Djokovic's Breakthrough: 10 Years On…

As Novak Djokovic sank to his knees in celebration on 23 July 2006, little did he know that it would be the first step of a meteoric rise. In only Djokovic’s 24th tournament, he swept through the draw at the Dutch Open Tennis Amersfoort without losing a set, beating Chile’s Nicolas Massu 7-6(5), 6-4 in the final.

Massu, the 2003 Amersfoort champion, recalls 10 years on, “He faced me as an equal. We had already trained beforehand, but in the match his spectacular potential was noticeable. I thought he’ll surely be in the Top 5 [in the Emirates ATP Rankings] in the future. He had it all: the game and a winning mentality. During many critical moments he kept focused and he didn’t let me win.”

Djokovic, at just 19 years of age, got off to a flyer, taking a 3-0 and 4-1 lead before 26-year-old Massu, contesting his fourth final of the season, rallied. Even when Djokovic faced break points at 4-4, he simply took a deep breath, not scared by the threat of a comeback from his experienced opponent.

Third seed Djokovic squandered two set points at 6-5 on the Chilean’s serve and again grew frustrated when he fell behind 0/3 in the tie-break. But the Serbian regained his composure and reeled off seven of the next nine points to claim the 84-minute first set. A break in the seventh game of the second set tipped the pair’s first meeting in his favour.

After two hours and 41 minutes, Djokovic knelt down, looked up to the sky and raised his index finger in triumph. “It’s been an amazing week for me… I will always remember this tournament in Amersfoort,” said Djokovic, after he received a bunch of flowers and a silver-plated iPod.

“I always had a good relation with him,” said Massu, who reached a career-high No. 9 in the Emirates ATP Rankings (13 September 2004) in a 17-year professional career. “He was a very nice person, very polite. During the final, he applauded me on a couple of points, and in the ceremony he congratulated me for my career to date.”

The victory, watched courtside by his coach Marian Vajda and his girlfriend, now wife, Jelena, saw Djokovic rise eight places to No. 28 in the Emirates ATP Rankings – making him the youngest player in the Top 50. He was the third teenage ATP World Tour winner of 2006, alongside Andy Murray (San Jose) and Rafael Nadal – a titlist in Dubai, Barcelona and ATP World Tour Masters 1000s in Monte-Carlo and Rome.

Speaking 10 years on, Massu, who is now Chile’s Davis Cup captain, says, “Djokovic deserves all he has achieved. He lives for tennis, is very organised, disciplined and is a good person. Being in his first final is a nice memory.

“Djokovic stood out at his age. His strength, similar to Roger Federer, was growing up really fast. He has never stopped. Nadal was out of the ordinary, because at the age of 19 he had already showed the tennis world who he was.”

Ten years on from his first ATP World Tour title on Amersfoort’s clay, Djokovic is No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings – a position that he has held for a total of 208 non-consecutive weeks over three stints. He has lifted 65 singles trophies, including 12 Grand Slam championships and a record 29 ATP World Tour Masters 1000s.

Watch: Djokovic Reflects On 200 Weeks At No. 1