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Novak Djokovic, the 36-year-old tennis world champion, recently expressed his belief that his “aura” grows with every major victory. This mental strength, he believes, gives him an edge over his rivals.
Djokovic stressed that he considers it essential to convey to his younger rivals the pressure he brings to prevent them from toppling him and winning major titles. “If that’s how you understand the situation, I’m happy.
I hope they feel the same. Yes, I want them to feel that pressure. When they play against me, they should feel that it takes their best tennis to win against me,” said Djokovic in a press conference.
Tactical masterpiece in Turin
In the crucial phases of the 2023 ATP Finals, Djokovic said he played his two best games of the season. In the semifinals he dismantled world number 2 Carlos Alcaraz 6:3, 6:2.
In the final he avenged a defeat in the group stage against Jannik Sinner with a convincing 6:3, 6:3 win. With his triumph over world number four Sinner on Sunday, Djokovic surpassed his great rival Roger Federer by setting a record seven ATP Finals titles.
This success against Sinner, as Djokovic explained, gave him additional motivation and confirmed his tactical approach. “Yes I have. I think the match against Alcaraz last night and today were probably the two best games under these circumstances that I played this season,” said the Serbian player.
“Obviously we all know the quality of Alcaraz and Sinner. Sinner playing in front of his home crowd tonight and ending the tournament and season like this is amazing. I am very proud of the achievement.” Djokovic also mentioned that his mentality had changed for the semi-finals and finals in Turin after securing the top spot in the annual rankings with his first win over Rune.
“After securing the number 1 seed of the year with the first win over Rune, mentally I wasn’t quite in the tournament. Afterwards I felt like I was half in, half out. That was reflected in my tennis game and my performance and my condition on the court.”explained Djokovic.
Through this tactical and mental adjustment, Djokovic was able to demonstrate his dominance in decisive matches and further cement his position as one of the greatest players in tennis history.
2023-11-20 18:08:58
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