Former British tennis star and expert commentator Sue Barker says that after the current break, she thinks World no. 1 Novak Djokovic may end up with the most Grand Slam singles titles. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Barker says she never thought any player would break Roger Federer’s record but now the Serb looked quite poised to break the all-time record.
“The men’s game is so beautifully poised with Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal vying to win the most Grand Slams. Maybe Djokovic now will end up with the most. I never thought anyone would catch Roger — it’s amazing to think that when he won (Wimbledon) in 2012 that was his 17th, and Novak only had five.”
Barker, a former World No. 3 and French Open champion in 1976, says she would love to see Serena Williams win her 24th Grand Slam singles title on the women’s side. “It would have been fascinating to see how that developed.
In the women’s game, I do genuinely feel for the first time in years we are seeing a young group who are really going to dominate. You get the feeling with that they are going to become household names, and that is what we need, not just players winning a big tournament and then fading.
I would love to see Serena Williams win her 24th (Grand Slam title) because I think she deserves it, but time is ticking on and Wimbledon this summer was a big chance for her, as well as being Roger’s big chance.’
Barker adds that she has been inspired by tennis legend Billie Jean King – one of the pioneering founders of the WTA Tour – without whom she would not have been able to accomplish as much as she did. “I remember Billie Jean telling me as she was approaching retirement, “You are the next generation and you have to take over and make sure you promote us.
If anyone asks for an interview, you just do it. We have to sell it or we won’t have a tour. I used to play 38 weeks a season as a top-10 player and make about £100,000 per year, so it was very different then. Perhaps other than athletics, tennis has produced more female superstars than any other sport, and a lot of that is down to Billie Jean.
Novak Djokovic reveals the key behind his supreme mental strength
Novak Djokovic has shown on more than one occasion that he is one of the mentally strongest tennis players in the history of this sport. Just think of the two match points canceled in the 2019 Wimbledon final, when everything now seemed set for Roger Federer’s ninth title on the Centre Court.
When asked in a webchat by ATP rival Fabio Fognini about what helps him summon the calm and confidence he needed in those moments, Djokovic revealed all. “Breathing exercises are a lot more useful than people think,” the World number 1 explained.
“A proper breathing rhythm is a key to understanding and improving our own mental, physical and emotional statuses. I do it when I need serenity or after I wakes up, in order to have more dynamic energy. Meditation isn’t a religious thing, it’s rather something personal that I do to stay healthy, especially given the sensory and informational overload we experience in the contemporary world.
I’ve been doing it for a decade, and it’s been useful both on and off-court” – he added. At the 2020 ATP Cup, Nole helped Serbia win its first title by scoring six victories including wins over Medvedev in the semifinal and Nadal in the final.\
At the 2020 Australian Open, he defeated long time rival Roger Federer in straight sets en route to the final where he defeated three-time grand slam runner-up Dominic Thiem in five sets. This is Djokovic’s 8th win at the Australian Open, making him the first Open Era male player to win Grand Slam titles in three different decades.
For his 17th Grand Slam win he received 2.5 Million Euro as prize money. Djokovic won the title at Dubai Tennis Championships fifth time, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
