{"id":48771,"date":"2022-04-19T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2022-04-19T13:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/?p=48771"},"modified":"2022-04-18T16:40:24","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T20:40:24","slug":"what-is-happening-to-novak-djokovic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/tennis\/2022\/04\/19\/what-is-happening-to-novak-djokovic\/","title":{"rendered":"What is happening to Novak Djokovic?"},"content":{"rendered":"

A little over six months ago, Novak Djokovic sat at the mountain of omnipotence. Djokovic was set to complete the Grand Slam at the US Open – the Holy Grail of men’s tennis which has remained unconquered for half a century. But he was overcome by nerves and a determined opponent<\/a>, and ultimately stumbled at the final hurdle in his quest to match Rod Laver’s calendar-year Grand Slam of 1969. Still, he put a capstone to his 2021 season by winning a record 37th Masters crown in Bercy.<\/p>\n

The Serbian star was expected to dominate the tour in 2022. But recent developments<\/a> have precipitated a doom cycle of just two match wins this year. His decision to remain unvaccinated against Covid-19 locked him out from participating in a number of high-profile events. So far, Djokovic has been limited to just two tournament appearances in 2022.<\/p>\n

Djokovic’s latest defeat at the Monte Carlo Masters posed more questions rather than answers in what has become a chaotic start to his campaign. Is he losing motivation? Could this be the start of his decline? Is the balance of power shifting in men’s tennis?<\/p>\n

If history is something to lean on, we know for a fact Novak Djokovic will turn the tide. Even when seemingly overwhelmed, battered, and bruised, Djokovic is the kind of player who will always find a way to triumph. His name amongst the tennis immortals is engraved in gold. So what is happening to Djokovic in the most peculiar season of his career?<\/p>\n

Start of 2022 season was far from ideal<\/h3>\n

In all fairness, Novak Djokovic has for the most part of his career fought through adversity. Nothing has been handed to him on a tea tray. This explains why every time he hoists a trophy, he speaks fondly of his tough upbringing and his desire to get to the top.<\/p>\n

His unceremonious deportation from Australia<\/a> in January had graced almost every media outlet for all the wrong reasons. His stance against Covid-19 vaccination portrayed him as a pantomime villain in the eyes of the Australian faithful. And following the public’s uproar, the authorities Down Under were left with no choice but to expel him from the country.<\/p>\n

His absence at the Australian Open opened the door for his old nemesis Rafael Nadal to add to his Grand Slam tally<\/a>. And the Spaniard duly took matters into his own hands, battling to win a 21st Major title.<\/p>\n

Djokovic kicked off his 2022 season in Dubai, almost two months late from the official season’s start. His intermittent appearances have produced two wins and two defeats, hardly the kind of form which would strike fear to the rest of the field during the clay-court swing. While the Serb is a man ordinarily famed for his comebacks (most notably in 2018), this feels different.<\/p>\n

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Novak Djokovic in press: <\/p>\n

\u201cI miss competition. I still feel motivation to be on the tour\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously last four, five months have been really challenging for me mentally and emotionally, but, you know, here I am and I try to leave all of that behind and move on.\u201d #Djokovic<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/mroPH681j9<\/a><\/p>\n

— Kiran Gupta (@kirangupta_) April 10, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n