Novak Djokovic Muddies the Waters

I'll admit it. I'm a Novak guy. Not because of his smug nostril breathing and certainly not because of him ripping his shirt off after winning a Grand Slam. His attitude can be off putting, particularly to country club types. Of the big three: Roger, Rafa, and Novak, he's clearly the odd man out. Federer and Nadal just drew an attendance of over 50,000 in an exhibition match in Cape Town, South Africa. Where was Novak?

But maybe the better question is does it matter? Coming off his 8th Australian Open title last month Djokovic now has 17 Grand Slam titles, just two behind Nadal and three behind Federer. If Federer is the king and Nadal the almost usurping prince, who is Djokovic?

That is, I think, the right question. In an interview during the middle of this year's Australian Open ESPN's Chris McKendry revealed to Djokovic that he was Kobe's favorite tennis player,  just days before the basketball star's tragic death. When I saw the interview live, I was moderately surprised, thinking Kobe might attach himself to Federer or Nadal, two fellow Nike athletes. But when the news on Kobe broke Sunday morning his choice of favorite finally made sense. Djokovic is tennis' mamba.

He's a killer. He breaks what is unbreakable, with an almost unfathomable will power to down the force of his rivals. He's brash. Tennis didn't need him. This era didn't need him. It already had the "greatest rivalry of all-time." Getting in the middle of that made him polarizing. You love him or you hate him. And like Kobe did during his playing days, he's got a lot of haters. Yet the boos seem to drive him as much as the cheers. All he cares about is winning championships.

The script the media wrote, wasn't going to deter Kobe's drive and so far it hasn't deterred Novak's. First brats, then winners, then arrogant, now legends. Novak, you have the chance to do something Kobe never did, win the most championships of all-time. Sure, you'll never be adored like Roger, but Kobe was never Michael even though some excoriated him for trying to be.

So to the man with the greatest two-handed back hand of all-time, but also a penchant for early retirements, questionable injuries, arrogance and a troubled public persona, carry on the mamba mentality.

Sure, it's complicated, but your mentor would be proud.