"Sinner is a 2.0 version of Djokovic... and Novak knows it"

Every passing Grand Slam tournament is a tough blow for those who still see Novak Djokovic as a strong candidate to achieve that elusive 25th trophy he has been chasing for so long. At Wimbledon, he came close again, but once more it was confirmed that currently there are two players who are above him. There's no need to mention them, although Boris Becker did take them into great consideration when analyzing the real possibilities of his former pupil facing that monumental challenge. The German shared his insights on Andrea Petkovic's podcast, and these were his conclusions.

“It's the big question right now, the one everyone is asking. The big issue for Novak is that if he wants to win another Grand Slam, he will likely have to beat both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. That's what happened at Wimbledon, which I believe was the tournament where he had the best opportunity to claim that 25th major he's been pursuing. Just as a reminder, he has won the tournament seven times and reached the semifinals 14 times, imagine what that represents. The numbers are so crazy that it almost seems absurd,” reflected Leumen's native in statements collected by Tennis365.

“A very crucial point he needs to realize is the moment he had in the last match against Cobolli in the quarterfinals, where he got injured, though, it's also true that at 38, it's much easier to get injured,” he added with a small dose of humor. “Then, against Jannik, during the first two sets, I think he was relatively fit. Of course, the Italian proved to be the superior player because, in my view, Sinner is a Djokovic 2.0, let's say he's a version of Novak fifteen years younger. It seems to me that Novak is aware of this,” titled Becker, who is back working in the media.

THE MILLION-DOLLAR QUESTION

So, can Djokovic win another Grand Slam in his career or is it too late? Is it impossible to defeat Carlos and Jannik in five-set matches consecutively? To what extent can you improve physically at 38 to take on such a challenge? Becker doesn't rule out surprises but prefers to advocate for a realistic discourse, a tone supported by the logic prevailing in recent times.

“I'm glad that Novak has made it to the semifinals of a major once again, but is this enough for him? He's still playing tennis because he wants to win that 25th Grand Slam, aiming to become the sole record holder, but one must acknowledge that, on their good days, Sinner and Alcaraz are currently better than Djokovic at his best. This is what might frustrate him, but it's the reality. The question is: to what extent is it realistic to think that Novak might have the chance now to win another Grand Slam? Time is running out for him,” concluded the former world number one.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, “Sinner es una versión 2.0 de Djokovic… y Novak lo sabe”