Captain Obvious, thank you.
Novak Djokovic is three wins away of achieving the calendar Grand Slam and winning the most majors in history (it would his 21st), which are two achievements that will make him the greatest player of all time and give him perhaps the greatest and most remarkable achievement in sports.
Advertisement
It means that Djokovic can only be defeated if he is out-Djokovic Djokovic. If you dig long enough, you will find some hidden weakness. He doesn't have any weaknesses. He is not a player you can blow off with your sheer power. Hell get to everything and make some of his defensive shots. Everyone has bad days, even players in their 30s like he does. He doesn't. Perhaps it was a bad hour. If you play two of the three sets, it might be enough to win. It is most likely not three out of five if it is. You can't outlast him because, even though he may have some really bizarre ideas about health and fitness, it doesn't matter if he is out there for a week and a half and not sweat.
The only option is to grind with him through dozens of tortuous rallies and hope that you win. This is why it took so long for anyone to do it, with the exception of Nadal who did it on clay and then his year on dirt.
Jenson Brooksby is the next great American player. He certainly did his shot last night. Brooksby's game is more Kyle Hendricks-like than Gerrit Cole. It is based on creativity, variety, and a throbbing mind that keeps things weird and different. He is a skilled player at 20 and has a two-handed sliced backhand that opponents don't see as often. Djokovic was left confused for about a set and a half as he could throw the kitchen sink at anyone on the court. In the first set, he made some wildly wrong moves and lost 6-1. Brooksby, even though he appeared to be in control in the second set and was winning the fifth game, went with Brooksby into the deep waters. He was now down one point to No. 1. Brooksby watched Djokovic serve for nine deuces. He was served for 20 minutes and had 24 points. Brooksby then broke six points to get back on serve. Nearly all those 24 points were long, stubborn rallies waiting for the other to break. Djokovic is the only way around it. There is no shortcut. To win a point, you must hit three winners. Brooksby is defending Djokovic and at the next point he's still running groundstrokes less than a foot from the baseline. Brooksby looked at all this and returned it. He then got his break and was ready to test Djokovic, with Arthur Ashe Stadium full behind him.
The match ended with five more games won by him.
Brooksby could reach that level in 60-90 minutes and thought he could go on for five sets, but Djokovic never lost. It is impossible for him to recover if his game goes sour. The game just leans on you long enough that you fall over. He will eventually win if he waits a set, a set and a half, or even two sets, as Stefanos Tsitsipas discovered in Paris. If he waits too long, he will eventually be able to serve his opponents. And they all return with venom. No matter how much energy or stamina you may have, when it is time to let your legs and mind go, hell will still be making groundstrokes at you feet. He can be unleashed by anyone, but he should just keep going.
Brooksby might be able to get there some day. Brooksby will need to have the will to succeed. Perhaps Brooksby won't have to wait as Djokovic will be there to take him to the sunset. Djokovic is the only one who has it right now and he cannot lose.
