Pat Cash claims Novak Djokovic can achieve the "impossible dream" of winning Calendar Grand Slam
Novak Djokovic's win at the 2021 Wimbledon Championships has put him within touching distance of a Calendar Slam. Only two men - Rod Laver (1962 & 1969) and Don Budge (1937) - have managed to achieve the elusive feat in the past.
Djokovic has won four straight Slams before, but in different years (2015 Wimbledon-2016 French Open). Now that the Serb is on the verge of bettering the feat, the tennis community is abuzz with discussions on the same.
Former Grand Slam champion Pat Cash, for one, is convinced that Djokovic can "make the impossible dream come true" by completing the Calendar Slam. In a recent interview with French newspaper L'Equipe, the Australian said Djokovic has been playing at a whole different level than the rest of the field at Grand Slams.
"Well for Novak, I think this year is a great opportunity for him to grab a bunch of Grand Slams and grab all the titles," Cash said. "The younger players are coming through, but they’re not quite there yet. And Novak is just sitting on top of that mountain as the king of the castle."
"And so this is the year that Novak can really grab the impossible dream [of winning the Calender Slam] – you know it really is, it’s there."
Describing the Calender Grand Slam as the "absolute peak of [the] sport", Cash stressed that winning all four titles should be at the top of Djokovic's list of priorities, even ahead of winning a medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
"The Olympics – okay, maybe [Djokovic] wants to do that [...] But certainly, his goal is now to try and win all four Grand Slams in the calendar year. It’s not easy to do, but I really do think it’s in his sights and that has got to be his priority," Cash added.
"Clearly he’s got a fantastic grasscourt game" - Pat Cash on Matteo Berrettini, Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon final opponent
Pat Cash also heaped praise on Matteo Berrettini, who pushed Djokovic to four sets in the Wimbledon final this month. In a separate interview, Cash said he was hugely impressed by the improvements that Berrettini has made to his game in the last couple of years.
"Clearly he’s got a fantastic grass court game," Cash noted. "I had reservations on his ability to play on grass without a very solid backhand, but his improvement over the last couple of years has been phenomenal."
Cash went on to compare the Italian's power-packed game to that of former World No. 1 Andy Roddick.
"We’ve seen Andy Roddick do the same thing with [a] big serve, big forehand. But, Berrettini I think is even another level," Cash said. “Probably as good a serve as Roddick, but the forehand’s even bigger. With that sort of game, and the ability to come to the net, volley, he moves really well.”
Cash further claimed that the fast-improving Berrettini is likely to reach a few more Grand Slam finals, and in doing so, could well challenge the likes of Djokovic.