So Djokovic has been struggling to reach his former level of dominance ever since losing to Querrey at Wimbledon last year, who by the way defeated Obnoxious Nick 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the semis of Acapulco.

As usual, Kyrgios can’t follow through when he defeats a top player. Same as he did when he defeated Nadal and Federer. I guess he didn’t feel like winning. Querrey mustn’t be ‘good’ enough to deserve Kyrgios’ best effort.

To get back to Djokovic, I was wondering what it would take for people to feel like he is ‘back’, and what that means exactly. I mean it’s highly unlikely that he will return to his dominance of 2015.

That was insane dominance which had to end sooner rather than later. And once you lose a couple of matches and lose that edge it can be tricky to get it back. Tennis is a confidence game and winning is a habit.

We have seen Federer and Nadal having the same problems many times and finding confidence again. No player can dominate indefinitely. A tennis career is a series of ups and downs, of peaks and valleys.

I think Djokovic’s graph has already been sloping upwards since the World Tour Finals last year. The Australian Open loss was a surprise to me caused mainly by the change of surface and also by an opponent who was in the zone.

But whatever the circumstances losing is never good for confidence. So in a way, Djokovic had to reset in Acapulco where he got a difficult draw. He did well in the first two rounds but then ran into an unplayable Kyrgios.

So he is struggling to string wins together. I think Djokovic will be back to a great extent when he wins a masters event or a slam. Winning Doha against Murray in the final was a boost but he needs something bigger than a 250.

Djokovic to the @AbiertoTelcel fans: “I must reflect on what has happened, especially the match against Delpo”. Says he’d like to come back. pic.twitter.com/AEh6ttJnPe

— José Morais (@ZezeAM) March 4, 2017

I think Acapulco was a step in the right direction and he must win either Indian Wells or Miami. He is not in the form of previous years so it will be tough to do the double again but if he can win one of those it will go a long way toward restoring his confidence.

Then there are three more masters coming up during the clay court season before the next slam. If he can pick up one or two more masters there he could be the favorite for the French Open. It’s all about stringing wins together and getting back into the winning habit.

Djokovic has forgotten how to win but the good news for his fans is that he is motivated and driven again. Playing Acapulco was a sign of it. And so was the way he competed in Acapulco. Patience is needed when a player is lacking confidence.

You can’t expect everything to fall into place immediately but you need to keep grinding away. And Djokovic is aware of that. Who knows when he will be back and what that even means. For me, he will officially back when he wins a slam and returns to number one.

Even if that doesn’t happen he already has an incredible legacy in the sport. But I don’t think he is anywhere close to being done. He is too ambitious and driven for that. And I don’t think he is far from coming good now.

Djokovic loves the conditions in Indians Wells and maybe even more so Miami. The slower conditions suit his athleticism and defensive skills. The same goes for the clay courts of Europe. So I am hopeful that Djokovic will regain at least some of his former dominance in the next few months.

If he wins the French Open he would be officially back for me because that would give him the double career slam and put him back in the hunt for number one as Murray has loads of points to defend after that.

Congrats to Murray for winning his first Dubai title and bouncing back in the best way after what happened in Melbourne. Today he defeated Verdasco 6-3, 6-2 who was out of his depth in a 500 final.

You have to say that Murray’s draw was pretty weak, though. Especially after the loss of Federer. As opposed to Djokovic it was a cakewalk draw and I’m sure Djokovic would have won the Dubai title with the same draw.

But Djokovic did beat Del Potro who Murray lost his last match to. Then in the other Acapulco semi-final, Nadal defeated Cilic 6-1, 6-2. That is a surprising scoreline. Either Nadal played very well or Cilic was dismal.

Your Dubai champion. Andy Murray. pic.twitter.com/nQQqL6RMv8

— Tennis Panorama News (@TennisNewsTPN) March 4, 2017

Things are looking promising for Nadal because he is easily the favorite against Querrey. The Acapulco title would be another big boost for him after the final in Melbourne.

It just goes to show you that even as much as Nadal has struggled in recent times he can still come back to play good tennis. All the more reason why Djokovic can come back and dominate again.

There are plenty of people writing Djokovic off because there is nothing that they’d like to see more than him being done winning slams and beating their favorites. That is sheer desperation and there is no logical reason to take it seriously.

It is only a question of time…

After Federer lost to Donskoy Wednesday Djokovic followed him in Acapulco yesterday when he lost 7-6(9), 7-5 to Kygios. I thought Djokovic played great except for the final game where he wilted under the pressure and dropped serve to love.

Up until that point, there was nothing in this very high-quality match. Kyrgios has now won his first match against Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic. Ever since I saw him play against Nadal at Wimbledon I knew he was a special talent.

I actually like his game a lot. The problem is his attitude stinks so much that he is impossible to like. He is the most obnoxious jerk you can possibly imagine. By far the most unlikeable tennis player I have ever come across.

And I’m not saying this because he beat my favorite player. I have disliked him for some time now. Who would ever forget the incident where totally disrespected Stan, one of the nicest guys on tour?

Obnoxious little brats don’t get no love

He constantly shows a terrible attitude during matches and tanks when things don’t go his way on the day. He also claims not to love the sport and prefers basketball to tennis. Why waste your time, Nick?

It’s not like we will miss your inspirational attitude and fighting spirit. I’ve never enjoyed watching players waste their talent but Kyrgios is currently taking my dislike for it to a whole new level. At least there was something to like about players like Safin, Nalbandian, and Rios.

