For any participant apart from Novak Djokovic, a subpar Australian Open at 36 may need prompted pundits to begin drafting his tennis obituary, however the Serb isn’t any peculiar participant.
While Djokovic missed out on successful a twenty fifth main at Melbourne Park final month, those self same pundits have discovered during the last 15 years that counting out Djokovic is a dangerous wager.
Last 12 months, Djokovic single-handedly carried the torch for the “Big Three” after Roger Federer’s retirement and through Rafa Nadal’s extended absence, battling by means of an damage to say the Australian, French and U.S. Open titles.
Although he suffered a defeat to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon and his third loss in 4 conferences with Jannik Sinner in Melbourne final month, these had been seen as cracks in his as soon as seemingly invincible veneer. Djokovic, nevertheless, was fast to dismiss any notion of a terminal decline.
“I still have high hopes for the Grand Slams, the Olympics and whatever tournaments I’ll play,” Djokovic stated after his first loss at Melbourne Park in six years.
“It’s not the sensation I’m used to. It has been extremely satisfying to begin most of my seasons with a Grand Slam win, and I’ve by no means misplaced within the semis or finals of the Australian Open.
“So this time, it’s a bit different, but it is what it is. This tournament hasn’t been up to my standard or criteria or the level I’d normally play or expect myself to play, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the beginning of the end.”
Djokovic is scheduled to return within the Masters Tournament at Indian Wells subsequent month, the place he’ll once more face early twentysomethings like Alcaraz, Sinner and Holger Rune.
Although discuss of an influence shift could also be untimely, former participant and sports activities psychology marketing consultant Jeff Greenwald stated followers had been witnessing the rise of a brand new technology.
“Part of the magic needed at the highest level of the game, in any sport, and perhaps even more in an individual sport like tennis, is the invincibility factor, enjoyed by all the greats at one point in their careers,” Greenwald instructed Reuters.
“But as the brand new technology gathers confidence and expertise, this illusive hole narrows.
“Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune have already proven they can beat the King of Grand Slams, while Father Time continues to descend and increasingly become an obvious liability.”
Deep digger
Djokovic confirmed finally 12 months’s ATP Finals that he’s removed from being a spent power as he outclassed the younger weapons en path to the title. However, Greenwald believes he might have to dig deeper to beat them sooner or later.
“But if motivation is the quality to hold the next-gen off a little longer, he’ll be able to find it to win a few more Grand Slams,” Greenwald, the writer of “The Best Tennis of Your Life,” added.
“In fact, it may be the final ‘chip’ he needs to rise to the occasion. But the window of time needed to add to his all-time best record is definitely narrowing fast.”
Florida-based Patrick Cohn, who teaches psychological strategies to athletes, believes Djokovic’s powers are usually not fading.
“I don’t see it as a decline in Djokovic’s game, but rather Sinner and Alcaraz are raising the level of theirs,” stated Cohn, who has labored with high tennis and NFL gamers, NASCAR drivers, in addition to golfers on the PGA Tour.
“They know they can compete with anyone on tour. I think Djokovic will use this Australian Open defeat as fuel to try and improve his game and not as a confidence buster.”
Djokovic stays world No. 1, however twice main champion Alcaraz is sizzling on his heels, and Sinner rose to a career-high third after backing up his Australian Open triumph with success in Rotterdam.
Other proficient gamers, together with Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev, have proven comparable threats up to now however have largely struggled of their makes an attempt to see off essentially the most profitable triumvirate in males’s tennis.
Greenwald believes Sinner and Alcaraz symbolize a brand new breed of younger expertise with energy, adaptability and, most critically, a definite lack of worry when dealing with Djokovic.
“These players seem to have absorbed a variety of strengths of the ‘Big Three’ and are clearly showing us that not even the all-time great will intimidate them,” he added.
“They now believe they can win, and this mindset will be Djokovic’s greatest threat in the next one or two years.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
