‘Novak Djokovic can stay at top for two or three more years’, feels former ATP star
Former world No 26 Victor Hanescu believes Novak Djokovic will be “in the fight for big titles” for another two to three years.
The Romanian also picked the Serb as the “best ever”, but thinks the greatest achievement in tennis belongs to Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic won a men’s record 23rd major title by defeating Casper Ruud in the final of the 2023 French Open earlier this month.
Hanescu, who retired in 2016, was unable to earn a win in 17 meetings with the ‘Big Three’, losing seven times to Djokovic, six times to Federer and four times to Nadal.
The one-time ATP titlist discussed Djokovic’s Roland Garros triumph and how long the 36-year-old can continue competing for tennis’ biggest prizes in an interview with Gazeta Sporturilor
“It is a historic achievement, something that has never happened before in men’s tennis,” said the Romanian.
“And that shows us, even if we have different references or maybe if some like [Roger] Federer or some like [Rafael] Nadal, that what Djokovic has achieved, at least from my point of view, in terms of results, makes him now the best ever.
“In the end, the results speak. Okay, we like Federer, he’s elegant, or Nadal, because he’s a fighter. But in the end, when we draw the line and see what Djokovic has achieved, we can’t really discuss anything else.
“Of course he is starting [to show signs of aging], but he shows us that he is in good shape both physically and mentally. From my point of view, I think that for another two years at least we could see some more tournaments won by him.
“Okay, he probably won’t play that much anymore, but he will play in the important ones, he will mount to perform well there and [for] two or three years I think he will be in the cards and in the game, in the fight for these big titles.”
The 41-year-old also singled out Nadal’s domination of the French Open when asked what he felt was the finest achievement in tennis history.
“This thing with Nadal at Roland Garros impresses me! It’s such a tough tournament, on clay, long matches. It’s not necessarily played on strength, it’s a tactical game, it’s an interesting game on clay, and then to win 14 times. It seems the achievement that comes out is the most evident,” said Hanescu.
READ MORE: ‘Federer looked the best, Nadal ground the best, but Djokovic is the best’
