When did he lose form?
Exactly a year ago, after winning the French Open, Novak Djokovic had achieved something no man had managed since 1969: to hold all four Grand Slam singles titles at the same time. He was at the peak of his powers and pretty much invincible.
Tennis, even during Roger Federer's heyday, didn't seem so monopolistic. Then, in an astonishing turn of events, Djokovic lost his form. Such has been the free fall that since the success in Paris, he has won only two of the 13 tournaments he has played, crashing out of Wimbledon in the third round and losing the U.S. Open final to Stan Wawrinka. He had to surrender his No.1 ATP ranking to Andy Murray last November.
Is it mind or body or just his game?
When he was younger, Djokovic struggled with all three. His plight was akin to that of the mythological Greek king Sisyphus – condemned to eternal, hard, frustrating and ultimately unrewarding labour. But his current slump is more a result of one following the other, showing the chinks in his armour. At first, Djokovic appeared to have lost the hunger to win.
It was perhaps understandable for he had nothing much left to win. Later, when he cited “personal issues” it seemed he needed a life coach. So in came the mysterious spiritual guru Pepe Imaz, who, apart from being a former player and the owner of a tennis centre at Marbella, Spain, specialises in meditation and ‘extremely long hugs.’ Yet Djokovic, who turned 30 on May 22, looked spent much of the time. Now, in 2017, when his game seems to be mimicking his state of mind, the impression of a full-blown crisis is unmistakable.
What has he done to turn things around?
Imaz is still there but the first step Djokovic took to shake things up was to relieve Boris Becker of his coaching duties in 2016. The three-year association with Becker saw him being at his dominant best and brought him six Majors. But it looked to have reached a saturation point. His form in the first half of this year brought little cheer — he lost in the second round of the Australian Open in January to the 117th ranked Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. In May, he parted company with all three of his decade-long associates — coach Marian Vajda, fitness coach Gebhard Phil Gritsch and physiotherapist Miljan Amanovic.
On the eve of the French Open, Djokovic announced that he would be, at least on a part-time basis, under the tutelage of the legendary Andre Agassi.
Can the partnership with Agassi work?
On paper it should. Agassi, who has won eight singles titles, four less than Djokovic, seems to have the skills of a tennis coach and life coach rolled into one. Agassi knows how to get out of a slump in the late 20s and the early 30s.
He knows how to achieve a balance between work and life, which is essential for any sportsperson. As for tennis, Agassi understands, better than anybody, how a game based on an incomparable return of serve ought to work. If anything Djokovic is this era’s upgrade on Agassi and the American should have an ace or two up his sleeve. But things aren’t decided on paper. If they were, the Djokovic-Becker combo should have never worked, so divergent are their styles of play.
How long before Djokovic is back to his best?
There have been flashes of brilliance like the 6-1, 6-0 demolition of the formidable clay-courter Dominic Thiem in Rome.
But his defeat to the up-and-coming 20-year-old Alexander Zverev in the very next match showed his inability to put together a streak.
This means he still has a fair distance to cover. Also, the crushing loss to Rafael Nadal in Madrid, his first in eight matches against the Spaniard, would have definitely left a scar. Not just the defeat but the manner of it. The familiar trope in this match-up is of Djokovic pounding Nadal with his return of serve and double-handed backhand. But it was to Nadal’s credit that he was able to turn this dynamic upside down. The two are drawn to meet in the semifinals at Roland Garros. The result will go a long way in determining who stands where.
