Class act from a semi-fit Novak Djokovic in Round 1 at Australian Open
Novak Djokovic has a successful return to the Rod Laver Arena as he comfortably beats Roberto Carballes Baena in the first round of the 2023 Australian Open.
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Novak Djokovic - IMAGO / AAP
Novak Djokovic is ruthless, even when he is not fully fit. On Tuesday night, oops almost dawn on Wednesday, the Serbian produced a master class to bundle out Roberto Carballes Baena in straight sets to enter the second round of the 2023 Australian Open.
The strapped left hamstring was a bit of worry, or so fans thought. Yes, Novak was economical in his movement but that was enough against the Spaniard who looked like a zombie who had not got enough sleep. You got to pardon him for that because well past midnight, usually, Roberto may have been sleeping in bed.
Well, he is not going to get sleep after this loss because if you cannot beat a less-than-fully-fit Novak, you never can. There was a roller-coaster of emotions for all those inside the Rod Laver Arena on a day and evening when the heat rule had been brought into play.
Heat acquired a different meaning with Novak on the court. Lean, mean, and hungry, he was the master. His eyes were gazing at his opponent, nay, a stare, and he was looking at fans packed to the rafters. Melbourne had deported him last year at this time. This time he was not going to depart from the draw, so soon.
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Man, what a show he put on in the first Grand Slam of the year where he is gunning for his 10th AO title. There is history and geography involved with Novak and Australia. Deep down, he was hurt, he had been insulted last year by the nation. He needed a shot at redemption, he needed to come out of that frame where he was sent home to Serbia, unceremoniously.
The common fan may think Novak does not care about all these emotions. He does not wear emotions on his sleeves but he sure does care about how he was thrown out last year. His no-vaccine status stays intact just that now he has an antidote for many things relating to Covid-19 as he has been tested hundreds of times.
A few years ago, when the pandemic began, Novak had arranged the Adria Tour where many fell to the virus. Novak was slammed. His objective is not to let a foreign object as vaccine enter his body, he is ready to risk it. Then again, if he takes risks, his play on the show court at the AO showed he was willing to do anything to play and win. Mind you, he skipped practice sessions for two days in a row.
Experience, expertise, and exquisite, these are the words that come to mind. You got to marvel Novak for his show, fighting, then turning Conan The Barbarian with his acts of being ruthless on the court. He brought on beast mode, literally. His game was absolutely “on fire” mode in the closing stages.
Did someone say hamstring? The only string which fans heard was musical, the shot-making from his racket strings, pure symphony, this. If he can play like this when not fully fit, then he will be a marauder in future rounds. There are medical marvels and physios at work behind the scenes who help Novak. That is why he has an entourage plus the ATP Tour to make sure he steps on the court. Was there pain? Well, Roberto looked in pain after getting whacked in straight sets.
It was an abject surrender of sorts at the hands of the fourth seed. In the good old days, when Pete Sampras was King on the grass at Big W even with a major foot injury, he would go on to win. Pistol Pete had that huge first serve and heavy second serve to finish points on the grass. Plus that magic play at the net.
Novak is different but when it comes to intent, he is very hard. His movement looked labored at the start. Perhaps, he got the locomotion going, changing from a steam engine to an Express engine. One has to see how long he can chug along on the journey Down Under!
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S Kannan
(382 Articles Published)