Novak Djokovic: The ultimate sportsman in tennis

Novak Djokovic: a champion

The beastly resurgence of Rafael Nadal and the epic fall of Roger Federer sum up the ongoing tennis season, vividly outpacing the other dramatic tales – the victory by Andy Murray at the All England Club, included. Even a book spreading over volumes will not be adequate to encapsulate the dominant comeback of the 27-year old Spaniard as well as the unexpected descent of the 17-time Grand Slam champion.

However, there is not much to speak or write about a man from Serbia, who, despite being ranked No.1 in the world, is unable to do anything in justification of his numero uno status. He did win a Grand Slam title this season but that was way back in January. Since then, save Dubai and Monte Carlo, he has been thrashed in bigger tournaments, especially in majors – not withstanding his great “come from behind” semifinal match against his arch rival, Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros.

Maybe his performance has gone down a bit of late but if there is one thing for which he deserves to be given a standing ovation – then it must be for the way he has been conducting himself by displaying near to perfect “sportsmanship” these days. He is not even close to what he was, back in 2011 when he looked almost invincible – but what is worth noticeable nowadays is the manner in which he has learned to accept defeats. To quote Rudyard Kipling, as inscribed at the entrance of Centre Court at the All England Club, “If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two impostors just the same” - the essence of sportsmanship lies precisely in how one carries himself irrespective of what he ends up confronting with.

When Novak Djokovic stepped onto the tennis court two weeks ago at the Arthur Ashe stadium to play his fourth consecutive final, much was at stake for him, being the number one player in the world. Not that he was in any danger of getting dethroned from the top ranking which he was holding for nearly a year, but then his position as World No.1 was sure to take a beating, if he would succumb to Rafael Nadal in the championship match.

The Spaniard, who has been enjoying one of the best years of his career this season, on the other hand, had more to gain and had hardly anything to lose. After having started pretty badly by surrendering the first set, Djokovic began to look good in the second. So much so, he raced past his opponent by successfully converting a break point opportunity after having emerged supreme in a 54-shot rally. Though he was broken back by Rafa in the very next game, he was able to regroup himself to break the Spaniard’s service one more time. Aided by double breaks, he was able to take the second set 6-3. Just when it looked as though he was having a strangle hold on the match when he broke his adversary in the opening game of the third set , he let go the advantage by squandering the break point opportunities which came his way, in the games that followed. Eventually, the set eluded him in a dramatic fashion only to be pocketed by Nadal 6-4.

In such a situation, normally you would expect a person, who was so battered, to lose his cool and grow frustrated. Djokovic was no saint either and his feeling of anguish was clearly visible from the way the unforced errors kept on piling up from his racquet. But what happened next was something that we rarely used to see nowadays in tennis. When he was already 1-4 down in the fourth set and was agonizingly close to finishing second, he found an exquisite forehand down the line, coming off the racquet of his Spanish adversary, breaching his baseline defence. Novak did not bend his head down in disappointment and instead – shrugging off his adversity – gave thumbs up to the southpaw by clapping on the racquet, in appreciation of the shot.

Djokovic and Nadal; Foes on the court, friends off it

Such type of gestures by the Serb, though not rare these days, the fact that he was able to do it in the championship match of a Grand Slam, particularly when the chips were down for him, epitomized his sporting spirit, more than anything. That was not all. Once the match was over and although he was routed rather pathetically 6-1 in the fourth set, he managed to sport a pleasant smile (no guile in it) while greeting his opponent with a gentle hug. No one else, not even Federer and Rafa himself, have been able to put up a brave face or wear a pleasant look whenever they ended up on the losing side in important tournaments. But strangely it was Djokovic, who had earlier been arraigned for his arrogant behaviour and rudeness on the court in the past, has been coming up with such magnanimous gestures, showing to the whole world what sportsmanship is all about.

Djokovic has never enjoyed a nice boy image in the past. He was often criticized for his impersonation of fellow players. Roger Federer, in particular, had been a strong critic of such imitations though a certain section of players loved seeing him doing them. Rafael Nadal, for one, had always been a fan of the pranks, unleashed by the Serb. When he beat Nole in the final of Rome Masters, 2009 he laid down a request to impersonate him during the presentation ceremony. A reluctant Djoker finally obliged his friend’s request, leaving Rafa and the capacity crowd burst into laughter. It was not an easier evening for the Serb who not only failed to retain his title which he won in 2008 but also was pushed down to No.4 in world rankings. However, having learned to laugh at the face of disaster he made sure that the mood remained upbeat in both the camps. He did not let the defeat engulf him. Rather he chose to remain unscathed by disaster, truly living up to Kipling’s words. That’s Djokovic for you – a man who does not get bogged down by his defeats and instead pursues to uphold the spirit of the game, by all means necessary.

If his father’s words in a Serbian magazine infuriated tennis fans all round the world not long ago, the sporting spirit that his most celebrated son displayed in his matches against Wawrinka and Nadal in the recently concluded US Open has definitely elevated his status as one of the greatest sportsmen in the world.