Novak Djokovic burst onto the ATP World Tour as a player with immense potential at a time when the Nadal-Federer rivalry began cementing itself as the greatest in the history of men’s tennis. Hopes of him spoiling the party were far and few and any triumphs over the ‘legendary’ two were nothing more than dents in their forts of dominance. Federer and Nadal have held the No.1 ranking for a combined 380 weeks. With 112 career titles between them including 25 Grand Slams, Rafa and Fedex seemed too stubborn to allow a third entrant into their battleground; but for how long?
Come 2011 and the 23-year old Serb has revolted under the label of the ‘third’ one to take center stage as a serious contender for the No.1 spot in the ATP tennis rankings; and he’s being bold and terribly insubordinate about the whole thing. Having recently toppled Rafael Nadal in the finals of the ATP Masters Series event in Madrid, the latter’s home-turf; Djokovic is looking more likely than ever before to grab himself a slice of the ‘No.1’ pie.
The No.1 Ranking is within Djokovic’s Reach
Djokovic is now well within reach of claiming the World No.1 ranking as early as this Sunday, should he win the Italian Masters Series in Rome. As quoted in the Official ATP World Tour website, the Serb discussed his views on climbing to the rankings summit by saying, “My ambition or goal is to be No.1 and my dream is to win Wimbledon so these are two things that I always wanted to do. The No.1 ranking is obviously getting closer to me but it still takes a lot of work to get there and if I do get there in a couple of weeks or months or a couple of years it does not matter. I will try to keep working to get to this position.”
The French Open will present itself as another exciting opportunity for Djokovic to claim the top position in men’s tennis should Nadal hold onto his ranking at the Italian Open. Unless Nadal loses before the semi-finals in Rome (a very difficult prospect in itself), the 23-year old Serb will have to hold-off his plunder until the arrival of Roland Garros towards the end of May.
A Tricky Draw Awaits Djokovic at the Italian Open
Apart from having to count on Rafa’s bowing out before the semis of the Italian Open, Djokovic is likely to face-off against stiff competition in his part of the draw including the possibility of a semi-final showdown against the unpredictable 4th seeded Andy Murray. In the quarter-finals, he is likely to confront Robin Soderling, a two-time French Open finalist with a gutsy game and tremendous fighting spirit.
Sources:
- Djokovic Holds World No.1 Opportunity in Rome (Official ATP World Tour website) – accessed on May 10th, 2011
- Career Titles-Rafael Nadal (Official ATP World Tour website) – accessed on May 10th, 2011
- Career Titles-Roger Federer (Official ATP World Tour website) – accessed on May 10th, 2011
Join the Conversation