Djokovic explains his strategy to defeat Alcaraz and Sinner
The Serbian speaks with Serbian media and acknowledges changes in his tennis that he is working on specifically to beat Alcaraz and Sinner.
He has nothing to prove to anyone; he could be enjoying a well-deserved rest with the GOAT role already secured, but Novak Djokovic continues to push himself, exploring his limits and challenging the laws of nature to pursue his 25th Grand Slam title at the age of 38. He will attempt this feat at the 2026 Australian Open, for which he has prepared in a very special way.
Complacency is not part of Novak Djokovic's plans; he aims to continue enlarging his legend. After achieving unimaginable successes for any other athlete, the Serbian maintains the enthusiasm to enjoy tennis and feel competitive, setting his latest challenge to become the first human in history to reach 25 Grand Slam titles.
Djokovic acknowledges feeling a loss of speed, anticipation, and poorer decision-making on the court
To accomplish this, he will need to surpass the two current dominant figures on the circuit, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, whom he has been focusing on during the preseason to tailor his training sessions. This was revealed in statements collected by the Serbian press, where Novak dissects perfectly how he currently feels compared to his peak moments and how he plans to narrow the level gap perceived with the Spanish and Italian players.
"My sensation now is that I don't move as I used to. Perhaps I have lost a few tenths of a second in terms of speed, anticipation, and decision-making on the court, compared to the time when I dominated the circuit. It's normal, biological," commented the Serbian, fully aware of the challenge that competing at the age of 38 against young and much more explosive rivals entails. "Currently, I need to compensate for that, improve some aspects to mask my weaknesses and highlight my strengths. Only then will I be able to compete head-to-head with Carlos and Jannik," he pointed out.
This is Mark Kovacs, Djokovic's new weapon to defeat Alcaraz and Sinner
At this stage, many may wonder how Djokovic can achieve this. Well, the Serbian has been working during the preseason with Doctor Mark Kovacs, a prominent figure in the sports world who describes himself as an expert in performance enhancement and sports technology consulting, a physiologist, researcher, and lecturer. He runs his own institution where he showcases his training philosophy and body care, the Kovacs Institute, which aims at the optimization of the human body in sports from a scientific and technological perspective.
He was a former professional tennis player in his youth, had a successful career in the NCAA, and obtained his Doctorate in Sport Physiology from the University of Alabama. He has worked with top professional athletes from diverse disciplines, and Novak Djokovic sought his expertise in discerning how he could optimize his performance at this stage of his career and try to compensate for the limiting factors of being 38 years old.
"I worked with Kovacs this preseason for about seven or eight days in Athens, but we may work together again. He is a highly qualified expert with extensive knowledge of biomechanics and kinematics. That is the main reason we decided to hire him. He has authored numerous books and conducts courses and lectures worldwide. We seek the most relevant individuals in this field, and the collaboration has been fantastic. We had the opportunity to address certain aspects of my tennis play and make improvements in my game," affirmed Novak Djokovic, who continues to believe in his capabilities to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Will he succeed in this 2026 Australian Open?
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Djokovic explica cuál es su estrategia para vencer a Alcaraz y Sinner