Novak Djokovic might be the most successful tennis player in the history of the sport, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have to make changes.
At 37, the Serbian legend is not the youngest anymore. With every day, he becomes a bit slower, and in some matches, he can lack that one very important step against his rivals.
The proof of that was his 2024 season. Although Djokovic managed to win the Paris Olympics, which was his ultimate goal for the season, he didn't impress a lot at other events.
Of course, that is compared to his previous seasons. Comparing Djokovic's 2024 season to his last year would make it seem like a huge failure, as he won three Grand Slams in 2023.
In perspective, however, he still finished the year as the World No. 7 despite playing much less than his opponents. He had the type of year that many wish to have, but that's not a metric he measures himself against.
Djokovic's only goal at this stage of his tennis career is winning Grand Slam titles, and to win those, he might need to make some adjustments.
He brought Andy Murray to his team as his new coach, which might serve as a great source of motivation for him, at least according to former ATP player Alex Corretja, who spoke to Eurosport.
"In order to be committed, you need to bring someone that you feel like you want to be committed to. Because he's such a legend as well. So it's like, ‘I can't just let him down’."
"If you bring someone as special as Andy, you need to give your 100% and this little gas that Novak feels that he still has in the tank."
But a new coach won't be enough for Djokovic to succeed. Murray, as he experienced on his own, won't solve that problem of being one step slower that his younger opponents, as no one can solve that.
Throughout his career, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has been known for his great defense and all-around skills, often being described as an incredibly "solid" player.
But with age, his defense becomes more penetrable, especially for someone like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, who can blast the ball at incredible speeds.
Because of that, Djokovic must make an important change to his game, according to Corretja. To beat these younger players, he needs to forget his previous play style and become more aggressive to take away time from his opponents instead of being the one who is losing it.
"I think he needs to do different things for sure. Novak, because he's been very consistent, very solid and almost like a perfect machine."
"But right now the other guys are a bit younger, they move a bit faster. So I'm expecting a very aggressive version of Novak, otherwise he will struggle."
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