Just a moment ago he was the crisis joker, now he is again the capitano of the tennis industry: Novak Djokovic celebrated his second Grand Slam tournament victory in a row in New York.
When Novak Djokovic packed his bags in Miami in March, as a bitter Masters kick-off loser, he was still not Novak Djokovic. At least not nearly the Djokovic, who had become the dominator of the tennis world. And who had even overtaken and distanced the titans of the industry, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Meanwhile, at the height of his power, Djokovic had once held all four Grand Slam cups in his possession – in June 2016, when he won the last missing major title in Paris. Nobody in modern tennis had done that before and after him.
Then came the great crisis. Fears came, doubts came, private problems came. The close confidant was kicked out. Head coach Boris Becker left the team voluntarily. There were injuries. The question of meaning came up. It also came the pondering whether everything was still worthwhile, the drudgery, the tedious comeback attempt. “Miami, this year, that was a deep, deep moment. I thought if you didn’t do something now and put everything to the test again, then maybe war´s with your career,” said Djokovic.
He said it on Sunday evening, in autumn 2018, just six months after the disillusioning guest performance in southern Florida. He said it as a brilliant, almost invincible US Open Champion, as mostly undisputed 6:3, 7:6 (7:4), 6:3 triumphant over the Argentine Juan Martin del Potro. “No,” said Djokovic on this big winner’s night, “I would not have thought it possible what had happened in the last few months. But I’ve dreamt about it sometimes. I guess that kept me alive as a tennis player.”
On the world’s largest tennis stage, the Arthur Ashe Stadium, he was once again the old man, in all his strength, in full playful consistency. And when Djokovic is at the height of his special art, no one can get past him, not even one like the reinvigorated del Potro. Nine years after his spectacular US Open victory as an aspiring youngster, del Potro destroyed dreams in the formidable show performance of the 31-year-old Serbian.
Del Potro, like so many colleagues on the Tourcircuit, had a frustrating experience against Djokovic: Wherever one of his shots landed in the field of the “Djoker”, he was already there as a matter of course. With intuition, certainly, but above all on incredibly fast legs – in the attitude of the undoubtedly best defensive player on the planet. “I am depressed that I lost,” said del Potro, “but if I grant you victory, it’s Novak. He’s my idol.”
Djokovic had realized one thing in particular later in the spring, after the bankruptcies not only in Miami, but also in Indian Wells (first-round knockout against Taro Daniels/ATP 109): To get back within reach of the world’s elite, he needed the support of his familiar tennis family. Andre Agassi and Radek Stepanek, temporarily at his side, had always remained foreign bodies in the Djokovic entourage. The Slovak Marijan Vajda, Djokovic’s most loyal companion, was the first to return – followed by Gebhard Gritsch, the Austrian nutrition and fitness pope. The project to climb the summit took its course, the French Open remained a stopover – but in Wimbledon the “Team Nole” hit for the first time, with the fourth title in the All England Club. “The old security, the self-confidence – it was all back,” said Vajda, the coach, in New York on Sunday.
Now Djokovic is also the king of the Big Apple, a winner who never really got into danger during his campaign. Inspired by the spin he had given back to his career. Inspired also by another success this summer, in Cincinnati, where he managed to become the first professional to win all Masters titles in tennis at least once. After the New York coup, Djokovic is now back in third place in the world rankings, the biggest in the last decade and a half: Nadal, Federer and he, the current champion of the US Open.
Suddenly the tennis world is open to him again everywhere and always wide. Djokovic can also become the number 1 of the 2018 season, he has nothing to defend until the rest of the year, unlike Federer and Nadal. And who wanted to deny him in his new, old stature as Capitano the chance to once overtake Nadal and Federer also as title hunters in the Grand Slams. 14 Major victories Djokovic has now, just as many as Pete Sampras, his role model as a tennis child. And the next success could come as early as January, at the Australian Open, which he has already won six times. It is him, the Djoker, that everyone must orientate themselves again. He, the mysterious crisis joker, is once again the measure of all things in men’s tennis.