It has been a while since Novak Djokovic last won a grand slam title, at least for his standards anyways. Djokovic's last grand slam title was the 2013 Australian Open, and since then he has failed to win a grand slam. During the course of that time, Rafael Nadal once again defended his French Open crown and also won the US Open, Andy Murray finally won Wimbledon, and Stanislas Wawrinka came out of nowhere to win the Australian Open. With the resurgence of Nadal, the feel-good story of a Brit winning Wimbledon, and Stanislas Wawrinka's shocking success down under, it is easy for us to forget about Novak Djokovic. While we still are a ways away from the next grand slam (French Open), Novak Djokovic's recent success at the last two ATP World Tour Masters events in Indian Wells, CA and Key Biscayne, FL is his way of reminding the tennis world that he still is a force to be reckoned with.
To win the BNP Paribas Masters at Indian Wells, Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in the final and to win the Sony Open at Key Biscayne, he defeated Rafael Nadal in the final. Those are two of the toughest opponents he has to beat all year, and for him to beat them in back-to-back events is sending a pretty strong message to the rest of the tour. Look, I'm in the minority when it comes to valuing tournaments not called "Grand Slams". I don't hold them to nearly as much value as other people do, but I do think the Masters events can be important for guys who are trying to find their groove again. For Djokovic, if he wants to get back to winning grand slams and win at least one in 2014, he has to start somewhere to build up his confidence, and winning both Masters titles at Key Biscayne and Indian Wells is a great start!
In my opinion, these two Masters titles is definitely something to take note of. I think that for him to win both events is a very encouraging sign for Djokovic and his fans that he is gearing up to go on another dominating run. While I don't see this translating into a French Open title or anything since these two events are on hard court, I do see these two Masters titles potentially translating into success at Wimbledon and the US Open. Obviously, if Novak Djokovic doesn't win a grand slam this year, these two titles will mean almost nothing, but if goes on to win a grand slam this year, I think it is more than reasonable to look back at these two Masters titles as the catalyst that got him back on track to winning more Grand Slams.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy
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