Novak Djokovic: “I feel more complete as a player”

Novak Djokovic’s triumph against Roger Federer at the US Open has elevated him into a prestigious list of all-time greats. The 28-year-old is the eighth man in history to win ten or more Grand Slam titles. This year is the second time that the world number 1 has won three Grand Slam titles within the same year, first being in 2011. Following his win in New York, Djokovic highlighted the differences between his triple triumph in 2011 compared to 2015. The 10-time Grand Slam champion said that he is stronger mentally and physically in 2015, which makes him feel ‘more complete as a player’.

“I’m a different player, a different person today than I was in 2011. As a father and a husband, experiencing a different variety of things in my life, it’s a completely different approach to tennis today”. He said.
“I feel more fulfilled. I feel more complete as a player today than I was in 2011. Physically stronger, mentally more experienced, and tougher, as well“.

During the final, Djokovic saved 19 out of 23 break points he faced. Despite being the top seed, he also faced another rival in the match besides Federer which was the New York crowd. The animated crowd was noticeably more favourable towards the Swiss than the world number 1. Nevertheless Djokovic wasn’t too worried about the unbalanced levels of supports as he said that it was ‘logical’ that a player of Federer’s Calibre has that level of support. He then added that he hopes to get the same amount of support in the future.

“I accept the fact. Everybody has a choice to support a player that they want to support, and he absolutely deserves to have the support he does because of all the years and the success that he had and the way he carries himself on and off the court. No question about it”. Djokovic said
“I’m there to earn the support, and hopefully in the future I can be in that position”. He added.

Since 2011 Djokovic reached the final in 15 out of 20 Grand Slam tournaments, winning the title in 10 of them. After his win, the Serbian leads the world rankings by a considerable margin. His nearest threat is Roger Federer, who is 3300 points behind him in second place. This season he has already won four Masters titles as well as three Grand Slams. Only four players have beaten Djokovic this year, which are Roger Federer (twice), Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Ivo Karlovic.

Djokovic’s next tournament will be the China Open in Beijing, where he is bidding to win the tournament for the fourth consecutive year. The tournament will start on October 5th.