, Novak Djokovic had declared his intention to turn things around at Wimbledon. The defending champion came to London with a few question marks hanging over him. Would he be too hung over from his loss in Paris? Was his draw too tough? Were new rivals like Stan Wawrinka, the French Open champ, beginning to find chinks in his armour? Was Andy Murray’s form simply superior coming into the tournament?
Djokovic answered all those questions on Centre Court. The first two sets were very competitive with the players trading tiebreaks. At that point most fans may have hoped for another epic encounter. But the world number one proved too strong for the Swiss veteran.
The truth is that while Federer had not faced very tough opposition up until the semis, the Serb had had to play a formidable line up of opponents – Philip Kolschrieber in the first round, Bernard Tomic in the second, and Marin Cilic in the quarterfinal. But it was his fourth round match against grass court specialist Kevin Anderson that he will remember most. Trailing two sets to love to the tall South African, he came back to win that match in five sets, and since then, with his confidence restored, he was invincible.
An athlete, not a robot
Those who tend to think of Djokovic as a robotic player who wins matches with mechanical precision should reconsider. In the final, he mixed up his pace, using placement rather than sheer power to win points. His defence is simply astonishing, as he slips and slides on the grass like most players do on clay, retrieving balls that everyone else would abandon. His ability to turn defence into offence and his mental toughness are what help him win big matches.
Unlike Nadal who burst onto the tennis scene at 19, Djokovic took his time. Towards the start of his career, his fitness was so questionable that he has the dubious distinction of withdrawing from three of the four Grand Slams. His difficulty with breathing, and numerous injury time outs earned him the reputation of a weakling early on. It is in this context that we must see his remarkable transformation.
Today Djokovic is probably the fittest player on tour. Even comparisons to machines are a testament to the hard work he’s put into his career to go from being a perpetual number three to an unbeatable number one.
Those who insist on comparing him to the more graceful Federer, claiming the Swiss legend’s artistry is superior to Djokovic’s mechanical play, should remember that we’re talking about tennis, not ballet. It’s a sport and these are athletes whose success in this day and age depends on excellent conditioning and physical prowess. Players should not have to perform pirouettes on court to be appreciated.
A pleasant man as well as a superb player
Off court, Djokovic continues to make jokes and be affable. Each time he wins Wimbledon he kneels on the grass and puts a tiny bit into his mouth, a delightful quirk. He is gracious in defeat and circumspect in victory. He tries his best to entertain crowds with humour.
At 28, Djokovic is also a family man. He and his wife Jelena Ristic were married and welcomed a baby boy last year. Fatherhood has not distracted him from his goals, however. While Nadal and Federer are slowly but surely winding down, Djokovic is on the rise.
He is going to continue to dominate men’s tennis and win slams for a few years. At the rate at which he’s going, he might well overtake Nadal’s tally of 14 slams and close in on Federer’s record of 17. These achievements don’t come automatically but are a result of steely determination and unrelenting preparation.
After this year’s French Open final, when he went up to receive the runner’s up trophy, Djokovic was moved to tears by the lengthy applause from the crowd. As fans recognised his desire to complete a career slam there and tried to comfort him in his moment of despair, he may have, for the first time outside Serbia, felt truly loved. He deserves that. Because after all, he’s no robot, just one of us who also happens to be the best in the world.
