The second-time around Slam: Djokovic again arrives at Wimbledon halfway to the calendar-year Grand Slam

WATCH: Game, Set, Bet: Be smart with Djokovic and Wimbledon

It seems like only yesterday that Novak Djokovic sat on his bench at the 2021 US Open during the final changeover in his championship-round loss to Daniil Medvedev, face buried in a towel, weeping and occasionally sobbing.

Enervated, emotionally moved by the affection pouring down from the fickle Gotham crowd, and so far behind in the count (4-6, 4-6, 4-5 with Medvedev about to serve), Djokovic knew that his chance to complete a rare a calendar-year Grand Slam with just one more win was evaporating as quickly as the mixture of tears and perspiration he would leave on the floor of Arthur Ashe Stadium.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for all who were present or watching on television, not least Djokovic and Medvedev. Or was it?

It seems almost surreal to contemplate but, come August, the 36-year old Serbian duelist might find himself right where he left off at the previous US Open—on the brink of becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to sweep all four Grand Slams in a single year. It’s a mind-blowing proposition, given that neither Laver nor any other icon of the game has come anywhere near the place Djokovic presently is: heading a Grand Slam for the second time in three years.

While we are only two majors into the year, Djokovic will launch into the third, next week at Wimbledon, as the odds-on favorite. He enters as the four-time defending champion and, since the departure of Roger Federer, the best grass-court player by a significant margin. Djokovic’s confidence is sky-high and he’s healthy, while no other member of the Top 10 has come within a topspin lob’s distance of the Wimbledon trophy.

Beyond that, Djokovic is so closely replicating his run of 2021 that he could sue himself for copyright infringement. The numbers are revealing, as is a review of his fortunes at the halfway mark of each year.

In 2021, Djokovic was ranked No. 1 throughout the entire year. This year has been different, mainly because of the disruptions related to Covid-19 and the denial of rankings points from last year’s Wimbledon. Djokovic was ranked No. 5 at this year’s Australian Open and No. 3 at Roland Garros, but he returned to No. 1 after his triumph in Paris (before Carlos Alcaraz regained the top spot with his Queen's Club title).

Djokovic is 27-4 in all ATP matches at the Grand Slam halfway mark, nearly identical to his 2021 record of 28-3. He played only three five-set matches at the first two majors of 2021, including one in the final of Roland Garros, but he’s been even better in 2023: he hasn’t gone the distance once. Statistically, he has had challenging competition at all four events both years: the average ranking of the seven players he defeated at each of those majors is inside the Top 50 (47.9), including 42.1 at the 2021 Australian Open.

Let’s look at each of those four tournaments:

Feb. 21, 2021, Australian Open final: Djokovic d. Daniil Medvedev, 7-5, 6-2, 6-2

Djokovic called this one “emotionally the most challenging of Grand Slam I ever had.” That was partly because of the impact of Covid-19 on tennis, including suspended events, the prohibition against spectators, and criticism of tennis officials and players for pursuing their careers while countless people were suffering from Covid and fearful of contagion. Yet you might have answered Djokovic’s claim with, “Oh, yeah? Just you wait until this time next year..."

But the most pressing reason for Djokovic’s level of stress was the tear he suffered in an abdominal oblique muscle in his third-round, five-set win over Taylor Fritz. Djokovic did not hit a ball after that match and wasn’t sure he would continue in the tournament until two hours before his fourth-round match-up with Milos Raonic.

Not everyone was buying Djokovic’s claim of the severity of the injury. “I know there's been a lot of speculations, people questioning whether I'm injured, how can I recover so quickly, it's impossible to do that. I get it. I mean, look, everyone is entitled for their own opinion. ... I just felt like it was a bit unfair at times. But I think I've developed a thick skin over the years to just dodge those things and focus on what matters to me the most. ”

What the coach said: Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s colorful co-coach, marveled at his protege’s ability to overcome all manner of adversity, saying: "If he [Djokovic] say something [about his injury], it's not good. If he doesn't say anything, it's not good again. Was not easy to deal with all this criticism ... he showed the world again how great, how big he is as a tennis player. This is his tournament. Like Rafa has his French Open, Novak has his Australian Open. Nine times, unbelievable."

