Good Old Novak knows he heads into Wimbledon as the underdog

Crossing the Channel is an old phrase for those who have followed tennis. From the French Open to The Championships at Wimbledon in the richest suburb of London, it’s a short trip. What makes it harder for the players is just a fortnight’s gap between the end of the clay finale and then slipping into ‘grass mode.” The best players have adjusted to a change in surface and playing conditions with a positive mindset. Now that it is certain, men’s tennis will be dominated by two young giants, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, where does that love romantic relic Novak Djokovic.

Rewind to the press conference of Novak after he lost in the semi-finals to Jannik sinner at the French Open. He said very little about himself and more of it was open to interpretation. What came across as a subtle message was, he was done with the French Open. Images of Novak waving to the crowd with eyes gazing at the people who cheered him and images of Novak touching the clay surface before walking into locker room made his fans emotional.

It is now certain, Novak will plan his career not on a long term but, perhaps, every quarterly. He has more than hinted, the two best Grand Slams which will suit him are the Australian Open and The Championship. Yes, the 38-year-old Serbian has won Majors on all surfaces in his collection of 24 Grand Slam titles. At the same time, he knows his body best. For someone who trains hard, age has to be a factor. There is a gap, which is measured in fractions when he is competing against Alcaraz, who has bothered him twice at the last step in Wimbledon and Sinner, who ousted him at Roland Garros.

Each year on the tennis tour makes it harder. For those who say Novak is past prime and the Young Turks will push him by the side that is not true. The kind of physicality which Novak put in this year at the French Open was massive. That he could cruise till the semi-final was a tribute to his body still being strong and able to weather the beating inflicted by younger players. However, where Novak is even more strong is in the head and heart.

For those who have seen different eras at Wimbledon, Novak last won the men’s singles title when he blew away Nick Kyrgios in an average 2022 final. Since then, Novak has hit a roadblock called Carlos Alcaraz. Last year was hard for Novak in many ways. After his knee injury and surgery at the French Open for a meniscus tear, his rehab and strengthening surprised one and all. No one bounces back at 37 with that kind of speed. More surprise, Novak was ready for the grind at Wimbledon. He did make it to the final before Alcaraz whipped him in straight sets. Of course, the best part was how he mastered the Paris 2024 Olympics.

It’s a big dilemma this, should Novak continue to play the Majors he feels he best has a chance in – Melbourne and Wimbledon – or does he walk into sunset. Flip through the annals of tennis, no champion, male or female, walks away so easily. Of course, Pistol Pete (Sampras) was smart to announce a snap retirement after his last win at the US Open. But then, for those who had watched Pete win at Wimbledon regularly, to see him lose to Roger Federer was hard.

Novak is no longer the favourite when he heads into The Championships. He may play one warmup tournament on grass before the season’s third Grand Slam. Quality more than quantity of matches is what Novak’s focus is on. To step on grass and unleash his best game, Novak will find this surface (grass) more natural than red clay. The draw will also be hard for Novak as Wimbledon nowadays goes strictly by rankings. Yet, if you have watched Novak for over two decades, he is the last guy who will continue to play tennis if he is not feeling sure of winning matches. 

At the Australian Open this January, he sustained a bad injury and was out for a long time. On return, a delayed one, he made it a smooth one as he won his 100^th ATP title in Geneva. Last point, Novak is under no pressure and has nothing more left to prove. He knows, the Young Turks are superior to him because of age and natural agility. For those who write nonsense on social media, Novak is past prime, try and achieve one per cent of what he has done in life at large.