User:The Gypsy Vagabond Man/2011 Novak Djokovic tennis season

Novak Djokovic has had a tennis season for the ages in 2011. He has won three Grand Slam titles in the Australian Open, Wimbledon Championships, and the US Open. Furthermore, Djokovic has taken five Masters Series titles, and three of those came on hardcourt surfaces at Indian Wells, Miami, and Canada, which two were on clay at Madrid and Rome. Djokovic made it to the final of Cincinnati, and the semifinals of the French Open, and those were just two of the three losses he has had all season long. He has won ten tournaments for the season, and the other two victories came at the 500 level event on a hard surface in Dubai over Roger Federer and on his home soil of the 250 clay court Serbia Open over Feliciano Lopez. Djokovic has beaten Rafael Nadal in six finals during the season, which were at Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Wimbledon, and US Open. The Australian Open was won in the final over Andy Murray, but Murray would beat Djokovic at Cincinnati via a retirement. At the French Open, Djokovic succumbed to Federer in the semifinals. In the other Masters series final, Djokovic defeated Mardy Fish in Canada. The third loss of the season happened in rubber four of the Davis Cup tie with Argentina, which Djokovic lost in a retirement to Juan Martin del Potro.

Early Hardcourt events
Djokovic would win the Australian Open, Indian Wells Masters, Miami Masters, and Dubai. He would withdraw from Rotterdam though.

Australian Open
Djokovic got a code violation in the fourth round by the umpire for coaching, but Djokovic flat out denied any coaching happened.

Djokovic played Thomas Berdych in the quarterfinals, and got off to a quick start to the match, which he won the first set only losing one game in 36 minutes. The second set started off with Djokovic getting broken in the fourth game to go down three-games-to-one. Djokovic would play an incredible forehand lob shot that gave him the break of serve back. After this, Djokovic asked for some eyedrops, which cleared up any problems with his vision. Djokovic would comeback to force a tiebreaker, and at five-all in the tiebreak Berdych hit a misplaced forehand to lose a minibreak and eventually Djokovic won the next point to win the second set. In the third game of the third set, Djokovic would come up with some marvelous returning of serve to break Berdych's service, which would ironically start the succession of games won all the way to winning the match, just losing one sole game in the set. The match took a time of two hours and 32 minutes to complete.

Djokovic took on four-time and reigning champion at the event in Swiss Roger Federer. The first set was won in a pivitol tiebreaker, which went to the Serb over the Swiss in seven-points-to-three. In the second set, Djokovic took an early break of serve from the Swiss, when Federer overhit his backhand shot. This would not be be the case for to long in the set because Djokovic got dazed by Federer's game, and it took him until the Swiss took two breaks of his own serve until Djokovic would finally start fighting back down four-games-to-two. At the pivitol ninth game, Federer was serving for the set, but hit a sloppy drop shot and Djokovic tracked it down to get the winner that allowed Djokovic back into the set. In the eleventh game, Federer again lost his nerve and Djokovic was able to capitalize on it and took the break that allowed him to serve for the set, which he did to go up two-sets-to-none. Federer would break Djokovic in the eight game of the third set to level it at four-games all, but this was again quick lived and the Serb took and quickly broke back in the ninth game. This allowed Djoklvic to serve for the spot in the finals against Briton Andy Murray, which he was able to do successfully.

In the final, Djokovic took on Murray, and it did not take long for the Serb to put the Briton under serious duress because in just the second game Murray had to survive a 14-minute bout of a game, which included consisted of five deuce points played and one break point opportunity. The Briton would hold serve at this key juncture, which allowed the first set to stay on serve until the tenth game of the set. During that crutial and deciding game, they were embroilled in a 39-shot tussle, which would give the exhausted Serb a look at a break point. Djokovic took the break on serve on the next subsequent point, and captured the first set in a hard faught 59 minutes. Djokovic did have some problems with his eyes, which did not play a factor in the match because he was provided with eyedrops by his entourage in the middle of the match. Djokovic quickly steamrolled the Briton in the second set to take a five-games-to-none advantage, which allowed him to take the set only losing two games. Djokovic would go onto win the third-and-last-set, which allowed him to capture his second title down under. This match took only 159 minutes to play and earned the Serb 2.2 Million Australian Dollars in prize money.

