Djokovic, why did it all go so right?

As I'm sure you know, Novak Djokovic has had one of the best years in men's open era tennis, if not the very best (other nominees for this award would be Roger Federer and John McEnroe). This year has seen him win five Masters 1000 titles, regain the Australian Open and conquer Wimbledon and the US Open both for the first time. In contrast, last year Djokovic did not even get to a final of a Masters 1000 tournament – in fact, his only tournament victories were in Dubai and Beijing. So, what was it that caused this sudden turnaround in his results?

Apart from reaching the final of the US Open – ultimately to lose to Rafael Nadal in four sets despite playing exceptionally for the first two sets – Djokovic’s most notable achievement was winning the highly entertaining final of the Davis Cup with Serbia against France. Maybe somewhat surprisingly, winning the Davis Cup has been the stimulus to greatly improved form in the past; the most recent example being Fernando Verdasco who won the Davis Cup at the end of 2008 with Spain and went on to break into the top ten with a semifinal run at the Australian Open about two months later, eventually to lose to Nadal in an epic five-setter that I’m sure we’ll all remember for a long time to come. But what is behind the correlation between Davis Cup victory and improved form?

By no means am I saying the Davis Cup was the sole reason for Djokovic’s improved performance but I think it was a definite contributor. What is clear is that Djokovic has displayed superior mental toughness this year, whereas in the past his temperament has been questionable. Consequently I suggest that performing and winning under huge pressure in the final of the Davis Cup possibly gave him the immense confidence that he has displayed this year. Or maybe achieving for his country gave him the focus and desire to want to achieve even more. Whatever it was, it certainly worked.

Last year at Wimbledon I was able to watch Djokovic hit at the practice courts and a substantial part of his session was playing football tennis with his team in a very laid back fashion (see video below). I don’t think this would be the case anymore. This year has seen him become the best mover on the court, a title that formerly belonged to Rafael Nadal, and this must be down to more work and hours spent on fitness and of course his famous gluten-free diet. Maybe his increased focus and motivation led him to doing this.

Without doubt he is the deserving World Number One, the way he has pulled Nadal apart this year has been astonishing, and to pull out another amazing win against Roger Federer in the semifinals of the US Open is quite astounding. If someone had offered me a bet that Djokovic would save match points and beat Federer in two consecutive US Open semifinals, I wouldn’t have hesitated to bet against it. But the question is, how long can he sustain this exceptional form? How many more slams will he win? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the dominant force for the next couple of years. Tweet