Novak Djokoviæ returned to Melbourne after being deported last year and won the 2023 Australian Open Grand Slam tournament, beating Stefanos Tsistipas 6-3, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) in the final. With this win, the Serb also returned to the ATP rankings – despite missing several major tournaments last season due to lack of COVID vaccinations.
The Serbian had no major problems on his way to the 22nd career Grand Slam title. In Australia, without dropping a set, he defeated not only Tstisipas, but also the revelation of the tournament Tommy Paul in the semi-finals, Adriej Rublev in the quarter-finals and earlier also Alex De Minaur. Similarly – without problems, although not completely – it was at Wimbledon 2022. In London, Djokovic defeated Nick Kyrgios in the final, Cameron Norrie in the semi-final, and Janik Sinner earlier.
All of these rivals are representatives of the younger wave of men’s tennis. Novak Djokovic will turn 36 in May, but he is still out of reach for them. Why? We ask Serbian journalists who follow men’s tennis games on a daily basis and know Djokovic’s opponents and their sports star inside out.
Why do young people fail?
“Young players cannot oppose Djokovic because they are not regular. I think their biggest problem is that they “explode” with emotions in meetings with Djokovic, and then they no longer have the strength to keep playing in the same rhythm – tells us Jelena Medić from the Serbian daily “Blic”.
“We can analyze a whole bunch of factors to find out why, but I think the answer is quite simple – Novak is just on a different, unattainable level for his younger rivals. His shots are better, he gets in the head of opponents ridiculously easily and he keeps improving despite being in the last stage of his career. We saw how good his forehand was in Australia this year – practically as good as ever,” said Luka Nikolić of Meridian Sport Srbija.
Most of the top players of the younger generation have shown that they can only beat Djokovic in smaller events than Grand Slams. Stefanos Tsistipas has a record of 2-11 with the Serb, Daniil Medvedev 4-9, Andrej Rublev 1-3, Alexander Zverev 4-7. What needs to happen for them to start playing Djokovic on a regular basis, including in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York?
– I don’t think it’s possible. Novak is not the type to play in the biggest tournaments unless he is 100 percent. focused on winning them and he’s not in great shape.
His colleague adds: – When Novak is 100 percent. fit, almost no player in the world can beat him. When Novak plays 100 percent, the opponent must play 200 percent. Young players can’t handle the pressure. They don’t have the experience of winning big games, so they make mistakes at key moments in the game. They can threaten Djokovic, some even beat him, but only when he’s having a bad day.
Mental, injuries, time machine
Last season, the chance to win a Grand Slam tournament for the younger generation came when Djokovic was unable to play two tournaments due to a lack of vaccinations. Only 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz took advantage of the opportunity, triumphing in the US Open. At the Australian Open, in the absence of Djokovic, the best was his eternal rival Rafael Nadal – the 36-year-old Spaniard is also slowly approaching the end of his career.
Our interlocutors enumerate specific problems faced by today’s young men’s tennis stars. – As for Tsitsipas and Rublev, I think their problem is psychological. They just don’t have the “head” to handle a fight with “Nole”. Zverev has been injured since the 2022 Roland Garros semi-final and is just getting back into competition, Medić points out.
Her friend says the same. Rublev needs to improve mentally, Tsitsipas needs to be better when it matters most, Medvedev needs to find a time machine and go back a year [od porażki w finale Australian Open 2022 z Nadalem Rosjanin regularnie zawodzi – red.]. But the bottom line remains the same – no matter what they do, they will never reach the level needed to start outplaying Novak on a regular basis. They have to wait until he retires.
Alcaraz and Rune
Alcaraz has a positive balance with Djokovic. The 19-year-old was the leader of the ATP ranking until recently, and is now second. However, he has competed with the Serbian only once – he defeated him in the final of the Masters event in Madrid a few months ago.
– If I had to point out who his biggest competitor among young players is, it is definitely Carlos Alcaraz. Sometimes he needs to be more balanced, regularity is obviously an issue, but being a Grand Slam champion at his age says enough about what kind of tennis player he will be. In my opinion, he is the only player currently active who has the potential to at least come close to the level of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer.
Medić is not convinced about Alcaraz. “Unfortunately, Carlos is injured and we didn’t get to see him in Australia. We’ll see if and to what extent he will be a threat to Djokovic on clay, he points out.
In her opinion, the greatest threat to Djokovic among the younger generation may be Alcaraz’s peer Holger Rune (9th ATP). – Holger won against Novak in the fall final in Paris. If the Dane learns to control his emotions on the court, I think he can be a big threat. Alcaraz has been injured for a long time and at the moment I’m not sure if he will be able to stand in the way of speeding Novak – he ends.
Unstoppable despite so much controversy
Djokovic is unstoppable. Despite almost 36 years on the neck, many controversies with his participation, he returned to great shape. According to experts, it is possible that it will absolutely dominate this year’s tennis tournaments. Roger Federer has already finished his career, He still has recurring health problems, and younger players are still not a challenge for the Serb.
Even the vaccination turmoil, the lack of appearances at the Australian Open and the US Open, did not stop Djokovic from his rhythm. According to Nikolić, the controversy surrounding the tennis player only strengthens his fighting spirit. – Novak has always been successful when catastrophe was predicted. When 15,000 of people cheered for Federer in the Wimbledon 2019 final, and Roger led 8: 7 and 40: 15, Djokovic only heard “Novak, Novak” – notes the Serbian journalist.
Let’s recall: four years ago, Federer was on the verge of defeating Djokovic in the final in London, but he couldn’t. Almost the entire audience in the stands of Wimbledon’s main court supported the Swiss. After the match, the Serb claimed that he was trying to hear “Novak, Novak” and not “Roger, Roger”, as the fans actually chanted.
It was his way of dealing with these things. Everything that has happened to him in the last few years has only fueled his will to send a clear message to the part of the world that does not like him – “I am the best and nobody can do anything about it.” Of course, these are not his words, but I think that’s what makes him so motivated.
Source: Sport.PL
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
