Another day, another title for the Djoker. It seemingly never ends. Eventually, it will end but probably not before Djokovic has broken every record in tennis.
The latest record that crumbled under his onslaught was the Masters Series title record of 27 previously held by himself and Nadal. Miami was his 28th Masters title and that is a big one folks.
These Masters titles are hard to come by and Djokovic is winning them like they are nothing. He didn’t drop a set throughout the event and made it look easy in the final against Nishikori defeating him 6-3, 6-3.
To demonstrate how difficult it is to win a Masters, the generation of Nishikori, Raonic, and Dimitrov has not won a single Masters title between them. With this title, Djokovic also equalled Agassi’s record 6 Miami titles and became the all-time prize money leader with $98,199,548.
Absolutely amazing control by #Djokovic on the backhand wing. What a shot! #Nishikori https://t.co/kRsZ9udpkC https://t.co/UtFjbkp5uR
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) April 3, 2016
Wow! Soon he will become the first tennis player to win $100 000 000! As I suspected might be the case Djokovic raised his level again for the final. That has been his pattern of late. He had a slow start however because Nishikori broke serve in the opening game.
Nishikori looked ready for the upset and was hitting freely out there, but soon Djokovic started strangling him from the baseline with impeccable depth and consistency. He broke back straight away and broke serve again at 3-2 with a backhand pass up the line.
It was business as usual for the world #1. That said, he followed the break up with a poor service game as it was Nishikori who go the break back straight away this time with an inside-out backhand return winner that painted the line.
4-3. At this point, Djokovic was just steadily tightening the noose around Nishikori’s neck. It is quite a special sight to watch the Djokovic machine go to work and outplay his opponent with sheer quality.
More phenomenal hitting by #Djokovic against #Nishikori. A monstrous forehand. https://t.co/kRsZ9udpkC https://t.co/n5pfTJZqdg
— TennisTV (@TennisTV) April 3, 2016
He broke Nishikori again in the next game and this time, he would make no mistake as he served out the first set at 6-3. At the beginning of the second set, it was more of the same as Djokovic broke serve in opportunist fashion.
With the early break in the second set, you figured it was pretty much over. Djokovic was not going to be denied from that position and he got the second break at 5-3 for good measure.
Final Thoughts
One keeps repeating the same things about Djokovic and how amazing it is what he is doing but it is justified. It is not out of some misguided fanaticism. I say it as a former player who understands and loves the sport.
It is simply very special and entertaining what he is doing. I know there are plenty of tennis ‘fans’ who can’t appreciate it but as far as I’m concerned they were never tennis fans to begin with. They are the types that worshipped Federer and Nadal out of misguided fanaticism.
That is not what it means to be a tennis fan. That is something else called celebrity worship. Now, I realise that there is a place for liking specific players and personalities. I like specific players and personalities myself.
But if you get so stuck on a certain player or personality that you can’t appreciate other players and personalities then you are not in the realm of tennis fandom anymore. I myself was a huge Federer fan but I’m an even bigger Djokovic fan.
That is because I can appreciate different game styles, personalities, and what he brings to the court. He brings something very different to the court than Federer which is why many Fedfans can’t embrace him as Federer’s successor.
I see that as their problem, not Djokovic’s. Djokovic is better than Federer in many ways. Not just in terms of tennis but in terms of his personality as well. For one thing, he takes losses much better and he seems a lot more authentic to me.
World No.1 Djokovic claims record 28th ATP Masters 1000 title, 6th #MiamiOpen crown with 6-3 6-3 win over Nishikori. pic.twitter.com/jgh2lPGDgD
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) April 3, 2016
He comes from a tough background and doesn’t have that kind of spoiled/entitlement problem Federer has. He appreciates everything and takes nothing for granted. His on-court personality seems more natural to me as well.
He is not trying to live up to the status quo or the standard set by Federer or Nadal. He is forging his own legacy in the sport and setting a new standard. He is also a perfectionist and not afraid to show emotion and frustration.
This flies in the faces of the Fedal fans who have a set way in their minds of how the world #1 should act, failing to realise that it would just make Djokovic a predictable and boring copy of what has gone before.
Or maybe boredom is exciting for these people. Who knows. All I can say is that I find Djokovic’s approach very exciting and entertaining. He is a real person with a real(and funny) personality. He is not a boring and predictable PR bot of the establishment.
The same can be said about his tennis. He is not spectacular in the sense that Federer or Nadal is. His genius is more subtle and requires a little sophistication as a tennis fan to appreciate. I am astounded by some of the comments I read on Twitter and tennis forums.
People are talking about how boring he is and that he is killing tennis. I just shake my head and realise how little these people understand about tennis. Djokovic is spectacular in a very different and fresh way from Fedal.
$98.2 million: Novak Djokovic surpassed Roger Federer as all-time prize money leader on @ATPWorldTour. pic.twitter.com/w7BpeTf8Yu
— Tennis Photos (@tennis_photos) April 3, 2016
Do people always want to watch the same kind of tennis and personalities? Isn’t that boring as hell? I have come to the point where I think tennis would be better off without the hardcore Federer and Nadal fans.
They are not real tennis fans and I have to ask myself why they are still hanging around if tennis is so miserable and boring with Djokovic’s dominance. Surely they have better things to do? Or maybe they are hanging around in the hope that Djokovic would not surpass their heroes?
I wouldn’t hold out too much hope of that happening if I were them. I think it’s likely that Djokovic will surpass both Nadal and Federer. The big test will be the French Open this year. If Djokovic wins that there will be no stopping him.
But either way, he will still dominate for a long time so why would they make themselves miserable? They are probably still waiting around for that one last slam which will put their player out of reach of Djokovic.
Well, I wish them all the best, but again I don’t think that is very likely to happen. Djokovic is an extremely determined individual who wants to become the greatest of all time.
Final Final Thoughts
Well before Indian Wells began I think there were quite a few people who doubted whether Djokovic would do the Indian Wells/Miami double again but he did it for an incredible fourth time and is still miles ahead of the rest of the field.
And his biggest rivals seem like less of a threat than ever. Federer, Nadal, Murray, and Wawrinka are all struggling. They all have a lot of work to do during the clay court season if they want to have a shot at stopping Djokovic from winning the French Open.
Monte Carlo begins in a week and I am already excited for the clay court season. Djokovic has indicated that he will play Madrid this year which I am happy to hear and he will get enough rest in between everything.
It is a bit surreal how he keeps winning everything in sight and the longer he keeps doing it the more exciting and entertaining it is so I hope it just keeps happening. It’s been another entertaining North-American stretch and I hope the real tennis fans enjoyed it as much as I have!
Highlights
