Novak Djokovic has encountered many difficulties in this first part of the season, also linked to his choice not to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus. The former world number 1 was unable to defend his title at the Australian Open, as well as suffering serious damage to his image as a result of that well-known soap opera.
The Serbian champion won over the BNL Internationals of Italy and was hoping to win his third Roland Garros, but his hopes were already dashed in the quarterfinals against his eternal rival Rafael Nadal. A performance filled with ups and downs prevented Nole from defeating Rafa in Paris for the second consecutive year.
As if that weren’t enough, the Spaniard then flew to his 22nd Major. The 35-year-old from Belgrade will necessarily have to win Wimbledon to stay in the running, as he will hardly be able to travel to New York to compete in the US Open.
As things currently stand, his presence in Melbourne in 2023 is also uncertain. In a long interview with ‘CLAY’, Nikolay Davydenko analyzed the moment Djokovic is going through.
Davydenko on Nole Djokovic
“He [Novak Djokovic] is getting older now, it will be interesting, but I am sure he wants to win a few more Slams.
He has a good chance in Wimbledon and at the US Open, provided that he plays. Depends on his preparation,” Davydenko said. The former Russian player does not see the Serbian playing until the age of 40 however. “Next season, I don’t know – with every year, it gets harder when you get to a certain age.
I don’t think he will play until he is 40 – to win Slams at 40, best of five, there is no chance, not possible,” Davydenko said. The former World No. 3 reminisced about an early encounter on the practice courts with a 17-year-old Novak Djokovic and said he saw a special spark in the Serbian right away.
“We were in Rome and he was my partner for the warmup before the match. I was surprised with the way he controlled the ball – I was hitting really good balls and each one came back. He moved really well too,” Davydenko said.
With a lot of complaints being lodged by players about the slippery surface at center court and court 1, the organizers of Wimbledon have finally passed the statement of letting players learn the court condition prior to the match through the practice session. Until now, only club members set foot on the center court outside of the Championships.
