MIAMI — After twenty years {of professional} tennis, 99 profession singles titles and 24 Grand Slam triumphs, Novak Djokovic has turn out to be a thriller — to tennis followers and to himself. Each events try to reply the identical query, from match to match and match to match, as his profession strikes in the direction of an as-yet unknown finish.
Who’s the best participant of the fashionable period at this second?
Is he the participant who pale two weeks in the past in opposition to Botic van de Zandschulp, in his opening match on the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif.? Or is he the participant who has plowed by way of his first three opponents in on the Miami Open the previous 5 days, together with Lorenzo Musetti, the world No. 16 from Italy?
Is he the participant whose return of serve, one of many biggest within the sport’s historical past, has been a shadow of its ordinary self? Or is he the participant who broke Musetti 5 occasions Tuesday evening on his option to a 6-2, 6-2 win?
Is he the participant ramping up his schedule as he approaches his thirty eighth birthday, as a result of it’s his final spin across the tennis globe? Or is he the participant he described to the Miami crowd when he informed them, “You’re going to be seeing me just a few extra years.”
On the subject of the topic of Novak Djokovic, Djokovic is like everybody else: at all times trying to find the sign within the noise, trying to find the information about himself and his tennis that may enable him to separate what issues from what doesn’t. At this second, there may be each an excessive amount of and never sufficient knowledge to determine who and what the Djokovic of 2025 is. All these years later, however simply 14 matches into this season, he has turn out to be the game’s worldwide man of thriller — definitively not what he as soon as was, and trying to find the reply of what he will probably be.
“I do hope and want for Novak that you simply noticed tonight, after which on the identical time, I labored arduous to not have the Novak that was enjoying in Indian Wells,” Djokovic mentioned within the blended zone with reporters when his match with Musetti was over. “The continuity or consistency of the extent of tennis these days for me is tougher than it was years in the past or 10 years in the past, 5 years in the past, and I do know that.
“That’s positively not as a consequence of lack of hours spent on the observe courtroom and within the gymnasium as a result of I nonetheless preserve the dedication. It’s there, nevertheless it’s simply makes it a bit more difficult for me to take care of the extent.”
Djokovic resides by way of a typical false impression about what occurs to elite athletes declining from their peaks. The apexes keep sharp and accessible in fleeting moments, even once they want them most: Djokovic discovered his on his otherworldly run to the gold medal ultimately yr’s Paris Olympic Video games. It’s the soundness that erodes, the repetitions which are vital to take care of their excellence.
Djokovic’s greatest triumph this yr got here on the Australian Open, the place he beat Carlos Alcaraz within the quarterfinals after a sequence of wins that had included critical dips in his stage, throughout which younger and inexperienced opponents discovered methods to harm him however couldn’t end him off.
Beautiful because it was, the victory was additionally one of many strangest tennis matches in reminiscence. Djokovic suffered a muscle tear within the first set, however one way or the other managed to win in 4, due to a heady cocktail of painkillers, adrenalin and an inexplicable Alcaraz breakdown. The Spaniard succumbed to the stress of enjoying Djokovic, of interested by his opponent’s tennis and his bodily situation greater than he was considering of his personal.
Three days later, Djokovic needed to retire from his semifinal in opposition to Alexander Zverev on the finish of the primary set due to his muscle harm. When he arrived in Florida, he had not received a match since beating Alcaraz on that January evening in Melbourne.
In Miami, he has wins in opposition to Rinky Hijikata, a 24-year-old Australian who has performed 13 Grand Slam matches, simply over half the variety of Grand Slam titles that Djokovic has received. He then beat Camilo Ugo Carabelli, a 25-year-old Argentine who has by no means received a Grand Slam match.
Each matches opened with a blowout set and ended with Djokovic successful a tiebreak. It’s one of the acquainted patterns in Djokovic matches through the years, simply inverted: the tight set to loosen every thing up earlier than the acceleration to victory swapped for a quick begin after which an ebbing finish.
Djokovic has eased by way of his opening matches on the Miami Open. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Pictures)
Then got here Musetti. On paper, he appeared like a professional menace. On the courtroom, Djokovic picked up his head and noticed Serena Williams sitting within the stands. He checked out his field and noticed Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro, the retired Grand Slam champions. One his coach; the opposite his good buddy. All these huge names made him just a little starstruck and nervous about enjoying nicely, particularly in entrance of Williams, the best feminine participant of all time.
Musetti’s elegant all-court recreation fits grass, clay and gradual arduous courts, however he stays fairly misplaced on quick ones. In opposition to the perfect hard-court participant within the historical past of the game, he broke serve within the first recreation and surged to the phantasm of a 2-0 lead constructed on making the match bodily. Djokovic determined he wasn’t going to play a match like that and received the following 9 video games to grab management. Musetti confirmed about as a lot resistance as a swinging door.
On Wednesday evening, Djokovic will face Sebastian Korda, the younger and gifted American of a thousand renaissances, seemingly at all times on the cusp of saying himself. Korda, 24, remains to be looking for his manner after a few years of wrist accidents; he obtained remedy on his wrist throughout his round-of-16 win over Gael Monfils on Tuesday.
Djokovic received their solely earlier assembly, in Adelaide, Australia, two years in the past. He may get some extra knowledge about their matchup and about himself Wednesday, nevertheless it’s not clear how match Korda will probably be to offer him what he wants. Djokovic at the very least has no doubts about his desires: to maintain enjoying on the highest stage in an period when even the youngest gamers strategy the sport with a stage of professionalism extraordinary when he was beginning out.
“Health and restoration and simply total strategy to the work, from each bodily and psychological aspect has improved a lot,” he mentioned in Miami.
“These days, just about each participant within the prime 30 on this planet has a full workforce of three and 4 folks round them that takes care of them, their physique and every thing, in order that that displays on the courtroom. That’s why the careers are prolonged now.”
When he launched into his skilled profession, gamers began counting their days once they hit 30, he mentioned. Now it’s extra like 35, possibly extra.
“In fact I’m in that group. I’m not going to get youthful, however I nonetheless be ok with my physique and about my tennis.”
That could be the information level that issues greater than all of the others.
(High photograph: Al Bello / Getty Pictures)