In three matches at the Australian Open, Novak Djokovic has dropped a total of ten games. In his entire brilliant 2011 season, Djokovic recorded 13 6-0 sets; he's already chalked up three bagels in 2012. His latest victim was Nicolas Mahut, who is famous for playing (and losing) the longest match in tennis history. But today Djokovic dispatched Mahut in just 20 games, 74 minutes, 6-0, 6-1, 6-1.
Mahut, known for coming forward, came into the match with his left knee taped and his mobility hampered. He only approached the net 22 times and lost 12 of those forays. Djokovic passed him at will and battered him with deep returns off both wings when Mahut stayed back on the baseline. Darren Cahill, announcing the match on ESPN, called the match nothing more than a "training run" for the world's No. 1 player.
The Frenchman had disposed of the dangerous Radek Stepanek in straight sets and Tatsuma Ito in four sets coming into his encounter with Djokovic, but he was overwhelmed by the Serb. Djokovic struck only eight unforced errors in the entire match and hit 31 winners to Mahut's 12. A quality server, the 30-year-old Mahut, ranked No. 81, won a meek 22 percent of his second-serve points. Many players suffering from an injury and winning one game in the first two sets might've called it a day and retired after the second, but Mahut kept on plugging with little success. Djokovic feels very fondly about the Australian Open—it was the first major he won back in 2008, and the only major he's won twice—and he is dominating on its main show court, Rod Laver Arena, the way Boris Becker did on Centre Court at Wimbledon.
Before the match, I talked to former pro Vince Spadea, who said he is amazed at Djokovic's success, but feels that the Serb's serve and net game aren't strong weapons. Spadea, who practiced with Djokovic prior to the 2010 U.S. Open, noted that Djokovic worked with Mark Woodforde on his volleys, and Todd Martin tried to get him to come up to net more, but he's still mostly a baseliner. "He's basically a fitter, stronger Andre Agassi," said Spadea. "Andre won eight slams, I see Djokovic winning eight to ten slams. He's better than Andre was, but he's not twice as good as Andre."
Whether Djokovic will win his third Australian Open and fifth major won't be decided for at least one more week, but he's likely to be tested in his fourth-round match, perhaps against 20-year-old Canadian and 25th-ranked Milos Raonic, who plays Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt later tonight in the Rod Laver Arena. Djokovic has never faced Raonic before, but he has beaten Hewitt four out of five times, his only loss coming back in 2006, when he was just 19. If Raonic collides with Djokovic—similar in ways to Bernard Tomic's match with Roger Federer tomorrow—a lot more will be known about the state of all these players' games.
—Dan Markowitz
Dan Markowitz is writing a book on the 2012 season entitled "Chasing the GOAT: Roger, Rafa & Nole."