Djokovic may just get better in 2012
Roar Guru By John Davidson, 30 Jan 2012 John Davidson is a Roar Guru
- Tagged:
- Australian Open, Novak Djokovic, Tennis
After a brilliant 2011, Novak Djokovic has started 2012 with a bang after winning the Australian Open in an epic encounter against Rafael Nadal. It leads to questions, how far can the young Serb go?
Are we witnessing the reign of the greatest tennis player ever or just (and I say ‘just’ tongue-in-cheek) a legend alongside the Federers, Lavers and Sampras’?
On face value, Djokovic might be just starting to warm up.
Last year was his breakout season – he won three of the four Grand Slams, only missing out on the French Open. The French usually start engraving Nadal’s name on that trophy if they know he is fit – it will always be an elusive Slam for Nadal’s challengers.
Djokovic now has five Grand Slams in total, granted not as a big a haul as Nadal’s 10 or Federer’s amazing 16. But he has youth on his side – one year on Nadal and six years on Federer – not to mention being injury free, in blistering form, possessing strong motivation and having soaring confidence.
2012 could be just as big a year for the Joker as 2011. The world number one for the past six months seems to have Nadal’s measure, beating him in their last seven matches in a row.
Djokovic also beat Nadal in his last three grand slam finals, demonstrating that the Serb has the edge over the Spaniard. Nadal threw everything and the kitchen sink at Djokovic in Melbourne in a near six-hour marathon, but he still couldn’t defeat the plucky ‘Nole’.
In recent years Nadal has showed he has the edge over Federer, and now Djokovic has emphatically shown he has it over Nadal.
The French Open remains as the holy grail for Djokovic. If the 24-year old can beat the Barcelona boy then he will truly have claimed greatness; he will be the master on all surfaces.
Djokovic went up another gear in 2011, when he won ten tournaments and finished the season with a 70-6 record. He has shown this morning that he is not done yet.
He has signaled that he has his eye on Nadal’s 10 slams and on achieving something great in the sport. The rest of the tennis world has been warned.
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The Crowd Says (3) | Page 1 of Comments
Have Your Say
- Explore:
- Australian Open, Novak Djokovic, Tennis
January 30th 2012 @ 12:42pm
Matt F said | January 30th 2012 @ 12:42pm | Report comment
It will be fascinating to see. He looked odds on to win the French Open last year, even beating Nadal in some of the pre-French Open clay tournaments, before being upset by Federer in the semi. Obviously alot will depend on how the lead up events go, but I’d have Djokovic as a slight favourite right now, but barely.
I’m not sure what to make of last nights final really. On the one hand Nadal got closer then he has against Djokovic for a very long time (I think it’s their first ever match to go for 5 sets) so he may have closed the gap. On the other hand Nadal through absolutely everything he had at Novak, who was barely being able to move in the 5th set and having breathing issues throughout the tournanent (though not so much in the final) and still fell short. I’m not sure if the gaps closed or if it’s still as wide as it was last season. i hope that it has closed as it will lead to some even more amazing matches in the future.
January 30th 2012 @ 1:21pm
WoobliesFan said | January 30th 2012 @ 1:21pm | Report comment
Djokovic doing for Serbia what a 1000 politicians could never do.
The Yanks and Croats must hate this guy – the big, bad, evil, child eating Serbian who players pretty good tennis and is quite a nice and likeable bloke.
Put differently, Djokovic’s reign at the top has a meaning and power that transcends sport. And just like the famous Nicholas Tesla, he’s bringing something electric and exciting, but unlike his orthodox ancestor, he’s making sure no one gets the better of him.
January 30th 2012 @ 7:30pm
ohtani's jacket said | January 30th 2012 @ 7:30pm | Report comment
He needs to start managing his schedule better like Federer does instead of playing 20+ tournaments a year like he did during the years where he was battling to keep his top 5 ranking. He fell apart at the end of last year and barely held on last night, so his fitness will be an issue as the season continues. I don’t know that he’s a favourite yet to win the French and at 24 I’m not sure it can be called a Holy Grail for him yet. Would be interesting to see a Nadal/Djokovic French Open final, though, that’s for sure.