Novak Djokovic won his 22nd Grand Slam in
the
Australian Open and reached
Rafael Nadal as the male tennis players with
the most tournaments in this category.
John McEnroe believes that Nole can keep
adding Slams.
The dispute to be the male player with most Grand Slam
lived a new chapter after Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open. In recent
years, every time a Grand Slam is played, the focus was on what the Big-3 can do,
and who could take the lead as the tennis player with more of these trophies. When
Roger Federer came off, only two of the members were left disputing for first
place. While Fed reached 20 crowns, Nadal and Djokovic have already reached 22,
and keep the duel alive for being the “GOAT” (Great of All Times).
Former World
No. 1 John McEnroe weighed in on Nole's chances in upcoming Grand Slams:
“I don’t know how many
more he’s going to win, but it’s hard to see him not win a minimum of two or
three more,”
“Roger won three from 35
onwards, Rafa won three. Novak is probably the best of those three
athletically. He hasn’t had a lot of injuries, so I could easily see him
winning at least three more.”
The American had words
for the physical capacity of the Serb, and his dedication to win each trophy:
“He’s unbelievably
resilient and is a tremendous asset to our game. He’s a phenomenal athlete and
player, as well as a phenomenal person. Novak is a master at self-motivation,
finding more ways to get hungry, doing what it takes to improve. It takes a lot of dedication.”
For Djokovic, the win
over
Stefanos Tsitsipas was one of the best of his career, and he emphasized
how important hard work has been to keep winning trophies after so many years:
“Everything on the
spectrum from the best to the worst I’ve experienced in the last few weeks. It
required a lot, mentally, to keep it together, so I feel a big release now. It
is like a balloon with no air. It is over, and I am going to enjoy it.”
“I work as hard as anyone
else. I’ve managed to find a formula for success where I work to keep
improving. That is the only way to progress. If you stagnate, you risk going
backwards.” The Serbian closed his words referring to the willpower he
had these weeks:
“The mentality and
willpower are always there. It all came to fruition in the last couple of
weeks. There is always a place for this wonderful trophy.”