Bautista talks about Djokovic: "He looks a bit vulnerable physically, and that affects his tennis"
The Spaniard spoke with Radio Nacional de España about his time after retiring from professional tennis and analyzed the current moment of Novak Djokovic.
Roberto Bautista left professional tennis a few months ago and, now distanced from the ATP circuit, he delved into the feelings he experienced in the final stretch of his career and what it has meant to say goodbye to tennis. He also dedicated extensive and profound words about what he saw at the 2026 US Open of Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
One of the greats in the recent history of Spanish tennis has ended his professional career, but his successes will always endure in the collective memory of tennis. Roberto Bautista earned the respect, affection, and admiration of everyone, and just a few months after his retirement in Valencia, he granted an interview to Radio Nacional de España with journalist Javier de Diego, addressing several aspects of great interest.
Bautista analyzes Djokovic's moment
"I think the mind starts to fail when physically one begins to feel that their body no longer responds in the same way."
"When I started to feel my body differently, doubts began to arise. Those doubts also influence on the tennis court during important moments. There is that difference of winning three or four more points or three or four points less that can make you win or lose a match."
"I have a feeling that Novak might be experiencing that a bit. Lately, he is appearing slightly more, quote unquote, vulnerable physically, and I think those doubts affect him on the court and also tennis-wise."
"The US Open is a very demanding tournament, if not the most demanding. There is very high humidity, and I could show you a picture of Novak Djokovic from 15 years ago that looks almost the same."
"What happens? That before he would recover, overcome those moments, win the match and the next day recover again. Now it is harder for him to get through those situations, but it is something logical and normal at 38 or 39 years old. The body no longer recovers the same no matter how much you prepare. As I said before, I even prepared more than before."
The difficulty of choosing when to retire from tennis
"Goodbyes are very tough, they are very complicated, and leaving in the ideal way is very difficult."
"Everyone tries to do it the best way they know how. It is something new for us because we have never lived it, and I can say it is incredibly complex to be in that moment, with the doubts of thinking: 'Should I keep playing? Shouldn’t I keep playing?'."
"I think having a perfect or ideal farewell is very complicated because, when one is at the elite level and winning many matches, they also don't want to leave. You also don't want to say goodbye to something that you have done your whole life, that you love, and in which, moreover, you are doing well. Saying goodbye is never easy."
Bautista's assessment of Alcaraz's performance at the US Open
"He has surprised us all. We all know that Carlos is a phenomenon and has impressive potential. The truth is that I have seen him tremendously well given the time he had been out of competition, and I think he was very, very close."
"I believe that if he had overcome and won that super tiebreak in the fifth set, he would have had a chance to lift the trophy. The good thing is that Carlos leaves the US Open at peace, calm, and with a very clear conscience. He competed very well, gave his all, and looked good. I am sure that will give him a lot of desire and motivation for the end of the season."
What does Bautista think of Alcaraz's smile and attitude after being eliminated
"It is very important to know how to lose well, and in this case, Carlos lost very well. I think that’s what concerns us the most. When you finish a tournament or a week, even if you don’t lift the cup or win the tournament, the important thing is to leave with a clear conscience, knowing that you gave your all. I think Carlos, with that reaction and that smile, clearly showed that he is very satisfied with the tournament he had and with all the minutes he spent on the court."
The reflections of Roberto Bautista deserve attention, as he accumulated immense knowledge of all the possible nuances in the career of a professional tennis player, making his interpretation of what Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz experienced at this 2026 US Open very valuable.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Bautista habla de Djokovic: "Se ve un poco vulnerable físicamente y eso afecta a su tenis"