By Chris Oddo | Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Though Roger Federer garnered many of the headlines in Cincinnati thanks to his rousing romp to the title, and Andy Murray has received much praise for his Montreal title which also marked his first victory over Novak Djokovic in nine tries, World No. 1 Djokovic enters New York with a lot to prove—and more than enough talent and desire to prove it.

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Djokovic told ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday that he owes a lot to his storied rivalries with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, citing them as the motivating factor in his rise to the top of the men’s game (he’s currently in his 60th consecutive and 161st overall week at No. 1). The world No. 1 says facing those two legends of the game so often (he’s faced Nadal a record 44 times and Federer 41 times) has shaped his evolution and led him to take his place in the tennis pantheon.

“It’s a great privilege to be a part of Roger Federer’s era as well as Nadal’s because both of these guys made me a better player. I played so many times against both of them on different surfaces and when I was making my breakthrough to the top of the men’s game back in 2007 I won a couple of big tournaments and played finals against Roger in the US Open. It was the first Grand Slam final for me and it obviously opened a lot of doors and allowed me to believe that I could compete with him on such a high level.”

Djokovic added that he had his struggles facing those players, and needed time to develop the steely belief and fitness that now characterize his game and career arc.

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“For several years I went through tough times mentally doubting myself because I was always losing against Roger and Rafa in the big events and wasn’t able to make that final step, but because of that journey and because of those losses I became a stronger player and person and understood what I need to do in order to overcome those challenges and win against those guys and start winning majors. So of course these rivalries mean a lot to me and the rivalries with these two guys has contributed to my success in a great way.”

Djokovic had his 30-match Masters 1000 winning streak snapped in Montreal by Murray then lost for the fifth time in five career titles in Cincinnati, but the 28-year-old World No. 1 knows that at this stage of his career the real battles of tennis are waged at the Grand Slams.

Despite suffering losses in consecutive weeks, Djokovic has remained remarkably consistent throughout 2015, reaching a personal record of ten consecutive finals. But he hasn’t just been consistent. He’s been dominant. He’s been to all three Grand Slam finals this year, and won two of them. Though the past two North American hard-court majors weren’t ideal by the Serb’s own lofty standards, he’s heading into New York with a lot of matches under his belt, a good feel for the hard courts and, most important, good health. “Yes, a lot of matches, that's a positive,” Djokovic told reporters after his loss in the Cincinnati final to Federer. “Played a couple good matches and couple not so good matches. Still not very happy with my form and with my game, but I have a week to work on it.”

He added: “Conditions in New York suit me a little bit better, so I look forward to it.”

Djokovic says that the elbow problems that troubled him in Montreal are completely gone, and he told reporters that the stomach issue that surfaced during his semifinal victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov in Cincinnati is also a thing of the past.

Some might think Djokovic is experiencing a lull in form after the last two weeks. That may be true, though back-to-back finals is nothing to sneeze at. But with the sting of two losses to big rivals urging him on, expect Djokovic to arrive in New York looking better than he has all season. If there’s anything that we’ve learned about Novak Djokovic over the years, it’s that he has the remarkable ability to put difficult defeats behind him and catapult himself back into the winner’s circle. Just two months ago he responded to a heartbreaking French Open defeat to Stan Wawrinka by winning his third Wimbledon title when many thought he might crumble and go through a prolonged slump.

If he can rise from the ashes of what many believe was the most devastating defeat of his career, Djokovic certainly has the intestinal fortitude to take his game to the next level next week in New York. With a week to rest and retool, Djokovic may just have the rest of the field exactly where he wants it.