Topic: ...and the quality of men's tennis just keeps on going up!
Not so very long ago, nobody could touch Roger Federer. Couldn't tie his shoes. His wonderful play forced those who would be great to learn to play at a level never seen before in the game -- and they did. People like to say that the level of Federer's game has dropped. I don't think that's true. Roger played the two best clay court matches of his life at Roland Garros this year and lost the tournament doing so. He's every bit as great as he ever was, but now when guys like Nole and Rafa and Murray and Del Potro beat him, it's really no surprise. When Berdych or Soderling do it, it's surprising only because they lack the consistency of that first group of guys. The level of the quality of play in men's tennis rose to meet the challenge of Federer.
But then came Rafael Nadal. The incredible amount of spin he gets on the ball, the way he fights for every point as though everything were riding on it, his extraordinary physical conditioning, his strength and speed around the court -- all these things gave Rafa an edge over everyone. When he improved his backhand, serve and net game to go with his imposing physicality, he lifted the game to a new level, like Federer before him. And, just as with Roger before him, those who would be great started looking for ways to beat him. Until this year, no one did that with any frequency or consistency.
Novak Djokovic used to be one of those who just couldn't hang with Rafa physically. Like Andy Murray, Nole without question has always had a game with the potential to trouble Rafa. But he had breathing problems, was not in anywhere near as good shape as Rafa, and was subject to mental meltdowns. All that is in the past.
I guess we have to admit his change in diet has had a major impact on Nole's fitness. Overcoming the allergies and breathing problems allowed him to take his fitness to a new level -- and his game along with it. A couple of years ago, the idea of someone winning most of the long rallies against Rafa was laughable. Not now.
Nole was always about as fast around the court as Rafa. Now he's considerably faster than anyone who ever played the game IMO. As usual, with the greatly improved fitness came greater consistency as well. And with that came confidence. And with the confidence came increased aggression, so much so that Nole is now as good or better than Rafa at defense and is actually even better than Rafa in transitioning from defense to offense.
Nole's serve this year is very greatly improved and has gone from a weakness to one of his best weapons. His return game was already great, but is now better for the reasons stated above. Perhaps most impressive, to me at least, is the way his point by point competitiveness has improved. He no longer weakens mentally. Like Rafa, he now gives nothing away.
Put all that together, and you are seeing tennis at a level that had never been imagined 3 years ago, much less played. Let me say that more clearly. No one in the history of tennis has ever played the game at the level Novak Djokovic is playing this year. Period. By a bunch. The bar has been raised yet again.
So it's back to the drawing board for Rafa Nadal. He found a way by rise to the challenge of Federer and beyond. We shall see whether he can do the same with this newer, more difficult challenge. But one thing is for sure: now everyone will be looking for a way to beat Nole, just as they did only a few years ago with Roger. And someone will succeed. Maybe more than one someone. And because of the challenge Nole has thrown down to the rest of the world, the quality of men's tennis will continue to rise, unimaginable as that may be to us right now.
In the meantime, the guy playing the best tennis ever continues to rise. If he stays healthy, he may be the guy who, in a few years, everybody agrees is the greatest ever -- or maybe not. But credit where it's due: on his best day, Roger Federer never played tennis like Novak Djokovic played today. Neither has Rafa Nadal.
Don't get me wrong: I've been a Rafa guy all the way, I'm still a Rafa guy all the way, and I'm going to be a Rafa guy all the way to the end of the story. I trust that he and uncle Toni will figure out the answer to this puzzle, too. But at the moment, no one in the world has an answer to Nole.
