Tommy Haas
shared his opinion on
Novak Djokovic and his continued desire to win compared
to Boris Becker and Pete Sampras.
The former
world No. 2 is now a tennis commentator and recently discussed the 24-time
Grand Slam champion.
At 36 years
old, Novak Djokovic has shown that despite his age, he still possesses the
level to dominate the Tour and compete for every tournament he enters, winning
three of the four Grand Slam events in the year.
Tommy Haas
believes what sets Djokovic apart from other legends like Boris Becker and Pete
Sampras is his relentless drive to win, as if he were still a teenager. This contrasts
with other former world No. 1 players who had retired by his age.
“People
know how hard it is to get to the top of the world in this sport, especially
now that good people are playing longer. Pete Sampras and Boris Becker retired
at 30, but Djokovic at 36 is hungry like a teenager, that's his mentality,” he
said.
“When he
tells stories about how he grew up during the war and dreamed of giving his
family a better life… you can't learn that, you either have it or you don't,”
Haas added.
Recently,
Jimmy Connors also praised Djokovic for his achievements at an advanced age,
adding to the words of Novak Djokovic's major rival, the 22-time Grand Slam
champion
Rafael Nadal.
"We're
talking about a 36-year-old guy who's making the headlines. And you know I'm
going to say it again. I like that. You know, he made a good statement. He says
I'm staying around as long as these young guys don't want to beat me. I'm gonna
stay and play and I don't blame him, because he is good," Connors said.
"I
missed four and a half years of Grand Slams due to injury, this is the reality.
But that's also sport. That's not why I'm better than Djokovic, because I
played less. He had a physique and a way of playing that allowed him to compete
more than me," Nadal said.