Mats Wilander claims Novak Djokovic can continue playing for 10 more years, says the Serb is "smarter" than ever before
Mats Wilander believes Novak Djokovic's recent dominance of the men's tour shows the Serb can stay at the top for several more years, long after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal call it a day.
Djokovic, 34, lifted his sixth Wimbledon title and 20th Major overall on Sunday, beating Matteo Berrettini 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 in the final.
With the win, the Serb equalled Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's all-time Grand Slam record. Many believe the Serb will eclipse his rivals' tallies by the time he retires, given he is younger and in much better physical shape than Federer and Nadal.
While the Swiss will turn 40 next month, Nadal has been plagued by injuries that have taken a toll on his body.
In a recent column for L'Equipe, seven-time Slam champion Wilander pointed out how Djokovic's physical conditioning means he can play on the tour long after his rivals have called time on their careers.
"When you look at Federer or Nadal, you say to yourself: 'Ok why not another year or two' and then after you see Novak and you think: 'Come on, 10 more years!" Wilander wrote.
According to the Swede, the World No. 1 is a "smarter" player than he was before. Wilander also mentioned that the Serb's former coach, Andre Agassi, revealed to the Swede how Djokovic devoted himself to making his game perfect rather than focusing on his opponent's shots.
"He (Novak Djokovic) is smarter than before," continued Wilander. "When André Agassi started working with him in 2017, he confided in me all his surprise at seeing how little Novak leaned into the characteristics of his opponent, he placed himself in the machine world, stuck to his line, did not miss and played clean shots."
Novak Djokovic could have beaten Matteo Berrettini 6-3, 6-3, 6-3: Mats Wilander
Novak Djokovic dropped the opening set against Matteo Berrettini despite leading 5-2 and holding a set point. It was only the second set the Serb dropped at the Championships this year.
Wilander pointed out that the 20-time Major champion could have easily defeated Berrettini in straight sets, given the way he started the match.
"The Margin that Novak Djokovic has over the others is immense," said the Swede. "This final against Matteo Berrettini, he could have won it 6-3, 6-3, 6-3."
The 56-year-old marveled at Djokovic's ability to dominate on grass despite not having a serve as potent as Pete Sampras or Roger Federer. Wilander explained how the Serb had made wholesale improvements to his game as opposed to working on one particular shot.
"How can you be so dominant on grass without having the serve of a Pete Sampras or a Roger Federer? I don't think he got any better on one particular shot, but he added strings to his bow, especially in his approach to the net," said Wilander. "It's not so much his on-the-fly technique that amazes me as his defense. He knows exactly where to stand and how to move."