Novak Djokovic has often exceeded his limits during his long career, remaining competitive even when he was no longer in his 'prime' and having the strength to challenge opponents much younger than him. The Serbian legend was the go-to player on the men's tour until the end of 2023, a sensational season in which he won three Grand Slam titles and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
ADVERTISEMENT
The former world No. 1 also reached the final at Wimbledon that year, but had to surrender to Carlos Alcaraz after a spectacular five-set battle on the iconic Centre Court.
Starting from the start of the 2024 season, it became increasingly clear that something had broken in Nole's mechanisms. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has begun to feel the weight of age, has struggled more to keep his level of play as high as in the past and has suffered several quite shocking defeats.
The 37-year-old from Belgrade reached the final at Wimbledon last year, taking a severe lesson from Alcaraz and ending his season with zero titles. However, Novak still saved his 2024 by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and fulfilling one of the main dreams of his entire career.
ADVERTISEMENT
Becker on coachingDjokovic
Djokovic hoped to rise again in 2025 thanks to the addition of Andy Murray to his team, but this start of the season has been characterized by more shadows than lights.
The current world No.7 reached the semifinals at the Australian Open after defeating Alcaraz in the quarterfinals, but in all other tournaments he has suffered only defeats against second-tier opponents.
In a long interview with the official ATP website, German legend Boris Becker who worked with Nole in one of the best moments of his career revealed what he noticed while coaching the Serbian: Ive been player number one but I was coaching Novak Djokovic for a couple of years so I realized similar mental patterns that we all have.
Im good friends with John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, and Mats Wilander, and Stefan Edberg, we all actually get along now. Back in the day, no chance to be on the same dining table. Youve got to be a little bit crazy, a little bit egoistic in a way that your life is tennis and thats it.
