Rarely has one man's breath, or lack of it, been such a talking point before a major sporting event of any kind.
For Serbian Novak Djokovic, it could well be the factor that decides whether or not he takes the 2012 Australian Open Men's Single title.
While Djokovic is behind Rafael Nadal in head to head contents, Djokovic was won the last six head-to-head encounters between the two, including victories at Wimbledon and the US Open last year.
In fact, Djokovic was virtually unbeatable in 2011.
But in this Australian Open, he's found a new opponent. Tougher than Nadal, and certainly tougher than Andy Murray who he beat in the semi final. His breath, and Melbourne's famous allergies.
In both the quarter and semi finals, Djokovic had what you'd describe as a blue moment. Unable to breathe in the second set against Andy Murray in the semi-final, he basically gave up the second set, before coming back to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-7, 6-1, 7-5.
The weather forecast contains both potentially good and bad news for the Serbian: Possible thunderstorms.
A good dose of rain arriving early enough with the storm will inevitably force organisers to close the roof, making the finals indoors, which may help what appears to be an allergy problem.
However, thunderstorm conditions in Melbourne are known to make the pollen grains that float in Melbourne's air burst, and make respiratory problems worse.
While Djokovic can afford to give up a set to the Brit Andy Murray, whether he can afford to do this to Nadal, remains to be seen.
Stay tuned.
1 comment:
So its Nadal's often ailing back and legs vs. Djokovic's allergies?
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