Novak Djokovic can find form fast enough to win the Paris Masters and ATP Tour Finals despite not having played for over a month, believes Alex Corretja. @alexcorretja74 | @atptour
(VIDEO) Novak Djokovic named "master of the calendar" by tennis pundit Alex Corretja after dominant season
Tennis NewsTuesday, 17 October 2023 at 13:40
Novak Djokovic has been named "master of the calendar" by tennis pundit and former player Alex Corretja after the Serbian player's dominant season at Grand Slams and on the ATP Tour.
The World No. 1 secured the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open titles this year with straight-sets victories against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Casper Ruud, and Daniil Medvedev respectively. This meant that he was able to surpass Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 major titles.
Moreover, despite the fact that Djokovic decided to skip the Asian Swing this year, missing the likes of the ATP 1000 Shanghai Masters, he will still finish 2023 as the year-end No. 1 and has qualified for the ATP Finals which will take place in November.
Corretja says Djokovic is expert at picking right moments
In a recent interview with Eurosport, Corretja praised Djokovic's ability to listen to his body and to know his game well enough to be able to pick his moments and optimize success.
"I think Djokovic is the master of the calendar because he knows exactly what he needs to do in every moment.
"But in order to do that, you need to know your body, you need to know your game. You need to know exactly where is your pick, at which moments," he said.
The two-time French Open runner-up added that this can be a difficult thing to do as you have to adapt to playing well after extended time away from the Tour.
"So I think Novak does that very well, but at the same time, it’s very difficult because it’s not easy not to compete a month and a half and then show up and be ready to do that.
"You need to accept the situation the first few days, that maybe you don’t feel as good because the other players, they’ve been playing a lot and you being home – even if you are practicing – is different," he continued.
Djokovic will next be in action at the Rolex Paris Masters which will begin at the end of October, before competing at the ATP Finals in Turin. Due to his recent successes, Corretja predicted that the 36-year-old would win both titles.
"I think he should be probably one of the biggest contenders or the biggest contender to win the two finals in Turin and in Bercy.
"He’s been playing so well through the whole season that he’s got so much confidence that whenever he steps on the court, I think he feels that if he’s ready, he’s going to be almost unbeatable," Corretja declared.
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