Roland Garros men: The Big One

Published by Vivienne Christie

Novak Djokovic in action during his third-round win over Roberta Bautista Agut at the Mutua Madrid Open; Getty Images

Few players have been as impactful as Novak Djokovic, the most dominant world No.1 in recent tennis history. But can the record-breaking champion claim the one major milestone that still eludes him at Roland Garros? VIVIENNE CHRISTIE reports

The concept of a Big Four in men’s tennis has been tenuous for some time now. As Stan Wawrinka entered the Grand Slam winning territory occupied by Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, focus turned to the Big Five; when Murray’s dominance waned as he recovered from back surgery, a Big Three temporarily seemed the more obvious elite. But increasingly, it seems, there is merely the Big One. And even that description at times seems inadequate.

For Djokovic is far from simply the world No.1. With 16,150 points, he luxuriates in his lofty position with almost double the points of closest rival, Murray. Incredibly, the second-ranked Murray and third-ranked Federer could actually combine their points and still not match Djokovic’s tally. And most mind-boggling of all? Djokovic would occupy top spot even without winning the past three Grand Slam events.

“The fact that you can have your name written in the history books of this sport that has given me and everybody so much is a privilege,” the Serb noted after more records toppled with his 28th Masters victory in Miami, nine years after he’d claimed his first upper-tier title there as a 19-year-old in 2007. “So that serves as a great motivation before any big match, any big tournament. And now as I go along in my career and as I achieve so much success, especially the last two years, I give myself more opportunities to actually make records.”

Indeed, unmatched – even unmatchable – milestones are piling up for the 29-year-old, whose $99.67 million career earnings make him the highest tennis earner of all time. A winner of 16 titles and runner-up at five other events, all but two of the 23 events Djokovic contested between January 2015 and May 2016 resulted in final runs.

Practically no challenge – be it on the court or off it – appeared too tough for the most dominant No.1 in recent tennis history. Even a potential public relations bungle was swiftly averted when Djokovic backtracked on comments that initially appeared unsupportive of female players. “I feel very sorry if in anyway I hurt my female colleague tennis players. I have a very good relationship with all of them. I have a huge respect for all of them,” Djokovic stressed after painstakingly clarifying his stance on equal prize money with Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and many current competitors. “When I say about distribution of the wealth and growth of the sport, I don’t make any difference amongst the gender. My beliefs are completely in line with gender equality and equal opportunities. We are all part of the same sport. We all contribute in our own special, unique ways.”

It helps that Djokovic’s contribution has typically been such a good-spirited one. As he surged to his 62nd career title at Indian Wells, the world No.1 showed his sportsmanship in his quarterfinal match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, instructing the chair umpire to award the Frenchman an important point when Djokovic clipped a Tsonga shot that was initially called out.

The Serb was similarly sporting as he endured what may have been the biggest disappointment of his career as runner-up at Roland Garros in 2015. Progressing to the final for the second year running – and the third time in his career – after outclassing nine-time champion Nadal in the quarterfinals and a hard-fought five-set win over Murray in the semis, Djokovic appeared poised to finally claim the one Slam eluding him when he faced surprise finalist Wawrinka. Instead, it was the Swiss who lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires after a fearless display of shotmaking that delivered his second Grand Slam victory and only his second win over Djokovic in 18 matches.

“I probably could have played better in some moments, (been) more aggressive. It wasn’t easy conditions. Still he took his chances whenever they were presented,” Djokovic reasoned. “All I can do is to say, well done. He deserves it.”

Missing-link

The generous response was all the more impressive given the poignant trophy presentation, in which Djokovic was reduced to tears by the rapturous and extended applause of his many Parisian supporters. It followed the standing ovation he’d also received as runner-up in 2014. “I respect the appreciation they show me, and it was more or less the same situation like last year in closing ceremony. This is something that definitely gives me even more motivation to come back and keep on trying,” said Djokovic. “They are truly respectful fans, and I thank them very much for these emotions I felt on the court. Obviously (it) was not easy to stand there as a runner-up again, but I lost to a better player who played some courageous tennis and deserved to win.”

A year on, the one consolation in the repeated “so close” scenario is how much it fuels the Serb’s ambitions. “Each year that I go back, I feel like I’m a step closer,” he noted after claiming his record-equalling sixth Australian Open title in January. “I played three finals. I am very hungry to win there.”

A sense of inevitably accompanies Djokovic’s 12th French Open campaign, his status as favourite enhanced by physical or form challenges his peers have recently experienced: Murray, who provided the biggest test for Djokovic at Roland Garros in 2015, beat him in last week’s Rome final but has nonethless lost 12 of their last 14 matches, including the recent claycourt Masters final in Madrid. Nadal – the winner of six of the seven French Open matches he’s contested against Djokovic – has showed vulnerability before he finally returned to the winner’s circle in Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Federer just days ago announced he would miss the French Open, his first Grand Slam absence since 1999 and the continuation of an injury-plagued year.

But Djokovic also faces some physical demands – many of them created by his remarkable success. With virtually every tournament of the past year and a half reaping a title or final, he’d contested a staggering 117 matches throughout 2015 and 2016 as he entered the claycourt season – and it showed when he suffered a rare opening round loss to Jiri Vesely at Monte Carlo, his earliest exit at an ATP event in three years. Admitting he’d had just two days off since the start of the season, Djokovic conceded he needed a “complete rest”.

With physicality restored, the biggest hurdle for the world No.1 could well be a mental one. An astute observer of the game and it’s history, he’s well aware of the many legends who have claimed all but one Slam in an otherwise perfect collection – his coach, Boris Becker, is among those who missed out at Roland Garros, with former No.1s Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg and Pete Sampras also pipped on Parisian clay.

Still, the one missing major is far from a painful preoccupation for Djokovic, who instead favours a more positive approach. On the eve of the Monte Carlo Masters, he was asked again about his focus on the French Open. “I don’t like the word ‘obsession’ because it doesn’t come from the right emotion,” he pointed out. “Roland Garros is a wish and it is a goal. Honestly I haven’t had any difficulty in my thinking in order to really tell myself that.”

It’s an attitude that highlights Djokovic’s ability to focus on the current moment, mindfulness becoming yet another champion quality as the world No.1 adds more milestones to a breathtaking career. “I believe in the power of the mind, very much so,” Djokovic explained. “If we all trained our minds as much as we are training our muscles and physical body, I think we would achieve and maximise our potential. We don’t know how much we can really achieve until we have this kind of mindset of wanting always to evolve and improve.”

If it’s remarkable that amid so many accolades and achievements, Djokovic is still targeting “improvements”, it’s illuminating that he’s not yet truly satisfied: for the Big One, there’s still a “big one” – and rare history to be made should he at last become champion at the French Open.

This article originally appeared in the May 2016 issue of Australian Tennis Magazine. Subscribe now!

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