Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic as a hunter of lost treasures

So far Novak Djokovic has won three titles in Wimbledon. The performances of the last days indicate that the Serb is ready for the fourth triumph.

By Jörg Allmeroth from London

Roger Federer recently marveled once again at “this whole fairy tale”. About the fairy tale of his comeback after the long injury break in 2016, about the “incredible victories”, the “most emotional moments” of his entire career: “I sometimes thought it was a dream. And that the next moment I wake up and think, “That’s all wrong.”

But yes, it’s true. His magnificent return. Even that of his eternal rival Rafael Nadal. Especially the tennis world looks like the middle of the last decade, when Federer and Nadal shared the great titles and trophies among themselves as a matter of course. There were Federer and Nadal at the Grand Slams, and almost nothing else.

But, to return to Federer, the Maestro recently found out dryly that “everything does not always have to end with bright sunshine, a happy end and a feeling of happiness”. He knowing the message in the Bone Mill of the Tour may also person other script. He doesn’t need to look far, because what happened to the Big Four or Big Five who have shared the Major Cups in recent years?

Andy Murray, the hero of Britain, had to cancel his sails just before the Wimbledon elimination games, he is still plagued by the aftermath of his hip operations. Stan Wawrinka, a former Shadow Man Federer who suddenly won three Grand Slam titles in the autumn of his career, tediously drags himself through the 2018 series of games – after two surgical knee operations it seems unclear whether he will return to his former size.

And then there is the man who ruled the tennis world before the old Titans returned to old power – Novak Djokovic, the “Djoker”. The player who, after his French Open coup in 2016, held all four Major Cups in his possession, was the first professional ever in the modern era of this sport.

Djokovic has perhaps had the biggest roller coaster ride in the new century. Just a moment ago the conductor of the industry, the Capitano, the all-rounder on the biggest and most beautiful stages, he was in the next moment the doubting relegator. Burned out, demotivated, listless. Almost ready to say goodbye to tennis.

However, it has not come to that point. But it took Djokovic a long, very long time to gain a foothold again, to find a platform from which to launch his attack on Federer and Co. In short, the hunter of lost treasures does so by returning to the roots of his ascent. This means that he will again be trained by his former successful coach Marijan Vajda, initially until the end of the Wimbledon tournament, at which he advanced to the quarter-finals.

The advance into the round of the last eight at the French Open and now also in the All England Club, both with Vajda at his side, are something like the light at the end of the tunnel for the 31-year-old Serb. Before these moments of success, it was not entirely unlikely that his project of a return to the summit region would fail.

Not least because the partnership with Andre Agassi, which was full of great hopes and expectations, quickly collapsed. Agassi was in Wimbledon once these days, for a 24-hour trip because of sponsorship obligations, and the American also talked about the chaos that had reigned around Djokovic: “He actually never listened to me. At some point I found I was wasting my time.” Djokovic also rejected Agassi’s advice to take more time for a break after an operation on the wrist, which had been performed too late anyway.

The other Grand Slam champion in Djokovic’s service, Boris Becker, also retired from the Djokovics camp after a triumphant period of cooperation with six Grand Slam victories. He didn’t like the fact that Djokovic turned to a bizarre Spanish guru who clouded the tennis star’s senses with peace-and-love slogans.

Now let Vajda judge it again. Djokovic fired him a year ago with the rest of his care crew, fitness trainer, physiotherapist, nutritionist: Everyone had to go, everything had to go. “I need new impetus,” Djokovic said at the time. But now it is the oldest companion, that inconspicuous vajda the joker wants to listen to again. A “friend” is the one, “almost a part of the family,” says Djokovic, and can hardly explain why he so shamefully kicked this friend out the door when he cleaned up the previous year.

A quarter of a year ago, Djokovic sent a text message to the old partner asking him to assess his status quo. The timid approach was followed by an agreement to cooperate as far as Wimbledon, a kind of trial period.

Djokovic, currently number 21 in the ranking, has to do what he has not yet succeeded in doing in Wimbledon: to beat rivals from the upper house of the scene, arranged people from the top ten. In the preparation tournament in Queens, he narrowly lost to Marin Cilic, the Wimbledon finalists of the previous year. Now it’s against Kei Nishikori, then maybe Nadal.

And at best, against Federer. He’s beaten them all over and over again in his prime. After being sent to outdoor courts by the All England Club in the first tournament rounds, he will now compete on the big showcourts. After all, he’s already regained that privilege. “It was frustrating to play so unsatisfactorily for so long,” says Djokovic, “but I feel the old strength coming back.