Novak Djokovic: Return of Hard Courts Will Be Answer to Recent Struggles
Novak Djokovic ran into two tough competitors in the past two major tournaments, but a return to hard courts will solve his problems.
After winning four of five Grand Slam tournaments, the expectations rose for the Serbian tennis player. He became the No. 1 player in the world and was one match away from having all four major titles at the same time, an accomplishment only achieved in the open era by Rod Laver.
However, that is when things went slightly downhill. He was defeated by Rafael Nadal in the finals of the French Open. Then he was beaten in the semifinals of Wimbledon by Roger Federer and dropped from the top spot in the world rankings.
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These losses are nothing to be ashamed of considering the the competition. Federer tied the record for most wins at Wimbledon with seven, while Nadal now stands alone as the greatest ever at Roland Garros.
Still, what separates the greats from the rest is winning tournaments and Djokovic has to get back to that point.
The next major competition will take place at the Olympics, but he will likely have the same problems. This year's event will be hosted by the All England Club and will take place on grass. The winner of the 2008 bronze medal will struggle to improve upon that result in 2012.
Fortunately, the Olympics are quickly followed by the U.S. Open at the end of August. This will finally allow Novak to return to the hard courts, where he has found the most success.
Djokovic has won the last three Grand Slam tournaments held on hard courts and lost in the finals in the one prior. In his career, he has won 80 percent of the matches he has played on the most common surface.
While Federer can be aggressive at the net on grass and Nadal can stay behind the line on clay, the hard court forces every player to have a well-rounded game. The Djoker will look to take advantage of this equalizer.
Djokovic's 2011 season was one of the most impressive runs in tennis history. This year is not stacking up as well, but he can recover nicely with a win at the U.S. Open.
On his best surface, there are few that can stop him.
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