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Novak Djokovic's mental strength stands out from the rest of the tour, and that includes his Big 3 colleagues Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The 33-year-old's record in deciding sets, fifth sets and deciding set tiebreaks are all better than that of Federer or Nadal.
The World No. 1 may not have the biggest serve in the game, but he is known to be clutch when the going gets tough. That is best exemplified in his career deciding set (third or fifth set) record of 180-65 (0.735), which is second best in the all-time list - behind only Kei Nishikori's 132-46 (0.742).
Nishikori being ahead of Djokovic might sound odd to many. However, the Serb has played a lot more high-stakes matches at the business end of Slams than Nishikori, which gives added weight to his numbers.
Moreover, Novak Djokovic's fifth set record of 31-10 (0.756) places him 12th in the all-time list, and is again the second best among active players behind Nishikori's 23-6 (0.793).
In tiebreakers, Novak Djokovic's 255-139 (0.647) record puts him in second place all-time, behind his Big 3 peer Roger Federer (460-244; 0.655). Although the Serb may not have won as many tiebreaks as Federer has so far, it may only be a matter of time before he usurps the top spot from the Swiss legend.
It should perhaps not come as a surprise that Novak Djokovic's 16-7 (70%) tiebreak record in deciding sets comfortably eclipses Roger Federer's 36-27 (57%) and Rafael Nadal's 19-17 (53%).
Novak Djokovic has a perfect record against Roger Federer in deciding set tiebreaks
Interestingly, a quarter of Novak Djokovic's deciding set tiebreak wins have come against Roger Federer, the most recent such occurrence being the Wimbledon 2019 final. That was the Serb's fourth deciding set tiebreak win over the 20-time Grand Slam champion in as many matches.
As many would remember, Novak Djokovic recovered from consecutive championship points down on Federer's serve at 7-8, 15-40 in the fifth set to prevail in the first-ever deciding-set tiebreak at the grasscourt Major. In the process, Novak Djokovic became the first player in 71 years to win Wimbledon after saving multiple championship points.
The Serb refused to budge even after being on the cusp of imminent defeat, which once again showed his incredible resilience. He blazed a nerveless crosscourt forehand pass to erase Federer's second championship point after the Swiss had fired a forehand wide on his first opportunity, and the rest was history.
The match evoked memories of Novak Djokovic's win over the same opponent in the 2011 US Open semifinal. In that match too, Roger Federer held consecutive match points at 5-3, 40-15 in the fifth set - but squandered both opportunities as Novak Djokovic came roaring back to win 7-5.
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The win over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon 2019 final saw Novak Djokovic extend his run of consecutive deciding set tiebreak wins to seven. He last tasted defeat at this stage of a match against Rafael Nadal, in the Rogers Cup 2013 semifinals.
Interestingly, Nadal is the only player to inflict multiple deciding set tiebreak defeats on Novak Djokovic, having also eclipsed the Serb in a titanic 2009 Madrid Masters semifinal.
Novak Djokovic has an unblemished record in tournament finals featuring a deciding-set tiebreak
Novak Djokovic has a perfect 6-0 record in tournament finals featuring a deciding-set tiebreak. And three of these wins have come against Roger Federer (Rogers Cup 2007, Indian Wells 2014, Wimbledon 2019).
Novak Djokovic's three other such tournament final wins have come against Juan Martin del Potro (Shanghai 2013), Rafael Nadal (Miami 2011) and Gael Monfils (Paris-Bercy 2009).
The corresponding numbers for Novak Djokovic's Big 3 peers Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are 1-10 and 3-1 respectively. Federer's only win in a tournament final featuring a deciding-set tiebreak came against Ivan Ljubicic at Rotterdam 2005.
Tennis is a game that is played as much in the head as it is on the court, and no player epitomizes that better than Novak Djokovic. The Serb's ironman mentality has served him incredibly well throughout his illustrious career, helping him stay alive even in the most hopeless of situations.
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