CURRENT ISSUE
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SEPTEMBER 2011
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| NOVAK ROUSES THE BEAST |
| Monday, 12 September 2011 23:10 |
By Alix Ramsay For the moment, there is not a cloud in Novak Djokovic’s sky; he is the champion of New York, of Wimbledon and of Melbourne. He is the undisputed No.1 and he has now won 64 of 66 matches this year. The man has a right to feel invincible.Over the course of a brutal four hours and 10 minutes on Monday night, he beat Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7, 6-1 to win is first US Open title (there may be more to come). It was a victory of nerve, resilience, stamina and sheer brute force. But it may also have been a turning point in the Serb’s brilliant season. By the time it was over, Djokovic was exhausted and he was hurting. His back was giving him gyp and, for the first time this year, Nadal was threatening to challenge him. In five previous meetings since the start of the season – all in finals – Nadal had looked unsure, uncertain and confused. The man Nadal had beaten with spectacular regularity in the past had got his number; he had beaten the Spaniard on the clay courts of Europe (and who would have imagined that 12 months ago?), he had beaten him on the grass of SW19, the tournament Nadal holds most dear, and he had muscled the Majorcan out of the top spot in the rankings. In short, Djokovic had locked Nadal in a neat, wee cage and thrown away the key. But in Flushing Meadows, things may have changed. The two men produced a match of unrivalled power, shot-making and bravado; they entertained the crowd with more than four hours of eye-watering effort and mind-boggling skill; they pushed themselves to the limit and then they pushed some more. Quite simply, it was incredible to watch and a joy to see. Djokovic won, as had done on all surfaces 63 times before since the start of January, but he may just have created a monster as he did so. Just a couple of days before the final, Nadal had sounded like a beaten man. His five previous losses to the Serb had hurt him and his confidence was at a low ebb. And for a man who took on every match, be it a first round or a final, as if it was his last and fought for every point, this was not good. “I am not very happy about my mental performance against him this year,” Nadal said. “Because for moments I didn't believe really 100 per cent with the victory. That's big problem. Because when that's happening, you have your chances less, much less than if you believe. I am ready to work hard. I am ready to work my tennis, to work my mental part, and hopefully I will be ready. That's what I would like.” But not even former world No.1s always get what they want. He began the final well – the first four games took 29 minutes – but after that, he faded. For every decent point he played, he would fluff the next with a backhand error or a weak serve that left him in trouble while Djokovic ran him from pillar to post as he dominated the baseline. But come the second set, Nadal began to fight. This was something new. In their previous matches in 2011, the Spaniard had not had a battle plan; this time he did. And as he fought, he began to make headway. The score did not go his way – and losing an epic, 17-minute game in the second set on a netted smash must have smarted – but he was fighting with every shot. When he ripped the third set from Djokovic’s racquet in the tiebreak, the Serb, for once, looked beaten. Suddenly those 63 previous wins caught up with him and he was shattered. The  proud, puffed-out chest deflated and, instead, he called for the trainer to have his aching back treated. He was in pain and he was wary – Nadal’s star was rising and that could only spell trouble.Massaged back into life and with a few painkillers inside him to relieve the agony, Djokovic drew on the deep well of confidence he has filled this year. He attacked again and, on the fifth break point, he grabbed Nadal’s serve for a 2-0 lead in that fourth set. That was enough to set him on his way to the trophy but it was also enough to show Nadal that next year may be a much happier one. “I fighted until the last point, “ Nadal said in his own, idiosyncratic way. “I tried my best in every moment. I am happy with a lot of things, much happier than the previous matches against him. I was in the final of Wimbledon, final of US Open. I fighted both of them, especially this one. I go back to Spain more happy today than after the Wimbledon final, because after here I think I am on the right way to try to win him. After Wimbledon I didn't feel that. “I always had big trouble to beat him here in this surface in the past. It's not an exception now, especially because he's doing better than ever. “But you know what? I go back home knowing that I am on the way. I like to fight, I want to enjoy about this battle against him. Six straight loses, for sure that's painful. “But I'm going to work every day until that changes. So I have a goal, easy goal for me now. It's going to be tough to change the situation, but the goal is easy to see. To have a goal always you know how to work every day.” Djokovic is the deserved US Open champion and he is king of heap at the moment – but Nadal wants his crown back. The other top men may not know how to beat Djokovic but Nadal thinks he might just have seen a way. And when the workhorse that is Nadal highlights a specific goal, there is no stopping him. As the US Open champion wakes up on Tuesday morning, there may be a tiny, little, Nadal-shaped cloud peeking above his horizon. Djokovic may have unleashed a beast. For the rest of us, 2012 promises to be a belter of a season. |
© 2010 Tennis Life Magazine