The first Grand Slam tournament of the year is over and Novak Djokovic has now joined the elite group of tennis players to call themselves a Grand Slam champion. He did so in impressive fashion, only dropping one set (in the final) the whole tournament.

His semi final win over Roger Federer in straight sets has caused everyone to at least wonder if Roger’s dominance is in serious jeopardy. Is this a sign that Federer might have a little more resistance in surpassing the Grand Slam record held by Pete Sampras or could it signal something even bigger - that he may not be able to do it at all?

Is Djokovic the one who is ready to begin a torrid assault on the record books? Already the youngest male player of all time to reach the semi finals of each Grand Slam tournament, Djokovic is clearly a dangerous threat on all surfaces.While Rafa Nadal is the best clay court players out there, he has shown vulnerability on hard courts and with injuries. Perhaps Djokovic is going to be Federer’s greatest rival moving forward. The biggest obstacle towards his breaking the Sampras legacy comes from Serbia at the moment.

Federer was 21 years old (almost 22) when he won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003. Djokovic is 20 years old winning his first here at the Australian Open. Federer was 23 by the time he had reached the semi finals of all the Slams. Djokovic has accomplished this by the age of 20.

It will be interesting to see how Roger reacts to this performance. The two hard court masters tournaments in March should be a good indicator if this Australian Open signals a power struggle for Federer or a complete shift in the balance at the top of the men’s game. Will Roger get a taste of his own medicine from Djokovic? Will he be able to handle playing second fiddle? If he loses to Djokovic again on hard courts and in such convincing fashion, how will he react? I personally feel that Roger stil has a very strong chance of beating the Sampras record. It certainly seems as if it may take a little longer than expected however. Adding Djokovic to the Federer/Nadal mix is going to be a real treat to watch this year. How do you think it will unfold?

Let the debate begin!

The first Grand Slam tournament of the year is over and Novak Djokovic has now joined the elite group of tennis players to call themselves a Grand Slam champion. He did so in impressive fashion, only dropping one set (in the final) the whole tournament.
His semi final win over Roger Federer in straight sets has caused everyone to at least wonder if Roger’s dominance is in serious jeopardy. Is this a sign that Federer might have a little more resistance in surpassing the Grand Slam record held by Pete Sampras or could it signal something even bigger - that he may not be able to do it at all?

Is Djokovic the one who is ready to begin a torrid assault on the record books? Already the youngest male player of all time to reach the semi finals of each Grand Slam tournament, Djokovic is clearly a dangerous threat on all surfaces.While Rafa Nadal is the best clay court players out there, he has shown vulnerability on hard courts and with injuries. Perhaps Djokovic is going to be Federer’s greatest rival moving forward. The biggest obstacle towards his breaking the Sampras legacy comes from Serbia at the moment.

Federer was 21 years old (almost 22) when he won his first Grand Slam at Wimbledon in 2003. Djokovic is 20 years old winning his first here at the Australian Open. Federer was 23 by the time he had reached the semi finals of all the Slams. Djokovic has accomplished this by the age of 20.

It will be interesting to see how Roger reacts to this performance. The two hard court masters tournaments in March should be a good indicator if this Australian Open signals a power struggle for Federer or a complete shift in the balance at the top of the men’s game. Will Roger get a taste of his own medicine from Djokovic? Will he be able to handle playing second fiddle? If he loses to Djokovic again on hard courts and in such convincing fashion, how will he react? I personally feel that Roger stil has a very strong chance of beating the Sampras record. It certainly seems as if it may take a little longer than expected however. Adding Djokovic to the Federer/Nadal mix is going to be a real treat to watch this year. How do you think it will unfold?

Let the debate begin!

Related posts:

1. Novak Djokovic Wins Australian Open 2008
2. Federer Brushes Aside Youzhny, Djokovic Next
3. Roddick Lets Racquet Talk For Him
4. Federer Zips to Fourth Round; Youhzny Eliminated
5. US Open Day 13: Roger Federer is playing a waiting game