Djokovic targets Federer’s benchmark
Novak Djokovic has been the dominant force in men’s tennis for the best part of a decade. Yet after coming from behind to secure his eighth Australian Open title, Djokovic revealed that he is planning to scale his tennis commitments back at the end of the 2021 season.
With 17 major titles to his name, Djokovic told Australian host broadcasters Channel 9 that he was keen to break Roger Federer’s record of 20 in the next two years, and then switch to a more family-friendly schedule.
The Serbian has a son Stefan, aged five, and daughter Tara, two, and does not want to leave them behind for large parts of the year.
‘‘I guess they are coming to an age where I really want to spend time with them, be the best possible father I can be, and not be on the road all the time,’’ said Djokovic.
‘‘I have to probably play less and select certain tournaments where I want to be in my prime and not travel the whole year.
‘‘It is my ambition to win as many of the grand slam titles as I can,’’ Djokovic added. ‘‘It’s professionally what matters most to me.
‘‘I would definitely want to play for many more years. But I think in order to have a chance for the historic No 1, I am going to try to do everything possible this season and next season maximum.
‘‘That is what I can devote in terms of time and energy towards accomplishing that goal.’’
By completing his 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 victory over Dominic Thiem on Sunday, Djokovic moved back to the top of the rankings for the fifth time, replacing Rafael Nadal.
He will thus begin adding to his tally of 275 weeks as world No 1.
Should he remain there, he is set to overtake Federer’s record of 310 weeks on October 5. This is what he means by ‘‘the historic No 1’’ – a distinction that he will need to seal in the next two seasons if he plans to play fewer events thereafter.
Yet even if Djokovic does become an occasional visitor to the tour from 2022 (the year when he will turn 35 in May), that is unlikely to disqualify him from winning majors. In the past three years, Federer has proven that a player of supreme mastery can show up and beat the best even without a body of work behind him.
But let us return to Djokovic’s latest triumph, which he claimed despite a serious power fade in the second and third sets.
This was another dramatic night on Rod Laver Arena, the third time in four years that the men’s final has gone to a decider. The statistics would suggest that it was not a classic, as the scorers counted more unforced errors than winners from both players.
But there were some fine passages of play, particularly in the fourth set, which was the only time when both men found peak form simultaneously.
If Thiem had been tentative in the first set, perhaps needing a few games to adapt to the cool and gusty conditions, then Djokovic found his control ebbing away late in the second.
Umpire Damien Dumusois called him for successive time violations, prompting Djokovic to slap Dumusois’ shoes angrily on his way past the chair and exclaim sarcastically: ‘‘Great job, especially on the second one. You make yourself famous. Mission
accomplished.’’
At around the same time, Djokovic was reporting dizziness and lethargy. ‘‘It was very strange,’’ he said.
‘‘My energy completely collapsed. Every time I would toss a ball I would feel dizzy.
‘‘I tried to drink as much as I could. I was lucky. From 2-2 in the fourth I started feeling better.
‘‘The doctor said as we walked off court [after the second set] that I had maybe a few conditions, that I was dehydrated. But there was definitely an emotional aspect to all of this. I was nervous, stressing out about everything around me.
‘‘I couldn’t believe what was happening. There was a point when I said to myself, ‘I just have to accept it’.’’
The fourth game of the fourth set was crucial as Thiem held a break point that would probably have placed him on the road to victory. Djokovic played it courageously, spearing a fine serve into his opponent’s backhand and dashing to the net, whereupon he struck two pinpoint volleys to save the danger.
He was never really under threat again. Thiem had used up far more fuel on the way to this final, having faced Nadal and Alexander Zverev while Djokovic eased past Milos Raonic and an injured Federer.
You had to feel for Thiem – the strong-armed and deep-chested Austrian – who has spent the past three years playing a game of grandmother’s footsteps as he tries to sneak up on his first grand slam title.
‘‘I just feel a lot of emptiness right now,’’ he said. ‘‘I know the feeling. I did after the last two [major finals he lost to Nadal] in Paris. But already I feel little bit of motivation to come back for the next grand slam.
‘‘It’s unique in sports history that the three best players by far are playing in the same era.
‘‘That’s what makes it very, very difficult for other players to break through.
‘‘You have to beat at least two of them to win a big title. Almost all players failed to do that. That’s what makes it so tough.’’