In Praise of Novak Djokovic
Earlier tonight the great Novak Djokovic was defeated in the first round of the US Open by a 25-year old journeyman by the name of Mariano Navone. It was the first time in 20 years, at the very start of his career, that Novak was defeated in the first round of a grand slam.
While I didn’t see the entire match, there was a poignant moment in the final set when Novak broke down emotionally. In that moment he seemed to realize that his legendary career was over.
There was a lot of talk before the tournament about how, with world #1 Jannik Sinner out with an injury and #2 Carlos Alcaraz coming back after a long layoff due to a wrist injury, this was Novak’s best chance to win one more grand slam. I myself hoped that he might be able to pull it off. Nobody imagined that he would go out like this.
In the excellent Amazon Prime documentary “The Wolf In Winter”, Howard Bryant said that the end comes in three ways. One, the game retires you. That is, players who “couldn’t hold your jockstrap” start to beat you. Two, your body retires you. You just can’t do it anymore. Three, you go out on top. Bryant added that most athletes need door number one. In the same documentary, Andre Agassi said that he didn’t know when the end would come for Novak but that when it comes it comes fast.
I don’t think people understand the magnitude of Novak’s accomplishment. He grew up in war torn Serbia. His parents had to borrow money from shady characters to finance his training. Because of the resources going to Novak, there wasn’t much left for his two younger brothers. His parents went all in on Novak. It was a long shot gamble no reasonable person could support. Imagine the pressure on him to succeed under these circumstances.
One time when he was a child, his family had to evacuate their apartment building. While running, Novak tripped. His family didn’t notice and he was scared because he was being left behind. When he looked back at his apartment building, he saw an airplane drop a bomb on it causing it to explode.
One of the ironies of life is that trauma can break us – but it can also make us stronger. As Ernest Hemingway wrote: “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.” Novak was essentially the perfect tennis player. He was a backboard. When he went into lockdown mode, you simply couldn’t get the ball by him. But what really made him transcendent was his mental toughness. When you grow up with bombs being dropped on your apartment building, perhaps you can put tennis in context and realize that it’s just a game.
This was best exemplified in one of the defining moments of his career. Down two match points in the 5th set of the 2011 US Open semifinals to Roger Federer, Novak whacked Federer’s first serve cross court for an outright winner. To take such a huge cut at such a crucial moment was mind blowing to many people, including myself. How could he take such a big risk at such a crucial moment? Probably because to him it was just a tennis match. That winner shook Federer mentally. Djokovic saved the next match point, broke Federer and won the next three games to close out the match.
Djokovic came up in the game when Federer and Nadal were on top. It was inconceivable to many, including myself, that this brash young upstart could challenge them. It was an impossible ask. And yet he did it. In the end, he did more than that: he surpassed them.
Many fans hated him for challenging Federer and Nadal. They liked the rivalry between Federer and Nadal. They didn’t want a third. To many he was a villain. And so, on top of having to beat these two legends, he had to deal with a lot of hate from many who saw him as a party crasher. He never received the support Roger and Rafa did. In any match between him and one of them, the crowd was inevitably against him. He overcame that too.
Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player to ever live. In any discussion of the greatest athletes to ever live he unquestionably deserves to be in the conversation. But it’s over now. It’s time to walk away. There’s no shame in that.
Over the course of his long career, he left everything on the court. He realized every ounce of his potential. He is an inspiration to all of us who seek to become the best version of ourselves. His legacy will endure forever.
