Novak Djokovic, it’s a name most people have never heard of, but it’s a name that you should get used to hearing. When he arrived on the tennis scene, no one knew who he was. He had taken the tennis world by storm the minute he stepped onto the court. To be more specific, he has dominated the tennis world for the past five years. One stat to support this is that Djokovic has a 47-3 match record and five titles.
When he entered the showdown between he and Roger Federer, Djokovic had an 8-8 record in grand slam titles. But in some peoples minds, he hadn’t played his best tennis. Since winning three of four majors in 2011, he has reached 10 of 14 possible finals but only won four of them. This left doubt in people’s mind to see if he could overcome the loss in the French Open Final to Steve Wawrinka. On Sunday, Djokovic proved that when he is at his best, he is unstoppable. He silenced his doubters. After his victory against Federer on Sunday, no one will doubt his mental toughness anymore. Even if Djokovic had lost on Sunday, he still would’ve still been ranked number 1.
Who is to say that he can’t be the best ever? The only player that is a worthy rival who stands in his way is Andy Murray who has won two titles, but has only won just eight of 27 meetings against Djokovic. So, the answer is no one.
Djokovic has also performed as well or better than any of the other players behind him: Grigor Dimitrov (five wins, one loss), Kei Nishikori (5-2), Milos Raonic (5-0), and he has yet to lose to U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in 13 attempts. If Djokovic remains injury-free, there’s no way he can’t catch up to the other members of the all time majors list in front of him. Those being Roger Federer (17 major titles), Rafael Nadal (14 major titles), Pete Sampras (14 major titles), Roy Emerson (12 major titles), Rod Laver (11 major titles), Bjorn Borg (11 major titles), and Bill Tilden (10 major titles).
Djokovic could one day be the greatest of all time if he continues to play the way he played on Sunday against Federer. That victory at Wimbledon will only give him momentum going into the next tournament he plays in.
Despite now being ranked the number 1 player in the world, he still has some points to make up in the coming tournaments, including the U.S. Open, where he hasn’t won a single title. If he can win the U.S. Open, then that will only bolster his already impressive resume even more.
One question that had yet to be answered was, can Djokovic handle the pressure of winning big tournaments? The answer as of Sunday is a resounding yes! He showed that the shocking loss to Wawrinka in the French Open was a fluke and he can play well in big tournaments.
