Novak Djokovic has sent a clear message to all his rivals this first part of the season. The Serbian phenomenon started 2023 in the best possible way, winning the ATP 250 in Adelaide and above all his tenth Australian Open.
The 35-year-old from Belgrade, who lost only one set in the whole tournament, reiterated that he is the strongest out there and took back the first place in the ATP ranking. In fact, Nole ousted Carlos Alcaraz from the throne, unable to participate in the Happy Slam due to a leg injury.
As if that weren’t enough, the ‘Djoker’ has hooked his eternal rival Rafael Nadal at the top of the all-time Grand Slam rankings and will try to overtake already at Roland Garros (scheduled for the end of May on the red clay in Paris).
The number 1 in the world managed his body perfectly during the Australian Open, limiting himself to the ‘homework’ in the first week and then switching gears from the second round onwards. Recall that Djokovic had to deal with a left hamstring injury.
Kasatkina opens up on Djokovic
Daria Kasatkina had her best season in 2022 with two titles including a WTA 500 and a Grand Slam semi-final at Roland Garros. Currently ranked eighth in the world, the Russian wants to take a step forward in 2023 and in particular in major tournaments.
For the occasion, she confided in the FFT for an exclusive interview on her ambitions following her good results in Paris in 2022. She explains there that during certain tournaments, in particular Roland Garros 2022, she did not need to play her best level in all the matches; this is what makes the difference between good and very good players, you have to win even on the “less” good days.
“I can’t say that I felt particularly good or that I delivered incredible matches at Roland-Garros. No, I had decent matches, but that might be the best thing that could have happened to me. Novak Djokovic wins most of his tournaments like this.
Sometimes he has to pull off the big game in the first round or in the final, but most of the time he is content to play decent matches,” said Daria Kasatkina. On current form, Novak Djokovic is practically unbeatable, according to former Italian player Giorgio Galimberti.
“He started the year great, objectively how he won the Australian Open I won’t tell you either, hands down. The only problem for the others is Djokovic, if he’s okay he’s unplayable. He won the final with a serious injury.”
