Djokovic Passes Supreme Test

Well, it might not be déjà vu after all. At least, not to the same degree as initially predicted. The villain to spoil Nadal's hometown celebration was not Del Potro, who had to retire before his third round match, but an uncharacteristically determined Djokovic. I guess Novak isn't fooling around anymore as I had hoped for. He grew stronger than I gave him credit and after yesterday’s success, he passed his ultimate test. I admit that I not his fan and that I was not one bit impressed by his incredible feat this year. In my mind, his results were due to the lack of form his main rivals, i.e. Federer and Nadal, were facing. However, after the completion of the Madrid Master, I guess I was proven wrong yet again. My naivety and wishful thinking probably got the better of me, but time has come to make some much needed corrections.

First of all, I must admit Federer is down and out, at least at the moment. He lacks strength, consistency and more worrying, he lost that unbeatable demeanor that made him look unreachable on court. He once again made it to the semis, but when confronted with a serious test, he failed. He did wonders winning the first set, coming back from a break down and playing unbelievably well to stun a shocked Nadal. He faded quickly afterwards though, looking like the shadow of the in form player he was at the end of 2010. I find his poor performances a bit embarrassing. Not being able to beat his two main rivals in five clashes this season is definitely an alarming statistics.

Secondly, Djokovic is seriously threatening Nadal's top ranking. I was expecting the Serb to lose the momentum and to return to his usual self. Nevertheless, he seems determine to spite me. After beating the Spaniard on home soil, on his beloved clay, Novak is one of the favourites for winning the Roland Garros crown later this month.

Thirdly, the question of how will Nadal react and whether he will be able to defend his French Open trophy remains a tricky one to answer. His defeats on clay are so scarce, that whenever confronted with such a blow, people tend to exaggerate. Time has proved that Nadal can bounce back independent on the circumstances. His Paris record, his clay-court dominance and his fighting abilities still point to him as the man to beat. Djokovic may have won an important battle, but the war is far from being over.

Djokovic inflicted a painful loss to Nadal in front of a partisan crown to win the Madrid Master crown. The Serb keeps his unbeaten start to the season alive.

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