TORONTO—Novak Djokovic is back to his winning ways and is in Rio to capture a tennis prize that still eludes him.
The Serbian world No. 1 firmly put his shock third-round Wimbledon loss behind him with a dominant Rogers Cup win on July 31. Djokovic didn’t drop a set and, despite being the only representative of tennis’ “Big 4” along with Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Rafael Nadal in the event, still had to beat the game’s hottest player in Gael Monfils and Kei Nishikori, one of the principals favoured to become the next first-time grand slam winner.
It may sound strange to say but the Wimbledon loss may have been a blessing in disguise. It allowed Djokovic to recharge his batteries, spend time with his family, and begin the hardcourt season with renewed motivation.
“Everything in life happens for a reason,” said the ever-positive Djokovic about the Wimbledon loss.
And after his quarterfinal win over Tomas Berdych, Djokovic admitted, “Things are not clicking 100 percent, but, I’m moving on and hopefully it’s going to get better.”
But facing Monfils, winner in Washington the prior week and conqueror of Canada’s Milos Raonic in the Rogers Cup quarters, Djokovic played the type of tennis that won him 12 grand slams. He was simply too good for the red-hot Frenchman.
