Djokovic Shows What It Takes

For anyone that may have had doubts about Novak Djokovic’s credentials as world number 1 player, surely they were dispelled following epic semi-final and final victories in the Australian Open. 

Between the two games, Djokovic played 10 sets of tennis and for over 10 hours as he took on and beat a spirited and quite unlucky Andy Murray before competing in the longest Grand Slam final of all time in a colossal contest with world number two Rafael Nadal.  

The semi-final was very much down to who could take their chances.  With 3 break points at 5-5 in the deciding set, it was Murray that looked to be holding the advantage and possibly knocking out the Serbian in what would have been the greatest victory of Murray’s career.  But ultimately, it was Djokovic that showed the resolve to save each break point and go on to hold serve before breaking Murray to take the match clinching game.

Djokovic in full flow

In the aftermath of the semi-final, Murray was upbeat about his performance and stated that he was definitely closing the gap on the top 3 players.  Certainly, his performance in the semi was a marked improvement from the final a year ago where Djokovic dispatched him in straight sets.  I’ve always believed that Murray’s best chance of winning a Grand Slam will come on hard courts, which implies either the Australian or US Open.  With a winter break, it may even be more likely that the Australian Open is his very best chance of the year.  Recent results in the tournament (2 finals and a semi in his 3 last appearances) show that Murray comes out of the blocks very strong after winter training.  Physically, he is close but not perfect.  It was clear in the fifth set on Friday that Murray was starting to struggle with cramp.  Had he gone on to win that game, I’m not convinced he could have gone the distance with Nadal in the final.

And that may be the most impressive part of Djokovic’s victory this week.  This will go down as his greatest Grand Slam victory to date because of the way he did it.  He was pushed all the way in two matches against two very good competitors and came through the other side with flying colours.  Not only were the physical demands extraordinary, but the mental toughness to see out both of those games was astonishing.

Last year was one of the most remarkable for any tennis player in any era for Djokovic.  This year, he has to cement that success.  Getting to number one in the world is the easy bit.  Holding on to it is the tough part.  As everyone around him improves, it is a true sign of a champion that he can see off these ever-changing and ever-increasing challenges with consistent success.  His victory on Sunday certainly showed everyone that he is every bit the number one in the world.