It was only just a very few short weeks ago when the tennis world was asking the question of just how many ‘Grand Slam’ titles can Rafael Nadal win?
The Spaniard had just won his sixth French Open at Roland Garros, bringing his Grand Slam total to ten, adding to the two he had won at Wimbledon, the one he had won in Australia in 2009 and to the US Open title that he still holds after winning it for the first time last year.
However, the question that the same tennis world is now asking, is how many Grand Slams can the new world number one and new Wimbledon champion, Novak Djokovic win?
The Serb having almost destroyed Nadal in the 2011 Wimbledon final in four sets has continued with his quite remarkable form that began at the beginning of the year. He opened his schedule by winning the Australian Open for the second time where in the final he took Britain’s Andy Murray apart in the final in three straight sets. That win seemingly set in motion a run of form that has seen him lose just one singles match this year, which came in the semi French Open where he lost to an inspired Roger Federer.
Prior to that however, Djokovic had already added four more titles to that of the Australian Open, by taking the Masters 1000 Series titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome. Amazingly in each of those finals he defeated Nadal with the latter two coming in straight sets on Nadal’s favourite clay surface. This Wimbledon victory has now brought him a 5-0 head to head lead over Nadal in 2011 and to an overall 12-16 deficit since the first two played each other on tour back in 2005.
Since helping Serbia win the Davis Cup last December, Djokovic has won 50 of the 51 matches he has played and if based on the form he showed at Wimbledon this winning streak is set to continue. His next chance of Grand Slam success will come at Flushing Meadows when he makes a bid to win the US Open, a tournament where he has finished runner up on two previous occasions. The second of those finals was played last year where he lost to Nadal in four sets, but he has already been made favourite to win this year and as number one player in the world which he becomes this week, he will be seeded number one for the event.
Djokovic is only 23 years old, he has now won three Grand Slam events and is almost certain to add to that tally over the next three or four years. Whether or not he can get anywhere near Nadal’s total of ten is a tall order of course and Federer’s record of sixteen looks well out of sight for now. However, at this precise moment in time, Djokovic is the best there is, not only did he defeat Nadal in the Wimbledon final, he defeated him easily, proving in the process that he is a better all round player, who could possibly become the best player to have ever held a tennis racquet.