Mind over matter for Djokovic
Novak to Novaxx to Grand Slam title No 21. It has been quite a journey for Novak Djokovic—from facing ridicule for not taking the Covid-19 vaccine, deportation from the Australian Open, and a loss in the French Open quarters. Rarely can mortals take these setbacks in their stride as Djokovic has.
Never a favourite in Wimbledon where one Roger Federer is the dean of the surface, the Serb, over the last decade, became a sort of a de facto contender on grass. Sure, Federer is the modern grass great and his eight Majors at SW19 are proof of that. But since 2011, the 35-year-old has owned the surface. He has won the title seven times since. That itself is a fair reflection of how he developed his overall game to suit all surfaces.
In his first six Wimbledons, he reached the second week twice. Since then, he has reached the second on all but one occasion. That is the perfect marriage between hard work, the discipline to achieve something special and a strong mental fortitude. Sunday’s title was also significant because he finally overtook Federer on his way to the top of the men’s Slam leader board. When Djokovic won his first Slam in Australia in 2008, Federer had 12. Since then, the Serbian master slowly reeled him in. Now that he has overtaken him, he will not stop there. Next in sight is his other great rival, Rafael Nadal, who has 22.
Considering Djokovic is the youngest and the fittest of the three, it should be a matter of time before he equals the Spaniard’s count. But it’s also hard to ignore the elephant in the room—the Serb’s vaccine status. He won’t be allowed to play the next two Slams. Making a bold prediction is fraught with risk because Djokovic seems fine with missing competitions. But he’s healthy and with no worthy contenders emerging yet, he has the chance to settle the debate of the GOATs.