Todd Woodbridge says he does not foresee anybody beating Novak Djokovic at the Tokyo Olympics
Former Olympic gold medalist Todd Woodbridge believes Novak Djokovic is currently looking invincible and is the firm favorite to clinch the gold medal at the Tokyo Games.
While speaking to Matt Trollope of Ausopen.com, Woodbridge, who won gold in men's doubles at the 1996 Atlanta Games, pointed out how Djokovic has the chance to seal his status as the GOAT by winning the Calendar Golden Slam.
Djokovic has won each of the three Grand Slams played this year and can seal the Golden Slam by claiming the singgold in Tokyo and winning the US Open later this year.
“Djokovic sees it as an opportunity to really cement himself as the greatest of all time by potentially winning a 'Golden Slam,'" Woodbridge said. "I would have thought his absolute goal was to win the Grand Slam first, because he's been to an Olympics and he has a medal … and that would definitely set him apart from anybody and any other achievement in the men's game."
Woodbridge believes Djokovic is a tad too ambitious with his goals, but admitted the Serb is the only player capable of pulling off such a magnificent feat. According to the 22-time Major champion, no one in the Tokyo draw has the ability to take down the Serb when he's playing his best tennis.
“To try to do the five (events), I think is very ambitious. But if there's anyone who can do that, then it is Djok," continued Woodbridge. "He is by far the favourite – it's about how he recovers mentally and physically from Wimbledon.
"Given the way he's trained and the way his routines are, he'll do that well. I don't foresee anybody really beating him (Novak Djokovic) at this particular point.”
"Naomi Osaka is a confidence player, so it will be interesting to see how she finds that in opening couple of matches" - Todd Woodbridge
During the interaction, Woodbridge also gave his thoughts on Naomi Osaka, who will be returning to action for the first time in over a month.
The Japanese has not played a single match since she withdrew from Roland Garros last month to protect her mental health. In a statement announcing her withdrawal, Osaka revealed she has been suffering from depression since 2018, which is why she felt the need to boycott the media in Paris.
Against that background, Todd Woodbridge pointed out that Osaka's return is taking place in a stress-free environment. Woodbridge believes Osaka could benefit from the absence of crowds in Tokyo, but pointed out that she would need to gain confidence in her game fairly quickly.
“I think for Naomi, coming back in this environment is actually quite smart, because she'll be heavily protected from the things that have worried her within the media," Woodbridge said. “Although there's the pressure of playing for your nation, I think no crowds and those types of things make for a gentle easing back in to playing."
“But she hasn't played a lot of tennis now for a couple of months, and she's got to find confidence in her game. She is a confidence player, so it will be interesting to see how she finds that in the opening couple of matches.”