Djokovic Looks To Break Up the Reign of the Top Two

PARIS — For Novak Djokovic, the no. 6 seed at this year's French Open, there have been few bumps in the road from the courts near his parent's pizzeria in Serbia to the upper echelon of tennis. At 4 years old, he picked up his first racket. At 6, 7, and 8, he watched his idol, Pete Sampras, win Wimbledon. At 12, he moved to Germany to train. Four years later, he played his first professional match.

Djokovic, now 20, continues to improve, both on the court, where he has won five titles and become a threat on every surface, and off, where he's grown from a wiry boy whom many accused of gamesmanship, to a young man who's forthright, funny, and, increasingly, a fan favorite for the shots he hits and the emotion — usually punctuated by fist pumps — he shows during his matches. His rise, steady like his strokes, has surprised many on the tour, including Roger Federer, who said this week that he didn't think much of Djokovic when he first played him in Monte Carlo last year.

"I wasn't too impressed, to be honest," Federer said. "He did definitely prove me wrong."

Federer might be forgiven for doubting a young man from Serbia, a landlocked and historically poor nation known for strife, not prowess in tennis. Although that's changing now because of Djokovic, Jelena Jankovic, and Ana Ivanovic, two women who are ranked inside the top 10. Add to this that Djokovic's family had no roots in tennis. His father, Srdjan, was a professional skier and good soccer player. His mother, Dijana, earned a degree in athletics. Neither of them played tennis, and they did not introduce it to their son. If not for the three courts that were built near their mountain restaurant when Djokovic was a child, he might never have played. Once he showed signs of talent, Jelena Gencic, a pro from the former Yugoslavia who previously worked with Monica Seles and Goran Ivanisevic, made sure Djokovic learned properly.

"I was really lucky that I got to practice with a woman, who in my opinion is probably the best, not even in our country but in the region, for kids," Djokovic said in an interview yesterday after he moved into the third round with a 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–1 victory over French qualifier Laurent Recouderc.

Rumors swirled last year that Djokovic was considering a move to Great Britain, where tennis has fallen on hard times (excepting Andy Murray), in exchange for improved resources and training. But he didn't leave Serbia, and now his younger brothers, Marko, 15, and Djordje, 11, are following in his footsteps — Marko trains in Germany, as Djokovic did, and is playing junior events, and Djordje will do the same. Asked if his brothers might one day become the best players in the Djokovic family, Djokovic replied, "Honestly, I hope so."

Before his brothers pass him, however, Djokovic has a modest goal: attain the no. 1 ranking.

"I don't care if it comes in one or 10 or five years," he said. "I'll do my best to achieve it."

Considering that the current no. 1 is 25 years old and, most people believe, on his way to becoming the greatest player in history, Djokovic has his work cut out for him. Yet if he continues to improve at this pace, he might close in on Federer sooner rather than later. Djokovic trails only Federer and Nadal in ranking points this season, and he has lopped 10 places off his ranking this year. The year-end Masters Cup, which accepts the top eight players and remains Djokovic's chief goal for the season, is within reach. The French Open semifinals are not out of the question, either.

At Roland Garros last year, Djokovic reached the quarterfinals before retiring against Rafael Nadal (he lost the first two sets). This year, he might meet Nadal again, in the semifinals. Though Nadal would be the favorite, Djokovic won their last meeting in the quarterfinals of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami (he later won that title).

In many ways, Djokovic is better than Federer was at this age. He doesn't swing as beautifully as Federer, but one could say that of almost anyone. Djokovic's forehand does not quite have the pace, at least not as often, as Federer's, and he's not as adept at the net (he's fine tuning his volleys under the tutelage of Mark Woodforde, one of the game's all-time great doubles players). But his backhand, two-handed and deadly down the line, is less susceptible to error, and his serve has improved dramatically (his second serve has been among the best on tour this season). In terms of tactics and confidence, he's superior to the 20-year-old Federer, though probably not Nadal, who won his first French Open at age 19.

Federer-Nadal, Nadal-Federer — it's all anyone talks about these days, which is no surprise considering that each man has held his ranking for a record number of weeks. The two of them have won 11 out of the last 13 Grand Slam titles; as Djokovic so simply put it, "They are the two best players in the world by far." But he's not going to lower his expectations.

"I'm now one of the couple of players which I think are very dangerous for Federer and Nadal," he said. "That win over [Nadal] in Miami gave me confidence and more faith. We'll see what happens."

***

Roland Garros soaked up some sun — yes, sun — yesterday for the first time. Not all day, of course, but long enough to allow Lleyton Hewitt to escape a two-set deficit against 2004 champion Gaston Gaudio, 4–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2. Jonas Bjorkman, who had lost in the first round here seven out of the last nine years, did the same to Ivo Karlovic, the 6-foot-10 Croat who defeated James Blake. Bjorkman, 35, won 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-3 after a thunderstorm interrupted the fifth set. He's never made it passed the fourth round here.

tperrotta@nysun.com