Novak Djokovic: The Man for All Seasons

If you happen to be a movie freak, you will come across those few movies which have two halves, that stand in stark contrast to one another. And if you analyze Novak Djokovic’s remarkable comeback in 2018 that struck chord in unison with the beginning of the grass court season last year, it was complete antithesis to his performances prior to the grass court season.

It was not only astonishing but also shocking to see Djokovic bow out as early as in the round of 64 not only at the Indian Wells Masters but at the Miami Masters as well on a surface that he has made his own fortress. His performances on clay especially at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid were not inspiring either, and injury and a dip in form made him look skeptical like he never was.

But only few could predict that, in fact, it was the calm before the storm. Following this uncharacteristic Djokovic-like phase that seemed to cripple not only his form but also his attitude and mental strength, Djokovic showed encouraging signs at Rome Masters and Roland Garros. However, he still appeared far off from the vintage and trademark Novak that has enthralled one and all throughout his incredible journey.

And following the action on the red dirt, it was time for the grass court season that Djokovic begun by playing at the Queen’s Club in London. This marked the start of something phenomenal and breathtaking. Yes, Djokovic lost to Marin Cilic in the final, but those were the first glimpses of the Djokovic of old, whom we dearly missed.

He appeared to have got his mojo back, seemed hungry for more and was ready to return to a level where he belonged. One could say Djokovic had a fairly smooth journey at Wimbledon till the quarter-final stage and his sternest test following his comeback stood right in front of his face as he looked forward to take on rampant Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals at the All England Club.

In what was perhaps the best Grand Slam match of the year, Djokovic, overcoming all the nerves, anxious moments and roller coaster rides throughout the course of the match, came on top, toppling Nadal in five sets. By defeating the South African Kevin Anderson in straight-sets in the final, the Wimbledon trophy was his as he ended his two-year Grand Slam drought and thereby announced his comeback in the grandest of style, sending shivers down the spine of his fellow rivals.

Following a minor hiccup at the Toronto Masters where Novak suffered an early exit at the hands of Greek Next Gen star Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Serb got the better of Grigor Dimitrov, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic and Roger Federer in a row to take home the Cincinnati Masters title and thereby confirmed himself to be a man to beat at the US Open on his beloved surface, the hard courts.

And he didn’t disappoint! Djokovic seemed to be on a roll in his imperious best form and simply looked unbeatable as he ran through his opponents to claim his 14th Major, putting him on joint 3rd spot alongside great Pete Sampras in the elite list of men’s all time singles Major title winners.

Djokovic continued his dream run into the Asian leg of the hardcourt season as he conquered the Masters 1000 Shanghai title without even a dropping a set to win his 4th crown of the year. And even though he lost in both the finals at Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals, Djokovic finished in what turned out to be an incredible year for him at the summit of the rankings, achieving the year-end No.1 ranking.

At the start of 2018, Djokovic seemed to be lost, unsure about his recovery from injury, precarious about his own game and where it was heading. By the time he bid adieu to the year, Djoker was the king of the tennis world and the self-doubts and rustiness that hovered like dark clouds surrounding his future were now replaced by self-confidence and undeniable mental toughness.

And just as we famously say in cricket “he kicked off from where he left” when a batsman smoothly eases into a new innings on the back of a superlative knock in the previous innings, Djokovic, with relative ease, simply transcended his form in 2019, especially at the first Slam of the year, at the Australian Open. Such was the dominance of the Serb that he lost just two sets throughout the course of the Slam and his one-sided, ruthless and relentless victory in the final against none other than Nadal was the epitome of his mind-boggling comeback story.

Not for once or twice, but for the 3rd time in his career, Novak is on the verge of holding a calendar Grand Slam after having already achieved that feat in 2016 when he won his French Open crown to hold all the 4 Slams at the same time.

But that is still little far away from now as we continue to be in the midst of the hard court season. And without any doubt, World No.1 Novak Djokovic starts as an overwhelming favourite not only at the Indian Wells but also at the Miami Open in spite of old foes and rivals Federer and Nadal and Next Gen stars Alexander Zverev and Tsitsipas posing a big threat.

If there was only one thing to pick about Djokovic that fascinates the most, it has to be the fact that he is undisputedly the man for all surfaces. No one even comes close to Djokovic in this regard if you look around today’s tennis circuit. The way he effectively makes himself feel at home with ridiculous ease on any of the surfaces is quite incredible to say the least. And his ability to actually come out all guns blazing and triumph on most of the occasions when it matters the most, certainly makes him the man for all seasons!