Novak Djokovic’s demolition of Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon Men’s singles final has raised the bar of men’s tennis to stratospheric heights. As the match statistics demonstrate, never before has tennis of this standard been played.
Both players served at around 75 per cent first serve, yet Nadal was broken five times and Djokovic twice. The unforced errors were also 15 for Nadal and 12 for Djokovic while in the winner’s column as well, Djokovic was ahead by 27 points to 21.
These statistics show that Nadal played very well, considering that his winners were greater than his errors. In the huge majority of matches, the unforced errors far outweigh the winners, but these men have literally stopped making mistakes. As a result, every point is a mountain to
climb for the opponent and eventually, the pressure is too much to bear.
But, as Nadal rightly pointed out, what matters is to win the important points and this is where Djokovic turned a seemingly close match into a rout. Djokovic’s speed around the court was such that he returned Nadal’s best shots which would have been winners against any other player. Djokovic also won the battle between his backhand and nadal’s forehand, taking the ball early and forcing Nafal into hurrying his shot. Djokovic also returned serve better, his returns were early and penetrating, forcing a sort ball.
Nadal lost the first two sets quickly, being made to look ordinary by his opponent. He bounced back to take the third set as Djokovic suffered an attack of nerves. But at 3-4 in the fourth set, Nadal made some uncharacteristic errors to hand Djokovic the decisive break. A jubilant Djokovic termed the last three days as the greatest in his career as he reached the number one position as well as the Wimbledon crown. A downcast Nadal admitted that after losing to Djokovic four times in a row, he had a bit of a mental problem when it came to the pressure moments. He admitted that at the moment, Djokovic was playing at a higher level, but that he knew that it was not possible for Djokovic to maintain this form indefinitely. He would wait, said Nadal, and weather the storm.
The Djokovic reign may not end very soon as there is another Djokovic brother in the pipeline, who is showing the same promise, while training at Nick Bolletieri’s Academy in Florida. The country of Serbia, about the population of the city of Lahore, now has the highest number of world ranked players per capita, including three who have been ranked in the
top two in the world.
The Championships, as usual, were flawlessly organised. Century old traditions were seamlessly combined with the latest in technology. This, combined with the unfailingly gracious behavior of the hosts, likens the event to a garden party with tennis thrown in for good measure. It is certainly, one of the very best, if not the best annual sporting events on the planet. 2012 promises to be a double header, as, only 20 days after the Championships conclude on the first Sunday in July, the Olympics will be held on the very same venue. The day after Wimbledon concludes, the entire facility will begin to be painted in the Olympic colours. The worn-out
grass courts will be reseeded with “pre-germinated seeds” and the grass is expected to grow back well in time.
The Olympics will feature only half the number of players as compared to Wimbledon. The matches will be played entirely on the show courts with the outside courts used for practice. Pakistan’s Aisam Qureshi, should he continue to perform well in doubles, should be a direct entry, but would have to play with a Pakistani partner, probably Aqeel Khan. They have combined well in the past and could win a few rounds. Next summer promises
to be the greatest in the history of the sport. What an exhilarating prospect.