Wally Masur has praised
Novak Djokovic's approach to matches and work ethic, saying he is more "unbelievable" than
Roger Federer and
Rafael Nadal.
The World No. 1 has had another dominant season this year, surpassing Nadal and Serena Williams to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 Grand Slam titles, with victories at the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and US Open.
Australian tennis coach and commentator Masur competed on the
ATP Tour between 1982 and 1995, during which time he reached a career-high ranking of World No. 15 and made the semi-finals of two majors - the 1987 Australian Open and the 1993 US Open.
Masur lauds Djokovic's "meticulous" approach
In a recent episode of The AO Show podcast, Masur compared the Serbian player's work ethic to that of his fellow Big Three members Nadal and Federer.
"The guy’s a freak and we know that Rafa's a freak, Roger's a freak but he’s unbelievable in how meticulous he is," the 60-year-old said.
He then went on to highlight the "extraordinary" achievements of Djokovic this season after the latter nearly won a calendar slam.
"I’m loathed to predict anything against Novak Djokovic because he rocks out. I mean as you say, nearly won the calendar slam, a moment away, against Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon. He would’ve had a calendar slam. I mean it’s extraordinary at his age," he added.
Masur then went on to praise Djokovic's pacing during Grand Slams, saying that the 36-year-old knows how to peak at the right moments.
"He seems to absolutely know how to navigate his way through the two weeks to just be absolutely on song when it matters the most in the semis and the finals.
"You get it throughout the course of the year. He knows how to manage his schedule heading into the Slams, manages his body, his expectations… unbelievable," Masur continued.
