Novak Djokovic’s doubters sent strong ‘better than ever’ message as his ‘only issue’ is named

Former world No 9 Andrea Petkovic has vowed to never doubt Novak Djokovic’s tennis again as she feels the Serb “still has it” after his 2025 Australian Open campaign.
The German argued Djokovic played “better than ever” in three of his matches in Melbourne, while also identifying “the only thing” that will be an issue for the tennis great.
Djokovic reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open and was forced to retire after a set of his match with world No 2 Alexander Zverev due to a hamstring tear.
The 37-year-old delivered a vintage performance to defeat his 21-year-old rival Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the quarter-finals.
The Serbian sustained his injury early in his match with the world No 3, but he managed to recover after losing the first set to prevail.
Djokovic also impressed in convincing straight-set victories over dangerous Czech opponents Tomas Machac and Jiri Lehecka in the third and fourth rounds respectively.
The world No 7 has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles — the last of which came at the 2023 US Open.
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In her blog on Substack, Petkovic declared that Djokovic’s doubters should be silenced after his performances at Melbourne Park.
“Whoever doubts Novak’s tennis ever again, whether Novak’s 37 years old or 55 years old, should from this day forth be punished with perpetual silence. Yes, I’m talking about myself,” the German wrote.
“It’s not that I ever doubted the quality of tennis necessarily, it’s just that I couldn’t quite believe he would be able to retain enough explosiveness to hang with the young guys.
“Novak still has it and I would argue for three matches (Machac, Lehecka and Alcaraz), he played better than ever.
“He was still the same consistent percentage player who never misses, but conscious of his age, he hit the ball bigger and changed directions more frequently, yet still undetectable for the opposing side.”
On Djokovic’s hopes of winning a 25th major this season, Petkovic added: “I truly believe he would get 25 in ‘25. Until his body let him down.
“That is the only thing that can continue to be an issue at 37 years old – the body that has served him so bloody well for so long.
“Our strengths become our weaknesses become our strengths again. The circle of life.
“But one thing’s for sure: This one right here will never doubt Novak’s tennis again. 23, 37 or 45. Years are just numbers that fade in the rearview mirror, but titles stay forever.”
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