Why Novak Djokovic is the new Jimmy Connors & what it could mean for his future
Novak Djokovic is going to turn 38 later this year, which is a significant number for many reasons. It's significant because he still has aspirations to compete for trophies daily. Players at that age generally don't do that often, though one did, and his name was Jimmy Connors.
There are quite a few connecting dots between Djokovic and Connors. The former legendary player was tremendous in his time. He still holds the record for most trophies in the Open Era with 109, ten more than the Serb currently has.
Djokovic is on record as wanting to break that record, and to do that, he will have to play a bit longer. The reason why Connors even got to that number is because he played pretty long as well. The American retired at age 44, which shows just how committed he was to the sport.
Anecdotes about his commitment are rather legendary. John McEnroe played against Connors during his time, and he famously said something that has since been used as the best descriptor for Connors and what he stood for.
"I've learned a lot of things from Jimmy, for example the effort level. I have never seen anybody try as hard as him. No matter how hard I tried, and I consider that pretty hard, it didn't match up to him. So once again he was one up on me," McEnroe said (via The Independent).
That effort level is something Novak Djokovic has as well. He's still one of the best players in the world and is about to turn 38. That is simply because of his professionalism and huge dedication to the sport, which is well documented. There isn't anything that Djokovic didn't try to become better as a tennis player, and that's what allows him to still be in this position.
So in many ways, Djokovic might just be the new Jimmy Connors. Both are very dedicated to the sport and are hugely competitive. Djokovic also has a chance to do something that Connors did, which is making it to a Grand Slam semifinal at age 39. That sort of longevity doesn't happen by chance, and Djokovic is certainly motivated to do it as well.
"Don't tell him when to quit" - Jimmy Connors backs Novak Djokovic
The former legendary World No. 1 is a huge fan of Djokovic. He's praised him many times in the past and more recently told people off who were calling on him to quit. As somebody who played far longer than anybody anticipated, Connors knows how it feels when other people tell you what you need to do.
“And I look at him and I root for him, you know, I rooted for him because I liked his game. I like the way he played…And I rooted for him then and I’m rooting for him now," Connors said about Djokovic on the latest episode of his 'Advantage Connors' podcast.
Connors refused to listen to people and kept playing, proving to everybody that he was able to play fantastic tennis even at a pretty big age for an athlete. Djokovic is kind of doing the same, and Connors loves to see it. He loves to see that same passion he brought to the sport.
“I’m all for a guy who’s willing to go out there and do whatever it takes still, to still put it on the line and go for it," the American continued.
On another note, the former American number one is well aware that Djokovic is not getting any younger and that the end will be here sooner rather than later. It's just the nature of how things go. But Connors also doesn't like to see Djokovic being told when to quit. Like other legends, he will know when it's time to quit because ultimately he knows himself the best.
“You know, don’t tell him when to quit," Connors said. "He’ll know when to quit, you know, and when to move on. The others have, Federer did, Nadal has now, and Murray.”
It's not going to be easy saying goodbye to the sport because the sport has given Djokovic so much. Connors knows it best because it took him a long time to admit to himself that it was time to leave the sport, and that's something Djokovic will have to wrestle with as well.
“But I will say one thing before we move on, Brett, that’s a tough decision, boy. You know, because, you know, for 20 years or whatever amount of years he’s done it, you know, all of a sudden to wake up one morning and say, what, it’s over? I don’t have to do, I’m not going to do that anymore. That’s a tough, tough day to wake up."
Time will tell when it will be upon Djokovic, but for now, the man seems motivated to keep it going for a bit longer.