The New York Times-20080128-After Djokovic-s Quick Ascent- It-s a Little More Crowded at the Top

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After Djokovic's Quick Ascent, It's a Little More Crowded at the Top

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It was early, very early, in the first set of Sunday's Australian Open final when an Australian voice yelled out from high in Rod Laver Arena, Let's go Roger!

The confusion was understandable. It had been nearly three years since a Grand Slam summit meeting took place without Roger Federer, and his era may not yet be over. But it is certainly more crowded at the top after Novak Djokovic upset Federer in the semifinals, then avoided being upset in the final to put an end to the deeply entertaining run of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.

Djokovic, only 20, gradually absorbed the energy and corner-to-corner athleticism and power of the unseeded Tsonga, who had already surprised four players ranked in the top 15 in this tournament. But Djokovic, seeded third, was a slight cut above, particularly with his fast-twitch returns and his ability to counter Tsonga's high-risk ground strokes and bold forays to the net.

In the end, Djokovic, the more technically sound and mentally solid player, was able to win, 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (2), and do for Serbia what Ana Ivanovic could not manage in Saturday's women's final: give his small country, once a war-ravaged international pariah, a Grand Slam singles champion.

As a junior, three years ago, I was watching with the people downstairs with Roger winning, holding the trophy, laughing and smiling, Djokovic said later, gesturing to the lawn with its big-screen television outside Laver Arena. And I thought, 'Jesus, I'm going to work for this situation one day.'

The eye-catching result was there for all and the 38th-ranked Tsonga to see Sunday, as Djokovic finished with 46 winners and 35 unforced errors. He was surprisingly more effective when he pushed forward to net than the more acrobatic Tsonga.

But their first meeting was still a compelling struggle: a 3-hour-6-minute testimony to youthful ambition, exuberance and impertinence. It was characterized by huge-hitting rallies and remarkable defense as each took his turn stretching the other out along the baseline. Djokovic did not acquire anything that resembled a genuine edge until he broke Tsonga's serve at 3-3 in the second set. In that game, he hit a reflex backhand return winner off a first serve that will stay lodged in both players' memory banks.

It never stopped being hard work, and Djokovic was treated for soreness in his left hamstring when leading, 3-2, in the final set. But Tsonga was not able to break Djokovic's serve again. Unfortunately for Tsonga, he then saved some of his least convincing tennis in Melbourne for the fourth-set tie breaker. He fell behind, 5-1, and never recovered. Djokovic closed out the match when Tsonga misfired on a forehand.

Djokovic fell to the ground and rolled onto his back on the blue court, his hands to his face. It was the first major singles title for a Serbian man and the first for any player with Serbian roots since Monica Seles was swatting two-handed ground strokes with no fear of the consequences.

Seles, an ethnic Hungarian, was born in Novi Sad in what is now Serbia. She won nine Grand Slam singles titles, the first eight representing Yugoslavia and the last in 1996 at the Australian Open as an American citizen.

But there has never been a wave of players remotely like this from Serbia, and Djokovic was not the only Serb to win a trophy Sunday. Nenad Zimonjic won mixed doubles with Sun Tiantian of China.

I always believed, Djokovic said. I didn't want to think in a negative way. I always had the big support, especially from my parents. My father, I think he always believed more in me than I did in myself.

Djokovic's parents, Srdjan and Dijana, and his two younger brothers, Marko and Djordje, who also play tennis, were among the Serbian believers at Laver Arena. They continued their custom of wearing white sweatshirts that, when they were standing side by side in the proper order, spelled out Djokovic's nickname, Nole.

They are my lucky charm, Djokovic said.

But Djokovic fans were still in the minority. Tsonga's flashy tennis and straight-set ambush of Rafael Nadal in the semifinals did not turn heads and hearts only in France. The fans in Melbourne also liked what they saw, and Tsonga, 22, received much more positive reinforcement for his spectacular shots and unexpected gaffes in this final than Djokovic did for his handiwork.

Djokovic did not react stoically. Already miffed that Federer had been the fan favorite in the semifinals, he mocked the crowd's reactions at times Sunday and gestured angrily in the direction of a spectator who interrupted his service preparation.

But once the articulate Djokovic was standing with a microphone and his first major trophy, he struck the proper tone. I know the crowd wanted him to win more, he said. That's O.K. It's all right. I still love you guys.

Djokovic's rise has been inexorable, from No. 83 at the start of 2005 to No. 3 behind Federer and Nadal. Like nearly all of the new Serbian stars, including Ivanovic, he had to leave home to develop his game; he trained in Munich in his early teens.

At one frustrated stage, he even floated the idea of switching allegiances and representing Britain; instead, he became a national hero with his results in singles and in Davis Cup, in which he has led Serbia into this year's 16-team world group.

Clearly a quick learner, Djokovic showed none of the edginess that caused him to squander chances in his first major final, at last year's United States Open against Federer. Even when he dropped six set points with Tsonga serving at 5-3 in the third set, Djokovic won the game to grab the momentum for good.

In total, he dropped only one set in seven matches here, which might come as a surprise to those who saw him struggle late last season by losing his last five matches. But at 20, one can recover quickly, and Djokovic's level here was remarkable, even when put in the awkward position of being a favorite despite never having won a major title.

It was kind of a strange feeling, he said. It's always dangerous to play against the underdog, the player who doesn't have really anything to lose. He was really aggressive going for his shots from the start. That's where I needed really to clamp down and keep my focus.

The question now is whether this was a turning point in the men's game, marking the end of Federer's dominance. I don't think so, no, Djokovic said. It's not possible that only one tournament is changing the history.

Serbian tennis fans would surely disagree.

[Illustration]PHOTOS: Novak Djokovic after winning championship point against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the men's final Sunday at the Australian Open. It was the first Grand Slam singles title for a Serbian player. (PHOTOGRAPH BY CLIVE ROSE/GETTY IMAGES); The unseeded Tsonga, of France, defeated four players ranked in the top 15 during his surprising run to the final. (PHOTOGRAPH BY ROMEO GACAD/AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE -- GETTY IMAGES)