He is the tennis version of the Terminator and he is to definitely be back at the French Open in May, but for Novak Djokovic, his exploits at the clay-court major could decide his place in the pantheon of greats.
For the second time in his career, Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion Djokovic is to arrive at Roland Garros needing seven victories to become the first man in almost 50 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
It is a feat that is so difficult that it has not been achieved by a man since Australian Rod Laver won the second of his calendar Grand Slams in 1969.
Photo: EPA
Djokovic’s effort to join an exclusive club that boasts only two male members — Don Budge and Laver — was thwarted in 2012 by Rafa Nadal in the Paris final.
With nine-time French Open champion Nadal no longer the force he was, Djokovic is to arrive in Paris as the overwhelming favorite to lift to the Coupe des Mousquetaires for the first time at his 12th attempt.
Djokovic, beaten in three Paris finals over the past four years, might never get such a golden opportunity to complete a feat that was tantalizingly just out of reach for tennis greats such as Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Nadal.
The biggest obstacle standing in his way might be his own mental belief.
Djokovic might have contested five consecutive Grand Slam finals, he might have won a record-equaling sixth Australian Open title and he might be ranked No. 1 in the world — but for all his confidence, he knows that he has had 11 failed attempts to win the ultimate prize in clay-court tennis.
Despite becoming only the second man to beat Nadal at Roland Garros, Djokovic still walked away without the trophy last year, as his win over the Spaniard was achieved in the quarter-finals.
By the time he got to the final, he had run out of ideas and was powerless to stop Stan Wawrinka from running away with the spoils.
“[I am] very hungry [for Paris],” Djokovic said after beating Andy Murray in the Melbourne Park final on Sunday to win his 11th Grand Slam title. “I do not take anything for granted.”
After humiliating Federer in the opening two sets of his 6-1, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 semi-final victory in Melbourne, Djokovic said it was “probably the best two sets I have played against Roger over my career.”
That is saying something for a decade-long rivalry that spans 45 matches.
Djokovic now has a better head-to-head against all three of his “Big Four” rivals. He leads Federer 23-22, Nadal 24-23 and Murray 22-9.
While Federer (17 majors), Nadal (14), Sampras (14) and Australian Roy Emerson (12) still top Djokovic in the list of all-time Grand Slam title holders, it is not inconceivable that, within a few years, the Serb would have left everyone in his wake.
However, at the French Open, Djokovic is to have to deal with the pressure of completing his collection of Grand Slam titles.
Should he match Laver’s feat of winning four slams in a row, the 28-year-old would have to find some new superlatives to describe his form.
“No doubt, I am playing the best tennis of my life in the last 15 months,” Djokovic said.
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