'It was just not the Novak Djokovic that...', says former Wimbledon champion

Advertisemen

Novak Djokovic faced three tough tests on his way to his second Roland Garros crown in June, defeating Matteo Berrettini, Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas to secure the 19th Major title. Novak stayed on the court for three and a half hours in the quarterfinals against Berrettini, beating the Italian 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 7-5 in his eleventh semi-final in Paris. Djokovic played at a high level to score 44 winners and 19 unforced errors, mastering his punches well and offering Berrettini just three break opportunities. The Italian failed to convert any, and the Serbian had the lead in the first two sets after fantastic returns that sapped all power from Berrettini. Matteo regained his game in the third set, saved the only break point and fell 4-5 behind in the tie break. Djokovic made too big errors to hand over the set to his rival instead of taking home the win. They both served well to 6-5 for Novak in the fourth set before Matteo broke down under pressure, losing serve at third match point and pushing the No. 1 over the top. Djokovic shared his thoughts on the match and praised the Italian as a talented player with a deadly forehand. Furthermore, he claimed that he should have sealed the deal in the third set, still satisfied with how he played before Rafael Nadal's historic match. Novak noted that the crash had it all and called it stressful, enough to force a wild and loud celebration once he crossed the finish line in the fourth and entered the semi-finals.

Bartoli talks about Novak Djokovic

Marion Bartoli recently spoke at length about Novak Djokovic's US Open defeat to Daniil Medvedev, the Serb's Grand Slam future and the possibility of including women in the Laver Cup. “It was quite obvious, Bartoli said while speaking on Match Point for Tennis Majors. “It was just the pressure. It was the same for Serena when she tried it, obviously it was one match earlier [at the 2015 US Open], when she lost in the semifinal to Roberto Vinci and no one expected that result. But for Novak, you can tell, and he said it himself, that he had no legs when he played that final," Bartoli added. "It was just not the Novak Djokovic that we’re used to seeing. … as much as he’s a superhuman, at some point it was too much, even for him.” Bartoli was then asked if she thought Djokovic could achieve the Calendar Slam in the future. In response, the Frenchwoman said it would be "very difficult" for the Serb but at the same time, she backed Djokovic to win at least three more Slams before calling it a career. “I think the Calendar Year Grand Slam will be very difficult but I think Novak will get to 23,” she said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3uglYlX

Advertisemen

 Tennis