Federer vs. Djokovic. Tomorrow. Center Court. Wimbledon. A battle of pure poetry vs. pristine prose. I love both but have lost my heart to Djokovic. Let me tell why.
Not that I love Federer less, but I love Djokovic more. Federer’s backhand against Murray is so sexy, that “you need to be above 18 to see it,” says a video title. Surely, Novak is not revered among tennis fans as much as Roger and Rafael. He lacks brutal force and charisma— John McEnroe and Jimmy and Connors had it aplenty. But he is unbelievably gentle and down to earth. In the summer of 1993, this six-year-old boy would spend sleepless nights for several months trying to evade bullets when Belgrade was bombed. Himself a ball boy once, he shouted at a ball girl this Wimbledon but quickly went to her and said sorry. He loses his temper occasionally – he smashed his racquet to pieces when playing against Marcos Baghdatis but immediately apologized. He loves his dog as much as he loves Jelena Rustic, his wife and deeply regrets that Wimbledon rules do not permit Pierre, his pet poodle to be around the center court.
He packs as many books in his bag as racquets and prefers books to video replays when he goes to bed. He relaxes by listening to classical music. Known for humorous off-court impersonation of the tennis stars—Roger Federer and Serena Williams—he has earned the nickname “The Djoker”.
Cynics say that he is eccentric. He drinks only warm water, eats grass at Wimbledon, gobbles up as many bananas as he can during changeovers, bounces the ball a dozen times when he serves; loves talking to himself between the games, and cannot resist shaking his legs in any form of dancing. Can the geniuses be chained within the brackets of standard deviations?
It will be No. 1 (Djokovic) vs. No. 2 (Federer) in what indeed is one of the great rivalries in the history of men’s tennis. Federer leads by 20-19, and they have split their last eight matches. Will Djokovic make it 20-20 in their 40th encounter? Only Sunday will tell.
