Novak Djokovic's victory sets him up for big season
MELBOURNE, Australia – Unwell and out of sorts, Novak Djokovic pushed through a spell of physical "crisis" on Sunday night against Andy Murray, an eighth Grand Slam soon his.
The kind of brutal, bruising tennis that Djokovic and Murray play is what has transitioned this sport into a boxing contest of sorts, where the rounds are unlimited and the bell only rings upon the chair umpire's cry of, "Game, set, match."
What Djokovic has done here at the Australian Open over the last eight years is nothing short of historic:
He's won five titles, four of them in the last half decade, and with his win at Melbourne Park Sunday joins the likes of Andre Agassi (another champion with a stronghold on this tournament), Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors with eight majors, into a tie for eighth on the all-time list in the Open Era.
"I think it has deeper meaning, more intrinsic value now to my life because I'm a father and a husband," said the 27-year-old Serbian, whose wife Jelena gave birth to their son Stefan in October. "It's the first Grand Slam title I won as a father and a husband. (I) just feel very, very proud of it."
Fearsome foursome
Back in the driver's seat as the 2015 tennis calendar unfolds, Djokovic on Monday will top the rankings for a 29th consecutive week, joined close behind by a cast of characters well known to tennis and greater sporting fans: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Murray.
Nearly two years after tennis' "big four" was indeed its top four, the game's biggest stars are again atop the leaderboard, seemingly shrugging off a charge of young – and likewise inspired contemporaries – players that saw 2014 echoed as a season of change.
Two Grand Slam champions last year were first-time winners, something that hasn't happened in men's tennis since 2003.
But Djokovic, flanked by the other most successful men in this generation, is setting the course for a year in which they could indeed rule again.
"They're making progress," ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert said on air of tennis' next crop of stars. "But I think the 'big four' is going to get all four of the majors this year."
"Generation next" – for the time being – is generation stalled.
Shades of '11
Four years ago Djokovic started his season much the same: He beat Murray in the final of the Australian Open and then went on to have one of the greatest seasons of all time, capturing three Grand Slams and running up a 70-6 match record, winning 10 titles – more than any other year in his career.
Four years older, a father and a husband, Djokovic hopes that this win is a harbinger for a season similar. Hanging in the balance: That stingy major in Paris, the backyard of Nadal, a winner there nine times.
Capture it, and Djokovic has the career Grand Slam.
"Don't ask me this here, please," said Djokovic, smiling with a glass of champagne near him. Roland Garros is not on his mind now, he says. Instead, he's basking in the now, but that doesn't mean he believes he can't win there – eventually.
"For a reason I've been playing so well here and winning five titles, and for a reason I haven't won French Open yet," Djokovic reasons. "I'll keep pushing and keep working and keep believing I can make it, at least once, until my career ends."
Master of the dark arts?
Regardless of when or how Djokovic's career ends, his win here will always have a small asterisk next to it: That physical "crisis" was one that Murray says distracted him, a sort of is-he-or-is-he-not when it came to how the Serbian was feeling.
"Are we seeing a level of gamesmanship here?" queried Chris Fowler on ESPN midway through the third set.
"He obviously looked like he was in quite a bad way at the beginning of the third set and came back unbelievable at the end of that set," said Murray to reporters, now a disappointing 2-6 in major finals. "I'm frustrated at myself for letting that bother me at the beginning of the third set, because I was playing well, I had good momentum."
Advantage, Djokovic
The momentum for the season belongs to Djokovic, clearly: He's 27-2 since a shock loss to one of those up-and-comers (Kei Nishikori) at the US Open in September and has a sort of tennis-ball glow around him that could mean big things – this year and beyond.
"I would not be surprised if he won three Slams," Gilbert added on ESPN. "I think he could get to the 12 to 15 (major titles) range. He's in his prime. I think he's going to peak for the majors and I think he's going to have a couple more years before these young guns really break through. I wouldn't be too surprised if we saw him win like he did in 2011. He's going to come out guns blazing at the French. That's the one he wants now."
"I'm playing and feeling the best at 27," he says, assuredly. "This is why I play the sport, you know, to win big titles. Right now, everything has been going in such a positive direction in my life."
It's a clear message to challengers, both in and outside the top four: Djokovic's gloves are off and his fight continues. Who wants to step in the ring next?