When Serbia captured its first Davis Cup title at Belgrade last year against a formidable foe France, few Serbians would have opined in favor of their pride, Novak Djokovic, to rip through the solo tour in 2011, beating the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
It was not sheer bravado.
The victory instilled in him the self confidence that transfigured the Serb irrevocably as a tennis player. He is 39-0, including seven titles at the Australian Open, Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and now Rome.
This dream run of being unbeaten in the season has aided the Serb in holding the destiny of being the numero uno in his own hands after the upcoming Roland Garros dismantling the duopoly of Roger and Rafa for the fist time in seven years.
THE IMPERIAL “DJOKER” RUN:
1. MELBOURNE – THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN CHAMPION:
Jan 27, 2011 – Beats Roger Federer in straight sets 7-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the semi-final.
Jan 29, 2011 – Dismantles Murray in the final 6-4, 6-2, 6-3 to lift his second Australian Open crown.
2. DUBAI OPEN – TITLE NO.2:
Feb 27, 2011 – Claims Dubai Open by humbling Roger Federer 6-3, 6-3.
3. INDIAN WELLS – TITLE NO.3:
March 19, 2011- Usurps the No. 2 ranking from the Swiss maestro after overcoming him in a thriller in the semi final 6-3, 3-6, 6-2.
March 20,2011 – Beats Nadal in a final for the first time in six attempts 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 to lay his hands on BNP Paribas Open trophy.
4. MIAMI – TITLE NO.4:
April 4, 2011- Gets the better of the World No.1 Spaniard for the second time in a final 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 to take home his fourth title of the season.
5. BELGRADE – TITLE NO.5:
May 1, 2011 – Registers a comprehensive 7-6, 6-2 win over Feliciano Lopez to open his clay court season in a perfect style.
6. MADRID – TITLE NO.6:
Dethrones Rafa-the king of clay 7-5, 6-4 in his own backyard to score his first victory over the Spaniard on clay.
7. ROME – TITLE NO. 7:
May 14, 2011 – Murray comes close to end the Serb’s terrific run, but unable to close out the match to eventually gift the Serb one more win.
May 15, 2011 – One more title. Rome Masters goes to the Serb after he humbles the Majorcan 6-4, 6-4 once again on clay.
RECIPES FOR THE DREAM RUN:
Had Serbia lost to France in the last year’s Davis Cup, the tennis world might not have been fortunate enough to witness such a historic run this year. The streak might never have happened and who knows, it just might have been another Rafa or Roger (though unlikely) year.
Djokovic while still remaining unbeaten, is no more the “disease-afflicted” tennis player who had the dubious distinction of retiring midway, no more the “Djoker-the extroverted character” well known for his impersonations of other players but the soon-to-be-crowned as the world number one, the man who will perch atop the men’s tennis rankings, the man who has forgot to lose.
He may never eclipse the feats achieved by Roger or for that matter, Rafa (he is way behind the duo), but his emergence has given a new hope to the fans. The sport appears more interesting than ever.
Why is Novak so good?:
a). SERVE:
The serve which lacked the power and precision to win matches has assumed the role of the Serb’s strength. He amasses a lot of cheap points through his serve nowadays.
b). MOBILITY:
The odds on Novak winning an event never soared higher than his rivals more due to his inability to last the entire tournament than his game as a player. Loss of a few pounds has produced a fitter version.He has successfully kept his breathing ailments at bay. His movement has become smooth and he has Rafa’s number at the moment when it comes to athleticism.
c). DEFENCE:
His defensive ability has improved by leaps and bounds. The way he slides and plays the balls that look out of reach, is simply incredible. His movement to get those balls that travel away from him has certainly stood him way ahead of his peers when it comes to defense.
d). RETURN OF SERVES:
Hardly there were few serves which were unreturned by the Serb in the Rome Masters final. The punchier the serve Rafa threw at him, the better the return he got. This has prevented his opponents to get cheap points on their serve and benefited the Serb to go for the broke.
e). DEPTH AND POWER OF GROUNDSTROKES:
The groundstrokes generated by Novak’s racket are as fast and furious as they can be. The crosscourt backhand simply destroyed the Rafa’s game in the final at Rome. The rise in the power, depth, precision and speed of the groundstrokes is alarming. Rarely does he miss the lines and executes the cross-court and down the line with the same ease.
f). MOMENTUM AND CONFIDENCE:
The momentum gained by this unbelievable streak is sure to last for some more matches if not the entire season. He has been on an incredible run which has made him mentally tougher which was clearly on display against Murray when he was just two points away from defeat. He held his nerves to ensure his streak remained unbeaten.
Longer the run lingers, higher will be the confidence gained and higher will be the prize-giving ceremonies he is expected to attend.
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