"Such a genius" - Novak Djokovic praised by Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert for "managing himself" in Australian Open 1R comeback against Dino Prizmic
Novak Djokovic passed arguably his toughest test in the first round of a Grand Slam, outlasting Croat Dino Prizmic in a four-set epic on Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night. Former player and legendary American coach Brad Gilbert was mighty impressed as he acknowledged the World No. 1's dominance in best-of-five matches.
In what was the longest Grand Slam first-round match of his career, Djokovic edged out the 18-year-old youngster 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 under the lights, continuing his quest for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title at the 2024 Australian Open.
Amongst the many in awe of the Serb's elite fitness even at the age of 36 was Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert, who chimed in with heaps of praise as he took to X (formerly Twitter).
"Djoker finally getting to the legs of Dino, that was punishing last couple games," Gilbert wrote.
In awe of his prowess for five-setters, Gilbert further credited Djokovic's incredible ability to manage himself.
"ND took it up notch, such a genius at managing himself in greatness of B05 matches," Gilbert added.
Up next for Djokovic is home favorite Alexei Popyrin. The defending champion could face Andy Murray in the third round, should they both proceed. A rematch of last year's US Open semifinal could be on the cards against American Ben Shelton in the fourth round.
Brad Gilbert once compared Novak Djokovic to legends of different eras
In conversation with Patrick McEnroe, brother of legendary tennis player John McEnroe, on his podcast "Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe," Brad Gilbert lavished praise on Novak Djokovic at the beginning of last year.
Discussing his longevity and greatness, the legendary coach stacked the Serb alongside fabled legends from different eras. Gilbert went on to declare him as the perfect blend of Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl.
"I really believe that if you put Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl in the blender, you get Novak Djokovic," Gilbert was quoted saying.
McEnroe echoed Gilbert's statements but reserved special praise for Novak Djokovic's "lightning-fast" speed.
"The only difference is that Djokovic is lightning fast. Both those guys, Agassi and Lendl, were quick and could cover the court, but they weren't lightning fast and as quick as Novak," McEnroe said.
Amongst the wide array of things discussed on the podcast, Gilbert also predicted how many Majors Novak Djokovic would win last year and he was very close. He predicted two-and-a-half Slams for him, and he won three.
"If I had to set an over-under, I would say two-and-a-half Slams for him," Gilbert said.