"Rafael Nadal couldn't fight, Roger Federer didn't prove anything, Novak Djokovic tries to cheat nature": Ex-ATP pro gives verdict on Serb's longevity
Nikolay Davydenko is of the belief that Novak Djokovic is trying to 'cheat nature' with his longevity on tour, something neither Rafael Nadal nor Roger Federer could achieve. As for whether the Serb could actually pull it off for a long time to come, Davydenko has his doubts.
2024 saw the end of the second member of the fabled 'Big-3,' with Nadal following Federer into retirement. Only Djokovic remains now, with signs already that age is catching up with him. Starting the year as the World No. 1, the 37-year-old ended as No. 7, and did not win a single ATP title all season. His only major accomplishment was the Olympic gold medal, for which he took down Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Speaking in a recent interview with Match TV, Davydenko discussed the end of the Big-3, admitting that Nadal found it difficult to go up against top players at the end, just like Federer.
In Djokovic's case, while the former World No. 3 was glad to see him still going on strong, he was not sure the Serb would last more than two years like this. Davydenko was almost certain that an inevitable injury would be limited for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, whenever he hung up his racket.
"Nadal was not even 40 years old and he couldn't physically fight with top 50 professionals of the same level. It's useless. Federer at 40 tried to show that he was tough, but he didn't prove anything. Djokovic is doing the same now, he's trying to show that age doesn't matter to him."
"Novak tries to cheat nature, but he can only do it for a couple of years. We are not robots. The loads are serious, injuries happen. Let's take any current tennis player as an example: they all had, have or will have health problems. They all end their career because of injuries that limit us in our training," Davydenko said.
"Maybe Novak Djokovic wants to break Federer and Nadal's record for the longest career" - Nikolay Davydenko
Speaking in the interview, Nikolay Davydenko also made an educated guess as to why Novak Djokovic is still playing. The Russian believed that the Serb could be looking to show the world that he was capable of having a longer career than both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who burst onto the scene as phenoms a lot earlier than he did.
Davydenko believes Djokovic might be planning to play past the age of 41, just to surpass Federer.
He's trying to cheat nature. Let's see if he can do it. Maybe he wants to break Federer and Nadal's record for the longest career. Roger finished at 41, maybe Novak wants to get to that age. Maybe he'll play fewer tournaments."
Federer retired in 2022, two years before Nadal did, playing for the last time at the Laver Cup.