Novak Djokovic: Can he disrupt the Rafael Nadal Roger Federer hegemony – Tennis Special
Novak Djokovic, a 24 year old Serb, has been in the top rankings for the past two years. With his nine year experience in the game, he has brought himself up as an unpredictable opponent. A juggernaut in the year 2011, Djokovic started the year on a high note. Like a rolling boulder, the Serb thwarted all opponents until May, extending his winning streak to forty one matches for the season.
His winning numbers against Swiss maestro Roger Federer continued to improve with each tournament, though it was the Swiss who stopped the Serb dead in his tracks. Although the Serb thwarted the Swiss in the semi-final of the Australian Open, the final of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships and the semi-final at Indian Wells, it was none other than the Swiss who humiliated the Djokovic in the semi-final of the 2011 Roland Garros ending his incredible fun for the season. However, the fact remains that Federer has knocked out Djokovic on several previous occasions. Their head-to-head record of 14-9 in the Swiss’ favour speaks volume about the Swiss dominance.
That being said, it is an undisputable fact that Federer is old, but that is no reason to dismiss the individual who has ruled the tennis world for almost half a decade now. Recent events have left analysts claiming that Djokovic is an upset for both Nadal and Federer, though stats tell a different story.
Djokovic beating Rafael “Rafa” Nadal in the four Masters was a head turner but once more the facts reigned supreme that the Spaniard has humbled the Serb in several encounters with much ease. Before his multiple wins over the former world number one in the title matches at Miami, Indian Wells, Madrid and Rome, the Serb had last won a match against Rafa in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in 2009, and that too against an injured Nadal.
However, this season Djokovic has improved his stamina and consistency considerably giving him a solid chance to prove himself as the number one player. Although the Serb has already taken over the world number one spot post-Wimbledon, he can only truly reign supreme statistically when he has bested both Nadal and Federer in their respective head-to-head.
Some sports analysts predict that Djokovic would disrupt the Nadal-Federer hegemony, but one cannot help but ask is it possible.
Given the stats, Djokovic might one day take over Federer and Nadal. However, what he cannot match is the tension and anticipation that goes into a Federer Nadal match. Whenever the two giants are playing a match, particularly a Grand Slam final the energy levels tend to go to a point where winning becomes a matter of life and death. Djokovic may have surpassed Federer and beaten Nadal in this year’s Wimbledon, but he will need to bring a lot more table if he ever wishes to upset or match the Nadal-Federer rivalry. Should Federer continue with his fitness form given his age or Nadal with his brilliance on court, the Serb might just have to wait for one of them to retire. Only then can the phenomenon that is Nadal Federer be overshadowed.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in the article are the writer’s own personal views and have nothing to do with bettor.com’s editorial policy.
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