The Serb flew past his semi-final against Jannik Sinner on Friday, and nothing seems to be able to disturb him in his quest for a 24th Grand Slam title.
He did not doubt. Not even shaking. Novak Djokovic will defend his title well at Wimbledon and will try to lift the trophy for the eighth time on Center Court. The world number 2 qualified for his 35th Grand Slam final on Friday July 14, after defeating 21-year-old Italian Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals (6-3, 6-4, 7-6[7-4]), in 2h46 of play. This is a new record, which he co-held with the American Chris Evert (34) since his final at Roland-Garros in early June.
Since the start of this edition of Wimbledon 2023, the Serb has never given the impression of being able to be stopped. Franceinfo: sport is interested in the reasons which make the Serbian such an unsinkable player.
A flawless game
His range of play is one of the most complete on the circuit. He knows how to do everything, and he does it perfectly. He plays long, flirts with the lines, brings variation both in the game and in the areas affected, but above all he is difficult to overwhelm thanks to his very good qualities of movement. AT so much so that we can see him slipping on clay as well as on grass, sometimes even going for the splits. “He always moves like a cat in the field. Like a ninja, he is everywhere. It’s fascinating to see”, greeted his trainer Goran Ivanisevic, after his title in Paris, at The Team.
His serve is obviously a weapon, which he is still improving today according to Jannik Sinner. “His serve is hard to read. I feel like he improved it a bit. It’s a very hard serve to return because the first ball doesn’t bounce very high. It’s pretty flat with a little slice, said the Italian in a press conference after his defeat against the Serb, who made eleven aces. And he doesn’t miss much. It’s always very, very close to the lines,” he clarifies again.
His physical resistance is also exceptional, especially in matches with three winning sets. Many players were able to take one or even two sets from him before exhausting their energy in the third set, when the Serb wakes up to tip the standoff. “I have to get to the bottom of it because Novak has no weakness, so it will be really difficult to find a way to be dangerous for him,” admitted Carlos Alcaraz after his victory in the semi-finals against Daniil Medvedev. More than anyone, he manages to get rid of, thanks to his game, almost every opponent, and every dangerous situation, if that happens at all.
A perfectionist, always looking for improvement
If Novak Djokovic is today winner of 23 Grand Slam titles, it is also because he never relaxes his efforts. Quite the contrary. He is a “perfectionist”, as stated a month ago, his trainer Goran Ivanisevic. “For him, there’s always something to improve. He wakes up and he says ‘My backhand didn’t work yesterday, so we have to work on the backhand’. But the backhand was perfect for us! So we’re working on it. setback. Ah, this time it’s service… Every day there is something. Novak is a perfectionist, a genius mind who is always missing something.”
Faced with the young wolves of the new generation, like Holger Rune, Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic does not want to risk falling asleep, and anticipates. “The last few months he’s gained muscle mass, he puts a lot more power into what he does. I watched him a lot at Roland. He does things he didn’t do before, in the sense that he can impose much heavier shots when he plays players like Alcaraz or Rune. He seeks to improve constantly, to adapt to the new generation that is coming.” observed the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, after his defeat against him at Wimbledon.
A unique mental force
Whatever the context, the adversary or the surface, the child of Belgrade, born in the middle of the Balkan war, wants to win. The more tense the match becomes, the more he takes over. It is no coincidence that he has won each of the last 14 decisive games he has played. “The longer the series, the more mentally resilient I am. I think my opponents are also aware and it makes a difference mentally.” rejoiced the Serb at a press conference on Friday.
When he was booed by the crowd at Center Court at 5-4, 40-15 for the Italian in the third set, after a missed first serve, Novak Djokovic turned negativity into fuel. He stays in his bubble and wins the game. He then listens as a provocation, to show that he is the master of the place in all circumstances. The Serb is imperturbable who, as soon as he sets foot on the court, dismisses anything that could overwhelm him. Especially since he has just gone through two years of difficulty, for lack of vaccination against Covid-19, missing for example the Australian Open and the US Open in 2022.
He’s on a mission to become the greatest player in history
He does not hide it and even expresses it naturally. His only goal to win as many Grand Slam titles as possible and ultimately to be considered the greatest player in history. “I said it at the start of the season: the Grand Slams are my biggest priority, not just this season but every season, even more at this stage of my career”, declared Novak Djokovic at a press conference after his victory at Roland-Garros on June 11. A sentence that the Serb likes to repeat at each Major, which differentiates him from other players on the circuit, who are more discreet about such ambitions.
Last June, “Nole” gleaned the 23rd Grand Slam title of his career at Porte d’Auteuil. If he overtook his eternal rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the Serb is not done. He is not satisfied, even though he has won six of the last eight Majors in which he has participated (losing only in the final of the US Open 2021 and in the quarters at Roland-Garros 2022). “I will approach Sunday’s final as if it were the first, to be honest.” he warned. So what does it matter that Carlos Alcaraz is “in great shape”And “motivated”. “He’s young. He’s hungry. I’m hungry too, so let’s have a feast,” the Serb simply smiled.