Novak Djokovic is now brimming with confidence. After his well-published great start to the season, the young Serbian has now shown his fans and tennis buffs in general that he is capable of playing big matches on clay and matching his greatest rivals on the red stuff.

After a semi-final spot in Monte Carlo in a Masters Series event, Djokovic came into the Italian Masters in Rome as a player with pedigree but who was still to show his best form on the surface. With the second-round defeat of defending champion Rafael Nadal by Juan Carlos Ferrero and Roger Federer's disappointing 7-6, 7-6 loss to Radek Stepanek in the quarter-finals, the draw in Rome had opened up nicely for world No.3 Djokovic.

Anything equalling or bettering his quarter-final appearance in last year's tournament would have been good for the boy from Serbia, and would have enabled him to close the gap on the top two spots in the world rankings. But to actually win the tournament means he has moved significantly closer to Nadal and Federer and it has given him confidence to move even closer in coming weeks at the Hamburg Masters and at the important French Open.

'In reaching the final of the Masters series, the Serb had only actually won two matches outright and this gave him extra energy in the final against Swiss surprise package Stanislas Wawrinka'


Djokovic received a bye in the first round as one of the top seeds and in the second round destroyed Belgian rising star Steve Darcis 6-4, 6-0. I could tell he was in good form and although he lost concentration in the second set of his match with Igor Andreev of Russia, Djokovic bounced back in the decider like a true champion to win 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. 

Djokovic was ready for Federer in the semis. First, though, the world No.3 had to get past tricky Spaniard Nicolas Almagro in the quarters. Almagro had been playing well on clay this year and I for one thought Djokovic could struggle in the match. However, after thrashing Almagro 6-1 in the first set, Djokovic found his passage into the semis easy as the Spaniard eventually withdrew and therefore forfeited the match.

Djokovic didn't play Federer in the semis, as he thought he would. Federer lost to Stepanek and so the Serbian avoided his rival en-route to the final. Defeating his Czech opponent, instead, and again leading 6-0, his rival withdrew. Therefore, in reaching the final of the Masters series, the Serb had only actually won two matches outright and this gave him extra energy in the final against Swiss surprise package Stanislas Wawrinka.

I have tipped the Swiss to become a star on the ATP tour this year and he started the final in style, winning the first set 6-4. However, Djokovic soon found his range and power and overcame Wawrinka in three sets to clinch the fourth Masters series event of his career... impressive in itself.

Novak Djokovic has certainly silenced his critics this week. He has shown that he truly is a challenger to the Federer and Nadal dynasty of tennis and I for one think that the young Serb can continue his impressive form into the French Open where he has a realistic chance of winning.

I think only Nadal would be able to stop him in Paris and although the Spaniard is a three-times defending champion, Djokovic will probably like being the underdog in the tournament. He is a revelation in the sport and sooner rather than later, he will overtake his rivals in the ATP rankings, just as he has done this week in the 2008 ATP RACE ranking.