Novak Is on Top of the World

What a year this was been for Novak Djokovic! What started off as a bit of a surprise with his win at the Australian Open has grown and is now threatening to transform into a walk in the park for the Serb. At this stage, no one can argue that he has been the dominant figure in men's tennis this season. Except for his loss to Federer at the French Open, Novak has been undefeated, winning everything. Nevertheless, his crown was missing an important jewel: the ultimate tennis achievement, i.e. a Wimbledon title. He made sure to add it to his resume after an easy win over defending champion, Rafael Nadal in Sunday's showdown.

The Serb has stayed under the radar for the majority of the fortnight, quietly managing his way through the draw. Easy wins over Jeremy Chardy, Kevin Anderson, Marcos Baghdatis and Michael Llodra guaranteed his quarterfinal berth. It was a time when his experience proved crucial in getting the better of promising star, Australian Bernard Tomic, after a challenging four sets encounter. Benefiting from the unexpected loss of his Roland Garros conqueror, Djokovic found it easier to cope with the powerful Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. At the end of a match that lasted for four tight sets, Novak received the ticket to his first Wimbledon final. Moreover, the win marked a milestone in Djokovic's career, as starting on Monday, the 4th of July, the Serb will become the new world number 1, overtaking Nadal.

He might have surpassed the Spaniard at the top of the rankings, but the ultimate battle between them was carried on court, the two going head-to-head in the final act. Having beaten Rafa in four finals this season, Novak came out strong, confident and determined, winning the first two sets 6-4,6-1, after a clinical display. The defending champion witnessed a mid-match resurgence, storming through the third set 6-1. Djokovic was back at his best in the fourth, capitalizing on some error from his opponent to win the set 6-3.

At the end of the most wonderful three days of his life, the Serb was left to savour the victory. In a rather unusual manner, he took a bite of the Centre Court grass. I am sure it tasted better than anything he ever tried. "This is the best day of my life, this is the tournament I always dreamed of winning," said a mesmerised Djokovic who was scared he will wake up to find this was only a dream. He has nothing to worry about though, as the new rankings released on Monday will attest his reign. 

I must admit that I always doubted he would carry on winning for as long as he did so. Nor did I ever expect him to achieve such heights. Nonetheless, the Serb insisted in proving me wrong. Congrats to him on a really impressive success!

In a rather unusual fashion, Djokovic celebrated the success by taking a bite of grass from the Wimbledon Centre Court. I am sure it tasted better than anything he ever tried.

Djokovic a proving a tough nut to crack this year for Nadal. The Serb has beat the Spaniard in all their encounters in 2012 and he continued the trend at Wimbledon where he won an epic final to claim his first title at the event.

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