Over the years, Novak Djokovic has earned the right to be considered the greatest tennis player to ever play the sport.
He’s won 24 major titles and he’s about to start another US Open campaign looking to win a 25th crown at a big event.
Djokovic has won the Flushing Meadows tournament on four occasions and if he makes it a fifth here it would end a run of no majors this year.
The 37-year-old did win gold at the Olympics earlier this month but it will be killing him that he’s not produced the goods at a Grand Slam.
Ahead of his title defence getting underway, Djokovic has shared how he managed to win a match against Roger Federer in 2019 at Wimbledon.
Novak Djokovic shares why he managed to beat Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2019
Djokovic has won Wimbledon seven times and he needs two more to pull clear of Federer as the most successful male player at the tournament of all time.
Ahead of the latest major on the calendar, Djokovic was quizzed on how certain matches are won in tennis.
He was asked by a journalist whether some days he wins and he’s actually the better player – whilst others he’s just more precise and powerful than the person on the other side of the net.
He said in his press conference: “That happened in 2019 when I played the final of Wimbledon, the marathon match with Roger. I remember that very well.
“I beat him 14-12 in the fifth set. The sets that I won were all won in tie breaks. 7-6, 7-6, 14-12. If you see the stats he was the far better player in every aspect, but I won the match.
“That tells you that you can still win if you pick and choose in which moments in the match you are peaking and playing your best when it matters.”
Djokovic knows what it takes to win and he might take some stopping at the US Open
The only player who has really had Djokovic’s number this year has been Carlos Alcaraz – but even he couldn’t beat the Serbian at the Olympics.
At the US Open, we might see a different Djokovic given that he knows this is his last chance for a major title this year.
At 37, the player will be under no illusions that some of the newer kids on the block are gunning for him and that won’t make tournaments any easier for him.
However, when Djokovic enters a tournament, he can never be discounted and he will be a different animal at the US Open.
With his knee troubles now firmly behind him this could be a great chance for Djokovic to claim grand slam number 25 and it’ll be fascinating to see how far he goes.
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