Novak Djokovic: Extending his reign at the top
Djokovic was prepared for Federer’s onslaught in the final
World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is having a great 2015 to say the least. The Serb has already won two of the three Grand Slams this year and it looks like his domination is here to stay.
With his win over Roger Federer in yesterday's final, Djokovic overtook Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi in Grand Slam titles. This win was extra special for Djokovic after a heartbreaking loss to Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros just over a month ago.
While his peers played preparatory tournaments before the start of Wimbledon, Djokovic played couple of exhibition matches as he came to SW19 to defend his title. It is remarkable how he won his third Wimbledon title without any grass court preparation, considering the fact that clay to grass court transition is one of the toughest in tennis.
Federer was looking for a record eighth Wimbledon title and played some of the best tennis in his six matches before the final. His straight sets win over 2013 Wimbledon champion Andy Murray was a treat to watch, one that brought back memories of vintage Federer. He made Murray look mediocre despite the Scot playing at a very high level throughout the match.
Djokovic has concentrated on his return game a lot apart from making changes to his serve over the years. He is rated by fans and experts alike to be the best returner in the world at the moment. Federer had dropped just one serve throughout the tournament before the final, but Djokovic attacked the Swiss' serve making deep returns that kissed the baseline. He read Federer's serve and dominated rallies as he extracted errors from the 17-time Grand Slam champion.
Apart from a minor blip in the second set tie-break, Djokovic looked in complete control of proceedings on centre court. He dug himself out of trouble from 0-30 and 15-40 situations with couple of big serves.
Handling key moments better
The 2015 season reminds us of the incredible 2011 season when Djokovic won 3 of the 4 Majors. The Serb won his fifth Australian Open beating Andy Murray earlier this year.
He has adapted his game to suit all surfaces and the French Open is the only Grand Slam missing from his impressive trophy cabinet. Djokovic started off the year saying Roland Garros title would be his main focus of the season, but an inspired Stan Wawrinka denied him a Career Slam playing some outstanding tennis.
The Wimbledon win talks a lot about Djokovic's ability to bounce back from tough situations. He was tested by Kevin Anderson in the fourth round of the Championships this year. The big serving South African led two sets to love and never allowed Djokovic to find any rhythm on the court. The Serb started to read Anderson's serve better and cruised through the next three sets. This win helped Djokovic reassess himself and work on his weaknesses as quarterfinals approached.
He comfortably beat 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic and Richard Gasquet in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively. Federer was 7-2 in Wimbledon finals before Sunday and was probably in better form than last year.
Djokovic doesn't have the biggest serve in the world, but he uses it very effectively. He sets up points beautifully before finishing them off with his trademark aggression. Federer also had a tough time tackling Djokovic's serve as the Swiss converted just one out of seven break point chances.
Djokovic is way ahead of rest of the competition with 13,845 points on the ATP tour. Federer is second with 9,665 points. The World No. 1 doesn’t play all ATP tournaments, keeping himself fresh for major tournaments.
Who could give Djokovic a run for his money?
There are very few who could test Djokovic at the moment. Wawrinka and Djokovic have played some incredible matches in Grand Slams over the years and the Swiss proved in Paris that Djokovic is human after all.
Federer is one of three men to have beaten Djokovic this year (Dubai final), but the Serb has the edge in best of five set matches.
Rafael Nadal isn't playing his best tennis now. The Spaniard has beaten Djokovic in Major finals before, but injuries have hurt him over the last couple of years.
Andy Murray did win his two Majors beating Djokovic in the finals, but has found it difficult in recent times to get a hang of the Serb's game. He hasn't won a single match in their last eight meetings. Wawrinka and Cilic are the only two players to have won Majors outside the Big 4 in the last five years and very few youngsters are able to have a consistent run at the biggest stages.
The likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic had won Majors before they turned 22, but most of the current generation players are yet to reach a Grand Slam final.
Federer had a remarkable run between 2003 - 2008 where he held the No. 1 ranking and won all the Majors except the French Open. Nadal had a brilliant 2010 winning three Grand Slams including the US Open, thereby completing his Career Slam.
The base level play of Djokovic is very high. It takes a monumental effort from his opponent to have any chance of beating the Serb in Majors. Wawrinka did that by targeting Djokovic's forehand at the French Open final this year.
With the US hard court season coming up, Djokovic will look to add more titles to his kitty. His fitness has helped him stay at the top and injury free over the last few years. Gluten free diet has played a part as well!
Djokovic prefers hard courts and do not be surprised if he repeats his 2011 exploits, when he won 3 Majors.