Former World No. 1 and 12-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic is looking for answers.
The struggles continue for the former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic. A man who once embodied physical and mental fortitude is left searching for answers after his latest questionable performance in his second round defeat at the BNP Paribas Open at the hands of little known qualifier Taro Daniel. Djokovic continued to look un-Djokovic like as he sprayed 58 unforced errors and went away tamely in the third set against his much less experienced opponent. Novak played as if it was his 'first match on tour' as he quoted in the press conference following his defeat. He looked unsure of himself, was not sharp with his shot selections and faded away in the third set to someone he would have beaten routinely two or three years ago. Djokovic has been battling an elbow/arm injury for some time now, as he has had to change his service motion and was forced to miss the second half of 2017. Six weeks ago he had surgery to try and repair the damage, but the pain and discomfort are still lingering and hurting him while he is out on the court competing. He has been wearing a sleeve on his arm to protect and support the injury and has been forced to shorten and abbreviate his serve motion to avoid further pain and damage. His serve, while never his strongest shot, was a solid, reliable shot that has turned into him just getting the point started and not being able to do much damage. In addition to his physical ailments, Djokovic does not have the tiger within him that was so much a part of his dominant years from 2011-2016. His mental fortitude and belief in himself in the biggest moments against his main rivals was what saw him usurp both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in 2011 and begin his reign as World No. 1. Once he cleared that hurdle, Novak was the best player in the world for roughly five years. Now, his priorities in life have changed. He is a father and husband in addition to being a world-class tennis player. Before those responsibilities entered his life and he was able to dedicate and focus on his career 110%, we saw what Djokovic was capable of. Some believed it was the best level they had ever seen and was redefining the way the sport was played with incredible speed and defensive skills. Truth be told, Djokovic has not been himself since he captured his first and lone French Open title in 2016. This was a major goal of his throughout his career, and when he finally achieved it by beating Andy Murray in the final, it seemed as if he had an internal letdown. The last year and a half or so have been filled with missed time, injuries, poor performances (by his standards), an overall drop in level of play and what seems to be a lack of day in and day out commitment to the sport that has given him everything. While Novak has been searching for answers, Nadal and Federer have risen above him once again and become the two dominant players on tour that they were prior to Djokovic's ascension. While he is still only 30 years of age, a relatively middle age for professional men's players nowadays, it seems as though Djokovic poured everything he had into a five year stretch and is now on his last legs. The wear and tear of today's game combined with his brutally physical style of play may have taken too much of a toll on the Serbian for him to overcome at this stage of his career. A former 8-time Grand Slam champion who has been working with Novak since last year's French Open may be able to help him, but even his impact has yet to come to fruition. American Andre Agassi had similar struggles to Djokovic around the same stage of his career, and managed to come back and put together a very impressive post-30 patch of play. Agassi returned to No. 1 and captured another Grand Slam after going through a severe rough patch. It will be interesting to see if Djokovic can rededicate himself the way he needs to in order to regain his top level, or will the once ultra competitive Serb fade away without a fight? It is hard to believe that one of the greatest players ever will not be able to turn it around with seemingly enough years left to do so, but with new priorities and focuses in addition to tennis it may be too late to get back to the mountain top.
Former New York Rangers' Captain Ryan McDonagh is headed to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
With the inevitable rebuild of the New York Rangers coming to fruition in the past couple of weeks, one of the most central pieces of the team has been sent to the top team in the NHL. Defenseman and ex-captain Ryan McDonagh is heading to the Tampa Bay Lightning and reuniting with former teammate and defense partner Dan Girardi. The two men have gone to battle together in a Rangers' uniform for well over one hundred playoff games and for what seems like an eternity of regular seasons. Now, they look to achieve the one goal they could not accomplish with New York in a Lightning uniform; lifting Lord Stanley's Cup. McDonagh has been one of the most important pieces of the Rangers' puzzle the last handful of years, outside of goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, and his departure is solidifying the fact that the run with what's been the core group of players the last five plus years is coming to an end. Forward's Rick Nash and J.T. Miller were traded as well, as Nash went to the rival Boston Bruins and Miller was sent with McDonagh to Tampa Bay. The Rangers are entering a period that they have not been in for a long time. They have been a perennial contender for over a decade and have only missed the postseason once since the 2005-06 season. They have won the President's Trophy, reached the Eastern Conference Final on three separate occasions and the Stanley Cup Final once in 2014. But throughout that time, they were not able to finish the job and win the Stanley Cup. Which, despite a host of amazing wins and great memories, is the fact that people will remember about this group. It's unfortunate to see all of these familiar faces leaving Madison Square Garden, but the way this up-and-down, lackluster season has gone this change was only a matter of time. The team's management knows they need to trade, rebuild and stockpile draft picks in order to go through the necessary process to eventually return to a place where they can legitimately contend again. This leaves the face of the franchise, Henrik Lundqvist, in a position where he knows that he will most likely not win a Cup with the Rangers. This is a tough pill to swallow for a man who's poured everything he has had into an organization that came up just short of reaching their ultimate goal.
It's tough not to reminisce when one of your favorite teams goes into a rebuilding phase. I was fortunate enough to go through all the emotions and ups and downs as a passionate fan, including being at some of the best playoff wins and losses from 2012-2016. I saw forward Carl Hagelin's game winning goal to clinch the series against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Five in overtime in the 2015 playoffs. I also saw the Washington Capitals win Game One of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals in agonizing fashion when forward Alex Ovechkin made a ridiculous pass skating behind the net to Joel Ward who buried it for the game-winner with one second left in the third period. There is nothing like Madison Square Garden after a win like the one against Pittsburgh nor the loss versus the Capitals. The highs and lows, the great playoff runs and the memories made, despite not achieving the ultimate goal will stick with me for a lifetime. Hopefully the Rangers can get back to the final stage in the future and capture the Cup, but now is a time to appreciate a group of players who gave their all to bring a title to some of the most passionate fans in the NHL.
