Can Novak Djokovic reclaim his mojo at the Grand Slam he has made his own?

If Rafael Nadal has Roland Garros and Roger Federer has Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic has the Australian Open. While his record six titles there may not seem to carry the same weight as ‘La Decima’ on clay or be soaked in the legacy of winning eight on grass, it is definitive proof of the Serbian’s high place in the contemporary tennis’ pecking order.

But Djokovic’s relationship with the Norman Brookes Cup has been not as poignant or poetic as the other two. This relationship has been characterised by grit, by doggedness and dominance in contrasting measure, highlighting his remarkable consistency.

• In 2005, is his first main draw match, the then 17-year-old qualifier crumbled to a pitiful 6-0, 6-2, 6-1 first-round loss to eventual champion Marat Safin.
• In 2008, the 20-year-old stormed to his first Grand Slam triumph, beating the then top seed Roger Federer in straight sets in the semi-final and overcoming Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the final.  
• In 2011, the Serbian began his manic, magical ATP season and went on to win five more titles there in the next six years.
• In 2017, exactly a year ago, he came to Australia as the second seed and defending champion after a mediocre season by his standards. But in an unexpected twist, he fell to world No 117 Denis Istomin in the second round to begin a downslide in earnest.
• In 2018, he is back after a six-month injury layoff in a bid to restart his career at the place where his tryst with Grand Slam success began.

The 30-year-old has made the Australian Open his own with a whopping win-loss percentage of almost 89, better than any other Major and much better than his two at US Open, the other Slam on hard court. Only Federer and Nadal have better win percentages at their “pet” Slams.

Although his coach Andre Agassi has a slightly better win percentage here, Djokovic is the most successful male player in the Open Era and with six of his 12 Majors coming in Australia, three of which were consecutive. His power-packed, all-encompassing game has always shined on the slower hardcourts of Australia at the start of a new season.

So it is understandable why Djokovic is willing to gamble on his “not 100%” elbow and remodelled service action to make his return to competitive tennis. He has adjusted to the conditions and court speed, where once he used to wilt under the heat, he is now the master.

But whether Djokovic can reclaim his mojo at Melbourne Park is a major question hanging around the injury-plagued Major.

Djokovic’s Open

Since that 2005 loss to Safin, Djokovic has lost only six matches at the Australian Open in 13 years. He has dominated the first Slam of the year, ahead of Federer (five) and Agassi (four) lifting the trophy in 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, and 2016. His win over Nadal in the 2012 final is considered among the greatest tennis matches of this era. He has a better win record here than at any other Slam.

But the loss to Istomin last year was the most decisive. For all the talk of the courts being faster than ever before, it was not his court speeds or conditions that let him down, but his own game. That the Serbian, one of the most endurance-oriented athletes on the tour, was grinded down in a match that lasted almost five hours says a lot about the space he was in since he achieved his Career Slam in 2016.

He had gone down in Melbourne before. In 2009 as defending champion he had to retire in the quarter-final against Andy Roddick due to heat. In 2014, a brief blip in his dominance came when he lost to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in the quarters again.

But he came back from all of them stronger and fitter, with his consistency only improving. However, a comeback from a debilitating elbow injury might not follow the same pattern.

Djokovic’s elbow injury is not new, it has been progressively getting worse over the past few years. With his style of play, the grinding, all-retuning, stamina-draining warfare, the breakdown was not a complete surprise, as much as the speed at which it went downhill. He said it got to the point where the pain on his serve was becoming unbearable, with a sustained period of rest the only cure.

He finally took the tough call only after he couldn’t continue his quarter-final against Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon. He would have to miss a Slam, lose thousands of ranking points and stay away from the game for a good time. He had already parted ways with his entire team and hired Andre Agassi more as a mental coach. He then added mercurial former tour player Radek Stepanek to a coaching team, along with statistician Craig O’Shannessy. All in a bid to make sure that when he returned, he would be at a 100% physically, mentally and strategically.

But that didn’t go according to plan when he was forced to pull out of his comeback match at the Mubadala exhibition on the advice of his medical team two weeks back. He, then, missed the season-opening Qatar Open and played the solitary exhibition match at Kooyong Classic, where he beat Dominic Thiem in straight sets.

For a player who used to be on the mental level of Djokovic, this lack of match practise is not much cause for concern. Physically, it might be a different story.

Back in Melbourne

It won’t get any easier for Djokovic when he returns to the scene of his biggest triumphs. The 14th seed will open his campaign against world No 63 Donald Young, and could face Gael in the second round. A possible fourth-round clash against fourth seed and rising star Alexander Zverev is also on the cards, with a potential meeting with Federer as well.

It is a tough ask in a tough draw. But the Serbian is taking is positively, drawing inspiration from Federer, who did the impossible only a year ago. “I mean, he’s [Federer’s] a great example of someone that manages to take care of himself, knows how to prepare well and peak at the right time. He won a couple more Grand Slams. Who would predict that after his six months of absence, so everything is possible really,” he said in Melbourne.

But above all, Djokovic has belief in his own capabilities. The Zen-minded player is confident he can turn I around, even if his body in not at its fullest limit

“I still know what I’m capable of, and I believe in my own abilities to win against the best players in the world. I know that if I get myself to the desired level of performance – mental and physical – that I can actually have a good chance to go far in the tournament.

The ‘desired level’ is the operative phrase here, as he has already said that the “fire, passion, and love for the sport still burns” in him. But if he can manage to reach even 80% of that level, Djokovic can be a threat in Melbourne. Even if can manage a deep run at his favourite hunting ground, it will give him enough momentum to build on for the rest of the season.