Australian Open 2020: Novak Djokovic masters the art of winning with his 'mental grit'

34 Masters. 5 Year-End Championships. 17 majors. At least one title every year for 15 consecutive years. With his record-extending eighth Australian Open win against Dominic Thiem in a five-set thriller, he also claimed record of being first man in Open Era to win grand slam titles in 3 different deces. vak Djokovic has a resume good eugh to establish himself as one of all-time greats.

Much can be contributed to Djokovic's 'mental prowess' behind his success. re are many landmark matches where two evenly matched opponents push each or to ir limits to win, but player who has mental edge over or player ends up winning. This is one aspect of Djokovic's game that he has mastered, where he is able to deliver in clutch moments of a match, even if he is struggling in a significant portion of match.

RE: vak Djokovic beats Thiem in five sets to win eighth Australian Open

Djokovic delivering under pressure

His performance against Thiem was exception to his mental game. With 2-1 sets down, Djokovic historically never came back in a grand slam championship match in seven previous occasions, where he faced same situation. With a commanding le in match, Thiem seemed to be in a comfortable position to capture his first grand slam by end of third set. In fourth set, Djokovic was facing a break point in third game. Yet Djokovic was able to turn things around and by end of set, control was taken over by Djokovic.

This is t first occasion where 'le' survived match despite facing a better player in big chunk of a match. Last year in Wimbledon final, vak Djokovic faced an eight-time champion Roger Federer and a crowd that was emphatically cheering even when he just served a fault. Djokovic was able to win match despite being two match points down (a feat he has achieved against Federer previously in 2010 and 2011 US Open semifinals).

RE: Women's tennis 'never been more open' as Kenin becomes latest Slam surprise

Djokovic and crowd factor

Djokovic, for all his achievements, is still considered a polarising figure to crowd. If one has to go by a thumb-rule on crowd behaviour on-court, one can observe that it will cheer for an underdog who is facing a leing player unless it is Roger Federer. Djokovic becomes an exception to rule. When he faces an underdog, crowd cheers for an underdog. When he faces Federer, crowd is overwhelmingly against him.

crowd behaviour is also a major test for any player, especially against player who's t supported and motivated by crowd. This is where Djokovic tries to use that as a fuel despite throwing hints of frustration. After 2019 Wimbledon final, he mitted, “When crowd is chanting ‘Roger,’ I hear ‘vak’. It sounds silly, but it is like that. I try to convince myself that it’s like that.”

Australian Open Final this year established Thiem as a leing contender for all major tournaments, ensuring focus is beyond Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nal. As legendary players are getting older and with likes Thiem, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev w giving m a tough competition, we can expect this dece to have an exciting era in tennis. And this is where key for all se players will lie t on ir physical agility, but mental ability.