The two players who played in the Wimbledon final smiled after their match. There is a time and a place for this.
Ten months ago, Novak Djokovic stood devastated on the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium as his attempt at the elusive calendar slam was dashed.
The last ten months have been turbulent.
He was deported from Australia due to his unvaccinated status after he won the Australian Open. Not to mention the fact that he lost to Nadal in the French Open quarterfinals.
The tennis player is back on top.
He returned to major glory on Sunday with a victory over Nick Kyrgios at Wimbledon. The title, his 21st at a Grand Slam, once seemed like a foregone conclusion, but nothing has been predictable or straightforward since he ran in New York
Sunday's victory in front of a star- studded crowd, which included two future kings of England and Hollywood royalty, is all the more sweet. Despite his opponent's antics across the net, he stayed focused and won his fourth straight title at the All England Club.
While he had been calm and collected for most of the match, he couldn't hide his emotions at the end, raising his hands in triumph and releasing an exaggerated sigh of relief.
"I lost words for what this tournament meant to me, what this trophy means to me," he said. The most special tournament in my heart is the one that motivated me to play tennis.
Due to the Pandemic-related restrictions for entry into the United States, and being unable to apply for a visa to Australia at the present time, this might be his only chance to win a major title. He knew it was the last Grand Slam chance he would get until the French Open.
It was made sure to count.
Things weren't the same a year ago after the All England Club. He had the chance to join Steffi Graf as the only players to achieve the Golden Slam at the then-upcoming Olympic Games, as he was on pace for the elusive calendar slam.
He was disappointed with his time in Tokyo. He lost his cool in the bronze-medal match after being upset in the semifinals by Alexander Zverev.
He was excited about what he could do in New York, despite that. All eyes were on him as he looked to do the near impossible in winning every Grand Slam of 2021, and break the three way tie, with Nadal and Roger Federer, for the most majors by a male player. He was defeated in the final by a score of 3 to 1.
And then it happened. The experience in Australia took a toll on him.
He said that this year has not been the same. In the first several months of the year it has affected me. I wasn't feeling good. I was not at my best.
๐๐2๏ธโฃ1๏ธโฃ๐๐ผ #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/Zo8PAScQzJ
โ Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 10, 2022
Before April, when he played in a single tournament, he said he wasn't feeling himself on the court. He was unable to enter the United States and missed some events.
There was a change in the rankings. He lost his opening match at Monte Carlo and the final at the Serbian Open when he returned to European clay. He was able to win the Italian Open, but not the title in Paris. After taking over the major record at the Australian Open, Nadal won his 22nd match.
It took less than a year for this to happen.
Goran Ivanisevic, a former Wimbledon champion, said he wasn't surprised that it took Djokovic time to get back to his best.
Ivanisevic said that it was a big thing what happened to him. After a couple of weeks, we were all expecting him to say, "OK, forget about Australia, let's go back and practice." This isn't happening like this.
In a sea of uncertainty, the top seed with the absence of the two other players arrived at Wimbledon. What would he do? He'd play next. He didn't know what to say.
In the absence of answers, he showed a different side of himself by posting videos and photos on his social media and having his son join him for practice sessions. Jelena was often seen in his box. He made fun of himself during news conferences.
20 of the last 22 men's singles Grand Slam titles have gone to Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.
We're familiar with the other two ๐ pic.twitter.com/najStY5pmD
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