The Rise and Rise of Novak Djokovic

It takes something extraordinary to have a 24-0 streak covering a slam and 2 Masters. Only 3 people have had such a brilliant start to a season ever. Djokovic is one of them. Djokovic is no new player on the tour. A probably known, but little noticed fact is that he holds the record for the most weeks at No.3 (Now at No.2).

Novak Djokovi cAustralian Open 2011

Like most, I woke up in 2011 thinking that the record would continue this year. But, fortunately Djokovic had other plans. He has finally decided to go further up the ladder. He was always there in the mix in every grand slam but just did not deliver in key moments of the tournament. This year though, he built on his US open final performance last year and continued winning key points in key games in the Australian Open. Djokovic ejected Federer in 3 sets in the Australian Open and told the world that he is no 1-slam wonder.

He then continued his run and beat Nadal in 2 Masters Finals to get people to realize that he has a genuine shot at the World No.1 this year. His unbeaten record is set to continue for a few more days since he is skipping the Monte Carlo Masters due to injury. Now that the clay court season is starting, Djokovic needs to prove that even in clay he can be a threat. He may end up losing in the Madrid Masters and the French Open, but we all know that you can be No.1 without having a good clay court season. Pete Sampras and Federer, the perfect examples.

Let's go back a bit. Djokovic began his career in promising fashion a couple of years back. He was one of the only few from Serbia and he got Serbia on to the tennis map. Along with him, Ivanovic, Jankovic and a number of other players took Serbia to greater tennis heights over the last few years. To top it for Serbia, Djokovic led the Serbian contingent to the Davis Cup in 2010. A stunning achievement for a small nation.

Djokovic was more than an average player to begin with. He was a young star. He first got real notice when he pushed Federer in the 2007 US Open final at the age of 20. He did everything right in the 3 tight sets he lost, except when it came to closing out the set - the big points. Federer, somehow came back from seemingly difficult positions in each of those sets. You had to feel for Djokovic that night. He had played brilliantly and looked like a deserving champion.

He however did not have to wait much longer though. He took everyone by surprise (not as much as Goran Ivanisevic of course), when he took out the mononucleosis ridden Federer in the semis of the AO 2008. He then overcame a relatively new Tsonga in the final to get his first slam. Tsonga had earlier demolished Nadal in the other semis that year.

Was Djokovic Federer's replacement? Sadly for him, it was not to be. After that Djokovic slipped into the background, not giving Federer and Nadal any major headache in GS's. He put in some decent performances in the hard courts, but did not have a great clay court and grass showing in most of the 3 years. He however kept his date with the bronze medal though in each of the years.

After a complete Nadal 2010 year, it was difficult seeing who will match Nadal and the on-the-way-down Federer in 2011. We thought Del Potro may not be a bad bet. Given his injury-ridden year and the fact that he had beaten Fed and Nadal in a GS. Hmm. Maybe, but he will take time to do so. Some people then bet on Andy Murray. Murray definitely has the game of a champion but is still struggling underneath the burden of 'finally a British champion'.

Not many said the Djoker would be the one. Most people thought that the Djoker has already had his chances and did not use them. We thought that it is only a new face that could topple the champs on top. But Djokovic? Not really. Djokovic then played the match of his career to beat red-hot Federer and dumped Murray in the AO finals establishing himself as a possible contender for the throne. Then, he continued to push for the throne when he beat Federer and Nadal in the Masters a couple of times! Wow. No one wrote this script. 3 contenders to the throne and Nadal only marginally ahead of Djokovic. Federer nowhere as of now.

It may still be premature to write this article. But one thing is for sure. We have got to give him serious notice in the coming slams. His game looks more compact and the big difference is that he is able to win the big points. Save crucial break points and win those that matter. Djokovic has been able to win the battle of the minds so far this season.

One more interesting aspect of this new Djoker revolution is that he may not need to play Federer at all, since he is the No.2. You could now see a Federer - Nadal semis and Djokovic may just need to beat one of the big guns in the slam. Let's see if he gets lucky in the French and Wimbledon draws and avoids Federer. Till then, we tennis fans hope he recovers from his minor injury and continues his fight to the top. He will take time to develop a fan base like Federer's or Nadal's, but a few slams will definitely help in that. Can Djokovic get to Numero Uno in 2011? His best chance yet.