Is Novak Djokovic an underachiever?
Beat Federer and Nadal on a regular basis
In an era headlined by the grace of Roger Federer and the brute strength of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic has carved out a niche for himself to be considered amongst the best players of all-time, not just this generation.
With three all-time greats playing at the same time, the last few years have surely been the golden period for tennis. Federer and Nadal are the two most successful players of all-time. So it would definitely be very harsh, and borderline blasphemous, to consider a man who has won 8 Grand Slam titles, 24 Masters 1000 titles and has been the World No. 1 for over 150 weeks as an underachiever relative to them. But a look at Djokovic’s career may prove otherwise. Maybe he could, or should, have achieved far more given his god-gifted skills.
In the 2011 US Open, after suffering his sixth consecutive finals defeat to Djokovic, Nadal remarked that Djokovic had the “perfect game”. Djokovic has perhaps the best backhand ever in the game. His weaker suit, the forehand, is better than Federer and Nadal’s backhand, their weaker suit.
No weakness in his game
Along with his forehand, he has continually improved his serve through his career. He has the best return in the game. He has the best movement across all surfaces and his defensive skills are comparable to that of Nadal. So unlike his two main rivals, Djokovic has no apparent weakness. To beat Federer, you can attack his backhand. To beat Nadal, you can attack his serve into his forehand corner. But how do you game-plan against a well-rounded opponent with no apparent weakness?
No sport exposes physical and mental frailties quite like tennis does. Until 2010, Djokovic was constantly ridiculed for retiring in tough, physical matches. Djokovic was very talented but constantly bogged down by physical and mental issues.
Remarkable 2011 season
In this insightful article, Dr. Igor Cetojevic reveals helping Djokovic after watching him fade away against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2010 Australian Open. Cetojevic talks about the changes he incorporated including the now famous gluten-free diet. The changes worked wonders as Djokovic blitzed through the competition in 2011. After winning the US Open in 2011, along with the Australian Open and Wimbledon, he had an incredible record of 64-3 for the year. Nadal, who had lost six consecutive finals to Djokovic that year, said he didn’t think anyone could repeat such a year.
Tough semifinal wins took a toll on him
After his dominant 2011, given his vastly superior game, it was widely expected that Djokovic would dominate the tour for the next few years. While he has been the most consistent player and won numerous Masters 1000 titles, he has not been able to win the majors. Going into this year’s French Open, Djokovic was on a 22-match winning streak and was the overwhelming favourite to win the tournament.
Having easily dispatched his nemesis, Nadal, in the quarterfinals, he was expected to complete his career Grand Slam by winning the finals. But his loss to Wawrinka in the finals was another defeat in a long list of crushing defeats. Maybe he was hindered by fatigue after his semifinal against Andy Murray. But this was not the first time he failed to show up in a final following a grueling semifinal.
In the 2013 US Open final, a semifinal against Wawrinka might have taken too much out of Djokovic as he lost to Nadal in the final. In the 2013 Wimbledon, after a tough semifinal against Del Potro, he fell to Murray in straight sets in the final.
Unable to win big moments
Sometimes, Djokovic gets tensed during matches and is overwhelmed by the occasion. Going into the 2012 and 2014 French Open finals, Djokovic had the mental edge over Nadal. But he couldn’t close the deal on both the ocassions. In the 2014 US Open, he lost to Nishikori in the semifinal being the favourite to win the tournament. In the 2013 French open, he was leading Nadal by a break late in the fifth set, but lost the match. In the 2012 Wimbledon, he came up against an inspired Federer who dispatched him easy under the roof in the semifinals. During his dominant 2011, mental strength was his biggest asset. May be over the last few years, his mental strength has reduced and so, he is having the occasional brain-freeze.
In the 2014 Australian Open, down match-point in his quarterfinal against Wawrinka, Djokovic tried to serve and volley; something he had not done for whole match. In the 2013 French Open, he crashed into the net while attempting to put away an easy overhead smash. This proved to be a turning point and Nadal went on to win the match. In the 2013 US Open, he had Nadal at 0-40 with the third set tied at 4-4. He was unable to break and lost soon afterwards. In the 2015 French Open final, Djokovic was overwhelmed by the occasion as much he was by Wawrinka’s shot-making. He didn’t attempt any tactical tweak to disrupt Wawrinka’s rhythm.
Poor record in Grand Slam finals
Djokovic’s struggles over the last few years are backed up by damning statistics. Federer and Nadal are 17-8 and 14-6 in Grand Slam finals, while Djokovic is 8-8. His struggles are further amplified if Grand Slam semifinals are considered. When in semifinals, 61% of the time Nadal wins the tournament. It is 47% for Federer and 31% for Djokovic. Additionally, in Grand Slams, the strike rates (how many times you win the tournament when you play) are 34%, 26% and 19% for Nadal, Federer and Djokovic respectively.
The last few years have been Djokovic’s prime. He has been injury free and is the fittest player on tour. He has the most well-rounded game as well. Despite all these, he struggles to close out tournaments in the semis and finals.
In most of the big moments and matches, Djokovic is losing rather than his opponent winning. His mental and physical frailties are getting the better of him. So this has to definitely be a knock against him. Despite all his supreme talent, he may not eclipse players like Sampras, Nadal or Federer. If the player with the “perfect game” does not go onto to become the greatest ever player, isn’t it his fault?