The mood was set, the ambience was lit and the Philippe-Chatrier
court was buzzing with excitement. For only the second time in 10 years would
the prestigious Roland Garros be devoid of a certain Matador contesting in the
final. His conqueror, Novak Djokovic, though was all set to script history.
Who is Novak Djokovic, you ask? Novak Djokovic is a beast,
I reply.
He’s so much of a beast that the name “Djoker” does not
suit him anymore. He’s dead serious on court, there’s no room for recreation
and a lapse in work ethic is frowned upon by him. Gone are the days when a
match was followed by an ebullient episode of mimicry. Gone are the grins, gone
are the smirks!
It’s all down to brass tacks nowadays with him and his
jovial smile seems to have lost its melodic charm.
At the other end is Stanislas Wawrinka. Who is Stan, you
ask? Stan’s the man, I reply. Period!
All eyes are on this match. Mostly to see 8-time Grand
Slam champion Djokovic complete his career Grand Slam. Roland Garros is the
only tournament missing from his prodigious portfolio and what better way to
get it than to tame the king of clay en route to it. Rafael Nadal fell to
Djokovic’s wrath in the quarterfinal. Andy Murray was a victim in the semifinal.
Who finer than Djokovic to win this one?
As Novak warms up on the court, we get to see the graphic
on screen that shows his achievements during the year. Australian Open, Indian Wells,
Miami, Monte Carlo, Rome. Too much of text to fit in one small aston on screen.
Almost taunting the opponent in the most intimidating manner, it seems.
Then comes Wawrinka’s graphic. Chennai Open and
Rotterdam. That’s it! Reaching the French Open final was a brilliant way to
mark his erratic year. Winning it would be a dream come true for the Swiss.
Wawrinka did lose to Djokovic in the Australian Open
semifinal earlier this year - a match that truly tested the fortitude of both
players. However, today was a chance to negate the Melbourne heartache and
scribble some Paris ecstasy. To do so, Wawrinka would have to derail the Serbian
juggernaut.
“Time,” says
the chair umpire and both players head towards their respective ends. The people
at the court for the first time ever are not sure who to support. The last time
when Nadal missed out, the crowd knew who they were backing. But, today, they’re
torn! June 7th was the day in 2009 and June 7th is the day today. Federer completed
his career Grand Slam that day. Would it be Djokovic’s turn today?
The second point of the first game shows a glimpse of
what both players are made of. A 39-stroke daunting rally gets the 2015 final
underway and promises some heart-stopping action in the sets to follow. Consistency
is what made Djokovic who he is today and he displays a fine sense of flawless
forehands. Wawrinka, meanwhile, just proves that he is an epitome of power-packed
precision.
An unlucky error from Wawrinka gives Djokovic the break
who then serves out the first set. He tries hard not to smile. “Not yet,” he thinks. Coach Boris Becker,
whose immense aura has transformed an artist formerly known as ‘Djoker’ into an
exhibit of beastly immorality, agrees. There still is a lot left to do.
15-40 in the second game of the second set and Djokovic
was set to break Wawrinka early. The concealed smile on the Serb’s face was as revealing
as the red clay on court. Grand Slam number nine was in reckoning. More
importantly, Djokovic could smell the shoal of legends he would be a part of.
But little did Djokovic know that he would be smiling for
a whole different reason 14 games later.
Never before has it happened that Djokovic has been on
the receiving end of himself. But it was happening suddenly in front of the capacity
crowd in Paris. Not only were Stan Wawrinka’s one-handed backhands ‘orgasmically’
scintillating, but they were also infringing Djokovic’s consistency with ease.
At 4-5 in the second, Djokovic starts to serve to stay in
the set. Seemed like a pretty ordinary thing to do at the time. But Wawrinka
was in no mood to let this one go the distance. Being 30-0 up, Djokovic throws
the ball in the air and connects well. He feels good. His mind tells him “Good serve. Now rush to the net to finish
this one off.” Djokovic does that only to be slapped in the face with a
colossal backhand down the line.
“It’s ok. There’s
still time to regroup,” thinks Djokovic. He serves again and this time
Wawrinka’s stunning forehand down the line triggers Djokovic’s earthward
plummet. “Bring it on,” murmurs Stan
to himself. A jittery Becker adjusts himself in his seat. Things just got
serious. It’s often a case of one big game that turns a match around and Becker
somehow knows that this is that game for the Swiss.
In no time it’s set point for Wawrinka. After a
rally that seemed to be ongoing till eternity, Djokovic finally hits his shot
long. “What?” Djokovic asks himself
while he tries to put up a show by spinning his racquet. Becker couldn’t help
but stare helplessly into the abyss of oblivion.
Wawrinka turns back and looks towards his coach Magnus
Norman. He points a finger to his head almost in a manner to acknowledge an intellectual
regime that outsmarted the World No. 1 in stupendous manner. This was tennis at
its cognitive best and no one could have executed it better.
To beat a person as grand as Novak Djokovic, one needs to
fashion a strategy that is indeed very special. Of the three matches that
Djokovic has lost this year, all came to men with one-handed backhands. Not
only does that shot constrict the genius of Djokovic’s concrete defensive tactics,
but it also creates an angle that is unmatched in supremacy if effectuated perfectly.
And that is exactly what Wawrinka did!
Wawrinka’s “Come Awwnn” chants were beginning to get on Djokovic’s nerves. It
was more than just a chant now. It was sheer passion. This is what a sport that
is so close to one’s heart does to you. One could get the sense that deep down
Djokovic knew that Wawrinka was unstoppable as everything that the Serb was
throwing was being returned with unrivalled precision.
Drop shots were being destroyed with devious deft, forehands
were being barraged with piercing backhands and future tennis players were being
given a new video to learn the immaculate execution of a “down-the-line” shot. 14
games after the second game of the second set the smile on Djokovic’s
face was back.
Only this time he knew that it was over. He knew that his
dream was shattered.
Stanislas Wawrinka simply overpowered World No. 1 Novak
Djokovic at the Roland Garros. That’s a line that has never been used against
the 8-time Grand Slam champion.
Never!
Wawrinka did to Djokovic what the Serb has been doing to
the world as of late. The 2014 Australian Open champion dictated points in a
manner that even the great Roger Federer would be proud of. Being powerful and consistent
is what lifted Djokovic to the pinnacles of success, but little did the world
know that Wawrinka would exploit the same qualities to push the great man to
the brink of a total blackout.
One can’t say that Djokovic did not deserve the Roland
Garros title. In fact, the prowess of skill and constancy that he has displayed
this year can still make him one of the greatest of all times. Unfortunately
for him, Wawrinka was unreal and disturbingly good on Djokovic’s most important
day.
In 2005, Djokovic was playing in a meager qualifying tournament for the Australian Open and Wawrinka won the Boy’s title at Roland Garros. 10 years later while Djokovic is a beast winning the Australian Open title for the 5th time, Wawrinka, in one of the greatest finals in French Open history, proved that Stan’s the Man!
