Djokovic Wins Wimbledon & Will Move Up in Rankings

Photo courtesy of Marianne Bevis's Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mariannebevis/5972100998/in/photolist-a6JzyA-csctLm-cscsEm-csctrw-csct17-f4CWUn-nWz24z-a6Jzhy-a6JzGq-a6JyPu-a6FHJc-9ZEUDd-ohz8qG-ox2Nmj-bPFs5a-5uzT4n-a6FHgX-f52W2j-2KSf8f-f4MHoM-cJrFYL-cJrGqo-f4MDDe-a3t6Ga-cscu3h-f4MESB-f4MJya-bALMj9-a3vX3q-bALMws-a3t6Sv-bPFshK-cJrFKY-nnjmG7-a3t6yv-cJrGd9-vUQeNJ-f4MCVT-cJrFxj-a3vXjs-np5my3-nnjiL7-npmV3n-npmS96-nr8qnZ-bPFr3t-bPFqaF-bPFsDg-f52X2j-bALPWo

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Here were a couple of pictures from the sports section of the newspapers that I got on Monday, the day after France won the World Cup. Still so distracted by the World Cup (despite it being over), that I am only getting around to writing about Djokovic's Wimbledon win now, more than a week after it actually happened!

This was one of the stories that I missed while focusing so much (almost exclusively, admittedly) on the World Cup. 

Serbian tennis superstar Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players in history, finally won another Grand Slam after struggling, mostly with injuries, during the past two years. He won the French Open title in 2016, which allowed him to reach the height of his powers. That triumph completed a rare career Grand Slam for him, allowing him to join the company of his biggest rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, not to mention his eventual (and now former) coach, Andre Agassi.

Of course, Djokovic was already one of the most accomplished and decorated tennis players in history, but that win put him in truly elite territory among men. Already considered one of the "Big Four" to dominate tennis in the pasrt decade and a half (the others being Federer, Nadal, and Murray). It gave him the career Grand Slam, and was his 12th Grand Slam title overall. It also earned him the distinction as the only man to hold all four Grand Slam titles at once in roughly half a century, and the first to do so on three different surfaces. Not even Federer or Nadal can claim that. Djokovic can also boast some other accomplishments that those other two cannot. He is the only man who I know of to have beaten Nadal more often than he himself was beaten, and many of those were in very important matches, which is something that Federer cannot boast on the same level. Nadal actually has a winning record against Djokovic in Grand Slam meetings, although a huge chunk of those came before 2011, when Djokovic arguably finally reached his peak and, for a while, dominated the men's tennis world. Djokovic and Nadal have met 52 times - more than any other two men's players in the open era's history. The two met in four consecutive Grand Slam finals - something no other two men ever achieved. Djokovic won three straight, winning the finals at Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and the Australian Open. Nadal snapped this streak with a win at the French Open. Yet, Djokovic did manage to defeat Nadal at Roland Garros, which is something that Federer cannot claim to have done. 

Still, it had been two years where Djokovic knew struggles and frustration more than glorious Grand Slam championships. His ranking took a nose dive while he could not get past injuries and other issues. Somehow, though, you just kind of sensed that, like with Federer and Nadal, he was eventually going to get back to being on top, to winning Grand Slams once again.

Well, to be sure, it took a while. Specifically, it took two years to get another opportunity. And it also took a grueling five-set win against his biggest rival, Nadal, in the semifinal round, to qualify for the Wimbledon final - his first Grand Slam final in nearly two years!

He met South African Kevin Anderson, who had qualified for his first ever Grand Slam final in September at the U.S. Open, but lost to Nadal, who would go on to clinch the number one ranking for the year. But Anderson had another remarkable tournament this year. Like with Djokovic, he too had a grueling semifinal match, defeated John Isner eventually after six long hours, to qualify for his second Grand Slam final in less than a year. Granted, he had survived a physically exhausting match, but since it was the early match, it meant that he got a full day off on Saturday, something that the winner of the Djokovic-Nadal final would not enjoy, since the six hour length of that first match, mixed with how long their own match was starting to be (it ended on Friday with Djokovic leading, 2 sets to 1), the long match would stretch on to Saturday.

Indeed, it went on for quite a while on Saturday, to boot. It, too, was one of the longest matches in Wimbledon history, and when it was over, Djokovic had survived, and had a chance to capture his first Grand Slam title in nearly two years. Most of the experts, however, suggested that Djokovic would have to win it quickly, if he was going to win it. He would not be in any shape to last for another full five sets.

If that was the case, then perhaps Djokovic knew it, too, because he jumped all over Anderson early, breaking him right away, and breaking him again shortly thereafter, not allowing Anderson the time to catch his breath or pick himself up and dust himself off. Before you knew it, Djokovic had taken the first set, 6-2.

The second set felt almost like a replay of the first. Djokovic jumped out early and never let up, never let Anderson back in it. Another quick 6-2 set, and suddenly, Anderson found himself down two sets to none. Not exactly the kind of position you want to be against any professional tennis player, but especially not Djokovic. 

Anderson was much tougher in the third set, but Djokovic, too, held fast. Neither man could manage a decisive advantage over the other, and so at 6-6, it went to a tiebreak. There, rather predictably, the more experienced, seasoned, and obviously still hungry Djokovic once again jumped on his opportunities, and the tall South African found himself hopellessly down and, eventually, out. Djokovic took the tiebreak, 7-3, and thus took the match and the championship, 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (7-3). 

Now, Djokovic has his 13th ever career Grand Slam title. He moves now to fourth overall on the men's side, historically, behind only Federer (20), Nadal (17), and only trailing the third man on that list, Sampras, by one, as Sampras has a total of 14 Grand Slam wins to his name. 

Perhaps there are some people who doubt whether Djokovic will at least equal, and likely even surpass, Sampras, so that the three most decorated men's tennis players in history will have played together at the same time. But that is not my opinion, because indeed, I am more convinced than ever before that these three men - Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic - are the three greatest men's tennis players in history, and should be remembered together. With this latest victory, these three men have won a total of 50 Grand Slam titles!

Unbelievable!

And it is nice to see Djokovic back on top again, doing what he does best. 

Let's face it - with the year end world's number one ranking still up for grabs, Djokovic's Wimbledon triumph adds considerable spice, as he once again sneaks up to among the vey elite players, not surprisingly topped by names who are only too familiar for Djokovic - Federer and Nadal. I would not bet against one of those men adding still more credentials for himself by capturing the year end number one by season's end.