Rotterdam
Djokovic was a semifinalist in Rotterdam the previous year, but had to withdraw from the event in 2011 losing him 180 world ranking points.

Dubai
At Dubai, Djokovic faced the Czech Thomas Berdych in the semifinals of the event. Djokovic would be put into a situation of having to come up with the goods after losing the first set to the Czech. Djokovic could not have forseen just how he would win the match, but he credited his fitness for getting him past Berdych, and move him onto the final of the event. Eventually, Berdych would have to retire midway through the third and pivitol set with a left quadriceps injury that hampered his movement. So, this was the second final of the year Djokovic had already made, which he would take on Federer in the final.

In the final, Djokovic would start the match serving ablaze at 93 percent, and Federer unable to hold serve in the third game, allowed Djokovic to get the upperhand in the first set. Federer would give Djokovic another opportunity to break the his serve in the next subsequent Federer service game in the fifth one of the set. Djokovic hit a forehand wide of the out-of-bounds line, and Federer quickly erased any opportunity to break in the game with a forehand winner on the next point. Federer would finally yielded to the relentless attack of Djokovic by losing serve while trying to stay in the first set in game nine. The first set was over in just a mere 33 minutes of action. At one-game-all in the second set, Djokovic was serving a paultry 40 percent. Federer had his best opportunity to get a break of serve in the third game of the second set, which on his first break opportunity hooked a forehand shot wide, but eventually Djokovic could not keep his serve by getting broken hitting a backhand shot that missed landing in-bounds. Djokovic found himself down three-games-to-two in the second set, but Federer would gift him a love-to-fourty advantage by a double fault on the first point and two subsequent forehand errors. So, Djokovic got Federer to hit a smash that landed in the net, netting him the break of serve. This would prove pivitol in the match because Djokovic on the next Federer service game got down three break points, and the third was the one he lost, which Djokovic forced Federer into a backhand shot that went to long. Djokovic would not allow Federer back into the match because he won the last five games to take the set in 38 minutes, and the match took just 71 minutes to come to fruition.

Indian Wells Masters
Djokovic would meet Federer in the semifinals of Indian Wells, and they would both split the opening two sets of the match in three's. So, they played a crutial third set for the right to move onto the final. Djokovic quickly broke Federer's service in the third set, but had to stave off two break points on his own serve to go up two-games-to-love. Then, Federer would be gifted three break point opportunities in the fourth game of the set, but did not have to do much to convert on them because on the first one Djokovic double faulted and the set was suddenly tied. Djokovic was gifted another break of serve by the same mechanism he gave his away to Federer on a double fault, and this allowed him to win the next subsequent four games to take the set and match. At one strech in the third set, Djokovic won an impressive 11 points, and broke Federer during that strech. This win meant Djokovic would move to Number 2 in the ATP World Tour Rankings supplanting Federer at that spot.

Djokovic would play Rafael Nadal in the final, for their first encounter of the season. The first set went to Nadal via two breaks of Djokovic's serve, which was due in part to the depth and percise shot making of the World Number 1. In the second set, Djokovic was up on Nadal five-games-to-three, and had just come off of having his serve broken in his previous service game, but got off to a 40–15 advantage in the ninth service game of the set. This would not be an easy won game for the set, but rather a test of wiil power of the two. In this game, Djokovic faced five deuces in the game only give the Advantage to his opponent Nadal once, for one break point chance, which was not converted upon, and on the sixth set point Djokovic would show his toughness and covert on this point to take the set. Every time, Djokovic was faced with a deuce point in the sequence he sliced his serve into Nadal's lefthanded backhand getting unreturnable or week returns that gave him the supreme positioning in the points. Nadal would go away in the final set rather quickly, which Djokovic took command and won by losing only two games to take the match and victory.