They had charisma at least. Kyrgios is just a jerk. But a jerk who is unplayable when things work out for him. He served 25 aces and even the best returner in the sport was unable to make an impression on his serve.

Djokovic did well just to keep it as close as he did but in the end, the pressure told as he made a string of unforced errors to drop serve and exit the tournament.

As far as I’m concerned this loss means diddly squat. The only thing I am interested in from a fan’s perspective is Djokovic’s attitude and that is spot on. What I saw this week from Djokovic was what I hoped for.

He looks dialed in and hungry which is what I expected and hoped for after what happened in Melbourne. I was particularly delighted with his 20-second presser after the loss to Kyrgios.

You can see how pissed off he is which is great news for Djokovic fans because it shows how much he cares. The angrier Djokovic gets the more he cares and the more he cares the harder he becomes to stop.

Real men respect each other

It was clear to me in Acapulco that Djokovic was driven and hungry. The win against Del Potro proved that where he came from a set and a break down in the third against another very dangerous player.

If he lost that match I would have been concerned. But now I’m very hopeful. The loss to Kyrgios will make him even more determined and driven judging from the quick presser. The more he loses the more determined he gets so even when he loses he wins.

I have no doubt that he will come good again. It’s just a matter of time now. He got another tough draw but Indian Wells is next, where his draw can only improve and where he holds a record five titles. So I’m optimistic.

The Dubai final will be decided between Murray and Verdasco after wins over Pouille and Haase respectively today. Murray is the heavy favorite there and if he wins it will be the ideal way for him to recover after what happened in Melbourne.

Andy #Murray records 4th straight win vs Lucas #Pouille 7-5 6-1 to reach #Dubai @DDFTennis final! pic.twitter.com/9ePvdJBAHQ

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) March 3, 2017

Then in Acapulco, the semis still have to be played between Nadal vs Cilic and Kyrgios vs Querrey. It will be interesting to see whether Kyrgios continues his good form and capitalizes on his win over Djokovic by winning the tournament.

Nadal vs Cilic will be intriguing as well because it will be the first serious test for Nadal after Melbourne. He has done well so far but he needs to win Acapulco now that his nemesis Djokovic is out.

World #116 and qualifier Evgeny Donskoy scored a sensational 3-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(5) victory over current Australian Open champion Federer yesterday in Dubai after saving three match points. Donskoy also came back from 2-5 in the second set tiebreak, 2-5 in the third set, and 1-5 in the third set tiebreak.

A truly remarkable turn of events after I assumed Federer would roll over Donskoy in no time. Kind of like I assumed Djokovic would roll over Istomin in Melbourne. But since when does Federer lose after having so many opportunities to finish his opponent?!

You can call it enormous choking from Federer or superb play from Donskoy when he was down. I guess it is a bit of both. But I was really impressed with Donskoy. He reminded me a bit of Djokovic the way he returned and played from the baseline.

He was fearless and stayed positive despite facing terrible odds. It was a fresh and entertaining changeup from the lower ranked players who usually implode in that situation against Federer. In fact, Donskoy was imploding until 1-5 in the third set tiebreak but then made a miraculous comeback.

Federer suffers first loss to a player outside the Top 100 since Delbonis in Hamburg 2013. First on hard since Indy 2000 to James Sekulov.

— Josh Meiseles (@jmeistennis) March 1, 2017

I guess this was the inevitable comedown for Federer after his success in Melbourne. That title came from nowhere in the sense that Federer was out of the sport for six months. I’m sure Fedfans were hoping he could continue his momentum into Dubai.

I thought he would win the title myself. The fast conditions are ideal for his tennis. But again that is the unpredictability of tennis which keeps us interested. It will be interesting to see how Federer responds in Indian Wells anyway.

Murray seems to be the favorite for the Dubai title now after a sensational second set tiebreak where Kohlschreiber had seven match points after which Murray won 6-7(4), 7-6(18), 6-1.

After a tricky opener for Djokovic in Acapulco against Klizan which he won 6-3, 7-6(4), Djokovic played Del Potro yesterday after he lost to him in the first round at the Rio Olympics.

That was a tough loss for Djokovic and Del Potro was always going to be a big test. I thought it was a big match for him after what happened in Melbourne too. It was another tough draw for Djokovic but he couldn’t afford another early loss.

Djokovic was on his way back at the beginning of the year but a couple of early losses could have really set him back and hurt his confidence. I am impressed with how he came from a set down and a break in the third set to win 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 against a very dangerous opponent.

This is a good sign for Djokovic. Mentally he looks dialed in and hungry. The events in Indian Wells and Miami will be big for Djokovic and if he can get away with a title in Acapulco it’s gonna give him some good momentum.

What a tussle it was! @DjokerNole prevails in three sets to book his spot in the Acapulco quarterfinals. 👏 https://t.co/ByAhIR1WkR

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 2, 2017

But getting revenge for that Olympics loss which obviously meant a lot to Djokovic will already give him a boost. Djokovic now plays Kyrgios in what will be their first meeting. Kyrgios is always a danger depending in which Kyrgios shows up.

I’m sure he has the potential to upset Djokovic but I don’t think Djokovic is particularly in the mood to lose at this point. I’m hoping for a Djokodal final but Nadal has to deal with Cilic in the semis if he defeats Nishioka today while Del Potro was probably Djokovic’s biggest test before the final.

If he defeats Kyrgios he will play the winner of Querrey and Thiem. It’s been a difficult draw for Djokovic and it would be a great effort to come through it and win the tournament.