Novak Djokovic of Serbia says he has ‘no reason to be concerned’ about his game.STEFAN WERMUTH/Reuters
Novak Djokovic used to be known best for his impersonations. Lately on court, he's been doing a pretty good Roger Federer.
At a wacky Wimbledon, the strongest sign of normality has been Djokovic's dominance in his first five matches. Rafael Nadal's great four months, mostly on clay, were the talk of tennis heading into the tournament. But Nadal's first-round loss here has left Djokovic to remind his peers that everywhere but clay, he is a dominant No. 1.
Djokovic rarely lets on he's aware of how good he his. But he gave a glimpse of how confident he is when he was asked in his press conference after his straight-sets fourth-round win over Tommy Haas why he isn't playing as aggressively as he did when he won Wimbledon two years ago.
"I'm No. 1 of the world," Djokovic said. "I have no reason to be concerned about my game."
The stats back him up.
He's won 37 per cent of his points on winners this year, compared to 39 per cent with this stage last year, and 31 per cent the year earlier, when he won the title.
If Djokovic seemed taken aback by the question, it could be because he feels he's earned the right not to be questioned about his play in the first five rounds of majors. After Federer exited Wimbledon last week, in the second round, his presence in the second week of Grand Slam tournaments is no longer assured. But Djokovic is still here – he'll play his fourth consecutive semi-final at Wimbledon, after beating Tomas Berdych on Wednesday, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-3.
On Friday, Djokovic will appear in his 13th consecutive Grand Slam semi-final, second all time and 10 behind Federer's record, which ended one tournament before Djokovic's streak began.
Djokovic even has confused some Federer fans, such as the one who yelled, "Come on, Roger!" before Djokovic closed out the first set.
Federer's reign atop the sport was marked by dominance as well as consistency – he was the best everywhere except on clay, where he was second to Nadal. Today, Djokovic can say the same.
From the start of 2011, the year Djokovic turned 24, he has five major titles, and is two wins from his sixth. In the first five rounds of Grand Slams during that time, he has lost just 15 sets, winning 75 per cent of tiebreakers and held serve 92 per cent of the time in those matches. His overall winning percentage during that span, at all tournaments, is 89 per cent.
From the start of 2005, the year Federer turned 24, through Wimbledon two years later, he won seven majors, losing only to Nadal and Marat Safin, and dropped just nine sets before the semi-final stage. He won 83 per cent of tiebreakers and held serve 91 per cent of the time in those matches. He won 94 per cent of matches at all tournaments during that period.
Djokovic's record is just a hair less impressive than Federer's, for a few reasons. For one thing, Federer's main challenge, when he was Djokovic's age, was Nadal. Djokovic must contend with Nadal, Andy Murray and occasional threats from Federer. Also, they remain very different players. Djokovic still hasn't learned to love grass courts the way Federer did, as he demonstrated by shaking his head in frustration after bad bounces or slippery footing Wednesday – and by rarely coming to net of his own volition.
Djokovic's offence is world-class, save the occasional lapse on smashes. But it's his defence that sets him apart – as he showed with several lunging, forehand gets that won key points against Berdych, more than anything by stunning him when he didn't expect the ball to come back.
Berdych was the last man other than Federer, Nadal or Murray to beat Djokovic at a Grand Slam, here in 2010. At the time, Berdych – who is almost two years older than Djokovic – looked like he could become a dominant player. By avenging that loss, Djokovic on Wednesday showed why he was the one to take over the sport, instead.
Berdych has a great serve, one of the world's most powerful forehands and one of its most solid two-handed backhands. He can volley well, too. But in every area, Djokovic was at least as good, usually better, on Wednesday.
The difference was slim: Djokovic won the last two points of the first-set tiebreaker when a pair of Berdych shots sailed just wide. Djokovic has been playing those big points better than anyone over the past three years, another way he's channelling peak Federer.
At this stage of last year's Wimbledon tournament, Djokovic looked equally dominant. Then he lost in four sets to Federer in the semi-final, the first of a series of disappointing losses to rivals last summer.
His title here is far from assured: He'll next play Juan Martin del Potro, who straight-setted him at this venue last year with a bronze Olympic medal on the line.
The winner's likely opponent in the final is Murray, who came back from two sets down to beat Fernando Verdasco on Wednesday. Murray would bring a 17-match win streak on grass into the final if he wins his semi-final against Jerzy Janowicz.
So don't hand Djokovic the trophy yet. But do recognize that, win or lose here, he's likely the closest thing to a Federer figure the sport will have for some time.