Novak Djokovic’s coach has hailed his recent form on the Tour which has seen him win back-to-back titles but admits he is unsure if the 21-time Grand Slam winner will play a key tournament later this year.
Goran Ivanisevic said the Serbian ‘played brilliantly’ during his run to titles in Tel Aviv and Astana. Djokovic didn’t drop a set in the nine matches he played despite having been absent from the Tour for over two months after being unable to travel to North America. At the time of the US Open, all foreign visitors were required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 which Djokovic isn’t. It was for the same reason that he was unable to play in Canada.
“He played brilliantly, especially in Astana. It’s like he didn’t take a break at all, and he hasn’t been in tournaments since Wimbledon.” Ivanisevic said during an interview with Sportske novosti.
Despite missing two major tournaments this season, Djokovic has still managed to claim four titles with the most prestigious of those being at Wimbledon where he defeated Nick Kyrgios in the final. He has won 33 out of 39 matches played.
Aiming to end the year on a high, doubts have been cast over whether the 35-year-old will be defending his title at the Paris Masters which will begin on October 31st. According to his coach, a decision regarding him playing is yet to be made.
“It is clear that he will play in Turin (at the ATP Finals), but the question remains whether he will go to Paris before that,” Ivanisevic commented.
Djokovic is the most successful player in the history of the Bercy tournament with six titles to his name, as well as a runner-up trophy from 2018. He has won 38 Masters 1000 events in his career which is an ATP Tour record.
It is the silverware that is driving Djokovic who currently has 90 ATP titles to his name. Although he still has a way to go if he wishes to draw level with Jimmy Connors’ record of 109. Something Ivanisevic believes could be achievable.
“Everything related to some kind of records is interesting to Novak. The question remains how much he will play and how long it will last, but at the moment he is in now, I am sure he could attack or influence those records as well.” He said.
“He was always physically fit, that was never a problem and if he stays like that, I am convinced that he could stay at the top or near the top for another three years and fight for all the titles.”
Djokovic is currently the fifth-oldest player in the ATP top 100.
