Novak Djokovic turned up the heat quite a bit in his most recent Australian Open match, which signaled to Rod Laver that only a 'miracle' could prevent him from winning the event again.
No player dominated in Melbourne as much as the legendary Serbian. The court might be named after Australian tennis legend Rod Laver, but the real ruler of the court has been Djokovic, and it's been like that for years.
His win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last year's final ensured him a 10th Australian Open trophy, the most anybody ever won. According to the legend Laver, only a miracle will really stop the Serbian from winning the event again.
"It's almost like he's priming himself to get through to the final. He'll lose a set somewhere in these five-setters and I'm thinking, 'Is he having us on?' because he could win this in two and two and two (6-2 6-2 6-2)."
Priming is a really great term to use because it's been like that for years. Every Grand Slam we'll see him lose a set here and there and many then assume 'he's slowing down'.
The reality is far different, and he proved it against Tomas Martin Etcheverry by delivering a hugely improved level compared to the previous round.
The most scary thing is that he seemingly did it like it's nothing which is where 'priming' comes in. It's pretty frightening, which is why Laver doesn't think he'll lose unless something miraculous happens.
"He's such a great athlete to begin with, but his mind also is tennis and so he sees it almost unfold in front of him, just what he should be doing. That's how he's being a great champion."
"He serves well, his groundstrokes are unbeatable, so I have to believe, unless someone miraculously plays their best tennis to knock him off they can start putting part of his initials on the trophy now."
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