Novak Djokovic fell to the ground. He had won the US Open championship, continuing one of the finest seasons in modern tennis history. He got up, hobbled over to the net, shook hands with Rafael Nadal and then lumbered over to his chair to wait for the ceremony. He could barely walk, but somehow powered through after losing a 3rd set tiebreak and all momentum. A medical timeout and two massages later, Djokovic simply could not be stopped, winning the final set in style, demolishing an opponent who at the beginning of the 4th set look fresher and was moving quicker. The four-set 6-2, 6-3, 6-7, 6-1 victory over second-ranked Rafael Nadal was impressive, to say the least. Djokovic looked ready to be steamrolled in the first two games of the match, dropping serve and going down a break 2-0. There were hints that he could have his way with Nadal's server in Nadal's first service game, but there were few in the crowd who thought Djokovic would run off 6 straight games. But he did. It might have looked like a smackdown, but Nadal was not playing poor, in fact trading ground stroke upon ground stroke. One game lasted over 15 minutes, which Djokovic finally won. While for the majority of the match, the number one player in the world was the better player, what ultimately separated the two throughout all four sets were the important points. Djokovic seemed unwilling to give in at any point when the match appeared that it could swing to Nadal's side. The first and second sets were proof that Djokovic simply doesn't know how to lose – he's only completed one match this year and lost. All of a sudden in the 3rd set, Djokovic seemed almost unable to move, his back obviously hurting him. Nadal had the momentum and was able to get back on serve. Then the Serbian broke back and was serving for the match, his back becoming a hindrance. Nadal pulled out the set and from all appearances was ready to roll through the fourth and fifth sets to defend his title. Unfortunately for the Spaniard, the Serbian was not going to be denied. Bad back and all, Djokovic wouldn't let his 10th title this year, 3rd Grand Slam and 64th win go to waste. He stepped up, showed he was a champion, one that we may not have seen since Roger Federer's heyday, and began serving through the pain, able to pinpoint spots and causing havoc for Nadal's return. Then, powering through that pain, he hit shot after shot, moving Nadal around the court and hassled the quick Spaniard to the point of no return. Shot after shot showed how a stronger, more powerful and mentally stable Novak Djokovic is truly the number one player in the world. The tension and excitement in the crowd could be felt throughout – fans continued to yell and cheer through service tosses and points – and the predominantly pro-Nadal 25,000 fans were unable to slow a man on a mission. He has simply forgotten how to lose and point after point, despite numerous unforced errors, Djokovic kept coming back and winning the next point. That's mental toughness. He's got the game the beat Nadal, the number two player in the world 6-1 in a fourth set with a bad back. That says it all. He's tough. He's a brick and he is the champion. Possibly the best year in tennis ever. Possibly the best year in sport … ever. BM
