Finally a French Open Champ, Novak Djokovic Has Federer and Nadal in His Sights
Novak Djokovic is one of them now. It's a Novak Slam? No, that sounds awkward. Djoker Slam. I'm going with that. There was never a Fed Slam or a Rafa Slam.
Djokovic was already the best men's tennis player in the world, but with his French Open win Sunday over Andy Murray, his first French title, he now has won all four majors. In fact, he has won all four in a row. He holds all four current majors trophies, something Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal never did.
Neither did Pete Sampras. Or John McEnroe.
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Or Andre Agassi. Jimmy Connors.
"This is the most special moment in my career," Djokovic told the crowd over the PA system after the match. "The sun is finally coming out.’'
OK, that wasn't meant as a poetic statement. He was talking about the actual sun. The French Open was nearly ruined by two weeks of rain.
But his statement works either way.
Djokovic has wanted to be one of them for so long. He has been frustrated when he wasn't counted among them—even though he was beating Federer and Nadal on the court with regularity.
Djokovic is in the club now after his 3-6, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 win over Murray. For his whole career, he seemed more of an interloper to Federer's and Nadal's greatness, to the argument over whether they are the greatest of all time. He is not an interloper anymore.
He still has won just 12 major titles, to Nadal's 14 and Federer's 17. I still don't think of him as the best ever, but he's in the discussion. They are chiseling his face now into tennis' Mount Rushmore. He might go on, though, to be the GOAT, Greatest of All Time.
A true Grand Slam comes when you win all four majors in the same calendar year. Djokovic is halfway there now. But all four in a row is amazing enough. There was a Tiger Slam in golf and a Serena Slam. Djokovic is the first one to do it in men's tennis since Rod Laver in 1969.
But if we're going to be honest, he still has a ways to go on another front. When it comes to subjective debates, fans are the deciders. And Djokovic falls a little short there.
Federer has the sophistication and stoicism as he floats over the court. Nadal is a rock star who storms the court with flair and fire. I'll never forget sitting there at an Olympics match in China as Nadal took the court; there was just some sort of extra energy that shot through everyone. When Federer takes the court, there's a certain feeling of awe.
Greatness has entered the room.
Djokovic doesn't carry that weight. He is an incredible athlete. He has overcome issues of health and stamina. He hits incredible angles.
It's a shame that we can't appreciate him just for his tennis. He brings a real joy to the sport, character. I've watched him practice on the middle Sunday at Wimbledon, let some kid join in, play the kid and bet him pushups, or something. I coach tennis, stole the pushup-bet idea and brought it to the kids I teach.
They love it.
In other words, Djokovic brought joy to them, too. It spreads that way.
If Djokovic is ever going to be known as the best player of all time, it's going to take incredible numbers, unheard of numbers and then maybe a little more of an aura. With a dozen major trophies, Djokovic will need to reach at least 18 to pass Federer. Maybe 20.
Numbers can't make the whole case unless they are amazing numbers. The greatest-of-all-time debate is more than tallying victories in majors. It's about stories, too, and the way athletes made us feel.
It's going to be impossible, maybe, for this moment to be remembered—not just in record books but in hearts and oral history—the way Federer and Nadal's Wimbledon final in 2008 is. Or the way the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe Wimbledon final is with its incredible fourth-set tiebreaker in 1980.
Murray is Djokovic's contemporary and he doesn't seem to inspire enough passion. His matches with Djokovic aren't classics. Even on Sunday, Murray was uncharacteristically aggressive in the first set and the match between them looked more interesting than usual. Djokovic was fighting nerves while he tried to slay the last dragon in his way, the French. But then Djokovic calmed down and beat down Murray's will.
And thus, Djokovic has earned his spot on the mountaintop. A Djoker Slam, an injection of joy into the game and a spot on tennis' mountaintop?
Not bad.
Greg Couch covers tennis for Bleacher Report. Follow him at @gregcouch.
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