I can’t say that I’m awfully surprised Djokovic raised his level for the final to embarrass Raonic 6-2, 6-0. I thought he might do that which is why I asked on Twitter before the match whether Djokovic would raise his game.

He did it in the Doha final after what were a few performances which were below his best, the same way he was below his best in Indian Wells before the final. Djokovic plays his best tennis when it is most appropriate to do so.

It was appropriate for him to do so in the final against a player who has received a lot of hype recently. Some people actually thought Raonic had a legit shot to win so it was important for Djokovic to destroy these people’s hopes utterly.

This is something which I personally enjoy very much about Djokovic. It is like he gives the haters hope by saving his best tennis and then he devastates them with a masterful performance. This is how you dominate and become the greatest.

Djokovic’s level is beyond belief. For the ones who still don’t believe that he is playing the highest level of tennis ever seen, that message is becoming clearer every day. And the sooner they accept it the better for them.

I guess the haters got their hopes up after Djokovic pulled out of Dubai and lost sets against Kukushkin and Frantangelo. Maybe next time they will know better. Djokovic is here to stay and he only has one thing on his mind.

His level is also higher than in 2015, which is astonishing in itself. The fact that he beat Tsonga and Nadal in straight sets without playing his best tennis is another astonishing fact. Not to mention that he almost double bageled one of the biggest servers in tennis.

Djokovic’s returning was just scary. He made handling the massive serve of Raonic look like child’s play and broke him almost at will. Raonic took an MTO at the beginning of the second set again but probably to come to terms with the shock of Djokovic abusing his serve like it was a joke.

I feel privileged just to witness this level of tennis. Djokovic did it in the Doha final, he did it in Melbourne against Federer, and he did it again against Raonic. He is creating a gap between him and the rest of the field which pretty much allows him to win whatever he wants.

With this title Djokovic now holds the record for most Indian Wells titles at 5, surpassing Federer’s 4. He also ties Nadal for most Masters titles at 27 and it is just a question of time before he holds that record by himself.

Another crazy stat is that he opened an 8000+ point lead in the rankings over second-ranked Murray, something that has never been done before. Just utter dominance.

I have to say I feel sorry for the hardcore Fedfanatics who still can’t accept Djokovic as Federer’s successor. We are witnessing the best thing that has ever happened in tennis and they are missing it due to their stubborn bias.

Oh well. Their loss.

Miami Draw

The Miami draw was just made and the potential quarterfinal matchups are as follows:

Djokovic v Berdych
Federer v Ferrer

Nadal v Wawrinka
Nishikori v Murray

Federer is back of course and I am not sure it was wise for him to come back in Miami. At first, he was going to come back during the clay court season which I thought made sense but now he is travelling to another continent for one event on hardcourt which doesn’t favor his knee and where he hasn’t been very successful historically.

A fourth Indian Wells/Miami double incoming?

And aside from those issues, he could very well play Del Potro in his first match if Del Potro defeats Pella. And we all know how dangerous Del Potro can be, even if he only came back recently.

Don’t get me wrong. I am glad Federer is back and I hope he makes semis but that will be a tall order given the surface, the fact that he won’t be match fit, and his draw.

Nadal has a tough draw with Raonic in his fourth round and Wawrinka in the quarters. Murray, on the other hand, has a pretty decent draw and I can see him making semis at least.

I am hoping for a Djokovic vs Federer semi in the top half and a Nadal/Wawrinka vs Bautista Agut/Tsonga semi in the bottom half.

Looking forward to another exciting tourney!

Highlights