June 13, 2021, Roland Garros final: Djokovic d. Stefanos Tsitsipas, 6-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4

This was arguably the most challenging of his four triumphs in terms of match play. Djokovic had to recover from two-set deficits in two different matches: against No. 76-ranked Lorenzo Musetti in the fourth round, and electric ball striker Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

Taking a page from his coach’s media playbook (Ivanisevic had once regaled reporters at Wimbledon with tales of “good Goran” and “bad Goran”), Djokovic admitted that he received mixed signals from himself as he struggled in the final with Tsitsipas, saying, “There's always two voices inside: there is one telling you that you can't do it, that it's done, it's finished. That voice was pretty strong after that second set. So I felt that it was a time for me to actually vocalize the other voice and try to suppress the first one that was saying I can't make it.”

“Good Novak” prevailed, the win leading to the first targeted discussion about a calendar-year Grand Slam. The subject was first broached by Djokovic’s long-time mentor, Marian Vajda. Djokovic’s co-coach suggested that Djokovic was giving serious thought to a Golden Slam (a Grand Slam and Olympic Games gold medal in the same year, a feat accomplished in the history of tennis only by Steffi Graf).

When asked about his chances of fulfilling that ambition, Djokovic replied: “Everything is possible. . . I've achieved some things that a lot of people thought it would be not possible for me to achieve.”

What the coach (Vajda) said: “Well, we (Ivanisevic and Vajda) [told Novak] that if he accomplished the [calendar-year] Grand Slam, that we are going to quit, we officially announce this as coaches.”

Jan 29, 2023, Australian Open final: Djokovic d. Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6, 7-6

This performance added to the growing body of evidence suggesting that turmoil and controversy aren’t necessarily detrimental to Djokovic’s fortunes. On the contrary, distractions might even help Djokovic focus more fiercely on the task at hand. He lost but one set—that in the second round, against a qualifier—in a relentless march to the title.

Djokovic conceded that he had great trepidations as he made his reappearance in Melbourne, the scene of a debacle in January 2022. His stubborn efforts to take part in his beloved Australian Open without having been vaccinated against Covid outraged countless fans, locally and globally. The stance, and his manipulations to skirt Australia’s strict Covid protocols, landed him in an extended quarantine and, eventually, got him kicked out of the country before the tournament even started. His fans could only weep and gnash their teeth.

But the Aussies turned out to be a forgiving lot. That encouraged Djokovic, who also claimed after the final that before the start of play he didn’t fancy his chances due to a persistent leg injury—sound familiar?—that turned every round into a “struggle for survival.” You wouldn’t have known it from his scores.

Djokovic professed to be filled with pride and satisfaction when he clambered into the friends' box immediately after the last ball was struck. He “emotionally collapsed” and cried tears of joy at having successfully warded off the predictable as well as unexpected distractions. In a video posted on a pro-Russian channel, Srdjan Djokovic, his father, was seen celebrating and hobnobbing with a cohort of Russian pro-Putin roughnecks after one of Novak’s victories.

What coach Ivanisevic said (referring to Djokovic’s injury): "He (Djokovic) is from other space. His brain is working different. . . He gave everything. 77 therapies a day. Every day was kind of better and better. I didn't expect this. Honestly, I was shocked."

June 11, 2023, Roland Garros: Djokovic d. Casper Ruud, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5

In 2021, Djokovic’s road to the title went through Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. This year, the greatest obstacle in his path for the bulk of his career was cleared when Nadal withdrew due to injury. It was welcome news for all the contenders. By so thoroughly dominating on clay (Nadal has claimed 14 titles in the 18 years since 2005), the Spaniard single-handedly killed almost all serious discussion of a calendar-year Grand Slam by anyone—including himself.

Coming into the tournament, Djokovic later said his form was so ragged that he “didn’t know what to expect.” The absence of Nadal certainly was a palliative, but not as much as the five-set Grand Slam format. In that scheme, Djokovic really likes his chances, hence the admission that as soon as he arrived in Paris, “I just felt different, you know, in a positive way.”

With the future of Nadal (who at 37 is roughly a year older than Djokovic) uncertain and Federer gone, Djokovic has established himself as the best player on clay until someone beats him in Paris to prove otherwise. Given his proficiency on all the other surfaces, Djokovic could find himself positioned to complete the Grand Slam for any number of years.

What coach Ivanisevic said: "He (Djokovic) has this software in his head that he can switch when a Grand Slam comes. The day we arrived here, he was better, he was more motivated, he was more hungry."

In a nod to Nadal’s long-time superiority on clay, Djokovic declared after the final, “It's not to take anything away from winning any other slam, but just that Roland Garros is a highest mountain to climb for me I think in my career.”

The view from where Djokovic stands must be spectacular, and it includes one mountain that towers even higher. We all know what it is.