Number One For A Reason

True Grit: Novak exults after winning a match at the World Tour Finals in London

Novak Djokovic has cemented his place as the most consistent player in world tennis

At the end of the 2010 season, everyone was speculating whether Rafael Nadal, the world No 1 who had won three straight Grand Slams to bring his tally to 10, could go on to complete the non-calendar Slam and more importantly challenge Roger Federer's then record of 16 the following year.

On the flip side, fans of Federer were hoping that he could extend his record and stop the Spanish Bull from getting within striking distance.

Not many had thought that Serbia's Novak Djokovic, who had won the Australian Open in 2008, could put up a serious challenge to the Swiss-Spanish duopoly.

2011 was the season where Djokovic eventually came of age and put his two more famous compadres in the shade. He displayed mental toughness and physical ability to such an extent that one had to pinch oneself in disbelief – 3 Grand Slam titles; 5 Masters 1000 tournament wins; a 70-6 win-loss record; the world No 1 ranking!

Given that it's incredibly hard to repeat an almost perfect season, all eyes were on the Serb in 2012. How would he thwart the challenge of Federer, Nadal and the ever-improving Andy Murray? Could he actually succeed in doing so?

Now that this season has come to an end, that query has been answered aptly. Djokovic finished as the year-end No 1 for the second straight year. If 2011 was about him soaring over the field, 2012 showed him fighting tooth-and-nail to defend his kingdom.

He successfully defended his Australian Open title over five sets in a marathon 5h 53min win over Nadal, fell in four sets to the Spaniard in the French Open final, at Wimbledon he lost to eventual winner Federer in four sets in the semifinal and was unable to hang on to his US Open title, losing to Murray in a five-set final.

It's true that for the first time since 2003, each Slam has a different champion, an occurrence that according to most pundits suggests a sense of parity in the men's game.

But even so, Djokovic has managed to cling onto the No 1 ranking adhering to a simple yet difficult process – consistency. The Serb plays a brand of tennis that is characterised by impenetrable defense, water-tight returns and heavy top-spin groundstrokes.

This doesn't mean that his offence is second-rate. Nobody in the men's game reaches the top spot if their offence is anything less than extraordinary. Djokovic's ability to retrieve and keep points alive allows him to open up and go for broke on his shots off either wing. Plus he now has such self-confidence that even in crunch situations there seems to be no hesitation on his part to play to win as opposed to playing to draw errors from opponents.

His serve, once unreliable as a result of too much tinkering, is now a weapon, allowing him to get out of sticky situations with a single strike. The forehand, always a powerful shot, was not stable enough to trouble the big guns consistently, but now it is steady and delivers deep shots that are akin to body blows. Added to that, he has developed a good volley and knows when to move forward.

Along with these improvements, he has also continually sharpened his strengths – a rapier-like backhand, perfectly-guided returns, a circus performer’s agility and a never-ending commitment to getting the ball back in play.

There is no doubt that he has worked extremely hard to get all of these things working in machine-like order, but his biggest weapon has to be his belief. That is one thing that cannot be faked. Look at his eyes when a big point is played. They have a veritable fire burning in them.

That is the mark of a champion!

(Published in The Sunday Standard and The New Indian Express with some minor alterations)

Showdown In The Big Apple...

Chilling Out: At 31 years of age, Roger is allowed to relax a little! 

Federer, Djokovic & Murray look to claim US crown; Serena is the main women’s contender

The last week of August is upon us and the time is ripe for the final Grand Slam event of the year, the US Open held at Flushing Meadows in New York. Played on fast-paced hard courts, this tournament, known simply as ‘the Open’ among players, is notorious for its distractions. From boisterous crowds, to ‘hot dog’ sellers in the stands, to loud music at changeovers, the US Open has it all!

The men’s event marks the return of the great Roger Federer to the world No 1 position for the first time in two years. The 31-year-old Swiss played a remarkable Wimbledon, outgunning both No 2 Novak Djokovic in the semifinal and No 4 Andy Murray in the final to annex a record 17th major crown. He also added a silver medal to his resume at the London Olympics. The speedy courts at the Open suit his game perfectly and his hunger doesn’t seem to have diminished.

Defending champion Djokovic, the Australian Open winner, seems to have lost some of his appetite from last year where he won 3 Grand Slams. The Serb has had a solid year but failure to win an Olympic medal stung him hard. He relishes playing at the Open and the only true balm for a painful defeat is a Grand Slam title.

Great Britain's Murray endeared himself to his nation by first playing a wonderful Wimbledon final that he lost and then winning the Olympic gold medal in a sublime display. That both those finals were against Federer at the All England Club was just icing on the cake. Named the third seed because of world No 3 Rafael Nadal's unfortunate withdrawal, Murray has always maintained that New York's hard courts are his favourite.

