Esteemed Tennis pundit Paolo Bertolucci has claimed that the tennis world will get to know whether the decline of Novak Djokovic has started during the Sunshine doubles that are due to take place in a couple of months.
The Italian said Djokovic played badly at the Australian Open but argued that the Serbian’s dip in performance could be a result of lack of preparation rather than a decline. Unbeatable at the season-opening slam since 2018, Djokovic sustained a four-set defeat against the eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of 2024 Australian Open last month.
As Djokovic was denied to extend his 33-match winning streak at the event, the 10-time Australian Open Champion had also lost three of his last four matches against the 22-year-old Italian – having also beaten by him twice in November last year.
10-0 in semis and 20-0 in semifinals and finals combine at the Happy Slam, Djokovic lost his maiden semifinal at the Melbourne Park against a Sinner, breaming full of confidence.
Before getting consistent with his losses against the World No. 4, the World No. 1 secured three of his four major crowns in a stellar 2023 campaign which he concluded as the ATP #1 for a record-extending 8th time.
Talking to Italian Website Fanpage, Bertolucci was quizzed if he felt Djokovic’s loss to Sinner was a semifinal moment in the career of the legendary Serbian heading toward decline.
“He is a player who played badly in Australia, as in previous matches. We have never seen him in good condition [this year],” the former World No. 12 assessed.
“Now, if this is due to a problem that can happen, because it happens that someone doesn’t get his preparation right, or if the decline has begun, we will find out in the American [tournaments] between Indian Wells and Miami.
“We will see if he has recovered or not. I have no ideas because we would have to have seen the training sessions, understand if he stopped or not and with what intensity. Only those who know that within the team.”
Djokovic is yet to confirm his next tournament, but will likely play Indian Wells Masters in March given the Dubai Tennis Championships – an event he often plays – are not in his schedule.
The Italian also credited compatriot Sinner’s mental strength that helped him recover from two sets to love deficit to beat World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open Championship match.
“It was a moment of down, there are situations in a match in which you are unable to do certain things. Moments in which your head is no longer so strong and you feel the pain, tiredness and confusion. When instead you are able to react to these sensations are dulled,” Bertolucci said.
“In delicate moments it is the head that makes the difference, in the fifth set this happens 90 times out of 100. Everyone thinks that the physical aspect is the decisive aspect, but when two players reach the fifth set and go to look at the kilometers covered there will be 50-70 meters of difference from each other.
“But what are they? Nothing. The one who wins is the one who is stronger in the head, for the same distance travelled.”