Mats Wilander opined that
Novak Djokovic stands out in the Big-3 as the only one without weaknesses.
According to the 7-time Grand Slam champion, both
Roger Federer and Rafael
Nadal had deficiencies in their game, while Djokovic has none on any surface.
The Serbian seems ready to
return to
Wimbledon for the 19th time and fight for his 8th title there.
Djokovic will appear just three weeks after undergoing knee surgery, following
an injury at the
French Open that forced him to withdraw before his quarterfinal
match against
Casper Ruud.
No weaknesses compared to Federer and Nadal
It has been a low year by
Djokovic's standards, as last season he won titles in 3 out of the 4 Grand
Slams and finished the year as world No. 1 in one of the most in-form seasons
of his career at 36 years old.
His reality in 2024 is
entirely opposite, still without titles and displaced from the top of the
rankings. Now, physical problems plague Djokovic, who was not at his 100%
during the French Open and eventually withdrew from the tournament after
reaching the quarterfinals. Days later, it was confirmed that Djokovic had
undergone minor surgery for meniscus in his knee.
Although it was thought he was
completely ruled out of Wimbledon and even the Olympic Games at the end of
July, Djokovic has had a recovery beyond any expectation and will be at the All
England Club in search of his 25th Grand Slam title.
As the Serbian prepares for
his return, former world No. 1 Mats Wilander commented on Eurosport his view on
what differentiates Djokovic from Federer and Nadal: "With Novak, I think
when he came on the circuit early on, we didn't see his greatness because his
greatness was more inside of him than on the outside," Wilander said.
"I think with Roger and Rafa, the greatness, you could see it. You could
see it in the shot, in the technique.
Djokovic won 3 out of 4 Grand Slam titles in 2023, his only loss coming in the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz.
“Everybody wants to play like
Roger Federer. With Novak, he hits the ball like most other pros. It's just
that he hits his backhand like other pros that have the best backhand in the
game, and he hits his forehand like all the other pros that have the best
forehands in the game, and he hits his serve in the same spots as Roger
Federer, who had the best serve in the game.
"What we didn't realize
is that there were no weaknesses anywhere in his game on any surface. I think
it took a while for everybody to understand that he doesn't have weaknesses.
Federer has a weakness. Nadal has weaknesses. Djokovic doesn't really have a
weakness."
The Swedish ex-tennis player
admitted that the announcement of Djokovic's miraculous return just three weeks
after surgery was surprising: "It's so surprising to see Novak, obviously,
in London, just a few days before Wimbledon, not knowing if he's going to
play," he said. "But that's the greatness of Novak: he's not looking
at the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, he's not looking to win the most Grand
Slam titles, he's looking at the day-to-day situation.
"I would think that he
feels he needs to go to Wimbledon to get into that competitive spirit, to
prepare, and to try and get ready to play a match in what most probably is the
most important tournament in his career: Wimbledon,” Mats Willander said.
"If he's going to get
ready to play or not I don't know, but he's getting ready to be part of the
tournament. Then, if he pulls out, he pulls out at the very last second, but I
think that's the greatness that he has understood that he needs to be in that
environment.
"Even if he doesn't play,
it's going to help him make him a better player. It's going to help him come
back sooner so that he is completely ready to play at the Olympics later in the
summer. If he was at home, he could maybe get better practice, but at the same
time, he's not going to be playing with the same level of players he can when
he goes to Wimbledon and practises on grass."