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Federer, Nadal and the one who defied us all

Roar Guru
1st February, 2016
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Will we see Novak Djokovic face Andy Murray at the Australian Open final again? (Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )
Roar Guru
1st February, 2016
7
3133 Reads

It takes two to tango, as they say, and only two. Three’s a crowd and if you’re it, don’t expect anything except the cold shoulder and a nod to the door.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the funny guy, or have good intentions, it doesn’t matter if you can play some of the most jaw-dropping tennis the world has ever seen, you’re too late.

We only need two, buzz off.

We have two. Two perfectly working greats that compliment each other very well and have given us more than enough to cheer about for the last decade.

One guy, his name’s Roger. He’s a great guy, is Swiss and he’s got a smooth backhand reminiscent of the honey that dribbles on your morning cereal. Watching him is incredibly relaxing and delectable for the eyes. You just know this is how nature intended the body to move, fluid and pure in every instance.

The other guy, we call him ‘Rafa’, humble and unassuming, yet put a tennis racquet in his wrong hand and he’s 100 per cent high-octane, nonstop raw athleticism, the yin to Roger’s yang.

They play back-and-forth in their own unique way. Each swivel of the head takes you to a fresh and exciting scene, a shot that is both stimulating and dividing, in a good way.

You don’t know it, but the first time you watch Federer play Nadal, you unconsciously take the ‘Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal character trait test’.

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Through a complex sequence of grunting uppercut forehands, pendulum-timed backhands, fist pumps and steely stares, you involuntarily gravitate to one of these two very appealing choices, and then you become a fan. And that’s it.

That’s all we need for a tennis party. That’s all we want. There’s not enough space for three, not enough titles either.

As fate would have it, Novak Djokovic came knocking on the door hours after the party had started. Tall and cleanly cut with short black hair, his eastern-euro accent did little to warm the sentiments of tennis’ western guests despite his athletic and slinky style.

Good-humored player imitations made him a YouTube hit, and early success at the Australian Open in 2008 put him right in the spotlight, but the people’s hearts were already taken.

It seemed, at the time, that Djokovic’s fate was to be the sideshow distraction. The talent was there, and the desire was too, we just didn’t know it. He was the laughing stock of the tour in his early days due to frequent retirements during matches. To everyone watching from outside the Djokovic camp, ‘tough’ was a word that didn’t fit well.

Tough as nails he was. Growing up in war-torn Serbia, he sometimes had to abandon practicing in his makeshift court in the bottom of an empty swimming pool, to take refuge in bomb-shelters while NATO fighter jets flew overhead.

His childhood coaches all gushed at the young Serb’s determination and professionalism from such tender years. Upon arriving at practice as a pre-teen kid, Novak would have a bag packed as neatly as any seasoned OCD professional.

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This job-like approach to the game has helped him collect plenty of silverware and pay the bills, but hasn’t stolen the hearts of loyal fans whose support for Federer and Nadal only grows stronger as they approach their final years on tour.

Crowd support or not, Novak Djokovic simply cannot be stopped. This is a man who gears every facet of life towards improving his tennis. A gluten-free diet and stretching routines of an Olympic gymnast ensure that his ultra-trim rubbery mass stays primed for the hardest on court endeavors.

Improvements have been made where only a nook and cranny weakness existed, and the hunger and desire to win has not waned an inch despite unprecedented success in 2015.

Federer and Nadal took tennis to extraordinary peaks during the height of their rivalry several years ago. Dusty records were brushed aside on an almost weekly basis it seemed, and both made strong cases as the greatest player ever, a title that usually only needs addressing every 15 years or so.

And yet, just as their party is winding down, and they are meant to be enjoying their twilight years with the odd slam or two, their own records are in danger of not collecting any dust at all.

It’s their own fault, really. Like the schoolyard bullies who picked on the little kid one too many times, Djokovic has come with a vengeance.

Forged in the crucible of the Federer-Nadal rivalry, Djokovic has fashioned a game style as flexible as his own sinew. A constricting, suffocating thick fog that covers the baseline as far as one can see.

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Opponents drown in a pool of their own errors as they push their limits looking for a visible weakness. It must feel hopeless. To know it’s not a match so much as an interrogation of your own game, and that Djokovic will waterboard you with relentless groundstrokes until you crack in a heap.

It’s fitting then, that the blue courts of Rod Laver Arena reflect this puddle that the six-time champion operates so fluidly in. Very few players have tread water well enough to beat the Serb down here.

Who would have thought, that Novak ‘no guts’ Djokovic would become the unstoppable juggernaut we are witnessing today. The work this man has put in to get where he is today is almost unfathomable.

How can you not love this bloke? Rising through the ranks as a talented lamb for regular semi-final slaughtering, he has become the very lion that once consumed him.

And once again, despite the crowd willing on old heroes with nostalgic fervor this tournament, this young man from war-torn Serbia simply didn’t crack.

Now 11 slams and counting, Djokovic understands his place in the game is after, and still behind, Nadal and Federer. He pays homage to them even now, when he crushes them at the peak of his powers.

He has done everything a professional could possibly do to have a legion of fans that loyally support him in the biggest matches of his life, yet achieved everything a professional could possibly realise in their absence.

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The adoration and respect for this guy can only grow, as he humbly forges his own incredible career in pursuit of those still playing against him.

As a tennis fan, I now reckon the best things come in threes.

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