Men's Tennis: Novak Djokovic Wins Rome Masters, Greatness Now Awaits

Nobody surely expected a straight sets win for Novak Djokovic today at the Rome Masters.

But that is exactly what happened. 

Novak broke Nadal at key moments in both sets, which requires the kind of mentality not even Roger Federer can display. Usually when it comes to crunch time in a set, it is always going to be Nadal who wins, but not any more it seems.

I expected Novak to lose today, especially after the marathon semifinal where he was two points away from losing on Murray's serve. Afterwards, he admitted the physical and mental toll was starting to affect him.

Being a best of three tournament, coupled with the rain delay, meant Djoko could recover quicker than he did in last year's U.S. Open when he overcame Federer in a grueling semi to face Nadal. I still think Nadal is a slight favourite at the French Open. It must be considered that Nadal was not fit during this tournament, being 20 minutes away from pulling out against Cilic. A week's rest between now and the French Open should see him in relatively good condition.

Even during this run, Novak is winning matches in a style and manner that must be demoralising for every opponent, including Nadal. Not only is Djoko's confidence soaring, it's having the opposite effect on all his opponents. Players will now be waiting for someone else to beat him because everyone has tried without success.

During this incredible 2011 run, Novak has beaten Federer four times, Nadal four times, Murray twice, Berdych twice, Soderling and Ferrer once each. To do that in a season would be astonishing—to do it before half of the year is done is borderline insane. 

Records are now within reach that I did not even know existed before, never mind that he is within touching distance of the great John McEnroe's 42-match winning streak from the start of the season. He could even beat Guillermo Vilas' record of 46 consecutive wins, which was set back in 1977. 

It seems Novak has found a wonderful fitness method. When his doctor decided to take all gluten out of his diet, it was surely just to increase his stamina levels; nobody could foresee what impact this would have though. It may seem an exaggeration to say taking gluten out alone contributed to this stupendous run, but it's allowed Novak to build up the confidence and belief that was never there before.

Novak Djokovic is on record saying that winning Wimbledon is his dream; while he has been in two semifinals, it just never seemed an achievable feat. Nadal loves playing at Wimbledon, Federer will see it being his best chance at winning another slam and for Murray, the home support counts for a lot.

But now is the best time for Novak to achieve his dream. He could be the world No. 1 at the time, and winning Wimbledon would cement his place in the history of tennis.

For years Novak has had to watch the Federer-Nadal rivalry and be tagged with being the leader of the chasing pack. He needs another slam outside of Australia to propel his standing further, and it would be a major surprise if he does not win at least one of the three remaining grand slams.