Novak Djokovic could feel the pressure chasing the Australian open record, feels Casper Ruud
World No. 3 Casper Ruud recently commented on tennis legend Novak Djokovic attempting to win his record tenth Australian Open title in Melbourne.
Following his refusal to take a COVID-19 vaccination, Djokovic was deported from Australia in January 2022, just before the Australian Open began. The deportation also carried a three-year visa ban. However, in November, the Australian government overturned the ban imposed on him.
As a result, the Serb landed in Australia in December to compete in the 2023 Adelaide International 1, where he won the title after defeating American Sebastian Korda in three sets, 6-7(8-10), 7-6(7), 6-4.
Following that, in the latest episode of Eurosport's "Ruud Talk", the Norwegian said that while Djokovic is not known for allowing other things to get into his head, he could feel the pressure of seeking his 10th Australian Open title and tying Rafael Nadal's Major count.
"It’s a big number. Let's see how he deals with it because it's something, to get to 10, I can only imagine and it's something to actually tie the record of Rafa, so there's a lot at stake," Ruud said.
"He has not been a guy known for choking, to put it this way, or letting these things get into his head, but I think it's a different situation chasing a record, and actually setting and tying a record could be different," he added.
"Novak Djokovic is the favourite but there are other players that have the potential to beat him" - Casper Ruud
In the same interview, Casper Ruud stated that while Novak Djokovic is the tournament favorite, other players such as Felix Auger-Aliassime and Holger Rune have the ability to defeat him, as they did last year.
"He is the favourite, but there are other players that have the potential to beat him, to win," Ruud said.
"He has shown himself to be somewhat not human Down Under lately in previous years. But you know, at the end of last year, he did lose a couple of matches - at the Laver Cup he lost to Felix [Auger-Aliassime] and in Bercy, he lost to Holger [Rune]," he added.
The 2022 French Open and US Open finalist went on to say that the Serb is the closest thing to a "robot" and that defeating him at the Australian Open, his best Major to date, would motivate the younger generation.
"He is human as well. We are not all robots, but at times he is the closest that you can get to a robot, I think," Ruud said.
"So let's see if the younger generation can try to push him a little bit this year because that would be motivating for the younger guys. If you can deal with Novak and play well with him at the Australian Open, it would mean that you're doing something right," he concluded.