Tennis's power era: Novak Djokovic and his forerunners- Part II
The professional tennis player from Russia, Marat Safin has defeated Roger on just two occasions in twelve attempts, his other win came in 2002 in the city of Moscow, when the Swiss tennis Maestro was not the player he is at the moment. The Swiss was not
even able to win the opening set in their last two clashes.
The tall six feet four inch Safin, came on the tour when American tennis players like Pete and Andre were winding down their professional life, and the important contenders were Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick and Roger Federer.
According to experts, Roger’s entire era was not of the similar calibre as the current one.
The Swiss tennis star, Roger Federer took full advantage of the situation. An inaccurate and volatile, Marat, a limited Andy Roddick, who did not have the power from the baseline to back up his huge serve, and a counter-punching Lleyton. These players did
not possess a single major weapon that could worry Roger.
He won a total of six Grand Slam finals versus these players.
In contrasting Marat and Novak’s game, one notices a resemblance in their baseline approach. Both the players thrive on their strike-first skills on the hard surface.
Marat was famous for his extraordinary heavy ground strokes off both wings, and his huge serve, one of the finest in the game of tennis. However, he was not very good in extending rallies, his hastiness getting the better of him as Marat went for broke to
end points.
Novak can produce similar weight behind his hits, although he was far ahead of Marat in both depths of his ground strokes as well as consistency.
When the Serbian tennis ace broke on the tour on the very first occasion, it was the superb length of his shots that set him apart from the rest on the tour. Djokovic is capable of finding the lines time and time again.
Moreover, his serve is also a strong weapon and when the Serb is on his game, the accuracy of this hit is hardly matched.
As far as the movement is concerned, Novak is equal to both Rafael and Gael Monfils in athletic skills, and certainly surpasses his forerunner, Marat, in this regard. The Serbian in complete flight on a hard surface is a sight to behold.
Marat and Novak faced each other on two occasions on the tour, with the Russian triumphing in both of them, at the Australian Open tennis tournament back in 2005, and in the second round of Wimbledon back in 2008. However, these two clashes mean little with
regard to their overall aptitude.
The Serbian was a mere lad of eighteen in the first match, and he did not perform at his best on his worst court in the next match. The top seeds are at times vulnerable in the initial rounds as they adapt to the new conditions, and this encounter was no
exception.
Roger was nearly a first round casualty at the grass court Grand Slam tournament in 2010. And Hewitt and Boris Becker actually lost at the same stage, failing to defend their major trophies as they fell to lesser opponents.
Had Marat and Novak met on a hard surface from 2007 onwards, the Serbian most probably would have emerged the winner.
Anyhow, both these tennis contenders have given much to the game of tennis along with their tremendous charisma off and on the court as well as marvellous competitive qualities.
However, when combining the eras in which they contested and their overall accomplishments, the Serbian tennis ace Novak comes out on top.
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