Time for Djokovic to put up

Whether it is fair or not, Novak Djokovic has become a forgotten player during the past two months.

The third-ranked Serb was on top of the tennis world in January when he won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

Djokovic carried that momentum to a victory at Indian Wells in March and in early May, he won the claycourt event in Rome, leaving many to wonder if the 21-year-old was ready to challenge for the French Open trophy.

But the reality was that Roland Garros was never about Djokovic, despite his run to the semifinals. That event revolved around the man who eliminated him in the final four - Rafael Nadal.
The talented Spaniard lived up to hype and defeated world No. 1 Roger Federer in the final to win his fourth straight French Open title and, once again, denied the 12-time Grand Slam champion the lone major to elude him.

Djokovic also faded into the background heading into Wimbledon, with Federer gunning for his sixth straight title at the All England Club and Nadal tabbed as the heir-apparent to the throne.

As it turned out, the assessment of Nadal held true to form as the 22-year-old defeated Federer in an epic five-set match that many consider the greatest Wimbledon final of all-time.

Djokovic, meanwhile, attracted little attention in England, with the exception of his disappointing second-round loss to Marat Safin.

After the match, a dejected Djokovic hinted that the wear-and-tear of the season had caught up with him - not so much physically, but mentally.

This was a far cry from the player who was brimming with confidence at the Aussie Open, even stating that Federer - the two-time defending champ - was starting to be be viewed as “beatable” by some players.

Djokovic even backed that statement up as he topped the Swiss superstar in the semifinals during his memorable run at Melbourne.

During the spring, Djokovic moved within striking distance of the second-ranked Nadal, who has held that ranking since July 2005.

That was the point where Djokovic’s promising 2008 went off the track, and he lost ground to the “Big Two.”

Nadal and Djokovic squared off in the semifinals of back-to-back tournaments (Hamburg and the French Open) with the No. 2 ranking on the line.

With both matches taking place on clay - a surface Nadal has dominated - Djokovic was unable to come away with a win.

As if Nadal wasn’t in Djokovic’s head after that, he also defeated him just prior to Wimbledon in the Queen’s Club final to earn his first grasscourt championship.

The focus in men’s tennis following the Australian Open was on Djokovic’s quest for the No. 2 - and perhaps the No. 1 - ranking.

These days, all eyes are on Nadal’s amazing play and his pursuit of the top-ranked Federer, whose days at the top are clearly nearing an end.

Djokovic doesn’t need to re-establish himself as a top player - he’s already there. He will, however, have to make a strong statement during this summer hardcourt season to again be considered a threat to Federer and Nadal.

If he is in fact most comfortable on hard courts as suggested, Djokovic is in great position to make people remember him again during the next six weeks.

But there can be no lapses or excuses, no physical or mental fatigue. The key for Djokovic right now is championship trophies and wins over Federer and Nadal.

En route to his runner-up effort at the U.S. Open last season, Djokovic got plenty of laughs at Flushing Meadows with his post-match impressions of other tennis stars such as Nadal.

This time around, he would be better served by emulating Nadal’s on-court play as opposed to his mannerisms and idiosyncrasies.

QUIZ: Who is the last player other than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to win a Grand Slam event?

VERBAL VOLLEY: This week’s comments from Patrick in Texas …

“In regards to the Williams sisters and a comment made by Elena Dementieva implying that Richard Williams is somehow fixing the matches between Venus and Serena - this is plainly absurd and an albatross to the game of tennis that people in defeat go to those lengths to lessen the sting of their loss.

“The Williams sisters have done nothing but show class and grace throughout their careers, and it is incredible how people are always trying to find some issue of content with them.

“How many times have you heard of these young women drinking, carousing, getting in trouble with the police, using drugs etc? Not one time that I’ve ever heard of.

“No, they’ve been nothing but absolute outstanding role models as athletes, yet many in the public and media are always trying find an issue of content, and when they cannot find anything to heave upon the sisters, then the attention turns to Richard or Oracene Williams.

“It is simply jealousy, stupidity and hatred at work here.”

MAKING A MOVE: Aleksandra Wozniak already was the top Canadian player on the WTA Tour, but her championship at Stanford on Sunday will keep her cemented in that spot for some time.

The 20-year-old, who beat a hobbled Marion Bartoli in Sunday’s final to claim her first career title, has vaulted from 85th to 45th in the rankings.

Wozniak, who had to emerge from qualifying to reach the main draw at the hardcourt event, is the first Canadian player since Jill Hetherington in 1988 to win a WTA singles title.

QUIZ ANSWER: Marat Safin won the 2005 Australian Open.

QUOTABLE: “I was busy.” - Serena Williams, joking, when asked if she had been approached about posing for Playboy magazine. The WTA’s Ashley Harkleroad appeared in a pictorial in the most recent issue of the men’s magazine, which prompted the question.

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