Former WTA world No. 9, Coco Vandeweghe, has recently voiced her concerns about Novak Djokovic’s current state of mind and performance on the tennis court. The American tennis player believes that the Serbian legend might be getting too comfortable with the idea of losing, which could be affecting his mental toughness and overall game.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, has been experiencing a rough patch in his career. Over the past year and a half, he has faced several surprising losses, including a recent defeat at the hands of Botic van de Zandschulp at the Indian Wells tournament. Despite his impressive track record, Djokovic’s recent performances have raised questions about his mental resilience and ability to bounce back from setbacks.
Vandeweghe highlighted her concerns about Djokovic’s attitude towards losing, mentioning that seeing him in the press room, appearing a bit too smiley after a loss, made her question whether he is as mentally tough as he once was. She also pointed out that Djokovic’s rivals might be sensing his vulnerability and playing with maximum commitment against him, knowing they have a chance to defeat the former world No. 1.
This is what she said: “But I do think is this Novak getting too comfortable with ‘I’m okay with losing’. It’s a weird feeling as a player when you have a couple of losses like that where you see him in the press room and he is a little bit too smiley and you have to think ‘Is he not as mentally tough as he once was?’
You have just got to question that a little bit. I still think you can’t count out the GOAT in any tournament, in any situation, but I do question are we getting a little bit too comfortable with these guys beating you in these 1000 events.
“We know Novak is looking at Slams and are we getting a little too comfortable and maybe that will happen at Slams.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic has not won a single ATP competition since the start of 2024, and his recent first-round exits at the Qatar Open and Indian Wells have only added to the speculation about his current form. Vandeweghe believes that while Djokovic is still focused on winning Grand Slam titles, his recent losses in smaller tournaments might be a sign that he is becoming too comfortable with the idea of losing.
As Djokovic continues to navigate this challenging period in his career, fans and analysts alike will be watching closely to see if he can regain his mental toughness and return to his winning ways. For now, Vandeweghe’s concerns serve as a reminder that even the greatest athletes can face moments of doubt and vulnerability.
Novak Djokovic in 2025
LLLWWWWWLW Now the world no.7, the Serbian played his last match on the 8th of March when he surrendered to world no.85 Botic Van De Zandschulp 6-2 3-6 6-1 in the 2nd round in Indian Wells (draw).
During this season Djokovic has managed to achieve a 7-4 record. Novak Djokovic’s most significant result of this year was getting to the semifinal at the Australian Open.
