Novak Djokovic told young rivals are ‘less afraid’ as he is ‘older and slower’ in brutal verdict
Former world No 5 Henri Leconte has asserted that Novak Djokovic is “older and slower” and claimed the great Serbian has “lost a little liveliness.”
The 1988 French Open finalist feels young players are “less afraid” of Djokovic as a result, while declaring the “Next Gen” must prove they can “remain at the highest level.”
Between them, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz — the leading young duo in men’s tennis — have won the three ‘big titles’ on offer so far in the 2024 season.
Sinner secured his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in January and won his second ATP Masters 1000 event at the Miami Open last week. The 22-year-old Italian’s latest victory — his third title of the year — has seen him overtake Alcaraz to become the world No 2.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, ended his eight-month wait for a title by claiming the Indian Wells crown in March. Prior to winning the Masters 1000 crown, the 20-year-old Spaniard, who is ranked third, had lost the only final he had made since his triumph at Wimbledon in July last year.
Djokovic has not won a tournament since his victory at the 2023 ATP Finals in November at the end of the staggering campaign he had last year. The 36-year-old was defeated by Sinner in the semi-finals at the Australian Open and fell to an upset defeat to Luca Nardi in the third round in Indian Wells.
The Serbian, who remains the world No 1, will return to action at the Monte Carlo Masters this week, where he is looking to win a third title after triumphing at the event in 2013 and 2015. He will face either Roman Safiullin or Jaume Munar in his opening match at the clay-court event.
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In an interview with Monaco Matin ahead of the tournament in Monte Carlo, Leconte gave his thoughts on the rising stars on the ATP Tour as he claimed Djokovic is in decline.
“The ‘Next Gen’ has dominated since last year, but they must prove that they can remain at the highest level. Sinner wins and confirms with his exceptional start to the season,” assessed the 60-year-old Frenchman.
“There’s still Novak, but he’s older and he’s slower. He lost a little liveliness. Young people are less afraid because they feel that it is crumbly. Slowly, everything changes.”
Former world No 3 Ivan Ljubicic recently assessed that Djokovic’s issues so far in 2024 have been mental, while highlighting the three events he feels the 24-time major winner will be most motivated for.
“His problem is psychological, he certainly hasn’t forgotten how to play tennis. Undoubtedly, ‘Nole’ must have fire inside, otherwise he is missing something,” the Croatian told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“He is used to fighting on every point, to conquering the pitch inch by inch, and if he doesn’t feel those stimuli, he can get into difficulty. But I am convinced that as his real goals for the season approach – Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics – he will be able to recover.”
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