The coach of Novak Djokovic says the Serbian was born to be a winner after he reached a historic milestone in his career at the US Open on Sunday.
Goran Ivaisevic has praised the fighting spirit of Djokovic who beat Daniil Medvedev to claim his 24th Grand Slam title at the age of 36. Djokovic has won more major singles titles than any other player in the Open Era and now ties the all-time record currently held by Margaret Court. Although his latest triumph was far from straightforward.
Djokovic battled on court for more than three hours and looked at times to be suffering physically. After one lengthy exchange, he immediately fell to the ground when it ended. The second set alone featured 110 points and lasted 105 minutes. Nevertheless, he continued fighting until the very end.
“He’s a genius. He’s one of a kind. Not too many people in this world like him sport-wise,” Ivanisevic said of Djokovic.
“This is one of the biggest achievements in the sport’s history. We’re not talking about tennis. We are talking generally in sport.’
“He’s a winner. He’s the guy who is motivating himself. He had the luck of guys like Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer who came before him and they pushed each other.’
“But he’s a born winner. When you tell him he cannot do something, it’s even worse. Then he’s going to show you that he can do it. It’s no excuses. He always tries to find a way to win, how to fight, even when he’s not feeling well, injured, not injured.”
Ivanisevic, who won the 2001 Wimbledon title, joined Djokovic’s team in the summer of 2019 and has remained a prominent member ever since. During this period, the Serbian has won nine out of his 24 major titles.
Another record Djokovic has set is becoming the oldest man to have won the US Open title. Despite his age, he continues to dominate the major events with him winning three out of the four events this season. His only defeat occurred at Wimbledon where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
“(When) we came to Cincinnati. [Wimbledon] was not even mentioned one time,” said Ivanisevic. “It’s past. When you lose, it’s past. You know you can’t get it back. That day Carlos was a better player, and he won. Very simple.
“He won Cincinnati. He’s the guy who is just forgetting things and moving on. That’s why he’s so good. That’s why these four-and-a-half weeks in the States, he was happy that he could play here and it was really, really enjoyable and fun.”
As for the future, there are no signs of Djokovic slowing down anytime soon with his mentor refusing to rule out the possibility of the tennis star playing at the next two Olympic Games which will be held next year and in 2028 when he will be 41 years old. He is yet to win a gold medal at the Games.
“That question you have to ask him when he comes very soon. I don’t think so. No, no, he’s planning to play in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” Ivanisevic said with a laugh.
“When is this, 2028? You know what’s going on in his head. It’s like 24 hours something to achieve. So I don’t think so,” he added.
Djokovic has returned to No.1 in the ATP Pepperstone rankings. He has now won 96 ATP titles which includes 24 majors, 39 Masters 1000 events and six season-ending championships.
