Analysis: Novak Djokovic clearly failed to dominate tennis

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) Novak Djokovic has clearly not been able to master his sport.

He says so.

His coach says so.

And most importantly, his performance through the exhausting run a record 10th Australian Open title and a record 22nd Grand Slam title, and his return on Monday to the number one spot in the ATP rankings.

His message Sunday night was basically: Watch out.

I still have a lot of motivation. Let’s see how far it goes. I really don’t want to stop here. I have no intention of stopping here, the 35-year-old Djokovic said after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas, a man more than a decade younger, 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the final at Melbourne Park. I feel good about my tennis. I know that when I feel good physically (and) mentally, I have a chance to win any Slam against anyone.

Hard to say.

In addition to the fact that no man has won more major prizes (Rafael Nadal is also 22; Margaret Court, 24, and Serena Williams, 23, are the only players in history with more), but Djokovic just keeps putting pressure on his opponents regardless of the surface or any obvious obstacles in the way.

He returned to Australia a little scared, unsure of what kind of reception awaited a year after he was deported for not being vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, and everything was fine. He overcame a sore left hamstring and was fine, dropping one set en route to the title. He was plagued by unusual circumstances that kept his father who had last attended the Australian Open 15 years ago from Rod Laver Arena in Djokovic’s semis and finals, and was fine.

Well, I was able to bottle it all up anyway until the last point was played. That’s when Djokovic broke down emotionally, as he put it, sobbing in the stadium.

It took a really huge amount of mental energy to stay present, stay focused, take things one day at a time, he said, wearing a white zip-up jacket with 22 printed on the chest, and really see how far I can go.

His punches are as clean as can be. Also his athleticism. His determination? Off the charts.

Novak is a player who pushes you to your limits, as Tsitsipas explained.

He would know. He has lost 10 straight matches to Djokovic, two in Grand Slam finals.

I don’t see this as a curse. I don’t see this as somehow annoying, Tsitsipas continued. This is very good for the sport to have competitors like him, champions like him.

The GOAT Debate The Greatest of All Time has consumed tennis fans for years comparing Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer. Certainly an OK board game, although silly for its merits. All three, needless to say, are great.

Federer, 41, is retired. Nadal, 37, left Melbourne in June with a left hip flexor injury. Djokovic, 36 in May, continues.

How long still?

Definitely two, three more years, said Goran Ivanisevic, the 2001 Wimbledon champion who has coached Djokovic since 2019. The way he takes care of his body, the way he (approaches) everything, the food, it’s amazing.

Djokovic won’t be held back by what he has left. And neither should he. Like Federer, like Nadal, like Williams, he can play as long as he wants.

Let’s just say Djokovic is not happy with what he did.

I don’t know how many more years I’m going to play or how many Slams I’m going to play. It depends on different things. It doesn’t just depend on my body, the father of two said, noting that the right balance with family life is also important to him.

Djokovic won 10 of the last 19 majors. Nadal has half a dozen of them, and no one has collected more after turning 30. There are youngsters to keep at bay, the main one being Carlos Alcaraz, who won the US Open and went up. 1 in September at 19, but missed the Australian Open with a foot injury.

Djokovic wasn’t at Flushing Meadows for the same reason he wasn’t at Melbourne Park last year, and the US, unlike Australia, still doesn’t accept unvaccinated foreigners.

But before that, Djokovic is sure to be the favorite at Roland Garros if Nadal is not healthy and at Wimbledon, which he has already won seven times.

Physically, I can keep myself in shape. Of course, 35 is not 25, although I like to think it is, Djokovic said. But I still feel like I have time ahead of me. We’ll see how far I get.

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Howard Fendrich has been an AP tennis writer since 2002. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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