Novak Djokovic: The different champion

For a tennis follower who grew up idolizing Roger Federer, or shall I say a Federer fan who turned into a tennis lover courtesy the great man, Djokovic initially stood out as an odd figure who didn’t have all that it took to be a champion. But now, with the truth glaring intensely at me, I hope my liberal frame of mind will eventually allow this champion with different attributes to be placed alongside the hitherto deep-seated idol.

When he vociferously announced his arrival on the big stage with the 2008 Australian Open title, my biased mental faculties played it down, saying that he was just another rookie player riding his luck. Furthermore, I fortified the walls of reason around this argument of mine, saying that the hard court was neither Roger’s stronger suit nor Rafa’s forte. Djokovic, to me then, was just a winner who got lucky and was highly unlikely to evolve into a reigning champion of the game.

The Slam title lull which ensued in the next two years for Djokovic seemed like a victory for my judgement. But then came the year which shattered all the tenets of my judgement beyond recognition. 2011, the year of the Djoker, the year that saw the establishment of an unparalleled dominance. Djokovic conquered three Slams with inspiring majesty and ruthless abandon for his opponents. This was the time when I started hating him, for he was challenging the dominance of my idol who already had Rafa as a thorn in his flesh. With Roger and Rafa at the helm, I had presumed that there wasn’t any more room at the top. All the traits of a sporting champion that I could think of, were shared by the two. While Federer was talent and perfection personified, Nadal was the epitome of tenacity and athleticism. What else is there to sports, leave alone tennis!

Thus, it was necessary for a player to be different (and defy conventional standards) in order to tear down the iron curtain which stood between mediocrity and excellence. And Djokovic did just that. He took self-belief to an altogether different level. He demonstrated to the sporting world what nerves of steel actually meant, the match against Tsonga in the 2012 French Open being a testimony to the same. His incredible ability of saving match points made his opponents wish that it was not him on the other side of the net when they played their match points. As he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with notorious consistency, I learnt to respect the uncertainty of the outcome, and sit through the match rather than turn off the TV.

The recently concluded Australian Open, where Djokovic made history, was verily a showcase of all the facets of his game; be it the steely resolve he showed against Wawrinka or the ruthless abandon against Ferrer. The Final, which was touted to be an exciting one, failed to live up to the hype thanks to the late surge by Djokovic, with him recovering from the initial lackluster show and Murray’s toothless attack playing to his advantage. Djokovic has emerged as the indisputable king of the hard court. The question remains, is Djokovic a champion? He may not have the most exquisite forehands or the picture-perfect backhands, but he definitely has the most solid groundstrokes. He may not have the most aggressive serves, but he has a strong second serve in which the aggression is unfaltering and fearless. He may not have the full body length dives, but he definitely has one of the best defences the game has ever seen.

His antics on and off the court, and the tag of Djoker aptly associated with him, initially irked me. All thanks to my conceived image of a gentlemanly champion. Yes, Djokovic is given to indulgence, a rather regular and mundane feature. But he is certainly not distant and aloof. Having thought of him as ungentlemanly, I realized my mistake when I saw him religiously applauding every brilliant winner of the opponent and at the same time dutifully apologizing for every point which was won by luck (the ball falling onto the opponent’s side after kissing the net). So, he is definitely a gentleman, but a different one.

Djokovic, therefore, is undoubtedly a champion, albeit a different one (for me). Contrary to my expectations, he has evolved into the reigning champion of the game. With Federer slowing down and Nadal battling his injuries, I guess he will continue his reign for some time, with Murray playing the second fiddle. It’s only a matter of time before the fundamentalists and fanatics will dispassionately take stock of the change in guard at the top and regard him as the new champion. But for me, Djokovic will always remain the different champion, the original idea of the champion refusing to be shaken off.