London reinvigorates Sir Novak Djokovic

Wimbledon

- final - That's how it was

Novak Djokovic

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Nick Kyrgios

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There are two reasons why Novak Djokovic is a tennis player: one is Pete Sampras, and the other is Wimbledon.

Also a date: July 4, 1993. "He inspired me and since then I have a lot of connection with this tournament," says the Serbian, who on that day, when he was just a 6-year-old boy, was absorbed in the final of the great British through television and was abducted by the seductive tennis of the American, who beat his compatriot Jim Courier (7-6(3), 7-6(6), 3-6 and 6-3) and conquered for the first time the tournament.

"It was the first game I saw, it's the first image I have of our sport," adds Nole, who almost three decades after that afternoon records the same triumphs in London of the player he always admired.

After the one obtained this Sunday against Nick Kyrgios, there are already seven and it places the Balkan again in a privileged position, relaunched in that fascinating historical three-way pulse that he maintains with Rafael Nadal (22 majors) and Roger Federer (20).

Djokovic (21) rises again and in a frame that returns him to his origins;

also, the place that has served as an incentive in several critical moments of his career.

Four years ago, the All England Club gave him his color back after a dangerous black-and-white phase, in which he even considered withdrawing;

he reinforced him one later, when he saved two match points against Federer in the final tie-break of the

;

and now she blows air back into him and catapults him at a time when Nole was looking for redemption.

After the surreal episode of January in Australia (arrests and deportation) and half a year trying to re-enlist at forced marches, she smiles again.

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“Historically, Wimbledon is linked to decisive stages of my career.

It is not a coincidence that it happens again here,” she recalls.

“In 2018 I had surgery on my elbow and I wasn't playing well, but I won in London and that served as a springboard to later win the US Open and Australia.

And now, after everything I've experienced this season, this is a relief, "adds Djokovic, 35 years old and who has 86 wins in the English

, above his records in Paris (85), Melbourne (82) and New York (81).

His tournament success rate is 89.6%, very close to what he has achieved at the Australian Open (91.1%) and higher than those he has established at Flushing Meadows (86.2%) and the Bois of Boulogne (84.2%).

He may not have the powerful serve of Boris Becker or his current trainer, Goran Ivanisevic;

neither the volley of Stefan Edberg or John McEnroe;

there is no better conjunction on green than Federer's;

and no one has managed to equal the feats of the Swiss (2003-2007) and the Swedish Björn Borg (1976-1980), champions in five consecutive editions.

However, Djokovic is a whole.

Total tennis player, he has pieces of all of them and continues to make history on a terrain that is not his favorite, or at least not as natural for his game as cement.

Difficult relationship with the stands

“Over the years I have learned to be more effective on grass.

At the beginning of my career the movements were a bit difficult for me, and I think that is the most important thing;

Coming from clay, you have to adapt and for players who slide a lot, it's different here.

It's not possible.

You can do it, but not as often or with as much freedom”, describes Nole, the player who has won the most (9) over thirty, one more than Nadal;

“You have to be very careful in your maneuvers and pay close attention to your positions.

You have to hit from lower down, the grass is slippery and the bounce is very fast.

The ball bounces less than on clay."

Beyond technicalities, Djokovic has a unique relationship with the stands of the Cathedral, which recognizes and appreciates him, but does not fully surrender.

There is the very long shadow of Federer, the beloved king, and to remember were the whistles that the English fan dedicated to him during the final three years ago against the Swiss.

That day, the plant clearly opted for the one in Basel and it is still difficult for him to process that hostility.

While Federer (41 years old on August 8) is unconditionally supported and does not skimp on Nadal (36), the Serbian continues to find many times that the London public encourages the rival, no matter how much he eats the grass and dedicates one compliment after another to the tournament that definitely marks his career in sentimental terms.

Djokovic offers the title to London fans. DPA via Europa Press (DPA via Europa Press)

“Although he has been very successful in Australia [conquered by him nine times], this center and this tournament have the most special place in my heart.

I dreamed of this since my childhood.

Every time I go out on this track, the feeling is different from all the others.

The more you earn, the more confident you are and the more comfortable you feel.

I have won many matches here;

in fact, I think I haven't lost since 2013 in this center”, details the former number one, now on the seventh step of the

as a result of the tug-of-war between Wimbledon and the ATP.

The great British excluded Russian and Belarusian players for this edition and the body that governs the men's circuit counterattacked by withdrawing the points it assigns in the tournament;

therefore, he loses the 2,000 he reaped for the win.

Be that as it may, Sir Djokovic does not forget that afternoon in 1993: “I have no words to define what this place means to me.

It is the tournament with the longest history and the one with the most prestige in the world.

That day, I asked my parents to buy me a racket.”

And then it all started.

FROM PARON TO PARON, FROM 80 DAYS TO TWO MONTHS

BC |

London

With the latest update of the world list, Djokovic has left the

of the circuit for the first time since 2018. The Serb, who holds the record for weeks at the top (373) and dominates the head-to-head with Nadal (30 -29) and Federer (27-23), sees a complicated horizon.

The health regulations of the United States prohibit access to the country to those who have not been vaccinated against covid and he, he says, does not contemplate getting the injection.

In this way, he will not be able to play the US Open, from August 29 to September 11.

After he achieved victory against Nick Kyrgios, his coach, the Croatian Goran Ivanisevic, referred to this circumstance.

"I have a movie at home called

(The long hot summer, starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward), and this is going to be a long hot summer vacation for me," joked the technician, Wimbledon champion in 2001 and who harbors some hope that the situation may change next month;

"I'm going to have a vacation from today until I don't know when... I don't know, but maybe President Joe Biden will change his mind."

In addition to not being able to compete in New York, the Balkan will also not be able to do so in the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati or Canada, where you cannot travel to if you have not received the vaccine.

This would further complicate things for Djokovic, who would automatically lose the 1,200 points he achieved last year for reaching the US Open final and could continue to fall in the ATP

 . 

“From what I understand, winning a Grand Slam qualifies you for the Masters Cup, unless you are outside the

[as confirmed by the regulations] I think that with the points that I have accumulated so far I will be within that margin, so I do not feel any pressure nor do I have any need to play tournaments or make a certain schedule, ”says Nole, who this year has also won the Masters 1000 in Rome and that as a result of his decision not to get vaccinated he was absent for 80 days.

Now it is exposed to another break, in this case for two months.

It could reappear in the group stage of the Davis Cup Finals (September 14-18) and then go to the Laver Cup (23-25), and later choose between events such as Tokyo (October 3-9), Shanghai (9-16), Vienna (24-30) or Bercy (November 31-6).

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