t is the start of a brand new season, a time for new beginnings on every front, a chance for all of us to size up the changes each player has made during the off season (Carlos Alcaraz and his new serve and new haircut, for example) and the new partnerships that have been formed.
So what have we learned so far? We all knew about Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray’s embryonic coaching relationship but Novak Djokovic and Danielle Collins? Who knew? It turns out that our Novak is now a huge fan of the American after her ding-dong with the Aussie crowd the other night.
Just to recap, Collins beat Australia’s Destanee Aiava in three feisty sets in front of a well-oiled partisan crowd. They were giving Collins heaps and she, in response, gave it right back. To a chorus of boos, she began her on-court interview. And then stopped. Taking the mic from the poor interviewer she told her detractors: “I was thinking during the match that if I’m out here, I might as well just take that big, fat pay cheque. Coco [Vandeweghe, her coach] and I love – we just love – a good five-star vacation so part of that cheque is going to go towards that. So thank you guys for coming out and supporting us tonight. Thank you, guys. Love ya!”
She took a lot of stick for that but Collins, being Collins, she didn’t care. As she explained to reporters afterwards: “Every person that’s bought a ticket to come out here and heckle me or do what they do, it’s all going towards the ‘Danielle Collins fund.”
And after Djokovic had beaten Tomas Machac 6-1, 6-4, 6-4, he confessed to a whole new level of respect and admiration for Collins. Although he felt he had delivered his best performance of the week by far against Machac, the 10-time champion was teetering on the edge of a meltdown for most of it.
One fan got under his skin and, heckling throughout, he was driving Djokovic to distraction. When another idiot yelled “out” during a particularly tense rally, Djokovic’s Anglo Saxon retort could be understood by all regardless of their nationality or native tongue.
“I loved her response; I loved it,” Djokovic said of Collins’s way of dealing with her tricky situation. “Everything she said on the court, off the court – big fan of Danielle Collins after that. I was before but now I’m a big fan. I loved it.
“I heard some comments that people said she shouldn’t have said that but I thought she handled it really well. I don’t think I would be that polite. And I know exactly the feeling. I think she was funny, she was smart and I’m a big fan of what she did.”
What she did was find a way to win and that is what Djokovic is trying to do at the moment. Ever since he won Olympic gold in August, he has been a shadow of his usual self. Whether it is a lack of motivation (let’s face it, there is not much else left for Djokovic to win) or the simple fact of age, no one knows. But the Serb is desperately trying to find a way to fix it.
Even if the 6-1 first set scoreline looks like it was a breeze for our hero, it was anything but. Machac made him work for every point and as that first set ended and the second started, Djokovic was often doubled over and gasping for breath.
After the 13-point opening game of the second set (Djokovic let slip two break points) he stopped to slump in his chair for a moment before changing ends. After dropping his serve in the next game, he called for the trainer and doctor. A puff on his inhaler and a couple of pills seemed to do the trick and he got back to work, gradually getting better. And better.
“I was trying to catch my breath,” he said, brushing off the medical issue. “I struggled. I’m not 19 anymore — I’m 19 times two, almost.”
But by the third set, he was feeling considerably fresher and with his serve working well, he was dictating play from the baseline, as is his wont. If Machac thought he could wear the old boy down, he was sadly mistaken. Djokovic was ruthlessly and relentlessly accurate and aggressive. It was as good a performance as he had produced in many months. But, even then, the frustration and nerves were plain to see.
Holding a break point to take a 5-2 lead and move within one game of victory, the former world No.1 missed his chance and bounced his racket in fury. As he walked back to his chair, he turned to give his team a mouthful. Fortunately for Murray, he does not speak Serbo-Croat so dodged the worst of it but he would have got the general gist. One look at Djokovic’s face would have told the Scot all he needed to know.
The language barrier issue is a hoot to watch during matches. Djokovic says something to the boys in the box and Murray waits until his employer has finished and then asks for a translation from one of other team members. When Murray wants to send word to his charge, he gives the information to the guy sitting nearest to him who then shouts the instructions, in the appropriate language – Djokovic speaks several – and hopes for the best.
So far it is working but now there is Jiri Lehecka to face. The world No.29 likes life in Australia – his two career titles have come in Adelaide last January and Brisbane at the start of this month. Then again, he did lose his only previous meeting with Djokovic at the United Cup a year ago. Yet with all due respect to Lehecka, this fourth round match up is not about him.
If Djokovic were to win on Sunday, he would be through to his 17th Australian Open quarter-final and would in all likelihood meet Carlos Alcaraz when he gets there (Alcaraz beat Nuno Borges of Portugal 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-2 on Friday and now plays Britain’s Jack Draper). That would show Djokovic how close to – or far from – his best he really is. But the signs are promising.
“I’m really pleased with my game,” Djokovic said with a satisfied smile. “There is always something to work on, but this is definitely my best match of the tournament.”
The rest of the locker room has been warned: Djokovic, the No.1 fan of Danielle Collins, is beginning to feel like himself again.
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