Miami Masters
Djokovic would meet Nadal for the second time of the season in the finals yet again. Nadal came out ablazing in the opening set to get a three-games-to-one advantage, but had to keep Djokovic from breaking back twice, once via a long protracted Nadal-like rally and the other Djokovic hit a shot into the net. Before Djokovic could make a run in the first set, Nadal already had him on the ropes down five-games-to-one. At this point, Djokovic would come back by holding serve twice and getting a break on Nadal's serve, but will little avail as Nadal prompt won the set in his last service game. Djokovic would get off to another fast start in the second set of a final against Nadal going up three-games-to-love, and Djokovic hit a marvelous lob shot in the fifth game to take his lead to four-games-to-one. Djokovic would have three break points in the next Nadal next subsequent service games to maybe get a chance to take the win in two sets, but Djokovic would not have it. Djokovic won the second set to force a decider in the third set. Djokovic and Nadal would play into a tighter third set unlike Indian Wells, where this would end in a championship deciding tiebreaker. Djokovic got quickly down in the tiebreak by a minibreak two-points-to-one via a netted shot. In the fourth point, Nadal was defending furiously to get the upperhand in the tiebreaker, but could not and yielded the mini-breaker back to even in two-points-a-piece. From this point onwards, Djokovic would take the next four points off of Nadal in the tiebreaker, but then lose the next two, which he came back to win the next point to win the tiebreaker and the match in a whopping three hours and 21 minutes three set match.

Clay court events
Djokovic would win three events at the Madrid Masters, Rome Masters, and Serbia Open. He would lose in the Semifinals to Federer at the French Open, and would withdraw from the Monte Carlo Masters.

Monte Carlo Masters
Djokovic would withdraw from the event, which he was a semifinalist last year, since it was not a required Masters event appearance this year on the calendar losing him 360 world rankings points.

Serbia Open
Djokovic took on Spaniard Feliciano Lopez in the final of the Serbia Open in Belgrade. The first set was a tight tussle that at five-games-all Djokovic had to save a break point, and the tiebreaker Djokovic galloped out to a five-points-to-one advantage, which he won the set in 73 minutes. Djokovic got out of a tricky game in the third game of the second set by serving well to lead two-games-to-one. Then, Djokovic broke serve in the fourth game and was able to steamroll to the victory in the match only losing two games in the second set.

Madrid Masters
Djokovic took on Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters. Djokovic ended up dropping serve at the end of the second set to give it to the Spaniard, which evened the match up at one-set-apeice. In the critical third set, Djokovic would break Ferrer's serve in the fifth game on the set, and would break it again during another game during the set. This allowed Djokovic to win the match in a time of two hours and 27 minutes.

In the semifinals Djokovic played Brazillian Thomaz Bellucci in the semifinals. Djokovic for the better part of an hour took it to Djokovic, which he almost got to the finish line being up one set and having a three-games-to-one lead in the second. Then, Djokovic started working on Bellucci's backhand wing that started showing dividens. After a while of this, Djokovic started to edge himself back from the cliff, and started taking command of the match. After this relentless attack by the Serb, Djokovic took the second set. Djokovic got Bellucci wore down so much that he had to have his thigh tapped at three games to one down to the Serb and was never they same. This meant Djokovic staved off the loss and won the match only losing the one game in the third set, and setup the third finals match with Nadal of the year and first on clay.

In the final, Djokovic rapidly went out to a four-games-to-love lead over Nadal, but would relent and allowed Nadal to climb back into contention. At five-games-to-three for and 30-all, Djokovic showed signs of being nervous serving out the set, which Nadal broke his serve, and would get the first set to level five-games-all. Then, Djokovic showing winning form held his serve, and got three break points on Nadal's serve, which was Nadal trying to serve to stay in the set. Djokovic would break Nadal's serve to take the opening set. Djokovic got broken in the opening service game of the second set, but was unfazed and unmoved by it, which allowed him to quickly seize the break back in the second game. Djokovic would hang with Nadal the rest of the set getting one more break of serve to allow him to serve for the match. Djokovic had three set points by hitting three quick winners, and it was over. Djokovic had won the set and match handing the third defeat to Nadal in three Masters Series finals, which this was the first defeat on clay, Nadal's favorite and best surface.

