A detailed performance review of Novak Djokovic in the 2012 season – Tennis Special
Reigning world number one, Novak Djokovic, had the most successful campaign in 2012.
He started this year with a remarkable performance and despite of his rough patch in the middle, he was lucky to bag home the world number spot at the end of the season.
The right-hander Serbian professional started his year sustaining his world number one rank from 2011. He was the top seeded compatriot at the Australian Open held at the hard courts of Melbourne. He encountered all his unseeded challengers in straight sets,
beating them with his high graded performance. He faced a slight challenge at the hands of the local wildcard contest, Lleyton Hewitt in the fourth round.
Moving towards the finals, he encountered the British challenger, Andy Murray in the semi-final round. The two competitors fought for five sets and towards the end, the Serb consolidated his five setter win, 6-3, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-5.
Similarly, in the final round he faced a hard challenge at the hands of the former world number one, Rafael Nadal. Djokovic preserved his lead in a tough five set match, claiming the winning title.
At the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship, he faced a tough competition. He made a smooth entry through the initial rounds by he smashed down all the lower ranked contenders. In the semi-finals, he collected his straight sets win, 6-1, 7-6(6) against his
compatriot, Janko Tipsarevic.
However, he was able to continue his momentum in the semi-finals and received a straight sets defeat 2-6, 5-7 at the hands of the British number one, Andy Murray.
The 25-year-old Serbian contestant encountered the American professional, John Isner in the semi-finals of the BNP Paribas Open held at the hard courts of Indian Wells. He was unable to retain his former spot and suffered a loss in a three set match. At
the Sony Ericsson Open held at the hard courts of Miami, he avenged his loss against the young Scot, Andy Murray.
At the clay courts tournaments, he was unable to break the monopoly of the Spaniard, Nadal. He suffered a heavy loss at the French Open. The left-hander, Nadal, was strong enough to uphold his momentum and gave the leading champion a four set shocker in
the final round.
Ever since that, the young player lost the front line and many critics suspected him return impossible. At the green grass courts of Wimbledon, the Swiss Maestro, Roger Federer, rallied forward and snatched the world number one spot in the semi-finals.
Djokovic was unable to defend his bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympics, receiving a straight sets defeat at the hands of the Argentinean professional, Juan Martin Del Potro. He was the finalist of the US Open but the 25-year-old Scot, nudged forward
and penned down his unforeseen triumph in a five set thriller.
Nonetheless, the Serbian professional did not lose hope and started his dramatic and surprising comeback at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. He clinched the world number one spot from Federer and smashed a straights sets defeat 7-6(6), 7-5 at the Barclays ATP
World Tour Finals, held at the indoor courts of London. He is all set to start his voyage for the upcoming year. Let’s see how he fares.
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