Sea Change in Men's Tennis...
Last week in Montreal, it was the first time that Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were both entered in the same tournament, but neither reached the quarters. There is no question that there has been a “sea change” in men’s tennis the past six months since Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal in back-to-back finals at the BNP Paribas Open and
Sony Ericsson Open. Djokovic followed that up with two victories over Nadal on clay courts and then a fifth straight win over Rafa in the Wimbledon final. Clearly, Nadal and Federer are still threats at every Slam, but for the moment they are no longer the “favorite”, which is a major shift from the past nine years.
What is surprising in a way is that what started Novak Djokovic’s incredible run of victories was his efforts to help Serbia capture the Davis Cup last December. Djokovic, who has been Number Three behind Federer and Nadal for the past few years, had started to play better at this time a year ago. Nonetheless, it was Novak’s Davis Cup win which propelled him to the top of the rankings. At the time, last December, many worried that after playing so much tennis into December and barely having an “off-season” at the end of 2010, that Djokovic would enter 2011 weary, which would negatively affect his results. Instead, Djokovic developed a confidence and self-belief from the Davis Cup win, which he has carried throughout 2011. If Djokovic wins the 2011 U.S. Open title, his season will go down as not only one of the best in tennis history, but also one of the best in sports history.
What is surprising in a way is that what started Novak Djokovic’s incredible run of victories was his efforts to help Serbia capture the Davis Cup last December. Djokovic, who has been Number Three behind Federer and Nadal for the past few years, had started to play better at this time a year ago. Nonetheless, it was Novak’s Davis Cup win which propelled him to the top of the rankings. At the time, last December, many worried that after playing so much tennis into December and barely having an “off-season” at the end of 2010, that Djokovic would enter 2011 weary, which would negatively affect his results. Instead, Djokovic developed a confidence and self-belief from the Davis Cup win, which he has carried throughout 2011. If Djokovic wins the 2011 U.S. Open title, his season will go down as not only one of the best in tennis history, but also one of the best in sports history.
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