Over the last six months, great battles have been fought, with crushing defeats and soaring triumphs. As the dust settles and the horizon clears, the sun rises on a new day. A new world order.
The two great titans of our game, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been dethroned in a manner that brooks no argument and reconfirms the ascendancy of the game’s best player, Novak Djokovic.
After a tumultuous French Open which saw Federer exhibit the magical talent of his supremely complete game to defeat Djokovic in a tight four-set battle and nearly toppled the modern-day juggernaut, Nadal in the final, many wondered if the old world order was still intact and if Djokovic would fade once again into the shadows. Questions would be asked and answered at the holiest of all tournaments, Wimbledon.
As play began and storylines unfurled on the hallowed lawns of the most prestigious Grand Slam, some believed it would be a return to the glory days of old for Federer by taking out his most cherished title. His nemesis, Nadal would become a captive of his own body again, suffering a injury to his left foot. However, in the quarterfinals, a powerful challenger named Tsonga delivered the first shock and awe of the tournament in defeating Federer by virtue of incredible blitzkrieg grasscourt tennis not seen since the days of the immortal and legendary Pete Sampras. The possible vestiges of the old world order had been swept away.
All eyes were on the young Bernard Tomic in his quarterfinal against Djokovic to catch a glimpse of the far future. The resurrection of Australian tennis albeit in a game not inherently found in the long and respected heritage of attacking Australian players. Djokovic proved to all that it was still his time by overcoming the young upstart and then dismantling Federer’s conqueror, Tsonga in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, despite his injury, Nadal was approaching his usual whirlwind momentum in rolling over Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals and in a shocking display of psychotic aggressiveness and control, rampaged right through Andy Murray while committing merely seven unforced errors. He was determined to show the world that Djokovic’s No.1 position was just a brief blip on the map of world atennis history.
In the final, Djokovic up against Nadal, a two-time Wimbledon champion and the man he had just replaced at the pinnacle of world tennis. This match would either be a coronation of the new World No.1 or a confirmation of Nadal’s dominance in the Grand Slams.
As the first few games progressed, two things were clear – Nadal can now be beaten consistently and comprehensively in baseline battles and because of this, he is mentally shaken.
Because of Djokovic’s incredible lateral court coverage and accurate backhand, Nadal can no longer rely solely on his crosscourt forehand to break open the rallies so that he can dominate with his patented inside-in/inside out forehand combinations. This results in the tactical scales being tilted in Djokovic’s favour as he can no only attack but also consistently expose Nadal’s backhand wing without having to resort to impatient and ‘hit it and pray’ shots from well out of position. He can utilise his flat laser-like groundstrokes to work his way to the net to the point where Nadal is well and truly in a difficult position and cannot offer anything more than a standard reply that is easily dispatched into the open court with a simple drop volley. The ease in and net positioning from which Djokovic was able to carry out those drop volleys attest to the excellent tactical application of those consistently heavy and accurate groundstrokes.
Djokovic has the better first serve and his return of serve is a level above Nadal’s – both vital ingredients to prevent Nadal from settling into rallies on his own terms and gaining momentum with which Nadal can unleash his exceptional swerving forehands free of any nerves.
In the end, Djokovic dominated in such an emphatic fashion that there were no questions as to his rightful supremacy of tennis today.
The Djoker has the last laugh today but will he tomorrow?