"Serena Williams was like 'My priority is to win Grand Slams' and that's what Novak Djokovic is doing right now" - American's former coach
Serena Williams' former coach, Rennae Stubbs, recently said that Novak Djokovic is emulating Williams by prioritizing Grand Slam tournaments in the latter stages of his career.
Djokovic has made no secret about focusing on Major titles in this phase of his career, a strategy that has paid off remarkably well. The Serb clinched three Grand Slam titles this season — the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open - while also reaching the Wimbledon Championships final.
Djokovic is now the player with the most Major titles in the Open Era, surpassing Williams' tally of 23. The latter's ex coach Rennae Stubbs has now highlighted how Serena Williams employed this strategy too towards the end of her career.
Williams often ended her season after the US Open, even skipping the WTA Finals in the later part of her career.
"Look at Serena, Serena didn't play after the US Open for like seven years maybe. In the later part of her career, she didn't even play the WTA Finals. She was like 'Eh I'm done'," she said on the latest episode of the Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast (from 5:00).
"After the US Open she used to literally hang her racquets up for the year, which a lot of people were like 'you weren't supporting the tour.' I'm like she was supporting the tour for almost 20 years, like give me a break. If she wants to take two months off of competition she can come back and win the Australian Open, good for her," she added.
The Australian acknowledged that many players continue to play after the final Grand Slam of the season in a bid to qualify for the year-end championships, earn more prize money and gain ranking points. But Williams believed it was more beneficial to prioritize being well-rested for the following season's Grand Slam tournaments, according to Stubbs.
The Australian added that Djokovic is currently adopting a similar strategy for his schedule.
"A lot of players still obviously continue to play after the US Open because they wanted to make the championships, the WTA finals and they want the money and it helps their ranking. And Serena's like 'My priority is to win Grand Slams so for me to go into the Australian Open being rested and then winning Wimbledon and everything else is my priority' and that's what Novak's doing right now," she said.
"Novak Djokovic didn't play anything after the US Open, he went and played Paris, ATP Finals and Davis Cup, brilliant" - Serena Williams' ex-coach Rennae Stubbs
Rennae Stubbs praised Novak Djokovic for opting out of the Asian swing in favor of the Paris Masters and ATP Finals. The Serb triumphed in both events before taking part in the Davis Cup Finals, where Serbia lost in the semifinals.
"I mean he [Novak Djokovic] didn't play anything after the US Open, he went and played what Shanghai or Beijing. Shanghai yeah that's it, oh no he didn't play anything, he played Paris and then the ATP Finals and Davis Cup. Brilliant that's what I would have done," she said.
Andrea Petkovic chimed in to suggest that the 36-year-old's decision to limit his schedule after his US Open triumph played an instrumental role in his victory at the ATP Finals.
"That's why he (Djokovic) won I think because many times you see it that the player who was the player of the season actually doesn't win the ATP or WTA Finals because they are so tired. Because the player who is the player of the season has played the most matches right, that's my theory," Petkovic said.
Djokovic took part in 14 singles tournaments during the 2023 season, which is considerably fewer than fellow players like Jannik Sinner (23), Andrey Rublev (26), and Stefanos Tsitsipas (26). This includes the Davis Cup Finals, where Sinner and Djokovic represented their respective nations.