Birds of a Feather
Tennis isn't a team game and so individual players should be judged by their own merits rather than those of others. That being said there is a tendency to group certain players together into what is known in universal parlance as a rivalry.
Over the last decade the most lasting rivalry has undoubtedly been that of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, beneath which the rest of the tennis fraternity served, volleyed, and backhand sliced in an attempt to keep up. In the shadow of the thrilling Nadal Federer menage two young pretenders emerged with a rivalry all of their own. They were called Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic.
Born under the same star - there is but a week between them - Djokovic and Murray at one time had little to separate them. Although their so-called rivalry may not have been as pronounced or as well-defined as Federer and Nadal's it was in some ways inevitable that they should be lumped together.
The pair stood out amongst their contemporaries as young hopefuls destined for great things, and consistently outshone the old guard. If anyone were able to wrestle a Grand Slam title from Nadal or Federer it would be one of these two. They seemed to be on course to achieve what was predicted them, albeit with Djokovic slightly ahead of the game.
The Grand Slam Race
2007 saw Djokovic reach his first Grand Slam final at the US open, and 2008 gave him his first title at the Australian Open. Whilst Murray was yet to reach his first final it didn't look to be too far away, and sure enough he met Federer in the 2008 US Open final, but lost.
Djokovic had a Grand Slam in the bag, but Murray was improving rapidly and took the World No.2 spot by the mid-2009. It looked as though he would catch up with Djokovic at the 2010 Australian Open, where he met Federer again in his second Grand Slam final, but again he fluffed his lines.
The Djokovic Supremacy
In his first two Grand Slam finals Murray had faced the indomitable Federer, but the 2011 Australian Open yielded a mouth-watering prospect in the shape of a Djokovic Murray final. Either Murray would break even and a rivalry would be cemented or Djokovic would move further ahead leaving Murray asking questions. As it was the latter occurred.
Djokovic was across the finish line, but didn't stop running. After losing his first match of 2011 at the French Open he returned to win Wimbledon, and last night confirmed his supremacy (not just over Murray, but also over Nadal and Federer) by taking the US Open.
The History Books
Just how long Djokovic will keep the top spot is, of course, anybody's guess, but his recent form - winning 64 out 66 matches this year - would suggest he's not finished yet. Whatever happens Djokovic will not go down as a one hit one wonder. Four Grand Slam titles is fantastic by anyone's standards, but to win three in one year is for a chosen few.
Another Time
There is a feeling about Murray that he's been rather unlucky. Had he been playing in a different era he would probably have won at least one Grand Slam by now. Whilst such a point of view can be construed as resentful and self-pitying there's a degree of truth in it. From a British perspective Murray is the best chance of a home victory at Wimbledon that is likely to come along for decades.
Tim Henman was thought of as a nearly-man, reaching six Grand Slam semi finals, but already by the age of 24 Murray has taught us far more by playing in three finals, and could yet deliver much greater pearls to the annals of disappointment and dashed hopes.
Murray's youth opens up a dauntingly long tightrope of potential achievements. He is young and certainly talented enough to go down in British if not World tennis history with a string of Grand Slams, but there is also the possibility of others' greatness and his own inhibitions eternally restricting him to a deluge of what-might-have-beens.
Djokovic, however, can sleep easy. In one sense his job is done. He's made it to the top, and from there there are a number of ways down. In the light of the determination that has got him where he is it seems feasible he'll have a go at staying there, and the chances he'll succeed are high. Murray, yet again, leaves questions, but only the test of time will give answers.
Ralph Connolly - Ralph Connolly is a graduate in English and former milkman. He spends much of his time reading all kinds of detective fiction for it's a ...
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