Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic has taken the 2011 tennis season by storm with a perfect 18-0 record.His wins include the Australian Open - his second Grand Slam singles title - and the prestigious BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, where he defeated 16-time Grand Slam winner Swiss Roger Federer and world No. 1 Rafael Nadal of Spain back-to-back en route to the title.The commanding performance by Djokovic has entrenched his status as the man to beat on tour. Playing in an era of tennis dominated by the duo of Swiss maestro Roger Federer and the grinder from Mallorca, Spain, Rafael Nadal, Serbia's Novak Djokovic had been relegated to somewhat of a novelty.The charming and witty 23-year-old has been known to crack jokes and first entered the public eye by making comical impressions of other players.His nickname, "The Djoker", belied the fierce competitor and tennis player the world is slowly getting to know now. In the 2007 U.S. Open final, Djokovic faced off against the seemingly unstoppable Federer and suffered a straight-sets defeat.The loss, however, further cemented the charismatic Serb's popularity with fans and provided tennis with a leading candidate to challenge the Roger-Rafa stranglehold.It would be just a few months later that Djokovic broke through and claimed his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open, where he sent Federer home in the semifinals and reached the final without dropping a set. |