Novak Djokovic Should Never Be Doubted Again After Playing 'Better Than Ever' At AO
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Novak Djokovic's level was given a ringing endorsement by former player and respected analyst Andrea Petkovic, who thinks his performances before the semifinal were excellent at the Australian Open.
Djokovic's Australian Open campaign ended heartbreakingly when he retired after the first set of his semifinal against Alexander Zverev after no longer being able to cope with the pain from a tear in his left hamstring.
A section of the fans inside the Rod Laver Arena added insult to injury by booing him off the court. That was probably due to a combination of spectators being angry about not getting a full match and mistakenly believing that Djokovic was exaggerating the issue.
Those unsavory scenes make it easy to forget how well Djokovic played in the previous rounds. That included an outstanding quarterfinal win against Carlos Alcaraz despite the Serbian struggling with the same injury in the opening two sets.
In a piece on her Substack page, Petkovic argued that Djokovic proved in the three rounds before the Zverev match how good his tennis still is, and she does not think anyone should doubt him again.
"Whoever doubts Novak’s tennis ever again, whether Novak’s 37 years old or 55 years old, should from this day forth be punished with perpetual silence. Yes, I’m talking about myself."
"Novak still has it and I would argue for three matches (Machac, Lehecka and Alcaraz), he played better than ever. He was still the same consistent percentage player who never misses, but conscious of his age, he hit the ball bigger and changed directions more frequently, yet still undetectable for the opposing side."
While Petkovic promised never to doubt Djokovic's level again, she also wrote that his 37-year-old body was the one thing that could consistently stop him. The German thought he would win his 25th Grand Slam title until his injury became too much to bear.
"I truly believe he would get 25 in ‘25. Until his body let him down. That is the only thing that can continue to be an issue at 37 years old – the body that has served him so bloody well for so long."
"Our strengths become our weaknesses become our strengths again. The circle of life. But one thing’s for sure: This one right here will never doubt Novak’s tennis again. 23, 37 or 45. Years are just numbers that fade in the rearview mirror, but titles stay forever."
If a recent report is correct, Djokovic's hamstring tear is quite severe, and the Serbian will likely be sidelined for a few months. He will probably be back in time for the French Open but miss other scheduled tournaments, like the Qatar Open.
Although the four Grand Slams are Djokovic's most significant priority, he had planned to play more tournaments in 2025 compared to last year. It seems that his injury from the Australian Open might prevent that from happening.
Nonetheless, ruling out Djokovic's chances at 2025's remaining Grand Slams would be foolish. The tennis legend still has the game to compete against the best players, as he proved against Alcaraz in Melbourne.
