Before this year's Australian Open, and even last year's US Open, there was more speculation that Djokovic would be the first player to win 21 Grand Slams.
In this major suspense, Medvedev twice played an important role. He defeated Djokovic in straight sets in last year's US Open final, preventing Djokovic's 21 Grand Slam dreams, and this year he blocked Nadal's 21 Grand Slams in the Australian Open final, but unfortunately lost.
Compared to his own 3 US Open titles, Djokovic, who has nine Australian Open titles, is clearly more likely to achieve his dream of 21 Grand Slams at the Australian Open. Djokovic's deportation from Australia last month for not being vaccinated was a rare dramatic event in the tennis world, and indeed in sport as a whole, and it was not his opponents who shattered his 21 Grand Slam dreams, but himself and the Australian government.
After Djokovic was expelled from Australia, the discussion of the 21 Grand Slams was no longer a hot topic, and people turned to whether Medvedev could win back-to-back US Opens and Australian Opens, and whether Zverev and Tsitsipas could achieve a breakthrough of zero Grand Slam. As the only Big Three to compete, Nadal is not a favourite for this year's Australian Open title. Even if Nadal unexpectedly reached the final, the percentage of people who were bullish on him winning the championship before the game was only 36%, and after losing the first two sets in the final, that percentage dropped to 4%.
In the final, Medvedev did not replicate last year's victory at the US Open or the dream of stopping opponents from 21 Grand Slams, with Nadal becoming the first of the Big Three to win 21 Grand Slams.
The drama of this Australian Open final is also that whoever wins the title will be a huge loss or blow to Djokovic. If Medvedev wins, he replaces Djokovic as the world number one; if Nadal wins, he surpasses Djokovic in the number of Grand Slams.
As soon as the Australian Open men's singles final final line-up came out, Djokovic either lost the throne of the world number one or fell behind in the Grand Slam competition of the Big Three. The number of world firsts and grand slams are the two most important indicators of a player's achievement.
The palms of the hands and the backs of the hands are all flesh, and it hurts to be beaten on either side. And which side to beat is not up to you, it is up to others to decide.
The other day, the tennis news media was almost full of news and commentary articles about Nadal's victory, and people listed various data to praise Nadal's greatness from all angles. After this boom has passed, I feel the need to calm down and set our sights on Djokovic, analyze what impact Nadal's 21 Grand Slams will have on Djokovic and the entire tennis world, and predict Djokovic's next specific plans.
More than 10 hours before the start of the Australian Open, Djokovic flew out of Melbourne, transiting in Dubai and returning to Belgrade. In addition to his brother, he was greeted by many supporters holding Serbian flags.
After returning home, Djokovic said he would not comment on the visa case until the end of the Australian Open. For the past two weeks, Djokovic has been largely in Belgrade and Montenegro.
His main activities were: visiting a ski resort in Montenegro, visiting the Church of ostello Monastery in Montenegro, attending events at the Novak Tennis Center in Belgrade, and meeting Serbian President Vucic.
He made three major public statements. The first was in response to rumors that he would sue the Australian government for more than $4 million in claims, which Djokovic publicly denied. The second time was after the Australian Open, he posted on his personal social media, the main content of which was to praise the wonderful matches of this year's Australian Open, and congratulate the men's and women's singles champions and runners-up. The third was a meeting with the president, mainly to thank the support, to say that he would strive to win the remaining three Grand Slams this year, and to disclose the details of the visa case in the next 7-10 days.
Based on Djokovic's above statement, and combining the information disclosed by the media, I speculate that his next plan is roughly as follows:
First, the visa incident is probably over, and he is unlikely to continue to tangle with Australia. As for why the details of the visa case should be disclosed, the purpose should be to respond to public doubts, further clarify their attitudes and positions, and strive for more understanding and support.
Second, there is a good chance of vaccination. Djokovic biographer Muksch said in an interview with the Austrian newspaper Today, "Based on the information I got from his team, it seems that he has been vaccinated. Maybe what happened in Australia made him make that decision, or maybe Nadal's winning a Grand Slam spurred him on, so he decided to get vaccinated. ”
Third, it will be more focused on winning a Grand Slam. After meeting with Djokovic, Serbian President Vucic said: "I met djokovic in the morning and I said to him ' Come on Novak and prove your greatness to the world'. He's a flag for Serbia and he won't tell you what he's thinking, but he'll beat all opponents at the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. ”
Fourth, we will try our best to maintain the position of the world number one. Djokovic's current world first week has reached 358 weeks, 48 weeks more than Federer in second place. Currently, Djokovic has 11,015 points, just 890 more than second-placed Medvedev. He will compete in the ATP 500 Dubai race on February 21, and it is speculated that he may also participate in the two ATP 1000 races in Indian Wells and Miami in March to avoid being overtaken by Medvedev and losing the world number one spot. To participate in the above two ATP 1000 events, you must be vaccinated, which also confirms the speculation that he has been or is ready to be vaccinated.
To sum up, the spate of events that took place last month will have a significant and far-reaching impact on Djokovic. Staying in refugee hotels and being deported has humiliated him, not being able to participate in the Australian Open has deprived him of the opportunity to refresh his history, his attitude to vaccines has made him controversial, not vaccinating or losing more qualifications, and Nadal taking the lead in winning 21 Grand Slams has brought him more pressure and more motivation.
Historically, those who oppose Djokovic will oppose him more resolutely, and those who support Djokovic will support him more resolutely. Of course, both opponents and supporters will make Djokovic more resilient and stronger.
Even with a neutral attitude, we have no doubt that Djokovic will be the leader and creator of many records in the tennis world, but the divisions he brings will grow and the fight will become more intense.
Those who support Djokovic will be more united and will break with those who oppose Djokovic, just as the current complex global situation is accelerating towards a multipolar, confrontational, and tearing era. (Source: Tennis House Author: Yun Cirrus Yunshu)