John McEnroe finds a word to describe Novak Djokovic and predicts how long he will continue to play

Novak Djokovic has been backed to remain at the top of the game for another couple of years with John McEnroe waxing lyrical about the Serbian’s success at this late stage of his career.

Just weeks after some tennis commentators suggested that the baton in men’s tennis had been passed onto Carlos Alcaraz on the back of his victory over Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic turned the tables in Cincinnati.

The duo slugged it out in the final and it was the 23-time Grand Slam winner who emerged victorious in what many believe was a modern classic.

Djokovic looked down on out for large parts of the match, but somehow managed to hold on and eventually got a second wind that carried him to victory.

McEnroe admits he is impressed with the 36-year-old consistency and feels his success is “unprecedented”.

“He looked amazing [in the Cincinnati final],” he told Eurosport. “It was extremely hot and was struggling with the heat. He somehow found a way. It’s unbelievable that he is so good at this age.

“The way he looks, it looks like he can do it three-four more years the way he is going.

“It’s hard to believe that anyone can do as well as he is doing even at this age. It’s unprecedented.”

On the back of the two recent Alcaraz-Djokovic epics, many are hoping for a third installment in the US Open final as the pair are seeded one and two for the final Grand Slam of the year.

McEnroe is equally amazed by 20-year-old Alcaraz, who is the defending champion at Flushing Meadows.

“What Alcaraz has done in the last year is unbelievable,” the seven-time Grand Slam winner said.

“He’s put himself in a position where you talk about him in the same way as Novak and Rafa [Nadal] in a way which is incredible.

“The best player I’ve ever seen at his age. It’s incredible how good he is already. Novak is incredible how good he still is.

“Even though in America you want to see an American breakthrough, everyone is saying ‘oh I want to see Alcaraz play Novak’ because he wasn’t allowed to play. That was the first tournament in America he’s played in two years in the States. The whole thing was crazy. It’s a great story.

“To see the all-time great play against the young superstar is incredible. I’d love to see that match played again. The last couple of matches have all been close and incredible matches. Let’s hope it lasts.”

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