"The worry index continues for Novak, as I pointed out on my latest podcast. He’s making way too many unforced errors (32 today) and not locking down in the biggest moments. Guys are not intimidated anymore because of that, and that's the biggest key for these players, they see/feel it."
"When you lose your aura, and in turn are not locking down and making these guys suffer, like double-faulting two times in a row to drop serve in the first set. You would never see that from Nole at his best. How do you get that confidence back? You have to win and I worry the motivation is gone."
"At some point in an athlete’s professional life, you hit a wall, age, stress, travel, family life, packing bags, flights, customs, hours on court, in the gym, it gets harder and harder. Your motivation starts to wane, and you stop wanting to push through those tough barriers to get the results."
"Do I think he can still win a slam? Of course! He’s the greatest player of all time, but it’s getting harder and harder every week because I don’t care who you are, you can’t buy confidence! You have to earn it and currently his confidence is getting chipped away at more and more."
"Also! Arnaldi played awesome!!! But looking at the match with a fine-tooth comb, the way Arnaldi handled the tough moments, like down 0-40 on serve after breaking in the second, he locked down and was the better player, and that's where the shift has happened. It’s not Novak anymore."
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