Stefanos Tsitsipas sings the praises of 'very advanced' Novak Djokovic
Stefanos Tsistipas recently opined that Novak Djokovic is the 'toughest and most consistent' player in the world.
The Greek has squared off against the Serb 12 times on the tour and came out on the losing end 10 times. However, Tsistipas did get the better of Djokovic in Toronto in 2018 and Shanghai in 2019.
In a recent interview with Clay, the World No. 4 revealed that the former World No. 1 was 'very advanced' and has a lot of qualities to admire. The Greek said:
“He is the toughest and the most consistent. A perfectionist who took tennis to another kind of level. His diet, his physical work, the stretching, and his professionalism in every single area. I don’t think there is a single thing that he hasn’t thought of. Even the analysis I’ve heard from him. Novak is very advanced."
"Because he was not allowed to play here last time, that will be added motivation" - Todd Woodbridge on Novak Djokovic
Australian tennis legend Todd Woodbridge feels that Novak Djokovic will be raring to go at the Australian Open 2023 as he was denied the chance to compete in the 2022 edition of the competition.
The nine-time champion could not defend his title in Melbourne in January after he was deported from the country due to his vaccination status. Woodbridge feels this would be an added motivation for Djokovic. He said:
"Because he was not allowed to play here last time, that will be added motivation. Also, Rafa [Nadal] won when Novak was not allowed to play. That too will be on his mind when he tries to reach the record of most number of grand slams won."
The Aussie mentioned that the Serb will have a lot of pressure from the media at the tournament but revealed that he can deal with it very well. He added:
"The good news is that he will be playing at the Adelaide International so he will be in Australia for a few weeks before the Open starts. That will give him time to get all the stress and tension of last year out."
"There will be pressure from the media, but he has dealt with it very well. He is coming back to a country he loves playing in. He has won the Open nine times. He loves the surface, the atmosphere. I think he will be very driven to win here."