"There is nothing that surprises me about Novak Djokovic anymore" - Boris Becker
Boris Becker has been left speechless by Novak Djokovic, who won his record 24th Grand Slam title at the recently concluded US Open.
The victory at Flushing Meadows made him the first player, male or female, to reach thata tally in the Open Era. That also propelled him back to the top of the ATP rankings. Enroute the title, the World No. 1 beat the likes of Laslo Djere, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev, dropping just just two sets.
Speaking to Eurosport Germany recently on the 'Das Gelbe vom Ball' podcast, Becker marveled at how the 36-year-old still has the motivation and desire to keep competing at the top of the game. Becker dded that nothing about Djokovic surprises him anymore.
Becker, who coached the Serb for a while a few years ago, also said that the 24-time Grand Slam champion has nothing left to prove and that he already has the respect of everyone who loves tennis.
"There is nothing that surprises me about Novak Djokovic anymore. But that at 36 he still has the motivation, that he has the desire, that he has the leisure and invests the time.
"I mean, he doesn't have to prove anything to anyone anymore. I think all of us who love tennis, who also respect him, are a bit speechless," Becker said.
"Novak Djokovic is pushing the limits" - Boris Becker on Serb equaling Margaret Court's Grand Slam tally
Novak Djokovic is the player with the most Slams in the Open Era. He's a;sp tied with Margaret Court in the all-time Grand Slam title list.
Boris Becker admitted that he never thought Court's record could be broken, leaving him once again in awe of how Djokovic continued to push the limits of the game.
“Now he has reached Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slam titles. ... That's quite extraordinary. A few years ago, I thought that such records could not be broken at all, because at some point you are physically and mentally too old for competitive sports. But there again, Novak Djokovic is pushing the limits," Boris Becker said.
The victory in New York also made the Serb the oldest man to win the US Open, breaking the previous record held by Ken Rosewall more than five decades ago.