Tennis: Novak Djokovic Ready for Record Push

Novak Djokovic deposed Rafael Nadal from his throne as King of Clay in Madrid. Now the Serb has a new target, the longest consecutive winning streak in Tennis history. Al Dannity assesses Djokovic’s chances as he prepares to play in this week’s ATP Tour event in Rome.

Chasing 46
Novak Djokovic’s 7-5 6-4 victory over Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s Mutua Madrid Open Final was his 34th straight win. The Serb has won 32 straight in 2011 which, when added to his 2 wins in the Davis Cup last December, leaves him just 12 wins short of Guillermo Vilas’ record winning streak of 46 matches. While not as famous as Joe DiMaggio’s 56 game hitting streak, the Vilas mark has endured for 34 years. Greats such as Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl, and John McEnroe have all come close but none have managed to surpass the Argentinian’s standard.

In order to tie Vilas, Djokovic would need to remain undefeated through the tournament in Rome this week and at the French Open. He can beat some other notable marks along the way. Winning the title this week would see him jump to 39 wins, for the sixth best ever streak. A subsequent run to the semi finals in France would tie John McEnroe’s record for the best start to a single season. Winning that game would give him that record outright along with second place for all-time streaks. Victory in the final at Roland Garros would bring him to 46 straight wins, drawing level with Vilas.

A different challenge
There wasn’t too much faith in Djokovic’s ability to maintain the streak until he recorded that victory over Nadal, the third time he has beaten the Spaniard this season. Winning in Madrid however is an entirely different challenge to what he can expect in Rome and Paris. Tennis betting fans know the surface in Madrid is notoriously faster than on other clay courts. This should give Nadal more of an edge this week and at the French Open. Djokovic’s path to the final however is reasonable clear, with Robin Soderling the only noted clay court specialist standing in his way.

Bigger targets
While Djokovic would no doubt like to beat Vilas’ record, titles and rankings count for more than streaks in Tennis. He’d gladly stop the streak tomorrow if he could trade it in for titles as both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The other big prize that has so far eluded Djokovic is the title of World #1. Conveniently he would comfortably take the top spot if the streak survives through Roland Garros.

How he gets to the top of the mountain will be of little concern to Djokovic. Having surpassed Roger Federer and repeatedly beaten Nadal, the Serb knows the only way to cement his place at the top of the Tennis pecking order is to overtake the Spaniard in the rankings.