The Australian Open. Any mention of the tennis season’s first Grand Slam will immediately make fans think of Novak Djokovic. As a fresh season has begun Down Under, there is chatter around two from the Big 3. Roger Federer has retired and Rafael Nadal resembles an old jalopy which needs frequent visits to the garage. Djokovic looks the strongest.
Before you jump in and say that he has a wrist injury, be sure that Djokovic has never been a 100 per cent fit in the last few years. Despite that, he continues to win matches and pocket Grand Slam titles as if he were born to do so. Be it 2021 or 2023, Djokovic had fitness issues and still dominated in melting Melbourne.
Heading into the Australian Open, starting on January 14, the talk is of whether Djokovic can get to the magical mark of 25 Grand Slam titles, and do even better. For those not too familiar with tennis records, the record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles stands in the name of Margaret Court. The Australian, now 81, won on all surfaces – grass, clay and carpet – before retiring in 1977. Court courted success at a time when she played singles and doubles, and used a wooden racquet. Tennis, from that era to now, has changed massively.
Back to Djokovic, the rock star of world tennis, and the way he dominated the 2023 season was incredible. His fitness was up and down. Rewind to the Australian Open, where he had tape on his thigh, and was unsure of how much he could push. Yet, match after match, as Djokovic kept winning, people started wondering if he was faking an injury. No way.
After he lifted his 10th Australian Open title, Djokovic spoke of a tear (3cm) in his hamstring. Even normal inflammation in a ligament, tendon or hamstring can be excruciatingly painful. How Djokovic managed to win seven matches in a row with that hamstring issue, while showing no mercy, was a great example of his ruthlessness.
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It was purely on the basis of current form and performance that we had claimed on 28 November 2023 that it was impossible to see a world T20 team without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
With Rohit back as skipper and Virat back as well, it seems they will indeed get a final… pic.twitter.com/21LPMStf8T
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) January 7, 2024
The aberration, so to say, was losing the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz from Spain. Great men can have bad days, no sin in that. This time, again, Djokovic is dealing with a right wrist injury. At the United Cup last week, he lost to Alex de Minaur. He was, and still is, in pain but Djokovic is not going to complain about it.
He has a massive support team consisting of coaches, physios, trainers and others. Plus, in Australia, scans (MRI) and treatment are top-class. He will follow whatever he is advised to ensure he can play the Australian Open.
Anyone who has followed Djokovic’s career all along will vouch that he has been the fittest among the Big 3. Now and then, he will tease fans by tossing up the retirement topic. That is just to joke around, as he is still good enough to last the 2024 season. Plus, this is the year of the Paris Olympics.
Winning the Australian Open this year is not just the big picture. Young Turks like Alcaraz and Holger Rune are around. But to challenge Djokovic, they will need to turn on beast mode. Djokovic knows Australia too well, including the time in 2022 when he was shamed and deported over not taking the Covid-19 vaccine. He then got a hero’s welcome in 2023.
If there are eternal heroes, Djokovic is one such character in tennis whose stage presence is magical. The Aussies love him – ruthless on the court and a gentleman off it. He is respectful and at the same time conscious of whatever he says. He is ice-cool, almost zero emotions on court unless triggered. It is his calmness which is more dangerous, for he will drive that knife in and finish a match. To be sure, even if Djokovic is less than cent per cent fit physically, and mentally he is rarely switched off. This rare quality of being like a monk in meditation has often been the difference in the major tournaments.
The Grand Slams and the big ATP Tour events are Djokovic’s favourite hunting grounds, proof being his historic win on the brick-red Parisian clay at the French Open last year. As he chases more than 25 Grand Slam titles and leaves others watching in awe, what is important is his focus. He is not thinking about injury and pain. Djokovic is going to be dangerous in 2024 as well. Just wait and watch.
Also Read: Rafael Nadal will miss the Australian Open due to injury, Spaniard flying back home