Chris Evert has high praise for Novak Djokovic following Adelaide title win, concurs with him being referred to as a 'master sailor'
ATP
Tennis legend Chris Evert has praised Novak Djokovic for his clutch mentality, which came to the fore in the Adelaide International 1 final on Sunday, January 8.
Djokovic found himself a championship point down against Sebastian Korda in the 12th game of the second set. However, the 35-year-old came roaring back into the contest, denying his opponent and winning the ensuing tiebreak to draw level at a set apiece.
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Earlier in the match, Djokovic lost a competitive first set on a tiebreak before bringing out his warrior mentality in the second to stay afloat. In a tight third set, the Serb beat Korda 6-4 and win his 92nd career singles title.
Following the Serb's win, noted journalist Ben Rothenberg tweeted about the 35-year-old's resilience.
"Korda had a championship point in Adelaide, but Djokovic saved it and then ran away with the tiebreak to force a third set. The guy always knows how to use every inch of rope he has in a match. Master sailor," Rothenberg wrote.
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Evert concurred, responding to Rothenberg's tweet.
"You got that right. ... Well said ... remarkable," Evert replied.
The Serb will now head to Melbourne Park as the fourth seed where he will look to win a record-extending tenth Australian Open title. That would draw him level with Rafael Nadal (22) atop the all-time Grand Slam title leaderboard and also return him to the top of the men's rankings if Casper Ruud doesn't reach the final.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
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