A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

Novak Djokovic winning a historic 10th Australian Open title and equalling Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam tally at 22 has stirred the debate on who is the greatest in modern tennis. No doubt, the way the Serbian fought in a tough fortnight at the season’s first Grand Slam in Melbourne was reminiscent of how soldiers fight till the last minute.

The big difference, here, is that Djokovic had a huge tear in his left hamstring but he still continued to play. It was fraught with risk and, at the same time, also showed, once again, how eager he was to win this title. In 2022, Djokovic had been humiliated by Australia when he was deported. On his return in 2023, the numero uno was craving to go full tilt Down Under.

Damn, that injury was a bother, even though people mocked it. The talk was about how someone who was injured could still play and win matches. That Djokovic won seven matches was proof he wanted to show the world how much he loves tennis. As his coach, crazy in his own playing days, Goran Ivanišević said, ‘only a crazy guy would do it’.

Through sheer effort, withstanding pain, and soldiering on, Djokovic showed through the fortnight a hunger to win the big title. He has spoken repeatedly at press conferences in Australia, he knows each day he plays is a bonus and each Major he competes in is so important. We thought he was inert to emotions. The way he exploded into tears after the final, when he beat Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, was a reflection of how much he had bottled up all his emotions.

The tennis world saw the Big Three — Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer — cry at the Laver Cup last year when the Swiss Master announced his retirement. It was strange how three people, perceived as rivals on the court, actually could console each other. The same thing happened in 2023, with Djokovic opening up in tears. Images of the champion hugging his mom and getting emotional are fresh in my memory.

It is well known that records are meant to be broken. If at one stage, Federer was the greatest, the narrative changed when Nadal started inching ahead. He won two big ones — Australian Open and the French Open — in 2022. The injuries he sustained in 2022 were sad. The same thing returned to haunt him in 2023 when he suffered a hip injury in Melbourne. The Spaniard is out for almost six to seven weeks. Critics have already written him off as if an injury is new to him. What people are forgetting is that he has dealt with toe issues, needing nerve blocker shots for years, an abdominal muscle tear in 2022 and now a hip injury. The body has undergone wear and tear. At 35 plus, he is not getting younger. Yet, to think Nadal is history will be immature.

What the big three have brought to tennis is sheer joy. It was very much like the FIFA World Cup when people said Lionel Messi is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) as he won Argentina the World Cup. Does it take away credit from CR7 — Cristiano Ronaldo — now playing in Saudi Arabia? Or, does one rubbish Kylian Mbappe, who is touted as the next big thing, knowing very well the Frenchman has already won a World Cup?

Back to Djokovic, he has slogged on fitness. The laudatory interview with Goran Ivanisevic revealed how much his ward has grown and got crazier! Yet, few would have known that Djokovic was playing with an injury of serious nature which has been confirmed now by Craig Tiley of Tennis Australia and the Australian Open tournament director. As Ivanisevic had said, after the MRI report came, any other player would have thrown the towel and walked away. No, not Djokovic. The good part is that the Serbian, 35, realises each Grand Slam he is playing is a plus. And that’s why, eventually, he may go on to win many more Majors and emerge as the greatest, for the sheer number of titles won!

Enjoy Djokovic, for the joy he gives to fans. He has shown great skills, and a lethal serve, despite injury at the AO and how he can tear the hell out of the tennis ball. Watching him in Melbourne was a study in perfection. In the final, there was pressure on the champion but how he handled it was even more poetic. Djokovic showed that to win a big match you need a big game and mental strength. Half the matches are won in the head when it comes to pressure and handling the big stage.

To be sure, Melbourne fans were nasty to Djokovic, leering and jeering him. There were chair umpire gaffes as well when he was being restricted to take a toilet break! Imagine, after his title triumph, at 3 am, he was woken up for a dope test by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). All this goes to show Novak Djokovic does not get to lead a normal life. He is a soft guy; he loves his family and kids. His

dad Srdjan was also involved in muckraking by the Aussies and Western media, as they said he is pro-Russia and -Vladimir Putin. How the man called Novak from Serbia, who has attained such a huge stature, handled it all is a case study in itself.

People forgot that Serbia and Croatia have seen war and Djokovic has seen bad days as well when he had to stand in a line for milk and bread. He has never spoken about all this before. So, winning the record 22nd Grand Slam title has made him more of an extrovert. Will his rivalry with Nadal continue, for some fans want just that?

One cannot predict anything in sports. That is the beauty of sports, where the underdog can spring a surprise on any day. It is not as if Djokovic has never lost a match. Then again, people thought the Young Turks would come out firing and ruin the plans of the favourites like Djokovic and Nadal. One hopes people realise there is a special place which each champion has in the heart of fans. By making comparisons, it gets crazy.

There will be rivalry, there will be fitness issues and there will be some wins and some losses. To think Djokovic will win three more Grand Slams this year is unrealistic. There is a lot to suggest he will be allowed to play the US Open this September even though he is still unvaccinated. The USA planning to do away with mandatory vaccines from May 11 is the latest news. That’s a great update, as the Serbian star has the game to charm on the hard courts of New York.

What is most important for the world of tennis is to deal with the sport in a fair manner. What Australia did last year by revoking Djokovic’s visa was bizarre. What Wimbledon did by banning Russians, Ukraine and Belarus players was worse. Imagine, this year’s ladies’ singles winner at the AO, Aryna Sabalenka had to miss the 2022 Wimbledon.

Sports and wars have to be segregated. Players cannot be penalised. Similarly, no ranking points being given to Wimbledon last year was also wrong. One hopes in 2023, tennis will have fewer scandals and controversies. It is important, as sports cannot be allowed to suffer. Agreed, Djokovic not taking

the Covid vaccine still sends the wrong signal. The world has dealt with a crisis of crazy proportions. Everyone cannot be as fit as the Serbian and everyone is not as brave as him.

He has emerged as a hero against all odds. As it is, there is a big debate on whether Russians and players from Ukraine should play in 2024 at the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag. That is for the IOC — International Olympic Committee — to decide. Djokovic’s emergence as a star at par with Nadal needs to be celebrated. All the leading lights have wished him for achieving a big milestone. He could go on and win many more Majors and stay fit till 2025. Sounds so easy, on paper. How about a gold medal from Novak Djokovic at the Paris Olympics? That would be great, indeed. For a man who enjoys an exalted status in the sport, his stature is that of the Greatest. But do not drag in other players and make them out to be minnows. Enjoy tennis without creating rivalries. In fact, for all sports.

It’s ‘love all’.