It's already very well known what a sensational year Novak Djokovic is having. In a season in which he lost only two matches (one of them due to retirement) and won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and five Master titles, the Serb was a natural choice and a safe bet for the Flushing Meadows crown. Deep down, I made belief that Federer can stop him. The Swiss was close, but faltered miserably when it mattered most, granting Novak one of the most spectacular comebacks the game has witness.
Compared to previous years, the Serb looks more focused and he is determined in winning every single battle. He has stepped up his game to such an extent that he now looks to have no weakness. Despite lacking a killer weapon, his consistency and inspired shot-making help him sail through matches. He has developed a sort of invincibility that is rarely seen in such a highly competitive sport. High newly found mental strength triggered a different approach to his clashes with his main rivals, Nadal and Federer. I remember last year during the clay-court period when the Serb came so close to beating the Spaniard on his beloved clay. At that stage, Nadal still hold the upper hand, managing to break Novak’s resistance and ensure hard fought three setters victories. We have witnessed a totally different scenario this year though, with Djokovic beating Nadal in all their five meetings. After the two made it to the final of the US Open, many were wondering if we would witness a history repeating with Rafa getting his much awaited revenge.
Novak was on fire though, cruising through the first two sets. The Spaniard fought back in the third and with the Serb failing to serve out the match, he managed to push it into a tie-break. Showing some glimpses of his utmost best display, Rafa pushed the match into the fourth set. His joy was short-lived though, as Djokovic regain his composure and sailed to victory, losing only one more game on his way. The win marked a first US Open title for the current world number 1, taking his tally to four.
It is interesting to see what a difference a year makes. Twelve months ago, Nadal was celebrating his Grand Slam completion after disposing of a tense Djokovic in a four setter. Since then, the Serb has emerged into the Spaniard’s biggest nemesis, stripping him of his most precious assets. With the season not over yet, Novak has enough achieved we now was enough reason to celebrate his whole life. Nevertheless, he doesn’t like his is going to rest on his laurels. The Serb is hunger than ever to add more success to his already prestigious career and he is keen on keeping the winning stream going.
  |
| Novak Djokovic proved he is no fluke, winning his third Slam of 2011 with another hard-fought victory over arch-rival, Rafael Nadal. In a rematch of last year's final, the Serb took revenge, defeating the Spaniard 6-2,6-4,6-7,6-1. |
No comments:
Post a Comment