Rome Masters
Djokovic took on Murray again for the second time in the season at the semifinals of the Rome Masters. Djokovic would have an easy service game to open the match not losing a point. Then, Djokovic subsequently broke Murray in the next game due to a poorly struck backhand that went into the net. Djokovic would break Murray's serve again at love to go onto a three-games-to-one advantage, which was due to Murray's inability to hit a first serve. So, this allowed Djokovic to storm to a one set lead over Murray. Murray would not go away easily this time around. Murray would hang with Djokovic in the second set, and was gifted a break of serve in the sixth game of the set, which Djokovic lost the set because he could not get back on serve. In the third set, Djokovic was able to break Murray's serve in the fourth game to lead three-games-to-one on a Murray backhand mishit into the net. Djokovic would give it back to Murray in the next game to even up the score three-games-all. Murray was able to get the break of serve in the ninth game of the set, and allowed him to serve for the match at five-games-to-four, which Djokovic broke back. They both held in the next two games to force a tiebreaker, and Djokovic took the tiebreaker by winning seven of the nine points played to defeat Murray again during the season.

Djokovic would meet Nadal in the fourth Masters Series final of the year and second on clay. Djokovic would get the break of serve on Nadal in the eight game to allow him the serve for the match. Djokovic was unsteady serving for the match and lost his serve, when he gave Nadal two break point opportunities. Djokovic would a break point on Nadal's next service game playing superb tennis, and converted it to take the set with a pinpointed cross-court backhand. Djokovic would take a two-games-to-love lead in the second set after Nadal hit a backhand that sailed just long. Nadal would not allow this to stand and got back to two-games-all. They both would hold serves, which allowed Djokovic to have a game to win the match, but albeit on Nadal's serve. Djokovic gave himself three break point opportunities, but lost all of them to allow Nadal to get back to deuce. On the fourth one, it featured two net cords. Djokovic would win this as a ball dropped short and Nadal was just able to shovel the ball towards the net with no hope of getting clearance over the net. So, this was the fourth Masters series final Djokovic beat Nadal in the season, two on hard and two on clay.

French Open
Djokovic would go onto surrender his first loss of the season to Federer in the semifinal in four sets, and managed to come back and win the second set only to lose the match in four sets.

Grass court events
Djokovic would win Wimbledon Championships, and withdrew from London (Queen's) event.

London (Queens)
Djokovic made the third round here last year, but withdrew this year losing 20 world ranking points.

Wimbledon Championships
Djokovic would take on Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semifinal round. The match started out in an inauspicious way for the Serb, which he got broke on his opening serve in the first game, and this was due to a lackluster effort. Djokovic would get a gift of a break of service from the Frenchman tenth game, which allowed for a tiebreaker, and Djokovic would win the tiebreaker to capture the first set. Djokovic would take the second set after Tsonga got off track by losing the first set, he could not regroup in time, so this made the third set pivitol for both men. The set was an up-and-down affair between the two with breaks of serve, but it would eventually be decided in a tiebreaker, which this time it would go Tsonga's way. This would not phase the Serb because he promptly got back-on-track to take the fourth set for the match. Lastly, this win marked the first-time that Federer or Nadal would no longer be the World Number 1 tennis player, since 2004, which Djokovic took over the top spot after defeating Tsonga.

Djokovic would meet Nadal for the fifth-time in a final and overall for the season, but this is the first-time in a Grand Slam for the year and first meeting in a Wimbledon final. The match would start off with Djokovic serving in the first game, which would prove pivitol later. Nadal was serving in the tenth game of the set to stay in it, which it looked very much like he would being up 30-to-love, but like Djokovic has done all year relentlessly faught back. Djokovic would win the next four successive points to take the opening set on a break of serve by Nadal. The second and third sets we quite lopsided affairs being that Nadal could only manage to win one game in the second and vice-versus for Djokovic in the third. The third set, Djokovic said that he was relaxing and unfocused, but this would not happen in the fourth set of the match. At four-games-to-three in the fourth set, Djokovic would show his agility by reaching for balls, and in doing so forced Nadal into a double fault, sending a backhand shot wide of target, and hit a forehand into the next because of Djokovic's unrelenting play in an eleven shot rally. This allowed Djokovic to have three break point opportunities, and on the second, they were engaged in a fifteen shot rally that Nadal hit an errant backhand on the last shot. So, the break of serve gave Djokovic the opportunity to serve for the title. Djokovic would use some suprise tactics in serve-and-volleying on key points of the game to Nadal's suprise, which his backhand volley gave him the championship point. On championship point, Djokovic hit a forehand approach shot that had been hit hard and deeply percise in the back right corner, and Nadal hit his backhand long. This win was Djokovic's eighth of the year and second Grand Slam title of his season.

