Djokovic the Warrior; Sharapova’s Future — The Friday Five

by Maud Watson Ultimate Warrior Physically, mentally, and emotionally, Novak Djokovic proved he had it all in his epic win over Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final.  This win did more to boost his reputation and solidify the Serb’s status as the best player in the world than anything he did in 2011.  He had many reasons to lose that match.  He could have gotten frustrated and deviated from the game plan when he frequently misfired in the first set.  He could have crumbled going into the fifth after three forehand unforced errors in the tiebreak ultimately cost him the fourth.  He was being asked to win two five-set matches back-to-back for the first time in his career, and he was being asked to pull it off against a guy long considered one of the game’s most physically punishing players.  At 2-4 down in that final set, he could have accepted it was over.  He’d had a good run.  But instead he turned a badly missed backhand by Nadal into a turning point, snatching back the momen...