The GOAT of Tennis : Novak Djokovic arrives in 2008
He tapped the ball endlessly into the grey turf. After an eternity, he tossed the ball into the air and swung his body into a deep serve. It was a short rally. A few more shots, and his opponent erred. An attempted passing shot went wide. He fell to the ground in disbelief at his achievement.
A few seconds later, Novak Djokovic, the new Australian Open champion, rose, sat up smiling, and walked up to the court, which erupted in thunderous applause.
The year was 2008, and on an evening that was to be the marker of an extraordinary story, 20-year-old Novak Djokovic announced his arrival with his first Grand Slam trophy.
It has been a long 16 years since, and the genial Serbian, with a streak of a rebel in him, continues to be the one to beat. There is nothing more to be won, no more peaks to scale, and nothing at all to prove. He matched his style, his endurance, and his repertoire against the very best of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in what can be termed the golden period of modern tennis.
There have been legends in the past; there will be a few in the future, but it is difficult to imagine anyone getting close to what Djokovic has achieved.
Djokovic has, year after year, displayed what can be defined as a rounded, solid game. While the definition sounds very cliche, there was unimaginable effort, ruthless efficiency, and monumental willpower behind the achievements.
It meant that the surface never bothered him, and the opponent across the net was a mere necessity of the rules of the game. On a good day, he would sail through without breaking a sweat. On a day of a slight blip, he would dig deep, grit his teeth, and spill his guts on the court.
The trademark slide on the court would fizz against the surface as he fought his battle against himself rather than the opponent. The routine of being all over the court would repeat like a scene in reshuffle mode. Time would stretch and his opponent would wear, and inevitably, at the end of an eternity, the gentle giant would raise his arms in victory. He would walk across to the net and, with an apologetic smile, pat his opponent in the back. It was almost a thank-you note for having helped him delve deeper into his reserves.
A tale of grit and greatness : The GOAT of tennis
While the fairytale sounds exactly like one should, it was never easy. For someone who came from a region of perpetual unrest, it was a battle of perceptions. The media, with its own prejudices and need for ratings, was strangely cold to Novak. His talent, his effort, and the trademark smile often lost the battle of perceptions.
Even the smallest of indiscretions was pounced upon and blown up. The need to create an imaginary battle of attrition between the Big Three saw often descended into ugliness. One could go on about this, but then there are better things to be said.
There would be reams written on the statistics of his career. In almost every conceivable one, Djokovic would come out top. You name the stat, and he would be up there.
But then the game is not always about just the stats.
Talent sharpened by effort is the hallmark of the greats. The best of them keep themselves at the pinnacle of their game by being demanding of themselves.
The glorious game of tennis has given the world the likes of Laver, Borg, Connors, Sampras, Federer, Nadal et al.
With due respect to the greats who graced the game , the tall, gangly young man who rose to acknowledge the crowd on that dry Melbourne evening many years ago has turned out to be undoubtedly the best of all.
Whether one likes it or not, truth can’t be stated otherwise. Djokovic has to be the GOAT of tennis .
The raging debate in the often lopsided social media is, if Djokovic is the greatest of all times?. For anyone who appreciates the game without glasses tinted by prejudice, any argument otherwise , needs to be diminished by ignoring it.
Djoker, as he was rather meanly nicknamed by the ruthless media, has, at the end of it all, by the sheer weight of his legacy, proved that…
The joke is on them.
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