"I think they're not intimidated anymore" - Wilander believes top players no longer fear Djokovic
ATP
Mat Wilander believes the rising crop of ATP players are no longer afraid of facing Novak Djokovic, with several of them confident that they can defeat him.
Djokovic had a stellar 2021 season, winning three of the four Grand Slams and ending the year as World No.1 for a record seventh season. However, Wilander believes the Serbian's competition is getting stronger, with the likes of Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev snipping at his heels.
"I think the biggest difference is the guys that are coming from behind or that are surrounding Novak, they now have the confidence that they can beat Novak on any surface on any given day," said Wilander in an appearance on Eurosport. “I think they are not intimidated anymore unless you get to a fourth or fifth set in a Grand Slam."
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Nonetheless, Wilander was quick to admit that Djokovic was still the man to beat on Tour, with the Serbian now focused mainly on winning Grand Slams.
"But even then, I feel like they have seen Novak most probably have the best year on Tour ever in 2021," admitted Wilander. "Still, at the end of it, he looked a little bit vulnerable at the US Open, at the ATP Finals, and maybe even in the Olympics.
“So maybe the Olympics was a bad idea for Novak. That is why it seemed like he lost a little bit of confidence, lost a little bit of drive. I mean, what an unbelievable year for Novak, and he does not look a day older than 24 years old, not 34.
“The ATP Finals to him is not a Grand Slam. He is clearly aiming at winning Grand Slams, not the ATP Finals, although for his confidence, maybe it was a little bit of a defeat. But yeah, I think it’s two completely different situations. I think he was having fun. He is thinking about next year or the year after. It is just pacing himself to enjoy his tennis until it’s over.”
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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