Novak Djokovic is better than Federer & Nadal, his tennis is more complete & he has a superior head: Guido Pella
Guido Pella believes Novak Djokovic is a superior player to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, given how the Serb's game is more "complete". Pella also reckons that Djokovic's mentality is a notch above that of his rivals.
Djokovic trailed his rivals Nadal and Federer in most records a couple of years ago. But the Serb has shattered several landmarks in 2021; many now believe that by the time he calls it a day, he will have created a mammoth gap between himself and the other two members of the Big 3.
Not only has Djokovic matched the all-time Grand Slam record set by his rivals, but he is also the favorite to claim sole ownership of the record at next year's Australian Open. The Serb has also broken Roger Federer's record of most weeks as World No. 1, and is the favorite to equal the Swiss' record tally of six ATP Finals titles this week.
Novak Djokovic also edged past Rafael Nadal's record haul of 36 Masters 1000 titles by winning his 37th Masters crown at Paris-Bercy last week. Perhaps most importantly though, the World No. 1 owns a positive head-to-head record against both Federer and Nadal (27-23 against the Swiss, 30-28 against the Spaniard).
As such, Guido Pella has little doubt that Novak Djokovic is the best player amongst the Big 3, even though he personally has a soft spot towards Roger Federer.
"He (Novak Djokovic) is better than Federer and Nadal," Pella said while speaking on ESPN Show. "Overall, he is better. I am a fan of Federer, but his tennis is more complete ... and has a superior head."
"ES EL MÁS COMPLETO DE TODOS", la referencia de Guido Pella para Novak Djokovic, el número 1 del mundo.
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Guido Pella further pointed out that Novak Djokovic is one of the few athletes who craves pressure situations and thrives in them. The World No. 75 also highlighted how Djokovic never settles for anything but the best, and that he always delivers on his claims.
"He (Novak Djokovic) is the only player, that I remember, or one of the few athletes, he says he wants the pressure, that he is the bank," Pella said. "He tells himself that he is going to be number one, that he has to be number one, and he is not interested in anything else. He is for the records. Besides, it is not that he sells smoke: he says it and he does it. "
Novak Djokovic clearly felt mental fatigue in the US Open final: Guido Pella
Novak Djokovic entered this year's US Open aiming to become the first man in over 50 years to win the Calendar Slam. He even fought his way to the finals, where he faced Daniil Medvedev.
The Serb had handed Medvedev a beatdown at the Australian Open final earlier this year, leading many fans to believe that something similar would occur again. However, the Russian flipped the script in style and handed Djokovic a straight-sets defeat (6-4, 6-4, 6-4).
Medvedev was at his absolute best and did not yield an inch to Djokovic, who admittedly felt fatigued during the final. And Guido Pella also believes the Serb was far from his best against Medvedev, given how he had expended most of his mental and physical reserves en route to the final.
"In the final of the US Open he (Novak Djokovic) clearly felt mental fatigue on his part, in the semifinals he had to fight against Zverev in a terrible way, and he is obviously human," Pella explained.
For those who missed watching this 53 shots rally - Djokovic v. Zverev in the US Open semifinal. This is Wow! https://t.co/At3MqbRqAy
However, the 31-year-old gave Daniil Medvedev credit by asserting that the Russian is the player most capable of beating Djokovic. Pella pointed out that Medvedev not only has a mammoth serve but that he is also a top-notch baseliner, making it difficult to earn points against him.
"In addition to Medvedev being No. 2 in the world for quite some time and probably the worst player that could have touched him, Medvedev has a huge advantage," Pella said. "He serves 220 all the serves and if you propose a long game, he is able to put 20 balls in a row without anything happening. And if he has to attack, he attacks."