Novak Djokovic departed Indian Wells two weeks ago with serious concerns. Aside from his one encouraging result this year, a supreme performance in his Australian Open quarter-final win over Carlos Alcaraz, the first few months of his 38th year had been grim. Father time had undeniably gained ground on him.
The hamstring injury Djokovic suffered against Alcaraz eventually forced him to withdraw from his subsequent semi-final against Alexander Zverev after only one set. After tearing his medial collateral ligament at the French Open last year, this setback marked his second grand slam withdrawal inside a year after two decades of good health.
Djokovic looked well off the pace in his return to competition at the Qatar Open, then he was dumped out of the first round in Indian Wells by Botic van de Zandschulp, a lucky loser. He started Miami on a three-match losing streak.
With the exception of his Olympic gold medal, where he summoned his best tennis through sheer force of will, 2024 was complicated for Djokovic. He was unusually blunt about his struggles in the aftermath of his early exit in California. “Things are different for me the last couple of years,” he said. “I’ve been struggling to play on the desired level. Every now and then, I have a couple good tournaments, but mostly it’s really a challenge. It’s a struggle for me.”
Few athletes in history have demonstrated the brand of resilience that has become second nature to Djokovic throughout his career and this past week has underlined those qualities again. The 24-time grand slam champion put his head down and he worked hard to find a way through. As a result, he now stands on the verge of more historic achievements.
On Sunday, in the Miami Open final, Djokovic will face the Czech teenager Jakub Mensik as he attempts to join Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103) as the third male player in the Open era to win 100 ATP titles. At 37 years and 10 months, Djokovic will also try to become the oldest ATP Masters 1000 champion.
It is also important to Djokovic that, rather than dragging himself to the final through sheer doggedness and mental strength, he has played quite well. He has not dropped a set in Miami and when things have become difficult, he has summoned a high level of tennis.
Having spent another four weeks working together, it is also clear that the coaching partnership between Djokovic and Andy Murray has only strengthened with time and familiarity. A victory in Miami would signify a significant personal breakthrough and a reflection of the work they have done together.
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Still, a difficult challenge awaits Djokovic against one of the most talented young players in the sport. Mensik, who at 19 years old is 18 years the Serb’s junior, followed up his second-round win against the Indian Wells champion Jack Draper by putting together an immense breakout tournament. He reached the final with another upset, edging out Taylor Fritz, the world No 4, in a third-set tiebreak. Ranked No 54 at the start of the tournament, the Czech will break into the top 30 on Monday.
Across his five wins in Miami, Mensik has shown that he is blessed with a well-rounded game, including a potent forehand and solid athleticism. His success, however, has been dictated by his outlandish serve, which has been untouchable since the beginning of the tournament. As Djokovic attempts to add to his legacy in the final stretch of his career, he will have to neutralise yet another teenage challenger determined to take him down.