Finally achieving his dream of becoming the top ranked player in the sport, Novak Djokovic is just starting to show his dominance on the court. Previously labeled as a five-set quitter, and as someone who withdrew from way too many matches when on the losing side, the Novak we know has come a long way indeed. Reminding me of the once unconquerable Nadal, today's Djokovic seems to have the strength and determination to eclipse all the others before him. With 9 titles under his belt already, he is surely on the way, and in what fashion. Holding the Australian Open and the Wimbledon titles already this year, Djokovic is looking to do what Nadal and Federer have been doing for the past few years, holding 3 of the four grand slam titles in a year. Surprisingly, that should have already happened, save for an {unfortunate?} loss to Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals. However, from what can be seen on court, the US Open already looks to be in the Djoker's pocket. Or is it...
Can greats like Nadal and Federer actually be written off? While Nadal and Federer both lost early in both the warm up tournaments, more interesting was the fact that Novak Djokovic withdrew, that's right withdrew, from the FINALS of the Cincinnati Open, citing a shoulder injury. What needs to be asked, of course, is how serious the injury is. No doubt Nadal and Federer are rusty, but they have always proved that they have it in them when it comes to playing the Grand Slams. Federer has 16 titles, and Nadal is fast catching up. Will Novak Djokovic, the new star on the block, be able to retain the form that saw him demolish, no, annihilate, the competition thus far? Or will the shoulder injury be more telling and saddle him with even more pressure to keep his amazing golden year going? Remember, Novak himself claimed that the injury was present for a few weeks, and was caused due to over-activity, and the grueling tennis season. Of course, the fact that he has lost just 2 matches so far means that he has played more [reaching the final and winning in most tournaments] than the average player on the tour, and is consequently more tired and fatigued. But the most important point to take note of is the fact that the injury reached an extent to where he had to withdraw from a FINAL, that too a mere 8 days before one of the most demanding Grand Slams of the year. Are these 8 days enough for him to recover back to the form that we have been seeing from him since December last year? Or are we going to see a 75% recovered Djokovic struggling at nearly the end of the season. For if that is the case, then it will be a shame, because no one deserves the US Open title more than Novak Djokovic.
So that brings us to the question that is on everyone's mind, as to who will win the 2011 US Open? Will the brilliance of Roger Federer, a 5-time champion, or the tenacity and doggedness of Rafael Nadal, the defending champion, make a difference in the 2011 US Open outcome. Or will the Djoker have the last laugh after all...
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