June 11, 2012

Novak Djokovic: Witch?

I needn't remind readers alert to the goings-on of professional tennis that Novak Djokovic is currently on the brink of becoming the first man in over 40 years to win four Majors consecutively; weather-allowing, he will in a matter of hours complete the 2012 French Open final against Rafael Nadal, and should he manage to win the two remaining sets necessary, the task will be complete.
What does need further exposition, I think, is the utterly surreal character of this situation. Within these last four Grand Slam events, Djokovic has been:

-down two-sets-to-none, and later two match points, against Roger Federer, but rallied to win 7-5 in the fifth set

-down two-sets-to-one against Andy Murray, who later had break points to serve for the match, but rallied to win 7-5 in the fifth set

-down 4-2, *30-15 in the fifth set against Rafael Nadal, but rallied to win it 7-5

-down two-sets-to-none to Andreas Seppi in the current French Open, but rallied to win in five

-down two-sets-to-one and four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the current French Open, but rallied to win in five

-down two-sets-to-none and a break against Rafael Nadal, the greatest clay-court player in history, having lost the last six consecutive games, but rallied to turn the match on its head, winning eight straight to put himself up a break in the fourth...

Now, one might rightly attribute much of this to determination, to will-power, to fighting spirit-- attributes Djokovic certainly possesses in richest abundance-- but this alone does not seem to me sufficient to account for the unprecedented set of data before us. Heart may enable you to pull off a remarkable comeback every now and again, but in a world-elite tennis match, it simply isn't all in your own hands; players on that level are capable of hitting tennis balls in such fashion that no human can return them. Generally, when one is down two sets to none and/or facing multiple match points, it is because his opponent is simply better at doing so on that particular day, and there is nothing he can do about it-- the very fact that one has fallen so desperately far behind is a strong indication that he is not capable of winning the match as things stand. This is why even a bona fide embodiment of will-power such as Lleyton Hewitt, though he has pulled off many a stunning comeback in his day, usually does not do so. Generally, when a world-elite professional tennis player, especially a Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, leads by two sets to none or is up a break in the fifth and holds multiple match points, he is going to end the match, and there is more or less nothing his opponent can conceivably do about it.

I would say all of the above seems obvious to most any reasonable observer of the sport, easily logically deduced and empirically proven by decades of evidence. Yet it seems of late that Djokovic no longer exists within the boundaries of logic; no matter how close to defeat he is taken or how many times he is taken there, he wages a successful comeback in absolutely every instance. Other players have won or come close to winning four Majors consecutively before, but they have done so by simply dominating the rest of the field; I do not think there is anything remotely close to a precedent for doing so while winning six five-set matches, mounting three different rallies from two sets to none-- two of those against men who are themselves winners of 10 or more Major titles-- and three different rallies from breaks down in potentially or assuredly match-deciding sets, saving a total of (at least) six match points in the process. It is as though the laws of nature and of logic bend themselves into conformity with Novak Djokovic's title aspirations.

So how, precisely, is this happening? Has Djokovic struck a deal with the devil? Does he (or his parents?) call on some form of occult magic to conjure victory where it appears lost to the agency of mortals? Insofar as I am aware, there is no rule prohibiting witchcraft in tennis, but I do suppose that support for such a regulation might gather momentum in the event of the discovery that the world's number one was dabbling in such methods to maintain his edge. Take heed, Djokovic; should you somehow pull this one off, my suspicions will only be strengthened.

UPDATE: It appears Mr. Djokovic is exonerated, or at the least that Nadal's Grand Slam clay-craft trumps his witchery.

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