Novak Djokovic has had a season every youngster would dream about. The highlight of the year was winning his 24th Grand Slam title, Cincinnati Open, Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Final crown. However, the Serbian was handed his first loss by an under-22 player at the Wimbledon finals, Carlos Alcaraz.
Then, Jannik Sinner shockingly defeated the Serbian twice in two weeks and made sure Djokovic didn’t help his country win the Davis Cup the second time. But Nikolay Davydenko still believes that the young players do not have the mental strength to defeat Djokovic.
Nikolay Davydenko hails Novak Djokovic
Nikolay Davydenko believes that Novak Djokovic remains ahead of others, especially the youngsters mentally. This season Djokovic showed on the court his tenacious display and impeccable mental strength, which is said to be an important factor in his dominance over the years.
However, the question of why none of the younger players have been able to dethrone him was answered by Nikolay Davydenko, the winner of the 2009 ATP World Tour Finals.
When asked how Novak Djokovic is still at the helm of men’s tennis, Davydenko said, “This person is unique to me. He plays with the skill that he has accumulated over the entire time when he even played with us – with Federer, Nadal, with me. Novak always adhered to his physical characteristics and tried to maintain strength and concentration. And he understood that he was beating everyone with his tennis.”
“The Big Three generation used to be a little stronger. Even Alcaraz, who, like Nadal in his youth, is a good runner, in tennis terms I can’t say that he exceeds expectations.”
The Russian further commented on Djokovic’s physical and mental aspects of the game and why the younger players are losing to him.
“If Djokovic gets into shape, even without playing a few tournaments, without injury, he is physically ready. It’s more important that you have enough strength for every match. And if they are, his concentration will be much higher than others,” Davydenko added.
“That’s why they are afraid of him. Plus, the fear remains: Djokovic also beats the younger generation with his head – they are already psychologically losing to him. ‘Ah, Djokovic, that’s all!’ And Novak dominates thanks to this. What he does is unique. One might say, the only one like this so far.”
Novak Djokovic’s dominance this campaign
Novak Djokovic began his 2023 season at the Adelaide International on January 1st. the Serbian won the ATP 500 event and called it a preparation for the Australian Open. The preparation helped the 36-year-old star clinch his 22nd Grand Slam title in Melbourne, making him the player with the highest Australian Open title wins.
In the French Open, the Serbian never encountered a tiebreak and also defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final to become the first men’s player to win 23 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic’s second title loss came at the Wimbledon final, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic-five set match that lasted nearly five hours.
The Serbian had his revenge at the Cincinnati Open finals and won the 39th Masters 1000 title of his career. At the US Open, Novak Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam and toppled Alcaraz at the top of the World ranking. Even with the boos and stomach illness, Novak Djokovic won his 40th Masters 1000 at the Rolex Paris Masters against all odds and needed only one win at the ATP Finals in Turin to secure an 8th year-end world No.1, which he did with flying colours.
