Heading into this year’s Wimbledon, the talk was of a Roger Federer v Rafa Nadal final. It would, after all, be fitting, a decade on from the epic the Spaniard won in 2008 in what is classed as one of the best matches of all-time.
And while sport is rarely straightforward, it seemed a fair assumption that the top two players in the world, who had split the past six grand slams between them, would be the last two men standing.
On semi-finals day, that prospect is no longer a reality following Kevin Anderson’s mighty effort on Wednesday when he recorded a five set victory over the defending champion. Nadal, however, is still in the draw having recorded an incredible win himself over Juan Martin del Potro in the last eight.
It is Novak Djokovic though who, despite being a 12-time grand slam champion, has been something of the surprise package of the tournament.
To describe the Serb’s form in recent times as close to dire would not be much of an over-statement, including losing in the quarter-finals at the last grand slam, the French Open, to the almost entirely unknown Italian, Marco Cecchinato, who was ranked 72ndin the world.
This should have been a seismic shock but going on Djokovic’s previous results, it caused little more than a blip on the radar. The former world number one over the past year or so had, it seemed, entirely lost his fight. The steeliness that no one in the sport could penetrate, was gone. The fight that has won him matches that he should surely have lost during his period of dominance from 2010 to 2016 was nowhere to be seen.
His loss of form was a remarkable development for a man who, at one point, held all four grand slams simultaneously, reached 23 out of 24 grand slam semi-finals and looked not just unbeatable but also entirely untouchable.
However, earlier this month, at Queen’s Club, Djokovic began to show glimpses of his old self. A narrow defeat by Marin Cilic in the final was not what would have happened a few years ago but it was a considerable improvement from the form Djokovic had been showing in recent times.
And as Wimbledon has progressed, it appears Djokovic has turned a corner. He cruised through the first week of the tournament and although Kei Nishikori extended him to four sets in the quarter-finals, the Serb ultimately ran out a comfortable winner.
Tennis is better for having a Djokovic who is firing on all cylinders. He has never been as popular as either Federer or Nadal and in fact, at times, was actively disliked by a significant proportion of the tennis-watching public.
Yes, his spate of retirements and his over-dramatic on-court theatrics were tedious at times but at his best, he was an absolute joy to watch. He may not have had the touch of Federer nor the raw power of Nadal but Djokovic’s athleticism was one of the great sights in sport.
And what was so encouraging about Djokovic’s win over Nishikori a couple of days ago was not necessarily the comfortable scoreline but rather, it was the way he was able to go up a gear when he needed to.
That is a weapon only the very best have in their armoury but is one that the Serb had lost entirely during his dip in form.
Djokovic’s slump illustrated perfectly the inextricable connection between the mental and physical aspects of elite sport. Physically, the Serb was quite astonishing but it was his mental impenetrability that made his so unbeatable. He was willing to remain on court for as long as was necessary to grind out a result. He lost that attitude somewhere, some say as a result of personal problems, some say that physically he lost an all-important few percent that can make a world of difference.
But having watched the former world number one over the past few days, my money is on him to take the title on Sunday afternoon. He will have to get past Nadal today but he knows that at his best, he has enough.
And how welcome it will be to have Djokovic back in a major final. As remarkable as Federer and Nadal’s resurgences have been, Djokovic must be given equal credit for pulling himself back from a place that he seemed doomed to end his career in.
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