At the height of his career, he was the only player who could offer the matador of the clay courts more than just resistance. Novak Djokovic was even the fear opponent of Rafael Nadal, he brought the impetuous Mallorcan into doubt and into trouble. But the Serb simply cannot get out of his crisis – and was also eliminated in the second round at the Masters in Madrid.
Djokovic beat Nadal. Not just once. It’s half a dozen times. In Madrid, in Monte Carlo, in Rome, also at the French Open. Everywhere where it counts in the clay court season. But all this seems to be a little eternity ago. In every respect. Nadal, the brawny fighter, is once again reigning in terror on the Sandcourts, rushing from success to success. He has just won 48 sets in a row on sand, in none of them he even had to go into the tiebreak.
Like last season, Nadal is in a form and constitution that once earned him the unflattering nickname “The Cannibal”. The fact is: Nadal doesn’t take prisoners in the ashes series in the spring months when the tennis caravan travels across Europe.
And Djokovic? He doesn’t scare anyone these days. He has the most to do with himself. And with the question of how he can at least regain some of the old glamour. Djokovic’s wild roller coaster ride since the legendary French Open-Coup 2016 is one of the most spectacular stories of modern tennis, none of the industry’s superstars has experienced a comparable crash from the highest altitudes.
Djokovic was the sole ruler of the tour, he had all four Grand Slam titles in his possession. But now he’s just one of many. In Madrid, the current station of his comeback mission, he scored an eight-round victory against Kei Nishikori of Japan, the first victory against a top 20 player after returning from a longer injury break.
But sustained safety and self-confidence did not arise from this success: Djokovic was eliminated in the second round against Kyle Edmund from England. Later he said he was “happy about the progress” he had made. But then progress would be a snail.
The very normal everyday conditions in the travelling circus are now becoming increasingly difficult for the world’s first and twelve-time Grand Slam winner of many years. After the Masters in Madrid, Djokovic will drop back to 18th place. But the real challenge is now waiting for the former exceptional champion in Rome next week: There he has to defend the points from last year’s final (against Alexander Zverev).
Another early knockout – and Djokovic would slip to a position beyond the top 30. This could cost him his established place in the French Open seed list. With the danger of being assigned one of the current top names in round one. Worst case scenario: Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic has reactivated most of his old consultants and coaches, people like Marijan Vajda or the Austrian fitness and nutrition pope Gebhard Gritsch. But he himself is not close to the old man, nor has this turnaround with those who were outcast at the beginning of the long crisis brought any really countable successes.
In the current season, six victories face six defeats. It’s a balance for a player from the middle class, the middle class of the tour, it’s a balance that doesn’t encourage this whole complicated return effort. “The ego is not very strong at the moment,” says Djokovic, “it is not easy to accept these defeats. And to keep on lowering our standards.”
Djokovic has lost his ancient power and aura. He was also once the clairvoyant strategist, the clever boss of Djokovic & Co. He did little wrong, made no serious mistakes off the court. But then he made many incomprehensible decisions, leaned towards an ominous Spanish psycho-guru, overcame himself with Andre Agassi, who was hired later, and returned too soon after the injury.
At the moment nothing looks like a renaissance of Djokovic, he seems detached despite all the good news he himself proclaims now and then. It could be that the once world’s best player will never succeed as a hunter of lost treasures.