"Novak Djokovic has been so strong where nothing could break him, but I think now he's getting a little bit more fragile" - Tomas Berdych
Former World No. 4 Tomas Berdych suspects that Novak Djokovic is no longer as invincible as he used to be. Berdych believes the Serbian has been showing signs of fragility in recent times which might pave the way for an interesting year in men's tennis.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the Czech remarked that one of the main reasons for Novak Djokovic's continued dominance was his athletic prowess. But according to Berdych, that particular attribute of the World No. 1 has been on the wane recently.
"Novak Djokovic has been so strong where nothing could break him, which is why he has been dominating," Berdych said. "But I think now he's getting a little bit more fragile."
Tennis legends Tomas Berdych, Mark Philippoussis and David Ferrer have given their thoughts on Emma Raducanu, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and the current young crop of stars on the ATP Tour ⬇️
However, Berdych did not count Djokovic out completely. He expects the Serb to add at least one more to his tally of 20 Grand Slams even in his perceived weaker state.
"Next season is going to be interesting," Berdych said. " But I think Djokovic's got the chance of winning at least one Grand Slam next year."
Tomas Berdych's main line of reasoning for the prediction was Djokovic's age. He remarked that Djokovic will especially struggle with matches that drag on for five sets.
Since Majors involve playing seven matches within two weeks, Berdych thinks that Djokovic will progressively find it harder to keep up with younger players.
"Djokovic is going to have more of a difficult time next year, definitely," Berdych said. "I think he's going to have to avoid a tough match which will drain him over five sets."
"Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have been around for a really, really long time" - Tomas Berdych
Tomas Berdych praised the Big 3 for reigning supreme over tennis for a long time. He considered their dominance as proof of just how good their generation of players were. But Berdych also felt that it was time for the next set of players to take over.
"Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic have been around for a really, really long time," Berdych said. "It shows just what a great generation of tennis it has been."
The 2021 season of ATP Top 4: Stefanos Tsitsipas
🏆 2 titles
💪 1 Masters 1000
▪️ 1 Grand Slam final (Roland-Garros)
▪️ 3 finals
▪️ 54 wins - 19 defeats (74% wins) https://t.co/beExSMQpZI
Berdych said World No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas is his favorite among the current crop of players. Even though the Greek ran out of steam in the second half of the 2021 season, Berdych was impressed by his flamboyant style of play.
"I really like the way Stefanos Tsitsipas plays because he plays very aggressive and creative on court," Berdych said. "The second half of his season has been a bit flat though."
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