After 37 games Novak Djokovic is still undefeated

In his road towards No. 1 the Serb has trailed Rafael Nadal by 6240 points and now only 405 points keep him from accomplishing his goal.

In 2010 Spaniard Rafael Nadal crowned himself as the new No. 1 tennis player in the world by usurping the throne that had been in possession of Swiss Roger Federer during the last four years. Having won three of the four Grand Slams disputed that year, and being the top ranked player of the year in the 2010 ATP World Tour invited fans to think that 2011 was going to be his year of consolidation. With 3305 points of advantage over his closest contender Federer, and 6000+ among the rest, the outlook for Nadal was pretty favorable.

But something else happen in 2010, there was another sign that many ignored because it was seen as a group accomplishment, and not individual: Serbia winning the Davies Cup for the first time ever and emerging as a new power in the game after overcoming a 2-1 deficit against France. It was at this point that the figure of Novak Djokovic rose in two key games against Gael Monfils and Gilles Simon to lead his compatriots to victory. Those two victories also gave the world a glance of what Djokovic’s best tennis was like, a glance of what he had prepared for 2011.

With a strong mind and revitalized confidence in his game, product of the Davies Cup championship, he stepped into the 2011 season focused in snatching No. 1 from Nadal. Confident and aware that he could trail those 6645 points that were in between them, he began to convert that boost into victories.

Those victories keep on coming one after the other, and so far in the year add up to 37 in the same number of games. This undefeated steak bought important titles along: the Australian Open and the Master 1000 disputed in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome.

Suddenly Nadal’s throne was exposed, as the Serb had reduced the deficit to just 405 points and had become the sensation of the year. The Spaniard’s efforts to stop him had been useless as the Serb dispatched him in the four confrontations that they held, including two in clay surface, where Nadal is considered to be the king.

Up next is the Roland Garros, Grand Slam that Djokovic has never won before, and which could give him that so awaited No. 1 that he has been trying to pursuit for years. If Nadal losses in the same stage as Djokovic, the Serb will take over his place. If both of them make it to the final and the Spaniards wins, Djokovic would still make it to the highest position in the rank.

Wining at Paris would not only represent for the Serb clinching No. 1, but also tying Guillermo Vilas’ record in the Open Era of 46 games undefeated.

On May 22 it will be the French Open kick off, and in the mean time Djokovic plans to rest and recover from all the effort that he has gone through to have this chance of becoming the No. 1 in the world in France.