Diving into the phenomenon called Novak Djokovic- you can love him, or hate him. But is is impossible to ignore him!
We were truly blessed to witness tennis when three all time greats took centrestage together- Federer and his class, Nadal and his tenacity & Djokovic and his mental strength- who do you like the most? I admire the first two, but if you ask me to pick one, I would side with the ‘Mr.Unpopular’- the ‘Djoker’ in the pack- this is dedicated to him.
Djokovic is often hated- it’s fashionable to criticize him- for throwing rackets, for riling up the crowd or for not getting vaccinated. But as they say, there are two sides in every story.
Djokovic grew up in war ravaged Serbia- the adversities he faced right from childhood shaped the person that he grew up to be. Couldn’t have been easy to play tennis (and become so so good at it) when survival should have been the first consideration. As he started his tennis career, there was also the aura of Federer and Nadal who were dominating the tennis world then. He had to come out of the shadows to get his place in the sun. This shaped Djokovic’s underdog persona and the challenger attitude that is so unique to him.
Federer had the best technique- whatever he did on court was so natural. Nadal was the most tenacious- his never say die attitude was legendary. What does Djokovic have? Well, I believe he has the best all court game among the three but more importantly, he has the mental strength that adds a different dimension. So, ‘Nole’ as he is called, can be two sets down in a grand slam, can be down and out with an injury- but you can never rule him out. In fact, he most often uses adversity to spur himself on- he is at his best when pushed to a corner.
What I truly admire about Djoker is his fitness- he seems to be getting better with age. He is almost 38 now but can easily give the youngsters a run for their money- he is the Virat Kohli of tennis when it comes to fitness.
There is also a vulnerability in him that I admire. He is often seen as brash and controversial but there is an air of authenticity that I admire. What you see is what you get from him- there is no pretension- whether views about the Covid vaccine, missing grand slams due to his doggedness when he could have easily added to his all time record tally- he always walks the talk. There is also a certain niceness in him- the way he looked up to Federer and Nadal, while trying to beat them… to now passing the baton to Sinner and Alcaraz- from being a challenger to handing over the crown to the Next gen- the transition would not have been easy. He has a great sense of humour- when he mimics Sharapova or when he eats the hallowed grass after every Wimbledon win… or when he reminds his kids to sleep early vs watch his late night matches live- there is a likeable earthiness in him.
I wanted to pick three matches that I think truly defines his career and his achievements.
The first one was the Australian Open final vs Rafa in 2012. Djoker went into the match after a tough five sets semis win against Murray while Nadal got the better of Federer. The final was supposed to be a close one- and boy, was it a classic! This was easily one of the the most physical tennis matches of all time- a battle of attrition- the quality was impeccable throughout. Every point was a marathon- no one gave an inch. ‘Nole’ finally triumphed in a five setter in close to six hours- both the players were so tired that they could hardly stand during the cup handover ceremony. What stood out for me here was Djokovic’s supreme fitness.
The second one was the semifinal vs Federer in the 2011 US Open. Federer was already the universal GOAT then while Djokovic was just about getting started. Fed led by two sets to love and even though Nole levelled the match, Fed served 5-3, 40-15 with two match points to set up a final vs Rafa. A forehand cross court winner followed- and Djoker was not ready to accept defeat yet. What followed was magic- Djokovic turned the match on its head to actually win the 5th set 7-5. One of the best comebacks of all times. He would go on to beat Rafa to win the final. And this wasn’t the only time that Djokovic beat Federer from match point down- talk about mental strength.
The last one is from the recent Olympics in Paris. While Djokovic had all the slams not once or twice but at least thrice- a medal for his country always eluded him. So, success in the Olympics was top priority for him. He had a big surgery to repair torn meniscus in his right knee in June 2024. No one gave him a chance in the tournaments to follow- he actually challenged his body to play Wimbledon just over a month after the surgery and against all odds- made it to the finals vs Alcaraz- he got pulverized in the final- a straight set loss in possibly the biggest defeat Djokovic had faced in a slam final- it was the most one sided match. The Olympics started less than three weeks after Wimbledon and they faced again in the final. Recovery from injury, turning the tide against someone who beat him so comprehensively recently, winning a first ever gold for Serbia in tennis Olympics- there were so many challenges- but Djokovic turned adversity into an opportunity- what he has been doing since childhood to take out Alcaraz in two close tie breaks to get the gold- what a player!
99 singles title wins, 72 big titles, 24 Majors, 40 Masters, 7 year end championships, highest number of weeks as World No.1 and also that elusive Olympics gold medal now- a fighter, a challenger, a fitness freak, a vulnerable, honest authentic champion- ‘Djoker’ is also the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) of tennis for me!
Silly Point 
Great read. Loved the part about the vulnerability and authenticity.
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