"Novak Djokovic showed why he is one of the best on the planet, he made me feel privileged" - Former junior World No. 1 Daniel Vallejo
Daniel Vallejo, a rapidly rising star on the junior men's tennis circuit, recently praised Novak Djokovic for his great conduct towards him. The youngster is one of the lucky few to have had the opportunity to train with the likes of the Serbian tennis legend as a hitting partner at the ATP Finals in Turin. Vallejo became a huge fan of the Serb after his experience that week.
The Paraguayan teenager is currently ranked No. 4 on the ITF junior circuit and was the junior World No. 1 not too long ago. The 18-year-old, who is a student at the Rafa Nadal Academy and trains with Rafael Nadal himself from time to time, got the opportunity to play with the top eight players during his ATP Finals experience.
However, the experience that he cherished the most was with Djokovic, calling it "the best thing about that week." Speaking to Punto de Break, Vallejo recently opened up about the same and feels that the Serb showed why he is one of the greatest players with his conduct more than anything.
"The best thing about that week was training with Djokovic, warming up with him before his matches," Daniel Vallejo said of his experience. "He was very kind to me, very charismatic, he showed why he is one of the best on the planet. He made me feel privileged."
As a budding player, another advantage of training with the best players is getting some valuable advice from them. Vallejo got a basic but still important piece of advice from the Serbian great, who believes the Paraguayan can add more acceleration to his shots with the right hand.
"It is not the best advice because it is something very basic, but I prefer what Djokovic told me in Turin. After training together, he told me that I had good ball quality, but that I have to accelerate more with my right hand," Vallejo revealed.
Daniel Vallejo highlights what stands out in Novak Djokovic's game
Youngster Daniel Vallejo has closely followed Novak Djokovic's game, one from which many rising tennis players can benefit. While Vallejo feels there are big differences between his and the Serb's style of play due to which he cannot fully model his game after that of the nine-time Australian Open champion, he is still trying to emulate certain aspects.
The 18-year-old highlighted that Djokovic has the ability to be very aggressive even without hitting the ball hard, while also giving his opponents very little time to react.
"There is no one that I look at exactly, but the closest thing would be Djokovic, except for the huge differences. He also stands well inside the court and, without hitting him so hard, he manages to be very aggressive because he takes a lot of time from the rival," Vallejo explained.
Vallejo is already a five-time title winner on the ITF junior circuit. While getting regular chances to compete in tour-level matches is still in the making for the Paraguayan, he will aim to climb up the ATP rankings as quickly as he can. Currently ranked No. 736, Vallejo is the highest-ranked male tennis player from his country.