Novak Djokovic triumphed at the Australian Open last weekend to clinch the 17th Grand Slam of his career. The 32-year-old defeated Dominic Thiem in a thrilling final to win his eighth Australian Open title. Djokovic is yet to lose a match this year. He led Serbia to victory in the inaugural ATP Cup in January.
Vajda and Djokovic’s partnership
Djokovic’s coach, Marian Vajda, has praised the Serbian for his tough mentality. The two have enjoyed great success since they reunited in April 2018. They had previously worked together for 11 years from 2006 to 2017. Since the duo reunited, Djokovic has won five Grand Slam titles. The Serbian is only three major titles away from matching Roger Federer’s record of 20 major titles. He could match Rafael Nadal’s 19 titles by the end of the year. Vajda has praised his client’s mental approach to the game, saying that Novak is now more in control of his emotions than when they had their first run together.
Djokovic is more stable
In an interview with CNN, Vajda revealed that the current world No.1 had been difficult to work with in the past. He claimed that the younger Djokovic was very unpredictable and emotional. However, he now sees a maturity in the Serbian’s game that has turned him into an unstoppable force. “In the past, it was somewhat more difficult to work with him because he was sometimes unpredictable and emotional. Now, I think he is more stable and knows what he wants. He is quite confident.”
Novak Djokovic' coach, Marian Vadja w CNN: "In the past, it's kind of more difficult with him to work because he's sometimes unpredictable and emotional a little bit. But now I think he is more stable and knows what he wants and you can see in his game, he is quite confident."
— TENNISMEDIA (@luciahoff) February 3, 2020
Djokovic became world No. 1
After his Australian Open victory, Djokovic returned to the top of the rankings. The Serbian player began his 276th week as world number one on Monday. He will break Federer’s record of 310 cumulative weeks at number one if he can hold the position until October 5th this year. The 32-year-old has not shied away from expressing his desire to break the record. After his victory in Melbourne, he revealed that it was one of his goals. “That’s one of my two biggest goals, for sure. I mean, there is no secret in that.”
Djokovic could pass Pete Sampras record of 286 weeks at number one in the next few months. The 2020 Australian Open winner leapfrogged Nadal at the number one spot after the Spaniard was defeated at the quarterfinal stage in Australia. A semifinal appearance would have ensured that Nadal would end the tournament as the number one even after Djokovic won the title. The two will continue their tussle for the position after an exciting race last season.
Novak Djokovic’s ranking and performance in 2020
Currently the world no.1, Novak played his last match on the 2nd of February when he defeated Dominic Thiem 6-4 4-6 2-6 6-3 6-4 in the final of the Australian Open to win his 79th career title.
At present, this year the Serbian has a 13-0 win-loss record. Djokovic has won 2 titles in 2020 in ATP Cup and at the Australian Open.
Novak Djokovic |
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