Berlin: Six-time Grand Slam winner Boris Becker has said that Novak Djokovic is slowly coming into the category of all-time greats in tennis and added that the Serbian should be bothered about just winning tournaments.
Becker has also coached Djokovic for three years in the past. His remarks came as the Serbian earlier said that it troubled him to see not many fans support him as compared to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic won the Australian Open this year, as he defeated Dominic Thiem in the finals to register his 17th Grand Slam.
“I actually think that Novak Djokovic has million of fans throughout the world, I would disagree that only Federer and Nadal have fans, but you talking about the two most successful players in the history of tennis, Novak is slowly coming into the category,” Becker told ANI.
“So, that’s it, one has won 20 Grand Slams (Federer) and one has 19 (Nadal), Djokovic is slowly getting there. Everybody is a little different, it is not a beauty contest, you just want to win in the end,” he added. The men’s tennis has lately been dominated by the top three (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) and no player born after 1990 has managed to win a single Grand Slam this decade.
Becker reckons the time is slowly changing and he also made a staggering observation as to why the younger lot is finding it tough to win a Grand Slam.
“Obviously, we have the top three (Federer, Nadal and Djokovic) that have been winning all the majors. This is happening for many years now, on the other hand, you want the younger generation to win some Grand Slams, but the top three are still good. Dominic Thiem took Djokovic to five sets in the finals of Australian Open, there are few talented players,” Becker said.
“You want to stimulate a bit, you want to know the reasons why the younger lot is not getting ahead. I have noticed that it is easy to hide behind the top three as then no one will criticise you, but Thiem took Djokovic to five sets, it is about time that a younger player wins a Grand Slam. The times are definitely changing,” he added.
Novak Djokovic Is A Great Player, He Will Always Be The…….
On the overall list, Novak Djokovic stands in 3rd place for most Grand Slams. The man has 17 to his name. Not too far ahead is Rafael Nadal who has 19 and of course topping the charts with 20 titles, Roger Federer leads the pack.
Now men it comes to endurance, Djokovic can outlast most players on most days. For sheer power, Nadal is second to none and if you want grace on the court you look to Federer. For the last decade or so, these three have dominated the tennis court and at the moment, nobody looks like dislodging them from their pedestal.
Having said that, when it comes to among themselves, there is brutal competition mixed with mutual respect. But there is one place were Djokovic loses out to Federer and Nadal, their rivalry. Mind you, Djokovic is no less a player than them, but in the love affair of Federer and Nadal, he will always be the third wheel.
Yes, since 2008 when Nadal brought an end to Federer’s domination in Wimbledon, these two have been embroiled in a huge rivalry. Great friends off it and deadly rivals on it, they are like two peas in a pod. When Djokovic burst on the scene out of nowhere, he upset the scales a little, but in the long run, a Federer-Nadal rivalry always prevails.
Let’s be honest, people prefer to watch a game between Federer and Nadal than they would between Nadal and Djokovic or Federer and Djokovic. Not because they love Djokovic less, just that grace vs power is a big win-win in the eyes of the sports fans.
Djokovic may end up with the most Grand Slams as Federer turns 39 this year and Nadal too is showing signs of burnout as he nears his 34th birthday. Djokovic himself will turn 33. But even then, he will always be the third wheel in the Federer-Nadal rivalry. Two’s company and three’s a crowd as they say.
