There was a way better chance of somebody winning a set than him losing a match: Brad Gilbert on Novak Djokovic's dominance at Australian Open 2023
Former American tennis player Brad Gilbert has heaped praise on Novak Djokovic for his dominant performances at the 2023 Australian Open.
The Serb won his 10th title at the Melbourne Major by beating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(4), 7-6(5) in the final. He dropped just one set throughout the tournament, which is even more incredible given that he competed in the tournament with a 3 cm tear in his hamstring.
Speaking on an episode of the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast, Gilbert claimed that the Australian Open was 'Djokovic vs everyone else'. The 1988 Olympic bronze medalist also pointed to the difficulty of players winning a set against the World No. 1.
"Two years ago when he won, he had the stomach issue, so he obviously can manage these injuries, I mean, when the tournament started, it was obviously Djoker vs the field. After a couple of rounds, you were kind of thinking, 'Ok maybe.' By the time he played the round of 16 match against De Minaur, it was incredibly evident that it was Djoker vs the field," Gilbert said.
"I was thinking that there was a way better chance of somebody maybe winning a set than him losing a match. It's almost like, 'Man it's difficult to win a set from him down there once you get to the quarters,'" he added.
Novak Djokovic has gone to another elevation: Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert heaped further praise on Novak Djokovic by claiming that his game has reached greater heights over the years.
He stated that while Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer pushed each other until recently, the Serbian has now begun making adjustments to his game to beat rising stars like Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
"I think, before, it was all about Rafa and Fed for him, they're measuring and making their improvements to them. The Big 3 pushed each other," Gilbert said.
"But now, Djoker, I believe, has gone to another elevation where he's making these adjustments in his game to the Tsitsipas's, to the Alcaraz's, to all the young players that are pushing him. That is probably in some sense going to add time on his game," he added.
Djokovic's victory at the Australian Open saw him tie Nadal's record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles. He also returned to the top spot in the ATP rankings and is currently in his 375th week as the World No. 1.
The 35-year-old needs another three weeks to better Steffi Graf's record for the most number of weeks spent at the top of the singles rankings for any tennis player, male or female.