Tour veteran Feliciano Lopez has become the latest player on the tour to speak about his admiration for world No.1 Novak Djokovic.
This year Djokovic has already achieved a sensational win-loss of 28-1, with his only defeat on the tour occurring against Lopez. The Spaniard can’t take too much credit for the win as the world No.1 retired during their match in Doha due to an eye infection.
Lopez has spoken admirably about the Serbia’s dominance on the tour, placing him at a different level compared to the other players on the tour.
“Right now, I see a huge difference between Novak and the rest of the guys,” Lopez tole the Houston Chronicle.
“And it’s the way he wins. That’s so important. He’s giving 50, 60 percent (and winning). But, when he needs more, he finds it”.
Lopez, who achieved a ranking best of 12th last year, has gone the extra mile in his praise of Djokovic. The 34-year-old said that a peak Djokovic is better than both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer when they were at the top of their game. It is an interesting observation from Lopez, who has played the three players on multiple occasions throughout his career (Djokovic nine, Federer 13 and Nadal 13).
“I’ve been taught since I was a kid you always have a chance to win, but when you play against Novak now … a lot of things have to happen for you to have any chance. When Roger and Rafa were at their best, they weren’t as good as Novak (is now),” the 34-year-old said.
The most memorable clash between Lopez and the world No.1 occurred in the quarterfinals at last year’s US Open. In a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium, Lopez displayed some stunning tennis before he prevailed in four sets against the Serbian.
“Last year I played one of my best matches of my life against Novak at the U.S. Open,” Lopez said.
“I had a break point for going into the fifth set. I was so close.”
During Lopez’s career, which has so far spanned almost 20 years, he has produced four wins over top-3 players (including his 2016 win in Doha when Djokovic retired). Besides Djokovic, he has also produced wins over Rafael Nadal (twice) and Ivan Ljubičić.
