- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Yesterday, Rafael Nadal wrote his name into tennis history. Not only did he capture his first U.S Open title in a superhuman effort, he also became only the seventh man ever to win all four grand slams in their career. But in a record breaking tournament like this, can there be two winners?
Despite succumbing to the might of Nadal in the final, Novak Djokovic produced an outstanding two weeks that should have some tennis analysts rethinking their opinions of him.
There has always been a perception around Djokovic that he was a little “soft,” when it comes to the big moments in matches. This may have had some truth to it with many people citing his withdrawal from the 2008 Australian Open in the blistering heat as just one example of this.
However, there was nothing soft about Djokovic at Flushing Meadows this year. He produced one of the true grittiest and gutsiest performances against Roger Federer in his semi-final, the likes of which even Lleyton Hewitt would have been proud of.
Having been beaten by Federer the previous three years in New York, only winning one set in those three matches, Djokovic had every right to think about throwing in the towel when he faced two match points in the final set. After all, pushing arguably the greatest player of all time to five sets at one of his most successful tournaments is an achievement in itself.
What happened next could be the catalyst to turning around a stalled career. Djokovic successfully fought his way to his third grand slam final and first in over two years.
Although noticeably fatigued, he was by no means embarrassed in his performance yesterday, showing similar fight to take a titanic second set.
With the major tournaments now run and won for the 2010 season, Djokovic has sent out a powerful message for 2011.
He is once again a major contender on the world stage.
Label this a once off performance at your own peril and call him soft at your own risk, cause “the joker” may have just taken the first step to becoming the king.
Whether it’s aces or races, try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp for great odds and a great punting experience. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.