Imagine you are Novak Djokovic and the year is 2007. You’ve just played and won your first US Open quarterfinal and, after the victory, you are asked by the on-court interviewer to do an imitation of Maria Sharapova’s serve for the packed house in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Yes, that happened after Djokovic’s 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-1 victory over Carlos Moya, and yes, Djokovic left the crowd in stitches.
Sixteen years later, the Serb has won all 13 of his US Open quarterfinals, and he still knows how to make them laugh.
The 36-year-old did his best Beastie Boys rendition after dismissing top-ranked American Taylor Fritz on Tuesday, telling the crowd, "You gotta fight… for your right… to party!"
Djokovic still has his sense of humor and, remarkably, more desire than ever to keep rewriting the record books. He has carved an atypical path to the top of the sport, and when he speaks, it’s obvious that he is not your typical athlete.
“I just feel that there is always, I guess, an extra gear that you have inside of you and you can find when you dig deep to handle and manage energy levels on and off the court,” Djokovic said after reaching a record 47th Grand Slam singles semifinal, adding: “If you're really devoted to that and if you care about it, if you pay attention to that mental aspect as much as physical, of course.”
Djokovic’s holistic approach to life and sport is far from the norm. So is his otherworldly legacy.
At this year’s US Open, Djokovic smashed past Roger Federer to take sole possession on the all-time men’s singles Grand Slam semifinals list with 47. He’s two wins from increasing the gap on his biggest rivals in the men’s singles titles races.
Djokovic, with 23, is still going strong, while Federerer is retired with 20 Slam titles and Nadal is contemplating one final season with 22. He may be a prankster at heart, but when it comes time to get serious on a tennis court, nobody is as good as Djokovic.
Perhaps there is a connection between his devotion to his craft and his capacity for racking up a seemingly endless supply of major titles?
“It's so important to address everything holistically, multidisciplinary, so to say, because then you will just be more prepared,” he told reporters on Tuesday, his press conference taking a detour from the x’s and o’s of his win over Fritz and entering the realm of self-help. “You will have more tools that you can use in a given moment.”
After brushing aside Fritz, he was asked how tough it was to play a young man’s game in a 36-year-old’s body. The Belgrade native sure makes it look easy, but he assured reporters that it is anything but.
“I have to have an approach that is different from what it was 10 years ago,” he said as he addressed the packed press room. “I have to adapt to my life and changes. I'm the father of two children, a lot of things are happening off the court that are obviously part of my life that affect me in one way or another, my mental state, my emotional state.
“I need to know how to handle all of these things and create a formula that works. So far, so good.”
So far, so good indeed.
Djokovic has a 25-1 record at the Grand Slams in 2023 and the only thing that has kept him from making another run at the coveted calendar year Grand Slam is the wunderkind known as Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic fell to the 20-year-old Spaniard in a thrilling five-set final at the All England Club in July. But rather than be devastated by the loss, he seems to have perked up to the challenge of responding to Alcaraz’s salvo.
Finally, a player that can hold a candle to the great Djokovic? A call to arms if there ever was one…
“I hope we get to play at the US Open,” Djokovic told reporters at Wimbledon. “Why not? I think it's good for the sport, one and two in the world facing each other in an almost five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldn't be better for our sport in general, so why not?”
In the interim, Djokovic has kept his eyes on the prize. In Cincinnati, he dealt Alcaraz a lesson in perseverance as he saved a championship point to outlast the 20-year-old in an epic 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4) victory, and ripped his shirt open like a man half his age when the match was won.
“Just overall, one of the toughest and most exciting matches I was ever part of. These are the kinds of moments and matches that I continue to work for, day in and day out,” Djokovic said. “I was never in doubt that I could deliver the 'A' game when it mattered the most.”
Fast forward two weeks and here is Djokovic, angling for another unfathomable achievement in New York. He was a man on a mission against Fritz, growling at his coaching box and even yelling at a fan who ticked him off at a critical juncture of the match.
“He was actually in the box where some of my friends were,” Djokovic explained with a grin. “I don't know who the guy was, but I was pretty annoyed by him at that point. I was communicating with my friends to have a little chat with him.”
Classic Djokovic.
The Serb’s intensity can get in the way of his better judgment at times and his desire to win can trump his normally affable, warm and friendly demeanor.
This is the wolf, when he’s hunting.
At the end of the week, win or lose, the wolf will morph back into the family man and role model that is beloved in Belgrade and throughout the world.
Without Federer, Nadal and Serena Williams in Flushing Meadows this year, Djokovic is the man that connects the fans to the greatest era that men’s tennis has ever seen.
It’s not over yet. Djokovic will let you know when it is.
For now, sit back and enjoy, but don’t disturb the man when he’s trying to do his job.
