John McEnroe counts Novak Djokovic in his all-time top 5 players
John McEnroe praised Novak Djokovic after the latter’s confident win over Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. The former World No.1 said that Djokovic would dominate world tennis for the next two to three years, and that it would take a superhuman effort for someone to dismantle him from the top.
Djokovic, 28, won his 9th Grand Slam on Sunday and his 3rd Wimbledon Trophy and does not look like stopping anytime soon. McEnroe spoke of what transformed Djokovic from a good player to a top player:
"He is a different player now," McEnroe explained. "Mentally he is tougher but he has also added more to his game. He is a better volleyer, he is more resilient defensively, and he is also a better returner. Now he is not just able to do that consistently, he also steps in and just crushes the ball.”
"I did not think that was possible, but he is more aggressive now when before there were times that he was content to just get it back."
McEnroe also said that Nole, as he is commonly known, was rising in his eyes: "He is definitely into my all-time top five," he said. "My top four are Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Roger and Rafael Nadal but Novak is at number five and rising.”
Novak has been at the summit of the world rankings for 53 weeks now and has already won two Grand Slams this year, only losing the French Open final to Stanislas Wawrinka.
He has certainly made McEnroe his fan, as the latter explained to BBC Sport:
"Novak is just coming into his prime and it is pretty hard not to think that he is getting stronger and stronger. If he stays healthy, he is going to dominate the next couple of years."
His words just might be true.