By Richard Pagliaro | Wednesday, June 22, 2016
"He's in a fantastic space. He's unbelievably consistent, scary consistent," Hall of Famer John McEnroe says of world No. 1 Novak Djokovic.
Photo credit: Stefan Remuth/Reuters
Novak Djokovic kicked his craving for bread and pasta and authored a book on nutrition, Serve to Win.
Devotion to his diet hasn't stopped Djokovic from bingeing: The world No. 1 gorges on Grand Slam titles these days.
Federer: Novak Not Unbeatable, Rafa Top Rival
Winning his first career Roland Garros title, Djokovic joined iconic champions Don Budge and Rod Laver as only the third man in history to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously.
Playing for his 13th career Grand Slam championship at Wimbledon, Djokovic is a strong favorite to defend his crown and continue his quest for the calendar Grand Slam.
Regardless of his Wimbledon result, some opponents are already declaring Djokovic as the Greatest of All Time.
If Djokovic wins Wimbledon, he will join Budge as just the second man in history to win five consecutive Grand Slam crowns. Budge, the first player to win the Grand Slam, won six straight major championships from the 1937 Wimbledon through the 1938 US National Championship (now known as the US Open).
Will a third straight Wimbledon title solidify Djokovic's claim on GOAT status?
Or must the 29-year-old Serbian break Roger Federer's all-time record of 17 Grand Slam titles to earn true GOAT status?
Hall of Famer Chris Evert says if Djokovic continues collecting majors at his current pace, he will own the mythical title of Greatest Player of All Time.
"Novak came in, no drama, not a lot of flair, just the most dependable and most consistent and efficient player there was," Evert told the media in a conference call to promote ESPN's Wimbledon coverage. "As we see now, this guy quietly could just beat everybody as far as Grand Slam wins. He could just be the greatest of all time if he continues to go at the speed that he's going. He's doing it in a quiet way. Again, there's no controversy. There's no drama. You always had that with Federer and with Nadal."
The elegant Federer, tennis' most graceful player, and the enduring Nadal, the game's greatest fighter, cast a major shadow over the young Djokovic.
Completing the calendar Grand Slam —and the possibility of realizing the rare Golden Slam with an Olympic gold medal at stake this season—would be an achievement neither of Djokovic's rivals attained.
Djokovic's greatest strength may be a lack of a discernible weakness.
A year ago, Federer saved seven set points stealing the second set to level the Wimbledon final and most of the 15,000 fans cramming Centre Court screamed their support of the Swiss charge.
A defiant Djokovic executed with authority for the rest of the match. Djokovic quieted Federer's uprising—and the pro-Federer crowd—answering every challenge they threw at him to claim his third Wimbledon title with a 7-6 (1), 6-7 (10), 6-4, 6-3 triumph.
"Is Djokovic now the man to beat? Absolutely," Federer told The Guardian in a new interview. "Does he deserve to be where he is? 100 per cent. But is he beatable? Yes, of course he is. I beat him last year three times.”
Riding a streak of 28 consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals or better, Djokovic has advanced to the Wimbledon final four for six straight years.
Three-time Wimbledon champion John McEnroe believes Djokovic is earning respect and gaining ground on his rivals for his remarkable consistency and continued pursuit of history.
"Roger is the most beautiful player I've ever watched. He's like Baryshnikov," ESPN analyst McEnroe said in the network's conference call with the media. "Rafa plays like an updated 21st century (Jimmy) Connors, with that intensity, that point is the last point they are ever going to play. I think people are starting to respect Novak more and more, to see the astronomical level of consistency he's had, incredible success week in and week out.
"At the majors, if you look at his records, he's approaching Roger's records, which would seem insurmountable. Twenty straight quarters, so many semis in a row. It's amazing. People are starting to understand and appreciate him more. He certainly had some of that. Also our sport is bigger where I am now in Europe than it is in the States."
McEnroe, who made his debut as part of Milos Raonic's coaching team at Queen's Club last week, believes completing the career Grand Slam will be empowering for Djokovic, whom he calls "scary consistent."
"I doubt that (Novak) is going to let down. I think there may be, if anything, more pressure because he'll be going for the actual calendar-year slam," McEnroe said. "This is something monumental. He's already done something monumental. He's in a fantastic space. He's unbelievably consistent, scary consistent.
"Andy played well, played a great first set at the French. This guy stepped it up to like a gear that was frighteningly good. It was like taking a body blow, a shot to the stomach. It was hard to recuperate. He made a little bit of a run at the end, but the damage had been done. This guy, he's very, very formidable."