Novak Djokovic is not playing terrible tennis. He’s not thinking about retirement, or wondering, “Why bother? I never win!” He’s not about to collapse, or quit, or become a television host about cooking in Serbia, where he grew up and now owns a restaurant chain. Yes, Djokovic has lost far more often than anyone expected in the last year, but his dip is less frightening than the collapse of many top players in the past. And there’s some surprising news, too: Djokovic suddenly looks and sounds much happier—and he’s hitting better now than he has in months.
Djokovic dismissed Gael Monfils in straight sets in the final of Saturday’s Eastbourne International grass court tournament. Djokovic, who didn’t lose a set the entire event, said he couldn’t be more pleased with his decision to play a few days before Wimbledon begins.
“It was a great week with a lot of good, positive energy,” Djokovic said. “A lot of time spent on the practice courts, four quality matches. Just overall very happy with the way it went, and where my form is at.”
For years the tour’s ruthless man, Djokovic has had nothing but disappointment and headaches since last year’s Wimbledon. No one who watched him could compute the decline. How could a man who won 11 of the 22 majors from 2011 to mid-2016 suddenly get destroyed by a rival at the French Open, and even lose to low-ranked players? Many wondered if he had a family problem, or an injury, or too little practice. Intense rallies were cut short by mistakes. Djokovic also seemed stressed. And sad. And miffed. Maybe the cause was simple: A loss of ambition. After winning four Grand Slam titles in a row, he looked like he didn’t care much about competing.
“When I was winning constantly and being dominant in the tennis world, you know, you’re happy and you’re content, you feel like everything is kind of revolving around tennis,” Djokovic said. “But it’s not like that. Some other things were suffering during that time.”
In early May, Djokovic at last decided he had seen enough go wrong and essentially shouted, “Code red!” He began what he called “shock therapy” by firing all his coaches. At the French Open, he spent time with Andre Agassi, the American star who will be on Djokovic’s side during Wimbledon. Djokovic just announced one more sidekick, at least for Wimbledon and possibly longer: Former Croatian pro Mario Ancic, known for his big serve and for being a Wimbledon semifinalist in 2004.
If men’s tennis were bouncing along like it did in the 1980s and 1990s, Djokovic’s bad year would be seen as a mere blip. In those eras, unexpected exits at a slam did not shock, and Djokovic’s four losses since 2016 Wimbledon—third round, final, second round and quarterfinal—would not be considered a collapse, or a sign of his career beginning to wane.
But over the last 15 years, champions have been so dominant that a small losing streak looks like a disaster. The top pros—Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Djokovic—have gotten better and better, while everyone outside the top five has fallen further behind. Since Federer’s first title at Wimbledon in 2003, those five men have won all but five major titles. Think about that: 51 major titles for five men and 5 scraps for everyone else. Never before has it been so hard to break through on the men’s tour.
All that makes Djokovic’s six-season run among the most impressive in history. And his disappearance among the most unexpected. But he finally looks like he might have discovered how to return to where he was, or at least move closer.
“It’s a different approach, but I’m still here and I’m still motivated, I still keep on going,” he said. “I’m still glad to kind of experience whatever professional tennis career has for me.”
