Former US Open champion Andy Roddick has hailed Novak Djokovic after his record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title, admitting he was wrong about the Serbian. Roddick was the last American man to win the US Open back in 2003 when he beat Juan Carlos Ferrero in straight sets.
Djokovic won his fourth US Open crown on Sunday to tie Margaret Court with 24 Grand Slams, and even at the age of 36 he looks unstoppable.
Djokovic won three of the four majors this year and reached the final of the other as he lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon. It’s the fourth time in his career that he’s won three majors in a single year, and Djokovic is aging like a fine wine.
Roddick predicted there would be a void in the world of tennis after Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal retired, but a new rivalry has been formed between Djokovic, Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev. Djokovic has been able to dominate despite multiple tough tests, and Roddick has sung his praises.
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“The dominance of Novak and the way that he’s able to win this consistently is just absurd,” Roddick wrote in his latest column for Betway. “He’s probably the most reliable player that we’ve ever had in the game.
“I wouldn’t bet against him on any given day, on any surface, in any format. It’s an impossibility to make a statistical argument against him being the best ever. It’s like proving gravity at this point.
“He’s now tied Margaret Court on 24 Slams but he wants all of the records, so he’ll want to get to 25. After that, he’s basically playing against his own shadow – there’s nothing else out there for him.”
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Roddick isn’t sure how much longer Djokovic will continue playing – at least at the highest level – although the Serbian did joke after the US Open he could keep going for another 24 years. But Djokovic keeps himself in amazing condition, and Roddick thinks he’s the best athlete in the world, not just tennis.
“It will come down to the matrix between what his motivation is and what his body’s telling him,” Roddick said about Djokovic’s eventual retirement. “You never take health for granted, especially towards the end of your career, but, if motivated, his body looks like it would be fine to keep going for a couple more years.
“It’s not even close to hyperbolic to say that he’s the best athlete on earth right now.” Djokovic needs just one more Grand Slam win to become the leading champion in major titles. His most successful tournament is the Australian Open, the first major of the 2024 calendar.
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