"After all Novak Djokovic has been through, being World No. 1 turning 37 is a remarkable achievement" - Paul McNamee
Former doubles WorldNo. 1 Paul McNamee lavished praise on Novak Djokovic for being at the top at the age of 37.
The Serb has shown absolutely no signs of slowing despite approaching his late 30s, and enjoyed an extraordinary 2023 season, during which, he won three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals, among other trophies. While he is yet to win a title in 2024, the 37-year-old has still done enough to hold the No. 1 ranking.
Paul McNamee lauded Djokovic on still being the World No. 1 at his present age despite going through certain situations, including his visa controversy during the 2022 Australian Open.
"After all Novak Djokovic has been through, including in my country, which would have broken many athletes, let’s give credit where credit is due… being #1 turning 37 years of age is a remarkable achievement," said McNamee.
The Serb still enjoys a comfortable lead at the top of the ATP rankings, with World No. 2 Jannik Sinner having 1330 points less than him at present.
Novak Djokovic: "This year has been a bit different year for me"
Djokovic has won 11 out of 15 matches so far in the 2024 season but is yet to win a title. He reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and more recently, the Monte-Carlo Masters, suffering losses to Jannik Sinner and Casper Ruud respectively.
Speaking at the Laureus Sports Awards, the Serb said that while he was still finding his best tennis this season, he was hopeful of it coming during the French Open.
"This year has been a bit different for me. I’m still finding the best level of tennis and hopefully that can come in Roland Garros," Djokovic said as quoted by Guardian.
The Serb recently withdrew from the Madrid Open and said that the reason behind that was preparing his body for the remaining Grand Slams of the year and the Olympics. He also said he was keen on playing at the upcoming Italian Open in Rome.
"Unfortunately I will not be playing in the Madrid Open this year, hopefully next year – I’m still young, I have time. But I’m preparing my body to be ready particularly for Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympic Games and US Open. That’s the most important block of the year for me," the 37-year-old said
"I am intending on playing in Rome, so I hope I can be there, I can play, get myself ready," he added.
Novak Djokovic has won five titles at the Italian Open, the most recent of which came in 2022. Last season, he reached the quarterfinals of the Masters 1000 event before losing to eventual runner-up Holger Rune.