Novak Djokovic swept aside the competition in Shanghai, winning his ninth title and fifth ATP 1000 trophy of the season. The Serb’s final 6-2, 6-4 victory over sixteenth seed Jo-Wilfred Tsonga was yet another commanding performance in a year which may prove to be the strongest season ever played by an ATP world no. 1. A year which could go down as another trophy laden chapter in the career of an all time great. The Tennis Review looks at Djokovic’s Shanghai win, his path to greatness, and asks who can make the road tricky for him?
6-2, 6-4. Djokovic has won trophies this season with other dominant scorelines – 6-2, 6-2 versus Rafael Nadal in Beijing, 6-4, 6-3 over Federer in Rome. But this win was slightly more commanding because at one time it looked like Tsonga, unlike Djokovic’s more celebrated rivals, would be able to actually threaten Djokovic’s supremacy.
That time was brief, and for a Djokovic match in Asia (he had won nineteen sets since his first match in Beijing losing three games or less bar one, a tiebreak in the Shanghai quarters), it was a rather exciting one as what looked like another exhibition style performance threatened to turn into a competitive match.
From early in the second set, Tsonga picked up his deflated game, destroyed by Djokovic from the get-go, the Djokovic return too good for Tsonga’s principal weapon, and rebuilt it into the inspiring game that had seen him edge Nadal in a close three setter in the semis. The Frenchman nailed his first serve, charged the net, hit some beautiful volleys and took the set to 4-4, a feat which only unseeded Bernard Tonic had achieved against Djokovic in ten matches.
4-4. Further than even world no.2 and one of only four players to beat Djokovic in 2015, Andy Murray, (Karlovic, Wawrinka, Federer x 2 are the other honourees) was able to take him in their semi-final. The new world No.2, the man who will likely be seeded to challenge Djokovic in the ATP’s big finals the next few months, was thrashed 6-1, 6-3 in a match which had many wondering if there had ever been a greater disparity between the sport’s two top ranked players.
But one game better than Murray in each set was the best sixteenth seed Tsonga could do. At 4-4, Djokovic’s depth of return and consistency broke the Frenchman, and then Djokovic’s effective serving, length of shot, intelligent point construction, fitness and desire won him his 25th Masters title, taking him one ahead of Federer in that regard, and just two behind Nadal.
Those two names – Federer and Nadal- are often said in the same breath as Djokovic’s, and not, unfortunately, as positively as he deserves. But that is, as Djokovic plays like he did these past two weeks in Asia, changing. Now the talk is turning to the ten time slam winner bettering Nadal’s 14 and Federer’s 17 slam titles. With both men doubtful to win more slams, and Djokovic aged only 28 with arguably three more years of peak play ahead of him, it is very possible.
In fact, only injury and his own self could stand in Djokovic’s way because the one thing that should be able to prevent him, the whole point of the ATP in fact – the competition- is more likely to continue to submit to his all conquering game than figure out a way to topple it. Partly because of their own shortcomings, partly because Djokovic has done everything he can to exploit them.
Djokovic’s own generation, bar one player, does not seem capable of toppling him – Nadal is losing his confidence, Federer is unable to flourish in finals on medium slow surfaces, Murray is as intent as destroying himself as Djokovic is, Berdych goes from peak to awol in a flash, Tsonga is injury prone and as inconsistent as ever. Each and every one of those players has it in them to win, but the one or two things they lack, or have too much off, Djokovic makes sure they pay for it. He makes Federer play one set too many in best of five, lures Murray into losing his mind over Medical Time Outs and grabbed-at-limbs, forces Berdych to hit one more ball, kills Tsonga’s greatest shot with his own, makes Nadal ask himself if he can still win.
Those players may rise above it all and get the odd win over Djokovic at 500 and 1000 level events, but they have failed to do it when it really matters, in the business end of slams. Of course, none of them should be written off in terms of their future prospects versus Djokovic – all of them have the ability to transform themselves and raise their games should they get the chance- but their recent history versus Djokovic in slams does not give us much hope for any exciting victories in the big ones anytime soon. Only one player has managed to do that recently, but we shall come to him later.
Meanwhile the next generation of Nishikori, Raonic and Dimitrov should really be the current one but are not even, except for when we least expect it such as Tomic in Shanghai, appearing in the last eight of ATP 1000s.
As for the up and coming youngsters such as Coric, Zverev and Kokkinakis, the slower courts and the resulting increased age players peak means they likely won’t make strides until Djokovic has well and truly slowed down.
But not all hope is lost for those who enjoy some competitive ATP action- there is one player capable of making Djokovic’s quest to become the greatest a trickier one- Stan Wawrinka. While we certainly cannot rely on him, the Swiss should have his moments over the next season or so of standing up to Djokovic with his beautiful versatile game. The two time slam champ, who beat Djokovic on the road to both titles, has the serve to negate the return whatever the score, the aggression to punish Djokovic if he is nervy and passive as he can be under pressure, the strategy to get Djokovic in such a predicament in the first place, the flair to surprise him and rob him off his rhythm, and a mental strength that peaks the closer he gets to a big win. A winning package that can overwhelm Djokovic on medium slow courts, and can do it, in fact can only do it, on the big stages in the biggest moments.
Those moments will be savoured, as will Djokovic’s moments of supremacy. These final demolition jobs may not be giving us the drama we would hope the ATP would produce, but they cannot be faulted for quality on Djokovic’s part, a factor the ATP has had a hand in producing, too. For, after all, Djokovic would not need to be striving for such perfection if his hard working colleagues such as the dangerous Wawrinka were not demanding it of him to begin with.
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