Djokovic keeps cool to win his first major
by Matthew Cronin, tennisreporters.net
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Guess someone forgot to tell 20-year-old Novak Djokovic of those plans.
In a clear statement that he's ready to rumble with the world elite, the strong and sturdy all-courter pummeled the pumped-up young Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2) in the final.
Djokovic becomes the first Serbian male to win a Grand Slam title and his camp sent out notice that Federer, whom he bested in straight sets in the semifinals, better beware.
"As you say, the king is dead. Long live the (new) king," Djokovic's mother, Dijana, told FOXSports.com.
While that coronation is certainly premature, Djokovic did display a sterling brand of inventive tennis during the fortnight. It's almost impossible to find a weakness in his game, and while he doesn't sport the most colorful style out there, he is relentless, technically sound in every area and, as he showed for the first time at a major, he's willing to hit out when necessary.
Last year, in the U.S. Open final against 12-time Grand Slam champion Federer, he failed to take care of seven set points and let the match slip away when crunch time came. But this time — both against Federer in the semis and against Tsonga in the final — when it was time for Djokovic to shut the door, he clicked it in.
"I knew he could do it," Dijana said. "He was so mentally strong. At the U.S. Open, when he played Federer, he was playing the king. He's only 20 (years old playing) in front of 23,000 people. He was shaky and didn't take the many opportunities he had. But when that was over, my husband told him, 'you'll never lose to Federer again if you get more mature.'"
Djokovic needed that maturity in the final against Tsonga, who came out roaring, leaping all over the court, bombing in 130-mph flat serves, taking huge cuts at his forehands and hammering overheads. The Muhammad Ali look-a-like yelled, fist-pumped and had the sold-out crowd standing up and screaming in his favor.
When he won the set with a topspin lob winner off a fine, deep forehand volley from the Serb, he bent his knees, went into windmill first pump and the arena exploded in cheers.
But Djokovic began to steal a little of Ali's strategy from his Rumble in the Jungle against George Foreman and went into a rope-a-dope routine on Tsonga, keeping his arms up to protect himself from huge knock-out blows and flurrying whenever his foe let his guard down. Tsonga threw haymakers, but Djokovic kept moving and sticking and finally broke the 22-year-old Frenchman when he forced him into a forehand error to make it 4-3.
Djokovic then opened his wide mouth and screamed at his Serbian supporters, knowing full well that he had clawed his way back into the match. He coolly closed the set at love, as Tsonga was unable to get one of Djokovic's well-placed serves back into play.
"He didn't show Tsonga that he was down. He (kept) fighting," said his coach, Marian Vajda. "He stayed with him and battled like a champion."
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| Djokovic had great support from his family, even if the crowd was pulling for Tsonga. (Rick Stevens / Associated Press) |
As strong as the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is, Tsonga looked visibly worn down in the third set, perhaps more mentally than physically as the enormity of the occasion sunk in. He had never won a title of any kind before, and although he has tremendous ambition and certainly enough game to become a top-five player, rookie Slam finalists don't win often, nor is it common to see an unseeded man win his first title at a major (Brazilian Gustavo Kuerten was the last guy to do it at the 1997 French Open).
Djokovic began to take Tsonga's offensive plans away from him by playing standout defense and counter-punching, especailly from his lethal backhand side. Like he did in his upset against Federer, Djokovic served extremely well when he needed to. Once Tsonga lost some steam in his legs, he also lost pop on his groundstrokes and was unable to successfully transition to net. Djokovic broke him twice to win the third set, although it took an enormous effort from the Serbian to close it out as he needed seven set points to finally close it out. On the last point, he rifled a backhand passing shot that Tsonga couldn't scoop over the net.
But just when it looked like Big Jo was bloodied and beaten, the Djoker seemed to injure his left leg — it appeared to be a cramp in the hamstring area — and received treatment after the fifth game. Yet despite limping around for a few games, the 20-year-old maintained control of the match, as he dominated rallies on his own service games and played far less predictable shots than Tsonga.
The crowd tried to urge Tsonga into a fifth set, and it nearly worked. But holding the only break point of the set at 5-5, Tsonga couldn't land a blow as Djokovic rushed the net and knocked off a pretty backhand volley crosscourt winner.
"It's mental preparation," Djokovic said. "Mental strength played a big part in this match. especially in this match. It's a Grand Slam final and you're coming to the match aware of the fact that you're in the finals. And then you get nervous a little bit. Sometimes in important moments you don't play the way you would like to play. The difference is if you stay focused in the end."
Djokovic held serve to go up 6-5, watched Tsonga do the same, and in the tiebreaker it was the man who has reached the semifinals of the last four Grand Slams who held his nerves. Tsonga rushed the first two points and committed two crucial errors, which put the Serbian in the driver's seat. Serving at 5-2 to close out the match, there would be no deep freeze like at the last year's U.S. Open final, when he didn't believe he had the guts to stop the great Swiss.
At 5-2, Djokovic strung out his big foe and forced him to miss an impossible forehand pass down the line. On match point, like Foreman once did against Ali in Zaire, Tsonga wildly swung his right arm in a last gasp attempt at a KO and watched the ball fall way.
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| Djokovic laid a big wet one on the blue court in Melbourne after his first Grand Slam title. (Rick Stevens / Associated Press) |
Djokovic kneeled down, kissed the deep blue court and his first Grand Slam title was sealed. For a kid who had to learn to play in war-torn Serbia, it was an incredible achievement.
"I always believed," Djokovic said. "I didn't want to think in a negative way. I always had a big support, especially from my parents, my father. I think he always believed more in me than I did in myself. With the way I was playing throughout all the junior years and junior events, I think I earned enough confidence and motivation to be a professional tennis player and to be a Grand Slam champion. For (some), it was not realistic because Serbia doesn't have such a big tennis tradition. Considering all these bad times we had, in the time when I grew up and practicing there, it was basically impossible if you look in it that way, but I always believed."
After Djokovic fell to Federer in New York, he deflated in the fall, exhausted and burnt out. Vajda made sure that he had a mentally relaxing December, but not at the expense of hitting the practice courts to work out the kinks. Once Djokovic arrived in Melbourne, he was fresh and hungry.
"I was doubting he would be ready, but he took it very seriously and he likes it here," said Vajda. "Plus, he learns so fast and that ability makes him a champion."
While the third-ranked Djokovoic's run was incredibly impressive, it's difficult to tell whether he will be able to back his run week in and week out. He's still young and has been prone to getting worn down.
By while Vajda wouldn't predict a year-end No. 1 ranking, he said it's clear that Djokovic is ready to stand up to Federer and Nadal.
"He's the one," Vajda said.
Dijana, ever the doting mother, was ready to take it a step further.
"This is the moment we've been waiting for," Dijana said. "This is the first of many Grand Slams. You need to remember that."
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