That time passes in tennis is demonstrated by the speed at which it is played now, the average age of tournaments, some retirements and, also, that the former friend of jokes and imitations Novak Djokovic (36 years old) now be the example of seriousness and righteousness. In front of the talkative Green group, jokes and jokes among the Alcaraz, Zverev, Rublev and Medvedev, the formality with which the Red group presented itself, with the Serb taking the lead in the answers, almost intimidating the others. «It is one of my best victories. “I respect him a lot,” Rune responded with a soft voice when asked about his victory over the Serbian in Rome.
Djokovic, nine years older than the second oldest in this Masters Cup (Medvedev, 27) and 16 than the youngest (Alcaraz and Rune, 20), is the measure of all things, on and off the court now that Roger Federer is not there and we have to wait for Rafael Nadal. There are 97 titles: 24 Grand Slams, 40 Masters 1,000. In 2023, six trophies (Australian Open, Roland Garros, US Open, Adelaide, Cincinnati and Paris-Bercy), 51 wins and 5 losses and undefeated since the Wimbledon final (18 matches). While others accuse fatigue at the end of the year – Tsitsipas’s participation is in doubt due to some discomfort – Djokovic remains undaunted.
There are no cracks in his tennis of ten, which he displays in training – the first day against Alcaraz, yesterday against Alexander Zverev who could not find a solution to the shots that came his way – and, above all, in the matches. “Training makes perfection and Djokovic is almost perfect,” praised the Murcian. And he seems to find in surrounding himself with this group of young people the elixir of his elongated youth. “It is an extra motivation to be among them because I know that they have many goals for the future and they inspire me to be better,” he expressed after joking that they removed him from this “young generation” that occupies the other seven places in the ATP Finals. 2023.
He goes further, because he doesn’t even think about a future without the racket even though they insist on reminding him that the end is not that far away: “Training others is very far away for me. I love competing, traveling all over the circuit. “I still have the desire and the strength to continue here as long as possible.” And that’s what the Serbian insists on, leaving crumbs for his rivals, putting off his dreams, becoming the tennis player with all the records in his name. “As long as I’m active, I still want to win more and I still want to play at the highest level.” A Benjamin Button-style Djokovic.
On the dazzling and electric center court of the Pala Alpitour, he also imposes his gravity and his decrees. A member of his team is in charge of bringing him the towel to dry off, recovering a tradition that was lost with the pandemic and that he has added to his set-up. The towel here, a recovery pill there and it’s a forehand that Zverev doesn’t see and a direct serve that he doesn’t even sense.
He hopes, he says, that every match is a final. Today, the first against Rune (Movistar, 9:00 p.m.; at 2:30 p.m., Sinner-Tsitsipas). He hopes, it is observed, to kiss the Masters Cup again on the 19th. He was a brave twenty-something when he won it for the first time (2008, 21 years old). At 36, he achieved sixth in 2022, tied with Federer, but two more than all the young people who accompany him and drive him in Turin combined (Zverev 2, Medvedev 1, Tsitsipas 1).
2023-11-11 18:57:45
#Djokovic #elixir #youth
