This past week at the Wimbledon Championship at the All England Club, it could be suggested we saw the passing of the torch on the men's side. Novak Djokovic, the exuberant Serbian, has surpassed both Roger Federer (arguably the greatest men's tennis player of all time) and Rafael Nadal to become the #1 ranked player in the world.
For those who have followed Djokovic over the last few years, you had the sense that it was only a matter of time before he reached the pinnacle. With a thundering serve and gazelle-like quickness, you could tell he was becoming a thorn in each of Federer's and Nadal's side. After starting off the 2011 season with a spectacular 41-0 record (snapped no less by Federer at the French Open), Djokovic put an exclamation mark while staking claim to his new ranking by defeating Nadal at Wimbledon.
Now, this is no flash-in-the-pan type thing. We have seen Andy Murray always be the bridesmaid but never the bride. We've also seen Andy Roddick being talked up as the next big U.S. great since Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, only to become who I consider not only one of the most overrated players in tennis, but in all of sport. Djokovic, on the other hand, gets it done.
He holds 3 Grand Slams, a far cry from Nadal's 10 and Federer's record 16. But this is only the beginning. As sad as it is to see Federer entering the twilight of his career and his stranglehold to Grand Slams all but a thing of the past, us fans can take solace that there is a new charismatic player we can latch on to.
The two-headed monster has now made way for a third. And this time, it's no Djok.
1 comment:
How fitting that we have TTP Sports' first ever tennis article - written by Pistol Pete himself!
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