Miami – After two decades of professional tennis, 99 career -singles titles and 24 Grand Slam Triumphs, Novak Djokovic has become a mystery – for tennis fans and for himself. Both parties try to answer the same question, from match to match and tournament to tournament, while his career goes to an still unknown end.
Who is currently the best player of modern times?
Is he the player who faded against Botic van de Zandschulp two weeks ago, open in his opening match in the BNP Paribas in Indian Wells, California? Or is he the player who has plowed through his first three opponents in the Miami Open for the past five days, including Lorenzo Musetti, the world no. 16 from Italy?
Is he the player whose return of Serve, one of the largest in the history of sport, has been a shadow of his usual self? Or is he the player who broke Musetti on his way to a 6-2, 6-2 victory five times on Tuesday evening?
Is he the player who increases his schedule as he is approaching his 38th birthday because it is his last twist around the tennis ball? Or is he the player he described to the crowd of Miami when he told them: “You’re going to see me for a few more years.”
When it comes to the subject of Novak Djokovic, Djokovic is just like everyone else: always looking for the signal in the noise, looking for the data about himself and his tennis with which he can separate what is important from what that does not. At the moment there are both too much and not enough data to find out who and what the Djokovic of 2025 is. All those years later, but only 14 games in this season, he became the international man of mystery of the sport – definitely not what he ever was, and looking for the answer of what he will be.
“I hope and wish Novak you saw tonight, and at the same time I worked hard to not have the Novak who played in Indian Wells,” said Djokovic in the mixed zone with reporters when his game with Musetti was over. “The continuity or consistency of the level of tennis for me is nowadays more challenging than years ago or 10 years ago, five years ago, and I know that.
“That is absolutely not due to a lack of hours spent at the Practice Court and in the gym because I still keep the dedication. It is there, but it just makes it a bit more challenging for me to keep the level.”
Djokovic lives due to a common misconception about what happens with elite athletes who fall out of their peaks. The Apexes remain sharp and accessible on volatile moments, even when they need them the most: Djokovic found his on his alien run to the gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games last year. It is the stability that erodes, the repetitions that are needed to retain their excellence.
Djokovic’s biggest triumph this year came on the Australian Open, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals after a series of victories that serious dips had taken up his level, in which young and inexperienced opponents found ways to hurt him, but could not finish him.
No matter how beautiful it was, the victory was also one of the strangest tennis competitions in the memory. Djokovic suffered a muscle crack in the first set, but somehow succeeded in winning in four, thanks to an intoxicating cocktail of painkillers, adrenaline and an inexplicable Alcaraz breakdown. The Spaniard succumbed to the stress of playing Djokovic, from thinking about the tennis of his opponent and his physical condition more than he thought of his own.
Three days later, Djokovic had to withdraw from his semi -final against Alexander Zverev at the end of the first set because of his muscle injury. When he arrived in Florida, he had not won a competition since he defeated Alcaraz on that January found in Melbourne.
In Miami he has victories against Rinky Hijikata, a 24-year-old Australian who played 13 Grand Slam matches, just over half the number of Grand Slam titles that Djokovic has won. He then defeated Camilo Ugo Carabelli, a 25-year-old Argentinian who never won a Grand Slam competition.
Both games were opened with a blowout set and ended with Djokovic who won a tiebreak. It is one of the most famous patterns in Djokovic matches over the years, just reversed: the tight set to release everything before the gear was changed to victory for a quick start and then an ebb.
Djokovic has taken his opening matches at the Miami Open. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)
Then Musetti came. On paper he looked like a legitimate threat. On the field, Djokovic picked up his head and saw Serena Williams sitting in the stands. He looked at his box and saw Andy Murray and Juan Martin del Potro, the retired Grand Slam champions. One his coach; The other are good friend. All those big names made him a little starstruck and nervous about playing well, especially for Williams, the greatest female player of all time.
Musetti’s elegant All-Court game fits grass, clay and slow hard courts, but he remains reasonably lost with fast. Against the best Hard-Court player in the history of the sport, he broke Serve in the first game and rose to the illusion of a 2-0 lead that was built on physical making the game. Djokovic decided that he would not play such a game and won the next nine games to take control. Musetti showed about as much resistance as a winding door.
On Wednesday evening, Djokovic will be confronted with Sebastian Korda, the young and talented American of a thousand Renaissans, apparently always about to announce himself. Korda, 24, is still trying to find his way after a few years of wrist injuries; He received a treatment on his wrist on Tuesday during his round-of-16 victory on Gael Monfils.
Djokovic won their only earlier meeting two years ago, in Adelaide, Australia. He may get a little more information about their matchup and about himself on Wednesday, but it is not clear how Fit Korda will be to give him what he needs. Djokovic at least has no doubt about his wishes: continuing to play at the highest level in an era in which even the youngest players approach the game with an unheard of level of professionalism when he started.
“Fitness and recovery and just overall approach to the work, both physical and mental side has improved so much,” he said in Miami.
“Nowadays, almost every player in the top 30 in the world has a full team of three and four people around them that for them, their bodies and everything takes care of them, so that it reflects on the field. That is why the career is now being expanded.”
When he started his professional career, players started counting their days when they reached 30, he said. Now it looks more like 35, maybe more.
“Of course I am in that group. I’m not going to get younger, but I still feel good about my body and about my tennis.”
That may be the point point that is more important than everyone else.
(Top photo: Al Bello / Getty images)