That's putting it lightly. He has obliterated the competition with such ferocity that he has left the likes of Nadal and Federer in the dust. I am of course speaking of current on-court ability. Not withstanding that epic match he had with Federer in the semis. There's no need for me to regurgitate the accomplishments he has achieved this season but it's absolutely astounding and difficult to appreciate as a whole especially if you haven't been following it match by match, tourney by tourney. He's won just about everything. The only two things he's entered and hasn't won in is the French of course, and he gave away the Cincy title to Murray. More like donated.
That's not to say he's the greatest of all time. Well, depends how you measure that. Do you measure it in terms of the number of Grand Slams he's won in total. That does seem like a very legitimate means of measurement. However that is flawed in it's own ways. There's too many factors to consider. Federer amassed most of his 16 when he was head and shoulders above his competition, in his prime, in his younger days. Also, a good point was made that perhaps he can't be considered the greatest if there's a man out there he can't beat in Rafael Nadal. Rafael Nadal in his own right has 10 Grand Salamis, dominated Federer but now only recently has had that same argument with someone out there he can't at the moment beat.
So to be fair, with respect to guys like Laver, McEnroe, Lendl etc. If we were to literally go back in time and take abduct each of the great players in their prime, have them go out there and play each other in a tournament and everything being equal, I think most of us can agree that Federer, Nadal and Djokovic would be tops, followed very closely by the likes of Sampras and Agassi. It's a different game today. Different equipment. Better racquets, more physically fit people due to sports science and research.
So the question, is Novak Djokovic one of the greatest players of all time? Well i don't think you can discount him given the fact that he's beaten Rafa now 6 times in a row, all in high pressure finals. 10-1 against Federer and Rafa this season. How do you do something like that and not be considered one of the best ever?
I guess the reason I ask, and the reason a lot of Djokovic supporterss ask this question is that he still doesn't seem to be getting the respect he deserves. Fed and Nads fans disrespect him at every turn. He's arrogant, or he's not in the same class, or he doesn't have as many Slams, (...yet). More proof of this comes when he plays, the crowd rarely cheers for him. And if they do, it's usually when he's not playing Federer or Nadal. Proof of course comes from the obvious one-sided crowd support in the last 2 Grand Slam finals he's won where at the moment he recieves the coveted trophies the crowd cheers noticeably louder for the loser, Rafael Nadal.
More proof comes in terms of advertisements for events, where either Nadal or Federer get the larger posters, their images in the forefront of ads, or Novak gets excluded all-together. That's is slowly going away but is still very prevalent. Are people somehow forgetting who the real world number one is? No, they are just disrespectful and choose not to acknowledge the state of tennis today. A man that obliterated Rafael Nadal. 6 straight wins, capped off by winning the US OPEN with a 6-1 4th set. He didn't just win ok? He made everyone's hero, the tennis machine, the Spanish Bull, Tennis' coverboy, tap-out in martial arts terms.
The best thing about this is Novak's personality which has been described by his detractors as cocky. He's a confident man, fun loving, good spirited, has a great sense of humour, and isn't afraid to promote himself. Tennis needs this man. He's not just promoting himself every time he's doing the Today Show or the Conan O'brien Show. He's promoting Tennis as a sport. In contrast, the likes of Nadal, and to a greater extent Federer are boring in personality. That's not their fault. I'm not saying that at all. But it's a breath of fresh air to see someone with some fire and some real exciting personality at the pinnacle of professional tennis. He loves the cameras, he loves twitter, facebook, doing interviews with major television shows. He's not shy to voice his opinion. He's giving tennis the boost it needs in the greater sports market. Drawing much needed attention to it and making people sit up and listen. Hey, there's this sport out there that phenomenal, and it's not boring, it's in fact extremely exciting. But just as importantly, at the same time he's respectful to his fellow players.
Novak could have easily returned some spiteful comments towards Federer after that semis match where Federer commented on Novak's upbringing, his lucky shot and such. Not to mention his condescending, obviously arrogant finger wag after the semis at Roland Garros. But Nole took the high route. Kept things politically correct I am guessing out of respect for Federer. Really now, in all honesty who is the more cocky and arrogant one? Especially in this situation. To his credit, lets not blow that out of proportion. It's not like Federer called him a blatantly derogatory name. My point is, from what we've seen so far from his comments, Novak Djokovic has been very professional when asked about the likes of Federer and Nadal. He's been a classy champion. So why then is he cocky? Cause he beats his chest sometimes on the court, yells out at his players box in excitement after succeeding on the court? How is this different that Nadal's "come on!!" or "Vamos!!" or his knee up, fist pump that he does? I don't see a difference. I also have no problems with it.
Go ahead, celebrate. Get excited. Anyone who does this, any player not just the top guys. You hit an amazing shot, or break a person 4 times in a row. Hoot and hollar, bring some excitement to this game. This isn't golf where everything is drowned out in a layers upon layers of manners and etiquette. We're not at church or a place of holy worship. This isn't a funeral. Sure you should keep quiet between points for obvious concentration reasons. But damn it, this is an exciting sport. Do what you feel.
So he's won non stop. And every time he plays he shows his spectacular skills. I can't wait to see what Novak Djokovic is going to do next. He's entertaining the heck out of me and I think the rest of the world is finally starting to take notice. About time, he's only won 64 matches this season... and it's not even over yet. What else does he have to do to earn your respect?
