Back in the summer of 2002, England cricketer Michael Vaughan fell short of scoring his first double hundred in Test cricket twice in three matches against India, settling for 197 and 195.
Vaughan was asked after the second match at the Oval if he thought there was a problem in his game, given his failure to get to the 200 mark.
“It is not the worst problem, is it?” he said of his apparent predicament.
It was a scenario to which Novak Djokovic could relate, ahead of on Sunday’s singles final at Wimbledon.
Going into the match with Roger Federer, Djokovic’s record in recent grand slam finals was hardly overwhelming, having lost five of his past six title matches.
The Serbian had no issue getting to the deciding match of a major, yet his Achilles heel was the punchline of the tournaments. That underscored why Sunday’s success was so important for the 27 year old, who prevailed in five sets over Roger Federer 6-7, 6-4, 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, as tears flowed on the court afterward.
It was not just about winning his seventh major, or that the victory put him back atop the world rankings. It was that he demonstrated that he could win when the biggest prizes in the game are at stake and underlined his status as one of the top players in the game.
It seems crazy to even have to question Djokovic’s record, given the fact the Serbian has not been outside the top two in the world since March 2011. But great players are judged on the majors and there was nothing great about Djokovic’s record in finals.
Back in January 2012, he had been on a superb run, winning four of five majors, claiming the Australian Open twice, Wimbledon and the US Open. But since then, only the 2013 Australian Open had come his way, with two French Open final setbacks, one Wimbledon defeat, and two finals defeats in New York.
It was not as if Djokovic played badly in these matches, losing three times to Rafael Nadal and twice to Andy Murray.
But it led to question marks about the ruthlessness of his game and his inability to close out big titles.
Sunday’s win raises his record in grand slam finals to seven wins and seven losses. A 50 per cent success rate is not awful, but when compared to Federer’s mark of 17-8 or Nadal’s ledger of 14-6, it pales.
Djokovic is an ambitious guy. He broke through in 2008 with his first major in Australia, but he was blanked over the next 11 as he fell into the role of next-best behind Federer and Nadal.
He worked hard on his game to make the step up, changed his diet as he went gluten-free, all with the aim of being the best. That led to his superb 2011, when he won three of the four majors and embarked on a winning streak that lasted 41 games.
Winning only two majors subsequently seemed like a poor reward for his form, play and place at the top of the game. Only one of those final losses, last year at Wimbledon, came in straight sets, but playing well in defeat was never going to console the Serbian.
At Wimbledon, he looked determined from the start and his mettle was proven in his five-set victory over Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals, then reaffirmed when he got the better of the in-form Grigor Dimitrov in the semi-finals. There were plenty of opportunities for Djokovic’s resolve to slump in face of the spirited play of Federer on Sunday.
To lose the first set on a tie-break after losing only four points on his own serve must have been galling.
He was broken when serving for the match at 5-3 in the fourth set, wasted a championship point in the following game, then blew the set completely. That had to be traumatic.
But Djokovic kept his cool. Not even a pesky fifth set was going to deny him a second career win at the first tennis tournament he watched as a boy on Serbian TV.
He staved off the break points he faced in the seventh game, and finally in the 10th game of the set, he lifted his arms in jubilation after Federer put a backhand into the net.
Back at world No 1, the aim for Djokovic is to build on the victory and now stamp his authority on the game for the rest of the year and into 2015. The second half of the North American hardcourt season is now ahead, arguably played on Djokovic’s strongest playing surface, culminating in the US Open at the end of next month.
Djokovic has reached the final at Flushing Meadows for the past four years, but has won only once, so improving that statistic will be the next clear objective.
The good news is, the previous time he was champion at Wimbledon three years ago, he took home more winning silverware in New York eight weeks later.
Judging by Sunday’s show, there is no reason why history cannot repeat itself.
gcaygill@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE and Graham Caygill @GrayCay1979
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
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Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
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Max touring range: 620km / 590km
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The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."