Wimbledon: 'Roger Federer had a weakness, Rafael Nadal has weaknesses, Novak Djokovic doesn't' - Mats Wilander
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Updated 28/06/2024 at 08:54 GMT
How does Novak Djokovic really compare to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? After Federer spoke about the Serbian - who is striving to be fit to play at Wimbledon next week - in his recent documentary, Eurosport's Mats Wilander gave his thoughts on the 37-year-old's lack of weaknesses. He has also admitted his surprise at his sudden appearances at the All England Club after suffering a knee injury.
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Mats Wilander has given his thoughts on Novak Djokovic's greatness and reacted to his surprise appearance in London as the world No. 2 battles to be fit in time for Wimbledon on Monday.
Tennis great Wilander admitted that "it's so surprising to see Novak" back at SW19 so soon after he suffered a knee injury at the French Open that forced him to withdraw ahead of the quarter-finals at Roland-Garros.
Djokovic has been practising at the All England Club ahead of the tournament starting next week, which has stunned many experts, with Wilander himself having tipped the Serbian to return in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games instead.
The 37-year-old will be aiming to equal Roger Federer's record tally of eight Wimbledon titles if he does manage to compete in the third Grand Slam of the season. Wilander was asked by Eurosport's Arnold Montgault how the 'big three' of Federer, Djokovic and Nadal compared.
"With Novak, I think when he came on the circuit early on, we didn't see his greatness because his greatness was more inside of him than on the outside," Wilander said.
"I think with Roger and Rafa, the greatness, you could see it. You could see it in the shot, in the technique.
"Everybody wants to play like Roger Federer. With Novak, he hits the ball like most other pros. It's just that he hits his backhand like other pros that have the best backhand in the game, and he hits his forehand like all the other pros that have the best forehands in the game, and he hits his serve in the same spots as Roger Federer, who had the best serve in the game.
"What we didn't realise is that there were no weaknesses anywhere in his game on any surface. I think it took a while for everybody to understand that he doesn't have weaknesses. Federer has a weakness. Nadal has weaknesses. Djokovic doesn't really have a weakness."
"What we didn't realise is that there were no weaknesses anywhere in his game on any surface. I think it took a while for everybody to understand that he doesn't have weaknesses. Federer has a weakness. Nadal has weaknesses. Djokovic doesn't really have a weakness."
On seeing Djokovic preparing for Wimbledon on the grass courts of SW19 ahead of a potentially miraculous return to tennis following his injury at Roland-Garros, Wilander admitted it was a shock.
"It's so surprising to see Novak, obviously, in London, just a few days before Wimbledon, not knowing if he's going to play," he said.
"But that's the greatness of Novak: he's not looking at the No. 1 spot in the world rankings, he's not looking to win the most Grand Slam titles, he's looking at the day-to-day situation.
"I would think that he feels he needs to go to Wimbledon to get into that competitive spirit, to prepare, and to try and get ready to play a match in what most probably is the most important tournament in his career: Wimbledon.
"If he's going to get ready to play or not I don't know, but he's getting ready to be part of the tournament. Then, if he pulls out, he pulls out at the very last second, but I think that's the greatness that he has understood that he needs to be in that environment.
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"Even if he doesn't play, it's going to help him make him a better player. It's going to help him come back sooner so that he is completely ready to play at the Olympics later in the summer. If he was at home, he could maybe get better practice, but at the same time, he's not going to be playing with the same level of players he can when he goes to Wimbledon and practises on grass."
Stream daily highlights from Wimbledon at 10pm UK time, as well as the two singles finals live on July 13 and 14, on discovery+
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