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Hugh MacDonald at Wimbledon
The Novak Djokovic travelogue has a compelling local interest. How did the greatest tennis player in the world enjoy his trip to the greatest wee country in the world? And why was he snapping road signs? And why did he not play golf when he had the chance at Gleneagles?
It also has a more substantial fascination for his friend, Andy Murray. The 25-year-old Scot, though, may be more intrigued by how the Serb journeyed from the disappointment of Wimbledon 2010 to the glory of just a year later.
But first there has to be an examination of Nole's holiday snaps. After his final defeat at Roland Garros to Rafael Nadal, Djokovic spent a few days at home in Monte Carlo before treating his girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, to a birthday treat.
"We flew to Edinburgh and I took her on a surprise trip to Gleneagles," said Djokovic yesterday. The Serb had only previously been in Scotland when he played a Davis Cup tie in Glasgow.
"I didn't have the chance then to see how beautiful the country is. The countryside is quite remarkable," he added. "We went to visit the William Wallace monument and we saw the historic culture and went around. We really liked it – although it rained for the two days – which was expected in a way," he said.
"I'll definitely be back."
Djokovic is a week younger than Murray and the two have been close friends since their days in the juniors. This closeness was reflected in the world No.1 asking his driver to stop the car so he could take a photograph of the Dunblane sign on the A9.
"So I made a picture and sent him it and he replied: 'What are you doing there!' I told him: 'Mate, this hasn't been Photoshopped. I'm really here!"
Djokovic, a proud Serb, found similarities between his holiday destination and his homeland.
"I understand that Scotland is a relatively small country, as Serbia is. We kind of share similar histories and I just understand how important it is for us to represent our countries. For me, it was always important to be proud of where I came from and to remember where I have come from, even though I have gone through years of struggle with the wars and all the obstacles that I had on my way to become a professional tennis player.
"But looking back now and really analysing what I have been through it is nice to know you have been through some difficulties that made you stronger and appreciate things in life more."
After this reflection, Djokovic was back to his jocular best when asked why he did not play golf at Gleneagles. "It was pouring with rain for two days and my girlfriend was there, so I wanted to dedicate my time to her and her desires. Golfing is not her priority, not her thing, but I'll be back soon with some friends," he said.
The "desires" of Ms Ristic were mercifully not further explored as Djokovic turned his attention to the local hero of Dunblane and surrounding areas.
"I talked with many people – the driver who picked us up at the airport, the people who were in the hotel, everybody we met was mentioning Andy. They are proud of him and obviously the question they were asking the most is when is he going to win a grand slam."
So what was the reply?
"I said very soon because I really believe that. It's not something that I just said. I really believe that he has the qualities. He was in, what, three finals, he was in many semi-finals, on all surfaces. He has improved over the years playing on clay courts.
"You could feel that there is a lot of expectation and pressure on his back. He feels it too, so I think it's a matter of at the latter stages of events – semi-finals, finals – if he is able to fight with it at that moment. It's just a small margin that is missing."
This could be perceived as a mate supporting another. There may be something of that as it is impossible to imagine Djokovic stating bluntly that Murray would never win a major.
However, it is more likely rooted in the Serb's appreciation of how a career can change dramatically, suddenly. He won his first major in Australia in 2008 and then was labelled an underachiever as he was regularly dismissed by Roger Federer in grand slams. He did not reach another grand slam final until 2011 in Australia where he defeated Murray in straight sets. Three more grand slam victories have followed quickly.
At Wimbledon 2010, Djokovic, though, appeared to be slipping far behind Rafael Nadal and Federer. The manner of his defeat to Tomas Berdych in the semi-finals caused concern to his supporters and gave ammunition to a growing army of detractors. His serve was unreliable and his will seemed sapped by continually coming up short. An encouraging display in defeat to Nadal in the US Open was followed by the glory of leading Serbia to a Davis Cup.
The world No.1 thus arrives at Wimbledon 2012 as a multiple grand slam winner who has changed the narrative of tennis from the Nadal-Federer rivalry to a Nadal-Djokovic domination. Djokovic is the more assertive partner. He has won every major in 2011-2012 apart from the two French Opens.
His diet and fitness have played a part in this transformation but Djokovic has reaped the rewards of being more aggressive, and subsequently more confident.
The acme of self-belief is to rip a return winner off Federer when facing a match point in a grand slam semi-final. It takes a resilient faith, too, to survive four match points against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Frenchman's back yard at Roland Garros.
"You have to go for your shots, especially against those guys, If you don't they will be the ones who take over the control and the pace of the match, and you don't really have much chance from there," he said.
"I have learned that, I haven't done that for all my life. In 2008/9/10, after I won my Australian Open first grand slam, I struggled. I was consistent with my results, but when I got to the semi-finals of grand slams where I was losing practically 90% or all the matches against Federer and Nadal, I just wasn't managing to make that extra step.
"All those matches that I lost, they were quite close, I had my chances but I never stepped it up, and I never took the moment, that's something I have learned. It's a challenge mentally but you need to overcome it to be at the top."
Murray was amused by the photograph of Dunblane from the A9. He will be encouraged by the words that trace the road to fulfilment from the despair of defeat.
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