Novak Djokovic has left former coach ‘speechless’ as he continues ‘pushing the limits’
Tennis legend Boris Becker has admitted Novak Djokovic has left him “a bit speechless” and declared the Serb is “pushing the limits” following his US Open victory.
The former world No 1 also described Djokovic’s 24th major triumph as “quite extraordinary” but insisted “there is nothing” that surprises him about his former charge anymore.
Becker coached the great Serbian between 2014 and 2016 – during which time he won six Grand Slam titles and 14 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
Djokovic saw off third-ranked Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(5), 6-3 in the final of the 2023 US Open last week to secure a fourth triumph at the New York major.
The 36-year-old has now won two more Grand Slam titles than his great rival Rafael Nadal – who sits second on the all-time men’s list with 22.
The world No 1 won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments this year, having also narrowly lost in the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz. This is the fourth season of Djokovic’s career where he has claimed three majors – a men’s record.
Speaking following Djokovic’s US Open victory, Becker lauded Djokovic’s motivation and suggested he has broken records he had thought it would be impossible to reach.
“There is nothing that surprises me about Novak Djokovic anymore. But that at 36 he still has the motivation, that he has the desire, that he has the leisure and invests the time,” the German told Eurosport Germany’s Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
“I mean, he doesn’t have to prove anything to anyone anymore. Now he has reached Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles and is the oldest Grand Slam winner. That’s quite extraordinary.
“A few years ago, I thought that such records could not be broken at all, because at some point you are physically and mentally too old for competitive sports. But there again, Novak Djokovic is pushing the limits. I think all of us who love tennis, who also respect him, are a bit speechless.”
Following Djokovic’s epic Cincinnati Masters final win over Alcaraz last month, Becker expressed his hope that Djokovic would never retire.
“I hope Djokovic will play forever. These are the duels that make the tennis heart beat faster: the most successful player of all time, Novak Djokovic, against the primus, the best in class, also No 1 in the world rankings. You can’t imagine anything better. It was a fabulous match in Cincinnati,” the six-time major champion said on an episode of the same podcast.
Djokovic is representing Serbia at the Davis Cup Finals group stage in Valencia this week. He defeated Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-3, 6-4 on Friday to help his nation eliminate hosts Spain and qualify for the quarter-finals of the competition.
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