Djokovic serves notice in epic win
Knocking out Nadal in two-day marathon just like old(ish) times
It’s not as if Novak Djokovic plunged off the precipice of tennis a couple of years ago.
That shocking third-round elimination by Sam Querrey.
He still endured through to the U.S. Open final a couple of months later, losing to Sam Wawrinka.
But the 12-time Grand Slam champion did tumble from atop the pinnacle after dominating the sport from 2011 to 2016 — 22 months passing since Flushing Meadows without an appearance in the final of a major.
Elbow surgery earlier this year, a crisis of confidence, plummeting from world No.1 to No. 21, ousted by No. 71 Marco Cecchinato in the French Open quarters a month ago.
Just generally in a slump and a funk.
But that was vintage tennis from the 31-year-old Serb on Saturday, in the resumption of his Wimbledon semifinal against No. 1 Rafael Nadal, a five-set marathon that stretched across five hours and 15 minutes over two days.
Which means not a whole lot of recovery time for Djokovic before his Sunday final with South African Kevin Anderson, who’s seeded eighth to Djokovic’s 12th.
How much will the three-time All England champion have left in the tank, coming off a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (9), 3-6, 10-8 epic with Nadal that pushed each man to feats of ferocious tennis?
An epic contest it was with difficult holds on both sides, each on the ropes, four breaks apiece. At 7-6 in the fifth, they were statistically level, 175 points each in the match, in lockstep break. The Spaniard — all ticks, tugs and twitches — escaped match point 16 games into the final set but fell into an 0-40 hole in the 18th game, exhaustion clearly taking its toll, errant cross-court forehand flying wide and that was it. Djokovic saved all five break points he faced in the fifth set.
“To win against the best player in the world, the longest match I’ve ever played … I’m overwhelmed,” an utterly spent Djokovic said afterwards.
It’s been a long upward climb after he’d enjoyed the view from the top for so long.
“Did I truly believe that I can get back on the level?” Djokovic asked rhetorically, addressing his wayward career these past 22 months. “Yes. I mean, it’s hard for me to play tennis and not believe that I can be the best in what I do. I’ve been fortunate to achieve so much in my career that every time I go to a tournament, I have highest of ambitions. That’s always my mindset.”
They’d faced each other 51 times — a 26-25 edge for Djokovic — more than any other two men in the open era, but not so deep in a Slam since 2014 at Roland Garros. An instant classic this one, a panorama of shot-making and resilience and heroics in the secondlongest semi ever to unfold at SW19.
Said Djokovic of his longtime rival: “He’s probably the greatest fighter ever to play this game.”
The fight had seeped out of Nadal, 32, in the last few minutes of the match. But no regrets.
“Normally I am very critical of myself. But I hit great shots. I missed balls — not too many, but I missed some. When I play with that intensity, that level of passion, sometimes you go over, no?” Yes. “I have not much more inside me. I gave my best, and that’s it.”