"Novak Djokovic with his peers is a genius; he is the most open of the 3, compared to Nadal and Federer" - Francisco Cerundolo
Francisco Cerundolo lavished praise on Novak Djokovic in a recent interview, hailing the Serb as a "genius." While Cerundolo had great regard for the other two members of the fabled Big-3 - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer - he was of the opinion that the 21-time Grand Slam champion is far more open and personable than either of them.
The Argentine's statements come as no surprise, considering that he recently spoke at length about how Djokovic introduced himself to him and inquired about his progress when he was but a nobody on the ATP tour last year.
Speaking to Radio La Red today, Cerundolo waxed lyrical about the 35-year-old once again.
"Novak [Djokovic] with his peers is a genius; he is the most open of the 3, compared to Nadal and Federer," Francisco Cerundolo said.
| AM 910🗣🎙 #López910 | @FranCerundolo: “Novak con sus pares es un genio. Es el más abierto de los 3, comparado a Nadal y Federer” con @gustavohlopez 📻 | AM 910
🗣🎙 #López910 | @FranCerundolo: “En Miami empecé a generarme la autoconfianza para enfrentar a los mejores jugadores y me hice más completo” con @gustavohlopez 📻 | AM 910
Speaking about his career, the 23-year-old remarked that making the semifinals of the Miami Open this year gave him the self-confidence he needed to take on the best players in the world.
🗣🎙 #López910 | @FranCerundolo: “La cabeza es una de las cosas que hace la diferencia” con @gustavohlopez 📻 | AM 910
Although he fell to Casper Ruud in straight sets, the run in the Masters 1000 event made him feel like a more "complete" player.
"In Miami, I began to generate self-confidence to face the best players and I became more complete," Francisco Cerundolo said. "The head is one of the things that makes the difference."
Now that he has broken into the Top-30, the World No. 24 has his sights set on breaking into the Top-20 before the end of 2022. The Argentine reckons he has the necessary confidence to maybe even finish the season closer to the Top-15 if everything goes well.
"Confidence is very important at this level because that's when you think you're going to beat the opponent," Cerundolo said. "I fulfilled all the goals I set myself in the year. I would like to finish in the top 20, close to 15th in the world."
🗣🎙 #López910 | @FranCerundolo: “La confianza es muy importante a este nivel porque es cuando crees que le vas a ganar al rival” con @gustavohlopez 📻 | AM 910
"I like to be aggressive, and in those things, I resemble Juan Martin del Potro who has some tremendous shots" - Francisco Cerundolo
During the interview, Francisco Cerundolo also weighed in on how Argentine tennis superstar Juan Martin del Potro influenced his career, saying that he tried to emulate the former US Open winner's aggression.
🗣🎙 #López910 | @FranCerundolo: “Me gusta ser agresivo, pegarle fuerte, y en esas cosas me asemejo a Del Potro que tiene unos tiros tremenos. En Argentina son menos los jugadores agresivos. Él es un jugador impresionante” con @gustavohlopez 📻 | AM 910
Since Argentina doesn't produce aggressive players very often, the World No. 23 looked to Del Potro for inspiration, seeing as they both have the same powerful hitting style.
"I like to be aggressive, to hit hard, and in those things, I resemble Juan Martin del Potro who has some tremendous shots," Cerundolo said. "In Argentina there are fewer aggressive players. He's an impressive player."