John McEnroe has now explained why he thinks Novak Djokovic is trying, and failing, to copy Serena Williams at the Australian Open this year.
It’s a strange suggestion from the American tennis legend, but one he backs up.
And, if there were any tennis player in history to try and emulate, Serena is certainly up there.
She retired from the sport at the age of 40, having won almost everything the game had to offer. Novak Djokovic is seeking to enjoy a similar level of longevity, whilst also adding a final Grand Slam title to his trophy cabinet too.
John McEnroe, whilst rating his chances of winning this ongoing Australian Open, made his Serena Williams comparison.
John McEnroe rates Novak Djokovic’s chances of winning the Australian Open
Speaking live on ESPN’s broadcast right before Djokovic started his match against Pedro Martinez, he claimed: “He’s aware of the fact that he’s got four more than Roger and two more than Rafa? He’s okay in the history books, I guess he wants to beat Margaret Court, who played back before the Open Era tennis.
“So he’s got to get something to keep pushing him. He talked about the drive he still has, which is probably the most impressive quality. I call him the LeBron James of tennis, that they want it so badly, seemingly more than their opponents, even though their opponents haven’t won anything.
How far do you think Novak Djokovic will go at the Australian Open?
“So that’s part of what is his greatness, his meticulousness, his preparation, it’s his training, that’s going to be a key at this point in his life at 38. How efficient is he with his training?
“Because he hasn’t played in a couple of months.”
It was this absence from any preparatory events that led McEnroe to suggest Djokovic was trying to copy Serena, adding: “He’s trying to pull a little bit like Serena [Williams] used to back later in her career, you know, show up in Australia, having not played for a few months and pulled it off, the improbable.
“She was still like, when she walked in here, you thought, like, oh, she’s still the best player. Now you see the other two guys, so you sort of feel like they need to either lose before they play him, if he gets there, or they have to have an off day. I’m assuming that’s what Novak’s banking on?”
When did Serena Williams win her last Grand Slam title?
It has been over two years since we saw Djokovic lift a Grand Slam title of any variety, and yet it feels like a lifetime.
After all, we had become so accustomed to seeing him dominate and claim at least one major a year for well over a decade, and now he seems so far from such glory.
Is Serena Williams the greatest tennis player of all time?
Ironically for McEnroe, who indicated that Djokovic might be unable to emulate what Serena used to do, her final Grand Slam title actually came in 2017, five years before she called time on her career for good.
The 44-year-old claimed the Australian Open title whilst pregnant, and would obviously take a hiatus from the sport before returning before retiring in 2022.
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