Novak Djokovic Is The Threat To Roger Federer And Andy Murray's Quest For A Grand Slam Trophy, Says Matt Wilander

Swedish seven-time grand slam champion Mats Wilander believes that Serbian tennis ace Novak Djokovic will continue to dominate tennis in the coming years. Wilander reckons Djokovic is the reason why Swiss tennis great Roger Federer and British No. 1 Andy Murray have not been successful enough to add another major title in their tennis career.

“As long as Novak Djokovic is there and continues to play at this level, I don’t think so,” Wilander said when asked if Federer will win another grand slam title or if Murray will win a third via UK’s Mirror. “It is as simple as that.”

Wilander, who now works as a commentator for Eurosport, praised Djokovic’s style of play, which according to him “is not tiring.” The three-time Australian Open champion also said that the Serb’s gameplay can even go to a “higher level.” Wilander added that the likes of Murray, Tomas Berdych, and Kei Nishikori, who all trails behind the Serb in head-to-head series, need to step up their game if they want to beat the current World No. 1.

Speaking via ATPWorldTour.com, Djokovic has said that he has always dreamed of becoming World No. 1, which he first achieved in July 2011. “I worked very hard to get myself in that position, Djokovic said. “I have to work even harder to stay there.” The Belgrade-native said that being number one and retaining the position are two different roads and he had to overcome all obstacles that he faces along the way.

Over the years, Djokovic has altered his gameplay. When he won the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic’s playing performance was more on the baseline, one who rarely approaches the net, but he had a good serve back then. Following his first grand slam title, Djokovic’s gameplay became flaccid. He only reached the finals of a grand slam tournament once during the 2010 US Open.

However, in 2011, Djokovic worked on his forehand and backhand shots. Since then, his serve has also kept on improving. He has a big serve and he supports it with great groundstrokes. Djokovic has won eight out of 19 grand slam events. Federer had won once, while Murray had only won twice in the last for years.

Djokovic-Federer Grand Slam Stats

Djokovic had met Federer 13 times in a grand slam setup, but he and the 17-time grand slam champion only battled three times in the final of a grand slam tournament at the 2007 US Open and the 2014 and 2015 Wimbledon Championships. Djokovic had won in the last two meetings that he played Federer in the final of a grand slam tournament. Djokovic and Federer are tied at 20-20 in their FedEx ATP head-to-head series.

Djokovic-Murray Grand Slam Stats

Djokovic had won 19 matches out of the 27 clashes that he and Murray played against each other. They met eight times in a grand slam setup, with the Belgrade-native winning all six matches including the 2015 French Open and 2015 Australian Open. Djokovic leads their FedEx head-to-head series 19-8 against Murray.

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