Tennis’s scoring system deters momentum, slows it down, throws it off track. No matter how much of it you have coming into a match, you’re going to have to re-create it as you go. Take Novak Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-4 win over Kevin Anderson today.
Djokovic, as we know, has won every tournament he’s entered this year, a stunning run through the Australian Open, Indian Wells, Key Biscayne and beyond. And, for the most part, he played with the confidence you would expect today. He held serve easily, he was in control of most of the rallies, and when he needed a special shot, an up-the-line winner or a feathery drop shot, it was there for him. But even with all that, he couldn’t break free from Anderson in the first set. Djokovic had multiple break points early, and he forced Anderson to take an average of nearly five minutes to hold serve (a full two minutes more than Djokovic was taking himself). But he couldn’t break through, and it left the Serb, for all of his reserve of confidence, at square one: That is, very frustrated. All of his backhand and drop shot winners were useless if he couldn’t win that final point on Anderson’s serve.
Finally, at 3-4, Djokovic got a good look at a return, sent it deep, pushed Anderson back, and hit a forehand winner. He celebrated with a fist-pump that, on the surface, seemed to be out of all proportion to the moment. It wasn’t: Djokovic had broken free. The nerves were gone; now all of his 2011 momentum could be put to use. He never struggled again.
Anderson acquitted himself decently from the baseline. The tall South African can’t defend like Djokovic, and from a tactical perspective, he didn’t press his opponent enough on his second serve. Djokovic, despite a few heavy breaths and a long moment with the towel early, when the Madrid sun was beating down on him, looked good. As it has been all year, his game remains improved in every aspect, from first serve to deceptive drop. While he isn’t suited to clay as well as he is to hard courts, it doesn't take much at the moment, just a single break, for him to get everything flowing.
—Steve Tignor