Tim Henman
and
John McEnroe analyzed
Novak Djokovic's form shortly before the 2024
Australian Open semifinal against Jannik Sinner. The Eurosport experts
highlighted 'Nole's' ability to stay relaxed throughout the tournament and
anticipated that it would be a concern for the Italian.
Former
world No. 4 Henman was pleasantly impressed by the 24-times Grand Slam
champion, who once again delivered a standout performance against
Taylor Fritz,
securing a 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory: “His form is great. No-one would be
surprised if he goes on and wins the title again,” Henman said. “That was a
battle,” he added
Henman expresses
his concerns
Henman
commented that Djokovic's tremendous level is not the only concern for his
rivals, as the Serbian appears relaxed and confident: "It’s very ominous
for the other players [how relaxed he is]; how he’s looking so contented with
where he’s at," he said.
As Djokovic
has demonstrated throughout his career, especially in recent years, he seems
almost unbeatable in five-set matches. However, Fritz was not an easy opponent:
“He’ll be relieved to get through the match. I don’t know why we’re surprised,
we’ve seen him play this type of tennis so often in Melbourne. He finds a way
to get the job done,” Henman added.
“He can’t
relax in that second set and just lose it if he loses the first set. That’s why
we realised how important that was for both players, but especially Fritz, to
have those set points [in the first set] and not take them.
“It just
gives Djokovic the breathing room, and from Fritz’s point of view, he’s played
an hour and 25 minutes for that first set and got nothing out of it. He’s like,
‘Wow, I’ve still got to win three of the next four’. So it’s a mountain to
climb at all times.”
McEnroe
praised Djokovic
The 7-times
Grand Slam champion first commented that Djokovic had a poor start to the match
but gradually raised his level: “I have to hand it to Novak because he started
serving terribly,” McEnroe said after the match.
“His
percentage was like 20%. By the end of the match, he had more aces and was a
higher percentage than Fritz, who I don’t think served that badly,” he added.
“At one
stage he was zero for 15 on break points and it still felt like he was putting
all kinds of pressure on Fritz, who did a lot of good things. He played really
well; tried a lot of different things. He tried the drop shot, he tried to come
in more….you name it. It didn’t work, because Djokovic has got everything now.
Absolutely everything; he can do anything now,” claimed McEnroe.
“It’s
amazing to watch; to see this guy at 36 years old want it this much, to have
the hunger to do what it takes. I thought I knew what it took to play at a high
level. This is a crazy level. It’s insane,” former world No. 1 added.