Novak Djokovic may not have performed as well as he would have liked in yesterday’s Wimbledon final, but he can still take so much solace from reaching that stage.
And, losing to Carlos Alcaraz is hardly a slight on his ability.
His superhuman powers of recovery, returning to the courts less than a month after surgery on his knee, are unlike anything ever seen before in the sport, and such a special feat matches his flawless technical prowess.
But one pundit still thinks that there is one aspect of his game that continues to go under-appreciated.
John McEnroe praises Novak Djokovic despite Wimbledon loss
Speaking just before Novak Djokovic’s unfortunate Wimbledon final defeat, John McEnroe was still full of praise for the Serbian, and did expect big things.
Few would have predicted Alcaraz to go on to stroll to the title in the manner in which he did.
The American certainly did not, and that is greatly exemplified by the way in which he lavished the 24-time Grand Slam champion with adulation, left almost speechless by the end of his monologue.
He spoke live on BBC Sport just yesterday: ‘His [Djokovic’s] serve is definitely underrated, I think it’s one of the better serves in the sport. And he’s a strategist, you know, he does what he needs to do.
‘If a guy’s going to stand way back like Musetti on a second serve, he comes in and he cuts it off and hits one solid volley and that’s all he needs to do, so he’s brilliant. He’s a genius out there figuring out ways to get under the skin of his opponent and outplay him just enough for the win.
‘This guy is, I don’t know how he’s still doing it, I honestly don’t. At this point, at this level, so consistently.’
BBC’s Wimbledon coverage deserves praise
Whilst on the topic of McEnroe, speaking for the BBC, it is worth taking a moment to praise the British broadcaster for their coverage of this year’s Wimbledon.
They seemed to go above and beyond in their production, and the wide range of guest pundits only added to the quality of the show too.
Getting Nick Kyrgios on to spearhead their coverage was an inspired move, but seemed like a no-brainer after he came across so well at the Australian Open, and he was joined by other big names like Ash Barty, Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Tim Henman and McEnroe, to name just a handful of the many they boasted.
Although, yesterday Kyrgios was left stunned by Djokovic, claiming he had done something he had never seen him do before. He was quite clearly willing his friend on to success in the final.
Offering great insight from almost every era of tennis, with their tactical analysis blending well with the varied personalities, it all meshed together to provide a great watching experience.
There is simply nothing better than watching a Wimbledon final on the BBC, with the coverage already guaranteed to be well-received purely because of the nostalgia.
However, they managed to elevate the rest up to that level too.
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