By Chris Oddo | Sunday, March 30, 2014

 

Now that he's captured the Indian Wells-Miami double a second time, is Novak Djokovic ready to make another run at the No. 1 ranking?

Photo Source: Christopher Levy

Novak Djokovic played the perfect match to top off a perfect month against Rafael Nadal on Sunday in Miami, and his performance was so ruthless and efficient that one can't help but wonder if this is the beginning of yet another run of invincibility for the 26-year-old Serb. He certainly looked as though he were a man about to climb to new heights on Sunday, as he flawlessly patrolled his baseline, unleashing a seemingly endless variety of deep baseline drives and angles that kept Nadal out of his comfort zone for the majority of Djokovic's 6-3, 6-3 victory.

Miami Highlights: Novak's Exclamation Point | Rafa's Roundhouse Forehand

The season certainly didn't begin on Djokovic's terms as he was knocked off his perch in Australia (where he was the three-time defending champion) by Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinals, then was bounced by Roger Federer in the Dubai semis a few weeks later.

Talk then was of the Serb's perceived lack of concentration and questions centered around the wisdom of Djokovic's choice of ex-legend Boris Becker as his new full-time coach.

The latter issue may still be in question (Marian Vajda has been in Djokovic's box while Becker recovers from hip surgery, but Djokovic still vehemently supports the German's role in his camp), but after today's shellacking of the World No. 1, Djokovic's concentration certainly is not. He proved today that he is still the only player in the world that can be the kryptonite to Nadal's superman, and he did it so convincingly that it's nearly impossible not to mentally extrapolate Djokovic's achievement out a few months, into the clay season, where more heavily anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 battles are sure to take place.

In other words: Could Djokovic's second Indian Wells-Miami double be the impetus for another brilliant season the way his first was?

“I hope so,” said Djokovic, who won three Grand Slam titles in 2011 and climbed to the No. 1 ranking for the first time. Coincidentally, 2011 was also the year that Djokovic won his first Indian Wells-Miami double, taking out Nadal in both finals. “I can't predict what future brings. I can only focus my attention and energy to the present moment and do what I do best, and that is to try to prepare myself... I have a couple weeks until my first clay-court match in Monte-Carlo, a place where I've lived for the last six, seven years... I couldn't ask for a better March of this season. Hopefully I can carry that confidence on clay.”

There have been many who believed that Stan Wawrinka's Australian Open title might be the beginning of the eventual demise of the Big Four, but that clearly hasn't been the case since the Australian Open. Djokovic's Miami title marks the tenth straight Masters 1000 title that has been won by either Djokovic or Nadal, and 33 of the last 35 Masters 1000 events (since Monte-Carlo in 2010) have been won by either Djokovic, Nadal, Federer or Murray.

That's a theme that will likely continue into the spring, where Djokovic and Nadal are the game's preeminent dirtballers and will likely meet in several more finals before the French Open (and perhaps there, too). And Djokovic's confidence, bolstered by his gritty win in Indian Wells where he didn't have his best game but still muddled through, and elevated by his flawless Miami run where he finished with an awe-inspiring takedown of his archrival, will certainly help him to put his best foot forward as he travels along the road to Roland Garros.

But Djokovic knows he'll face his greatest challenges on that road. Nadal is the most lethal player to have ever stepped foot on clay, and Djokovic knows that he'll have to be as flawless as he was today if he plans to finally capture the coveted Roland Garros title. The Serb is the player who has made the most inroads against Nadal's game on clay, but his career 3-13 record still makes him a long shot to produce wins on clay against the Spaniard on a consistent basis.

But closer inspection reveals that Djokovic and Nadal are more evenly matched on clay than that lopsided career head-to-head indicates. The Serb has taken three of his last seven matches against Nadal on dirt, and he barely missed winning a fourth at last year's French Open when he failed to protect a lead in the fifth set and ended up losing 9-7 in the decider.

It's these kind of matches—ones that had many calling for the end of Djokovic—that have served to provide him with motivation in the past. “I think challenges, big challenges that I had in my career, changed me in a positive way as a player,” he said on Sunday after his victory in Miami. “Because of Rafa and because of Roger I am what I am today, you know, in a way, because when I reached the No. 3 in the world and won the first Grand Slam title in 2008, the years after that I struggled a lot mentally to overcome the doubts that I had. And all the big matches I lost to these guys was consistent but not winning the big matches, and then they made me understand what I need to do on the court.”

After winning four out of five Grand Slams in a period from January 2011 to January, 2012, Djokovic has lost his share of big matches (the aforementioned 2013 Roland Garros semifinal to Nadal, the 2013 Wimbledon final to Murray and the 2013 U.S Open final to Nadal, to name a few) but he has since redoubled his efforts and is threatening once again to make a push to become the game's top player.

“I worked hard, and it's paying dividends,” Djokovic told reporters in Miami. “Obviously it's not easy when you're playing a top rival at the finals of any tournament, but if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, you know. You have to win against the best players in the world. That's the biggest challenge you can have.”