US Open Series events
Djokovic would win the US Open and the Canada Masters, but would fall in the final of Cincinnati via a retirement.

Canada Masters
Djokovic would take on American Mardy Fish in the final. Djokovic got off to a great start by winning the first set by just losing two games to the American in 38 minutes. In the fifth game, Djokovic lost his serve to Fish, and could not get back on serve only managing to capture three games in the second set. In the fifth game of the third set, Djokovic would return the favor to Fish in breaking him to love, and would continue to hold his serve and was serving for the match at five-games-to-three. The ninth game saw Djokovic get three match points, but could not convert on any of them. Djokovic would however get a fourth one, and would not let that go. This was Djokovic's ninth title of the year, and the fifth on a hard court surface, which was his fifth Masters Series victory for the season.

Cincinnati Masters
The only set Djokovic would lose before the final came against Gael Monfils in the first set of the quarterfinal, but then Djokovic would come back to take the next two to win the match.

Djokovic got a retirement from Thomas Berdych in the semifinals after taking the first set.

Djokovic would face Andy Murray in the finals. Djokovic would hang with Murray until the seventh game that saw Murray break the Serbs serve and was able to hold the break, and take the opening set. After just three games, that all went to Murray in the second set, Djokovic had to retire from the match, which was his second loss of the year. This retirement was because of a shoulder strain on the serving right side, which he said it was just due to overuse.

US Open
Djokovic would face Federer in the seminfinals of the US Open for the second year in a row. The Swiss took the first two sets, putting the Serb behind the eight ball having to come back and win the next two sets, which he would do, and that was due in part because of the year he was having. In the fifth set decider, Djokovic dropped his serve in the ninth game of the fifth set to allow Federer to serve for the match, and this would be a game for the ages in tennis history. Djokovic quicky found himself two match points down 4–5 and 15–40, like a year ago to the Swiss. The first match point was saved after Federer sliced a serve out wide for a sure ace, but Djokovic being an outstanding returner of serve, whipped the ball with a cross court forehand and the ball slapped the line. To this, McEnroe called it "one of the all-time great shots". The next point was saved when Federer's ball hit the next and landed on his side of the court. Djokovic would go onto break the Swiss' serve and do it again in the twelfth game to take the match and get into the third Grand Slam final of the season.

The US Open final saw Djokovic matched up with Nadal for the second successive Grand Slam final, and the six encounter in a final for the season. The first and snd second sets got off to fast starts for the Spaniard with two-games-to-love leads. This leads were squandered by Nadal because of Djokovic's relentless play to get to every ball imaginable, so in the first set the Serb would take the remaining six games breaking Nadal three times to take the set. In the second set, Djokovic would win it with a whopping forehand that Nadal was incappable of returing it on set point. So, Djokovic came to serving for the match twelfth game of the third set, but was broken by Nadal, which allowed Nadal into a tiebreak that the Spaniard would not lose. So, Djokovic got help from a trainer at the start of the fourth set, which was because of a back injury. This would prove beneficial because Djokovic would storm all the way out to five-games-to-one advantage. The Serb used the tactic of reducing the speed on his serve to place in effectively, so this allowed him to win easier points. At match point, Djokovic took and did the sign of the cross and bounced the ball ten-times and served it and hit a forehand winner that Nadal could not even get to. So, this win gave him his first three Grand Slam win season and was the tenth title of the year and sixth on a hardcourt surface.

Argentina vs Serbia
Djokovic missed the first rubber of the tie. He came back to play Juan Martin del Potro in the fourth rubber, and lost the first set, which he had to withdraw midway through the second set. This was because he fell to the court rithing in pain from a back injury sustained at the US Open. So, this lost Serbia the tie and gave Argentina a place in the final.

Late Hardcourt events
So far, Djokovic had to retire from the China Open due to a back injury strain.

China Open
Djokovic withdrew from the event this season, but was the defending champion from last season, which lost him 500 world ranking points.

Singles matches

 * (#)–Yearly Match Number
 * Rd–Round
 * Rk–Ranking
 * Rt–Result

Singles schedule

 * Rt-Result
 * Pt-Points