[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. [10] Marin Cilic (CRO)
14:0, not many gave Cilic a chance of upsetting Djokovic, even if there were signs that Djokovic was not at his best. Yet, there has been a special gleam in Cilic’s eyes this week. He defeated David Goffin a player he had not been able to defeat before and with that victory secured his spot in the ATP World Tour Finals. He was feeling invincible and why not? He has come close before but never quite had the belief, plus Djokovic was at a different level back then.
Now we are beginning to see signs that Djokovic’s armor of invincibility may be cracking. It is rather dramatic how quickly the tide seems to have turned; yet, any sports psychologist will tell you that what may seem sudden was a long time in the making. Djokovic began to show signs of vulnerability earlier this year. Was it due to the injuries or the toll of performing at such a high level for such a long time? Everyone remembers his loss to Sam Querrey at Wimbledon and no one will forget his loss to Juan Martin Del Potro at the summer Olympics when he left the court in tears.
Playing tennis at his best still matters to him, but he has lost the edge, that aura that practically guaranteed a victory every time he stepped on court. Once players see any sign of vulnerability they will pounce. With this loss, the doors are open for Andy Murray to claim the number one ranking; however, Cilic was not thinking about this, his primary concern was to find a way to stop Djokovic from beating him fifteen times.
SCORE: Cilic def. Djokovic 6-4, 7-6(2)
SOURCE OF IMAGE: Creative Commons
Wow!! Hard to believe that Djokovic has fallen so quickly. We all knew this day would come eventually. One cannot remain at the top for ever. However, I didn’t believe he would fall this fast. I ask the same questions…is this due to some physical problem or a mental one? Will it be a permanent thing…as it seems to be with Nadal…or is it just a momentary lapse? Only time will tell. Very interesting!!