The career of Novak Djokovic reached an important milestone on Monday, as the Serbian great turned 30 years old. It’s hard to believe that him and Andy Murray – who also turned 30 last week – are now out of their twenties and moving into the backside of their careers. It’s interesting to see as there is no real future generation of elite men as of right now. We’ve been spoiled for quite some time.
Tennis careers generally decline after this age, but as we have seen from Roger Federer and a resurgent Rafael Nadal, turning 30 doesn’t have to be viewed as a death-knell for a great career. Before Djokovic moves forward and tries to win the French Open, what are his greatest achievements to date?
The Novak Slam
There were several times when Roger Federer had the chance to win four major tournaments in a row. Federer could have done so at the 2006 and 2007 French Open. He could have won four in a row had he captured either the 2009 U.S. Open, the 2009 Australian Open, or the 2004 French Open, but he had to settle for a three-out-of-four run in each case. Rafael Nadal had a chance at the 2011 Australian Open, but fell short. Djokovic, though, broke through. He won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2015. Then he won the 2016 Australian Open, which brought him to Roland Garros in May of 2016, intent on completing the box set in succession. Djokovic had never won the French Open, so he was trying to complete a career Grand Slam while also winning four in a row. He defeated Andy Murray in the final to reach that point. Rod Laver is the only other man to win four majors in a row in the Open Era of men’s professional tennis.
The Incredible 2015 Season
This is the best season of men’s tennis in the Open Era other than Rod Laver’s Grand Slam masterpiece of 1969. Djokovic went 27-1 at the majors, losing only to Stan Wawrinka in the French Open final. He won the other three major tournaments, and he won six of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments plus the year-ending ATP World Tour Finals. Djokovic made the final of all eight Masters events he entered. He skipped one of the nine tournaments to rest. Djokovic was simply a machine, and unlike his great 2011 season, he sustained strong play after the U.S. Open in mid-September.
The Dominant 2011 Season
The 2015 season was better, but the 2011 season for Djokovic was worthy of a high place in men’s tennis history. Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments. He won five Masters tournaments as well. Through the U.S. Open, Djokovic was better than he was in 2015, losing only twice. After the U.S. Open, though, Djokovic’s body gave way. He lost four times and failed to win a single tournament he entered. Nevertheless, losing only twice from January through September represented a phenomenal run. It put Djokovic on the map.
Winning Wimbledon In 2011
The victory over Rafael Nadal in the final gave Djokovic his first Wimbledon title, but just as importantly, it gave him the No. 1 ranking for the first time. That completed his ascendance to the top of men’s tennis. Djokovic accomplished two lifelong goals in the same moment on the same day.
Although the four tennis grand slams are all equally valuable, in many ways, Wimbledon is still a cut above. It’s the most prestigious. This was the one that had eluded Djokovic until 2011 and a lot of people wondered whether he had the patience and discipline to get the job done. He proved that he was up to the task as he topped Nadal in an epic battle that tested him to the core. This was one of his sweetest moments.
Winning Davis Cup in 2010
The prelude to Djokovic’s dominant 2011 and his meteoric climb as a tennis player was the 2010 Davis Cup. He won Serbia’s first Davis Cup championship and thereby found both the confidence and pride needed to take his game to the next level. Djokovic joined Rafael Nadal as a Davis Cup champion, deepening his place in tennis lore.
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