Novak Djokovic still the man to beat despite Australian Open disappointment says Nicolas Massu: "Still the favourite to win Grand Slam titles this year"

Thursday, 01 February 2024 at 09:46

2-times Gold Medalist Nicolás Massu opined that Novak Djokovic remains the favorite to win Grand Slams in 2024. The Serbian fell in the semifinals of the 2024 Australian Open to the eventual champion Jannik Sinner 1-6, 2-6, 7-6(6), 3-6 but continues as the world No. 1 in pursuit of his 25th Grand Slam title.

Former Dominic Thiem’s coach praised ‘Nole’ for his remarkable physical prowess at the age of 36 and selected him as the favorite for the remaining Grand Slams of the season. Djokovic won three Grand Slams last year and only faltered in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz.

Analysis by Massu:

Djokovic reached his 11th final in his last 13 Grand Slam appearances, only failing in the quarterfinals of the 2021 French Open against the practically invincible Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros and now in the semifinals of the Aussie Open.

Just days before the Davis Cup qualifiers, the captain of the Chilean team recalled his matches against Djokovic at the end of his career. "I respect Novak a lot and have known him for a long time. I remember that he won his first title against me, in Amersfoort in 2006, and here he is still at the top. I'm sure he can still win Slams," he reiterated.

"Novak is still number one in the world; he is still the favorite to win the Grand Slam titles this year," Nicolas Massu said in a press conference before the Davis Cup, where Chile will face Peru. “He is extremely physically fit. Last year he achieved something incredible," he added.

"The other guys, you know the ones I mean, have great chances, they are among the favorites for the Slams, but the same goes for Novak. It will be an interesting year, I'm sure of that," he said.

Massú's coaching career

The former Chilean tennis player reached world No. 9 in 2004 after his campaign at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, where he won the gold medal in singles and in doubles alongside Fernando González. After his retirement, Massu began his coaching career by serving as the Davis Cup captain for Chile.

He later went on to work with Dominic Thiem, with whom he collaborated when the Austrian won the 2020 US Open against Alexander Zverev, his only Grand Slam victory. In recent weeks, he has been coaching the Czech youngster Brenda Fruhvirtova, who, in the last Aussie Open, secured her entry into the top 100 for the first time in her career.

Luigi Gatto

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July 2006: Novak Djokovic beats Nicolas Massu 7-6 6-4 in Amersfoort, Netherlands, to win his first ATP title. We are in 2023 and he has won 93 titles, including 22 Grand Slams 🙌

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Cristhián AvilaTennis Journalist

Cristhián Ávila is a tennis journalist based in Santiago, Chile, and has been part of the TennisUpToDate team since early 2023. He covers the ATP and WTA Tours as well as all four Grand Slams, producing breaking news, match reports, analysis, and regular liveblogs from major tournaments.

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