The tenacious David Ferrer, No 5 in the world, leads ‘the dark horse group’ that includes No 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, No 7 Tomas Berdych, No 10 John Isner and No 16 Milos Raonic, all of whom are capable of causing seismic upsets. Plus former champion and world No 8 Juan Martin del Potro (the Olympic bronze-medallist) who outslugged the top stars to win in 2009 seems to have regained his confidence and is a definite threat.

In the women’s section, the world revolves around No 4 Serena Williams. She has proved that no matter how many injuries or distractions come her way, when she is focussed, no other player can compete with her. Now 30 years of age, she won Wimbledon in utterly dominant fashion to clinch her 14th Grand Slam title and then dismantled world No 3 Maria Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 in the Olympic final!

It’s not that the other girls are pushovers... world No 1 Victoria Azarenka, the Australian Open champion and Olympic bronze-medallist had a great start to the year. No 2 Agnieszka Radwanska, reached the Wimbledon final this year. Sharapova, the French Open winner and Olympic silver-medallist, comes closest to matching Serena in terms of raw power. But all of them have failed to find a way past the American on the grandest of stages, which is testament to her character as much as her longevity.

World No 5 Petra Kvitova, No 6 Samantha Stosur (defending champion), No 9 Li Na, No 12 Ana Ivanovic and retiring former champion Kim Clijsters have all won Slams, but they would have to overcome their inconsistencies to go all the way.

It is a wonderful time for tennis as a whole with the present narrative being the established youngsters versus the older legends of the game. And what better place to have this play out than at the Celebration that is the US Open!

(Published in The Sunday Standard and The New Indian Express with some minor alterations)

It’s Wimbledon Time, Expect Fireworks...

Say Cheese: Roger's in a jolly good mood!

The Triumvirate of Djokovic, Nadal & Federer are firm favourites; Sharapova, Serena lead women’s contenders

With the clay season done and dusted, it is that time of the year when Tennis is being played on the surface of its inception. Grass. The surface that once rewarded attacking play like no other, may not be as quick as before, but it is still synonymous with the most famous Tennis Championship of all, Wimbledon. There is nothing more beautiful for a true tennis enthusiast than the sight of the hallowed lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club in all its glory when the Championships begin on June 25.

In the Men’s Singles event, predictably, all eyes are on the ‘Big 3’ – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – who have won a staggering 28 of the last 29 Grand Slam events. With all the current surfaces playing more or less the same way, it remains to be seen whether anybody else can break this trend.

World No 1 Djokovic is the top seed and defending champion. The Serb has had a solid year so far, beating Nadal to win in Melbourne and falling to the left-hander in Paris. It was at Wimbledon last year that he played electric tennis to usurp the number one ranking from Nadal. The right-hander has a brutal power-baseline game and hunger that can only be matched by the player ranked right below him. He elected not to play a warm-up event before the Championships.

Nadal, the world No 2 and last year’s finalist, seems to have finally cracked the Djokovic code. After losing a marathon final in Australia, he played a near flawless clay-court campaign to triumph in Paris and end the Novak’s quest for a Calendar Slam. Nadal lost early in Halle, a pre-Wimbledon tune-up event, but the Spaniard is a two-time Wimbledon champion and knows his way around grass-courts.

World No 3 Federer has been playing well since last year’s semifinal collapse at the US Open against  Djokovic. At almost 31 years of age, he has a remarkable body and incomparable talent, but is unable to maintain his intensity long enough against the Top Two. But Wimbledon is his favourite tournament and it still rewards his all-out attacking game the most. Although he lost to Tommy Haas in Halle, Federer looks like he’s ready for a tilt at Grand Slam glory once more.

Great Britain’s Andy Murray, the world No 4, has had a somewhat strange year. After hiring Ivan Lendl as his Coach and playing well in Australia, he has struggled of late. Although he seems to have a complete game, it’s his mental fluctuations that are a cause for concern. He is trying to be more pro-active in matches, but an early loss in the Queen’s Club warm-up means his preparation is not up to scratch.

Of the other contenders, big-hitters Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic can be considered to have outside chances, but playing consistently well over a fortnight is something that none of them have done before.

In the Women’s Singles section, unlike the Men, the last six majors have been won by six different players. World No 1 and 2011 finalist Maria Sharapova who completed a Career Slam by winning in Paris is playing aggressive tennis. Australian Open winner and world No 2 Victoria Azarenka seems to have slowed down after a sterling start to the season. Defending Champion Petra Kvitova, No 4 in the world, played wonderfully last year, but has been plagued by inconsistency this year. World No 5 Samantha Stosur won in New York last year and her big game should translate well on turf. Lastly, world No 6 Serena Williams and the unseeded Venus Willliams can never be disregarded due to the sheer number of Wimbledon titles they own and their love of grass-courts.

As one looks forward to two weeks of top-flight tennis in London, the only thing that’s certain is that it’s going to be a glorious spectacle!

(Published in The Sunday Standard and The New Indian Express with some minor alterations)