Novak Djokovic: One of GQ's Men of The Year

I'm really really proud of Nole! :-) Last year people didn't even think that he's going to beat Roger and Rafa, he just used to be the person they beat in the semis, you know there had to be someone that gets beaten in the semis before the epic and cliche Roger-Rafa finale. But now he's number 1 and I couldn't be prouder! I know I've posted about him being number 1 so many times but this is just something that I'm really proud of. It's been a great year for him!

I just found out that he's one of GQ's Men of The Year! I'm going to share some parts of the article that made me smile. Actually the whole thing is so awesome but let me just choose a few sentences that made me feel like a proud mom~

...Tsonga even went on to win that set, before falling in the fourth. But fall he did. Djokovic scattered points and matches like that behind him all year long. It took another three days, and the final against Rafael Nadal, to elevate Djokovic to the ATP's No. 1 ranking. By then, however, the ATP's calculations were merely catching up to what was already true: Suddenly, amazingly, in 2011, Novak Djokovic became the most powerful force in tennis.

Tennis was not expecting this a year ago. Tennis did not see the need. Tennis already had written the script, and it was a perfectly satisfactory one, if you liked tennis.

They would play each other, Roger and Rafa, age trying to fend off youth with grace and guts. Their rivalry would be beautiful and moving; fans would choose sides, pull for Federer to bravely turn back the clock, tell themselves they were seeing the greatest tennis in history.

Novak Djokovic? Somebody had to lose to Federer or Nadal in the semis. So bring on the rawboned Serb: a nifty returner, a locker-room cutup, a guy one ineffable degree shy of championship material. 

Then the calendar turned over, and so did the sport. Djokovic beat Nadal on grass, on clay, and on hard court, in California, Miami, Madrid, Rome, London, and New York. He beat Federer in Australia, Dubai, California—three consecutive tournaments—lost an epic match to him at the French Open, then beat him again in Flushing. Roger and Rafa seemed as excellent as ever. But Djokovic had crossed over into the world of the '85 Bears, Pedro Martinez, Usain Bolt. It didn't matter how good anyone else was.

The most electrifying thing about watching Djokovic, the quality that pulls in a casual viewer, is that even while playing at the highest level ever attained in his sport, some piece of his mind seems still to be functioning on the normal human plane. He has not turned his back on lesser life-forms, in the manner of a Michael Jordan, and vanished into a rat tunnel of competitive rage. He places another shot improbably—yet certainly—inside the line. He turns away and pumps his fist, not in abandon but with a sort of narrow-eyed, thoughtful glee. It's as if he's as awed as we are by what he can get away with.

2011 is definitely Nole's year! I can't wait for Australian Open next year and see if he's got stronger or not. I hope he's better now, the last time I saw him on TV he retired because of an injury. I'm so excited for Nole and his future matches this 2012! Never going to miss any bit of those amazing matches for sure! x

Read more: Whole article of Novak Djokovic in GQ MEN OF THE YEAR

Tennis blog 2k11

It's Sept 14! Yesterday was the US Open Men's Finals and guess who won...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC!

       The year 2011 is Novak's best year so far. Just this Monday he won his very first US Open title, 3rd Grand Slam of the year and 4th Grand Slam of his career.

        Let's take this back '07. That was the first time Nole tried winning this title. Last year, he fought Nadal in the finals to win this but he didn't succeed. This year, he finally did it.

        So how did Nole do it? First of all, his tennis really improved. He used to have a lot of double faults, and compared to last year's finals, his records this year has definitely improved. His serves are way better than they used to be, and he's now powerful enough to turn defense to offense. One moment Nadal is controlling his serve, the next shot, Nole is already controlling it. His confidence level got higher too, I mean why wouldn't it? He's the world #1 right now and he has only lost 2 matches this year, one in French Open semis where Federer defeated him and the other just last month where he retired because of an injury.

       Nole is in his best shape and best state of mind right now. Nobody can stop him. He has defeated Nadal in all of their 6 encounters, and he won the US Open semis against Federer by breaking Roger's 2 match points and eventually winning the set.

      Many people used to think that he was just a lucky guy who happened to win AUS Open in '08, but this year he has really proven that he is the best player at the moment and that he deserves that #1 spot.

     Now he has 4 Grand Slams, 3 of which he won this year, and you have no idea how excited I am to see him win more. He's not done yet, he's just starting to be the best player and as what I'm seeing right now, he is unstoppable.

     HAJDE NOLE!

Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title!

So last night, I tuned in to Star Sports for 3 hours to watch the Wimbledon finals between Nadal and Djokovic.

I've been watching tennis since '05, I think. I was a big fan of a lot of sports and I watched a lot of them, including basketball, golf, badminton, tennis, racing, swimming and even gymnastics. Ironically enough, I DO NOT PLAY ANY SPORT. :-) Haha.

Let's take this back 2005... (pun intended)

The first tennis match I've ever watched (that I can remember) was a match between Nadal and Bagdhatis. It's was on grass, I think. Not sure which tournament though. It was so freakin' awesome and I didn't want to change the channel until I find out who won.

I started researching and watching as much matches as I can because it's really an interesting sport. I've started to learn more about the sport and the athletes from way way back and those who are dominating the scene during that time.

The first tennis player I idolized was Rafael Nadal. He was young, strong and determined. He was just someone who looks like a champ. And he is. And then, Roger Federer. I admire Federer because he is one of the best (if not the best) players in the entire tennis history.

Then came this young guy who got into the quarterfinals of French Open in '06. He came out of nowhere. He reached the fourth round of the Wimbledon in the same year. Then he reached the semifinals of the French Open in '07. It totally caught my attention. Beside him being an eye-candy, he was a really really REALLY funny guy. His name is Novak Djokovic.

He then reached the finals of the US Open in '07.

THOSE MARIA SHARAPOVA IMPRESSIONS WERE THE REASON WHY THE US OPEN CROWD LOVED HIM.

He didn't win the US Open in that year, but a month after his first ever Grand Slam final, he won his very first Grand Slam title in the Australian Open stage.

The Nadal-Federer rivalry was gone. There was a new one, and it was called a TRIVALRY. Yes, that word is not in the dictionary haha. It was not just about Nadal and Federer anymore, it was about Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic.

He became the #3 player in the world for a few years. Then he became #2. And now, he is #1. NUMBER ONE. I'm not even related to Novak in any way but I was in tears when he earned that rank. And him winning Wimbledon confirmed that he is the best player in the world today.

I'm just so proud of him. It's so special because I was there when he started to grow and make a name for himself. I feel like a proud mom, haha. Even his brothers grew oh my god look at them! Marko used to be this fine young boy I was crushing on but now he's a grown man and he'd probably be just like Nole.

No words can express how happy I am for him. And I can't wait to see more from the world's best tennis player at the moment.