Novak Djokovic appears again after a long journey

He had been looking for a year and a half. Mentally, physically. Would he come back to his old level? Nobody knew it, neither did he. You have seen the inner struggle, the doubt, the drift of a champion. Novak Djokovic – once insatiable, inaccessible, had become satiated.

A few months ago, at Indian Wells. Loss against the Japanese number 109 of the world Taro Daniel, 6-1 in the last set. Last month, in the quarterfinals at Roland Garros, lost after a weird tie-break against the Italian Marco Cecchinato. He seemed disillusioned at the press conference. He said that he did not know if he was going to play at Wimbledon.

He recovered after a trip with many detours. "It's easy to talk now," says Djokovic on Sunday after winning his fourth title at Wimbledon, after 2011, 2014 and 2015. "I have to believe in myself." In the final, he beat the South African tournament tournament Kevin Anderson: 6-2, 6-2 and 7-6.

The pure will was gone

After the Renaissance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal last year, the resurrection of Djokovic is now a fact. He has not won any Grand Slam for more than two years. Roland Garros 2016 was the last, with which he had written all the big slams to his name. This mental liberation deprived him of fire, of pure will. Its decline began, with not only motivation problems but also private problems and injuries.

Last year, he had to drop out of Wimbledon's quarterfinal with an elbow injury and he did not play in the second half of the season. His return earlier this year ended in a soft – he still could not play tennis without pain. This is only after an intervention in February that he plays without complaining. He adjusted his service movement to relieve his elbow.

Djokovic seems to be Djokovic again. This spring, he 's again surrounded by his old team, coach Marián Vajda. He had set it aside a year earlier in "shock therapy", with the goal of getting his career back on track.

Only now, in his match against Nadal in the semifinals, did you see Djokovic before mid-2016. At the end of the other semifinal between Anderson and John Isner (6 hours and 36 minutes), the game was to be canceled on Friday night. On Saturday afternoon, after 5 sets and 5 hours and 15 minutes, he put Nadal on his knees, in one of the best tennis competitions of this decade. So you knew: it was actually the finale.

There, you have seen the 'old & # 39; Djokovic, the phenomenal defender, the primal fighter. In recent years he has worked under the guidance of Spanish meditation guru, Pepe Imaz, on controlling his emotions, but at Wimbledon he's sometimes let go.

He seemed to be doing something good. Four times, he broke his racket on his left shoe after Nadal broke it. A rage erupted after a number of missed returns. But soon he won the match. He showed himself to the survivor when he eliminated five set points against Anderson in the third set. A shout. And a little later, profit.

Anderson was obviously not in shape after playing nearly eleven hours in total in three days in the quarterfinals and semifinals. He moved two rusty sets, the high pace of Djokovic (who did not have a day off) could not go well, did not work well for the ball and this resulted in fans. After the first set, he was cured on his arm.

It became a heroic weekend but also remarkable, by the marathon feast Friday, which gave the kickoff of Saturday's program: the women's finals started later as Djokovic and Nadal had to finish their match. Now in the fifth set, there is so long played until there are two games of difference. Discussion will be conducted if this is still desirable. A tie-break is a great way to put a line under a lot. This is already the case at the US Open and the Davis Cup

Back to the firmament

The question is whether the other three follow the big slams. Former British player Tim Henman told the BBC that it was "time to change". He suggested that you can also enter a decisive game at 12-12 in the fifth set. "If you do not have a winner yet, it might be time to play a decisive game." Boris Becker agreed with him. At the same time: Djokovic-Nadal was worth every minute further

Look here the summary of the semifinal between Djokovic and Nadal (the text continues under the video):

At the age of 31, after almost two years lost, Djokovic is back to the firmament. Djokovic is in 21st place the highest ranked player Wimbledon has won since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. He won the tournament as number 125. On Monday, Djokovic is back in the top ten. This is his thirteenth Grand Slam title, which he won twelve from 2010. With that, he is the best tennis player of this decade, measured by the majors.

"I have been frustrated many times and wondering if I would go back to the desired level," Djokovic acknowledged Sunday at the press conference. "But it makes all this trip even more special for me."