Former world No 1 reveals how Novak Djokovic turned a big weakness into his ultimate strength

Novak Djokovic turned himself into the ultimate winning machine by transforming his reputation on the court.

That’s the verdict of former world No 1 Andy Roddick, who admits he always fancied his chances of getting the better of Djokovic when they met on court.

Djokovic had a flaky reputation physically in his formative days on the tour, pulling out of matches and tournaments due to injury issues.

Roddick has a 5-4 winning record against Djokovic and speaking in his Betway column, the former US Open champion admits Djokovic’s biggest success has been turning himself into the ultimate athlete in tennis.

“Novak’s progression, just on the physical side, has been unlike anything I’ve seen in pro sports,” he wrote in his first blog for Betway.

“When I used to match up against Djokovic – and I had a solid record against him – I wanted to keep him out there, I wanted to extend rallies. Now, that’s a surefire way to lose.

“The way that he’s taken care of his body, not just from a training standpoint, but from a dietary standpoint, has left no stone unturned. He’s been such a professional throughout the years.

“He took a weakness and turned it into one of the biggest strengths that we’ve seen in professional tennis. I give him so much credit for that.

“It will be weird for the tennis universe when Novak moves on. We’ve become almost entitled to watching the greatness of these players for so long now.”

Djokovic outlasted Carlos Alcaraz in a thrilling French Open semi-final in June, as the Spanish youngster lost the match after suffering from cramps after a gruelling contest.

Yet Alcaraz got his revenge on Djokovic after a thrilling win in last month’s Wimbledon final, much to Roddick’s surprise.

“I was shocked by the result of the men’s Wimbledon final,” added Roddick.

“Two months ago, I don’t think anyone would have predicted Novak being beaten on grass. His dominance on the surface over the last 10 years has actually been underreported, in my opinion.

“Grass is one of those surfaces that, as a young player, normally takes a couple of seasons to grasp, but Alcaraz is a different type of dude.

“He struggled in the first round of Queen’s, didn’t look completely natural on the surface, but by the end of the tournament, he looked like he’d been playing on it for 10 years.

“That fifth set was the first time in a long time that I’ve seen Djokovic on his heels. The way that Alcaraz is able to create speed, open up his shoulders and push his opponent around is so impressive.

“We’re coming to the tail end of the Big Three era, and we thought we might not see anything like that again, but Alcaraz has come in and thrown that logic out the window. I didn’t expect to have a new force who plays as dominantly as those great champions present himself this quickly.

“This kid is the real deal. Not only do I think he’ll win double-digit Slams, but I’ve had as much fun watching him as I have anyone since I started playing.”

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