Article

  • The times, they are a changin'... (Part 3)

    3/25/08 1:49 AM | Jonathan Morgan
    - Novak Djokovic has shaken things up in the world of tennis, but is no stranger to constroversy as he ascended the ranks.

    While Nadal was winning the Davis Cup and preparing to take over the sport as the new #2, Djokovic was playing challengers. He ended 2004 ranked in the 180's. In the 2005 Australian Open, he was drawn against Marat Safin in the first round and was absolutely destroyed. An opposite result would be more likely should the pair face off now.

    He spent much of 2005 bouncing between challengers and the main tour, putting up decent results wherever he went. Then came the 2005 US Open. Nadal was already entrenched as the World #2, while Djokovic came into the event ranked just inside the top 100. A first round brawl with fellow youngster Gael Monfils turned a bit nasty. Djokovic took several medical timeouts during said match, later accused of using it as gamesmanship to better serve his lack of fitness at the time, something Gael had in spades. Novak won 7-5 in the 5th, beat Ancic in the next round before falling to Verdasco in another 5 setter. But the memo was out. This Djokovic is good.

    The rest of 2005 and early 2006 turned up mediocre results, especially a drubbing at the AO by Paul Goldstein. He had some good wins in Zagreb and Rotterdam before losing alot of matches up until the French Open. There, he reached the Quarterfinals and faced off with Rafael Nadal. Nadal won the first 2 sets 6-4, 6-4, before Djokovic had to retire early in the 3rd. After the match, Djokovic said he was “in control” of the match. Draw your own conclusions from the comment, or do like Nadal, and simply laugh it off.

    Djokovic went on to post a solid result at Wimbledon, win his maiden title in Amersfoort, and reach the final in Umag. In that Umag final, Djokovic had to retire from the final against Wawrinka. Djokovic had an ongoing breathing problem that he took care of prior to the 07 season, but it struck him there.

    He got trashed by Hewitt at the US Open, annihilated by Roger in Davis Cup, won his second title in Metz, and ended the season ranked 16 in the world. After his surgery to fix his breathing problems, he began 07 with a bang. He won the Adelaide event prior to the Aussie Open, before proclaiming Federer “is going down” in the 4th round of the Australian. Djokovic was beaten soundly.

    A fine Rotterdam result as well as a tough 3 set loss to Federer set up Djokovic for his coming out party in Indian Wells and Miami. Finals in Indian Wells and a victor the following week announced to the world that he is the real world #3.

    A semifinal showing at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon showed his variety, losing both times to Nadal. He didn't officially take over the #3 ranking until his astounding Montreal run, beating #3 Roddick, #2 Nadal, and #1 Federer all in a row. He reached the US Open final a few weeks later and faced Federer again. Wasted chances and set points were the story of this match as Djokovic had 4 set points in the first set and 2 in the second, wasting all. He ended 2007 on a 5 match losing streak, citing a tough schedule as his burnout reason.

    He began 2008 winning the Australian Open and just last week taking Indian Wells, the 2 biggest events thus far this season. It isn't farfetched to think that Djokovic is playing like a #2 or even a #1 player at the moment, but then again, clay and grass are also surfaces. Tennis isn't just played on hard courts.

    Djokovic has also had his share of controversies. He has many times done impressions of other players, some find it funny, others, like Nadal, not so much. He has also gotten some flak for his incredible ball bouncing, sometimes reaching upwards of 25 bounces before a serve! Roddick commented that he could “order a pizza” before Novak serves. Federer is also not a fan. He has several times said “unfavorable” things about Djokovic, and Novak has fired right back on several occasions. He has also been a center of political discussion, many times talking about Serbian politics rather candidly, especially regarding the recent Kosovo independence declaration. Unruly fans attending he and/or Ivanovic and Jankovic's matches have been warned and even thrown out of events on occasions.

    So with Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic at the top of the game, it is sure an exciting time for fans of the ATP. Sit back and enjoy the ride! Next stop, Miami.

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Comments

Great article! Maybe Nadal will take over 1st place in summer, but 2009 I think Djokovic will be No 1. It will be very interesting to see if Federer can bounce back in Miami. He did'nt look good against Fish....

JagVet , 3/25/08 1:22 PM


Excellent article! Federer seems not to be fully recovered by Mono. He just could not talk about it because of huge business steak. Nadal seems to be suffereing from knee and toe injury. Under this circumstance, Djokovic has a great opportunity to become No.1. He performed as #1 in the finals with his deadly inside out shots.

tennisnakama , 3/25/08 3:17 PM


It may seem like an easy way out to blame mono (and I say this as a fair but not an intense Federer fan) but mono can knock you around for weeks. Strangely I was in Melbourne when I came down with symptoms in January and I am just starting to feel 100% now.

All power to Djokovic - the tighter the men's game is, the more interesting it will be.

BernieEliza , 3/26/08 5:25 AM



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