Novak Djokovic held a very informative and revealing Instagram live session with his arch-rival Andy Murray. With the quarantine blues dominating, the two stars decided to spill some beans about their storied careers.
One of the more interesting discussions was about a very strong point of contention in contemporary tennis. The Big 3 are quickly reaching the twilight of their careers. Once they go away, people will quickly be searching for replacements.
Djokovic hinted towards the men that will take the mantle in his opinion. One of these was his adversary at the Australian Open finals.
What did Novak Djokovic say about the younger generation?
Novak Djokovic threw light on the fact that the previous era was one dominated by three players who completely dominated three different surfaces. Rafael Nadal was the king of clay, Roger Federer ruled over grass while Novak Djokovic was always the best on hard courts. However, their time at the top is coming to an end.
“We’re also not that young anymore. You have guys like Dominic Thiem and Tsitsipas and Zverev, these guys, I think they’re maturing so quickly. They’re ready to get the grand slam titles and I think they’re really close.”
However, as per Djokovic, the wealth of experience with the older guys has no substitution. He gave the example of Stan Wawrinka to prove the benefit that experience brings with it. Wawrinka turned back the clock to achieve his purple patch towards the latter half of his career.
“So, when it comes to slams, it seems like we including yourself and Stan, you turned to another gear. Every next slam that keeps on coming, I feel even more comfortable playing it. And I think there’s also a bigger mental and emotional edge over the guys coming in. Because you’ve played so many times, you have the experience. You feel good in your own skin. It’s really hard that anything really surprises you.”
When tennis resumes after the quarantine, the young-old battle will commence again. Guys like Thiem have challenged this Big 3 authority in the past. The Austrian had said after his runner up finish at the Australian Open that winning a grand slam while the three big men are still there will have an altogether different feeling.
