Novak Djokovic: A Great Year, but a Strange Ending

You now have to wonder about Novak Djokovic.

Sure, he has had one of the greatest years ever in tennis, but since his U.S. Open victory, which gave him three major titles this year, his proverbial car has crashed.

Though still ranked No. 1, things have gotten weird for him.

Simply put: When he won the U.S. Open his record stood at 67-2. He has six wins and five losses from then to now—that is, when he has played, and/or finished a match.

And, he's struggled to get those six wins. No more Djokovic juggernaut.

As quoted from BBC Sport (11/26/2011): “After the US Open, Djokovic was troubled by back, abdominal and shoulder injuries, playing only eight matches between Flushing Meadows and the year-end championship at London's O2 Arena.”

For the acknowledged “fittest player on the tour,” this is some strange information.

Let's grant that the injuries were real. But all of a sudden? It must be noted that injuries often occur when preparation (and desire) is lacking.

The possibility must be considered that throughout 2011 Novak Djokovic drank (read: indulged) too much approbation, acclaim and accolade nectar, so much that it caught up with him after the U.S. Open.

That could definitely be the case. The clue to the validity of such an assertion may be in the admission. After being eliminated from the London Masters Final this week, here is what Djokovic had to say: “What is missing … is that freshness, the will to win, just being on the court, giving 100 percent. I’m not able to do that now because I just have very little left.” (AP, 11/25/11)

Excuse me: You can't give “100 percent” of whatever you have? Bizarre, indeed.

Particularly when they are up against the top players in their sport, great champions give their all. Novak Djokovic should have been living for the year-end Masters, to emphatically restate his case.

To wit: It is hard to imagine Michael Jordan, Tom Brady or Roger Federer not giving “100 percent”—at any time—or claiming that their “will to win” has disappeared.

It might be coincidence, too, but ever since The Wall Street Journal (8/29/11) revealed the existence of Djokovic's CVAC Pod, space-age recovery machine, things have gone downhill for Djokovic.

Apparently, the “rare $75,000 egg-shaped, bobsled-sized pressure chamber” has ironically put more pressure on Djokovic—the pressure of upholding championship form when everything is out in the open and scrutiny is everywhere.

One would think that an athlete using cutting-edge technology, a gluten-free diet and an ostensible all-world fitness aproach, would endure better than his contemporaries.

But at the end of the 2011 ATP tour, Novak Djokovic has broken down. In all ways.

We expected better of him. Now we don't quite know what to expect in 2012.