Is there any stopping the Novak Djokovic juggernaut?
With his recent victory at the Miami Masters, Novak Djokovic has once again added fuel to one of the most dissonant debates in tennis history- ”Who is the greatest player of all time?”
Though a conclusion cannot be made in haste, any keen follower of the game will definitely vouch for the argument that he has been playing at a completely higher level than that of his opponents for the past couple of months.
In 2015 he compiled an astounding record of 11 titles and 4 runner up finishes from a total of 16 tournaments played on tour (his only loss come in the quarterfinals at Doha in January).
His 2016 has also been impressive so far with his only loss in 29 matches coming at Dubai, where he retired in the quarterfinals against Feliciano Lopez owing to eye issues. Put in contrast, there is little but change in the results of the two periods.
Speaking of the reasons for his success, his sheer consistency, mental fortitude and healthy body have contributed much. Again, 2016 has by and large been a year without opposition for the Serb. While Djokovic’s results seem to be unwavering, those of his opponents have gone awry.
The upper hand
The eldest of his nemeses, Roger Federer has found more ways than not to falter against the World no.1 in recent times. Andy Murray is also struggling to win matches that he should normally win, while Rafael Nadal is still playing at a level that is hard to believe is his.
Even Stan Wawrinka, who famously denied Djokovic the Roland Garros title last year, has not performed well in 2016. The rest of the top players do not make much of a difference to the Serb.
Such a weakened opposition, coupled with his consistency and impeccable health have resulted in his continued domination in 2016. In fact, he need not push himself for wins these days.
Recent years have seen the rise of Djokovic coupled with Nadal’s injuries and decline, Federer’s age and injuries hindering him from playing his best, and Murray’s not so impressive rise.
In this background, Djokovic has established himself as the leader of the bunch, accentuated by a currently favourable head to head against all the three.
What has he taken away from Federer and Nadal?
Fans? Definitely not. On the contrary, his recent comments on equal prize money have turned some of them bitter.
Instead, he has usurped some of the records that were held by Federer, Nadal and others. After equalling Nadal for number of titles won at the ATP 1000 level with his Indian Wells win, he overtook the Spaniard with his Miami win, which is his 28th overall. He now has 63 tour singles titles, has been the World no.1 for 193 weeks and is hungry for more.
He also overtook Federer as the highest earning tennis player with his Miami paycheque. Though, it could be argued that the prize money difference has definitely contributed in overtaking Federer despite lower title wins, especially at the Grand Slams and lesser number of finals at the Masters tournaments, it stands as good a measure of the immense success that he has enjoyed over the last few years.
Though they could wrest back some of the records temporarily, the mere fact that Djokovic is likely to outlive the other two in the tennis scene makes one feel that the Serb would end up winning these contests.
Will all these take him past the others in the GOAT race? Perhaps not. With a French Open not yet in his cabinet, it could be his biggest achilles heel.
But is there any stopping his momentum?