Djokovic's Rivals Are Closer To 'Mental Victory' From Knowing He 'Is Not Invincible'
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Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, has outlined why players are not as intimidated by Novak Djokovic as they once were.
Djokovic is the most statistically successful tennis player ever. His 428 weeks at No. 1 are unmatched, and only Margaret Court, who played at a time when the standard was not as high as now, has won Djokovic's total of 24 Grand Slams.
However, Djokovic is no longer dominating tennis. His last Grand Slam title run was at the 2023 US Open, and he has only managed to win one title since the start of 2024, although that was an Olympic gold medal, one of the most treasured moments of his career.
In an episode of her podcast, Stubbs argued that Djokovic's age of almost 38 (he becomes that old in May) is causing him to be slower and more nervous on the court than he was in previous years.
"At some point you hit an age where things just get harder. And at 38, you get little bit slower, you get a little bit more nervous, you get less confident, and he hasn't won a tournament since he won the Olympics last year. I just think it's getting harder, and I don't care who is in your corner, you gotta do it yourself."
Stubbs thinks that Djokovic's decline in results compared to the past has led to other players believing more in matches against him and not thinking it is as hard to overcome him.
"You gotta convince yourself you're still good enough to win the matches. And these guys are only getter better and better, and the key is that the players, they've started to realize that he's not invincible. The mental victory for these players, it's not as hard."
Although his results in the last year have not been as strong, no one can doubt Djokovic's commitment to the sport. He hired Andy Murray as his coach in an attempt to help him keep challenging for Grand Slams.
The pair got off to a promising start at the 2025 Australian Open. Djokovic reached the semifinal, including a quarterfinal triumph against Carlos Alcaraz, and he enjoyed working with the Briton.
Unfortunately, Djokovic had to retire in the semifinal after the first set against Alexander Zverev because of a torn muscle in his hamstring, derailing his chances of winning an 11th Australian Open title.
After taking some time to consider his options, Murray agreed to stay on Djokovic's team until at least the end of the clay court season. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was clear he wanted his former rival to stay on when they spoke at the Australian Open.
Djokovic and Murray will be determined to prove the doubters wrong. The Serbian has already won every significant honor in tennis, making his determination to continue competing very admirable.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion is at the 2025 Miami Open, where he will play for the first time since 2019. This is further evidence of his desire to return to the top of the sport.
