“He’s still the favorite in the Slams”

Nicolas Massu, former Chilean No.9 player mainly remembered for winning the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in both men’s singles and doubles, paired with Fernando Gonzalez, talked about Novak Djokovic’s recent defeat in the Australian Open semi-final against Jannik Sinner.

Massu explained how Sinner’s victory against Djokovic in the semifinals at the Australian Open does not make him think that the Serbian may be in decline.

“Novak is still the world No. 1 and is still the favorite to win the Grand Slam titles this year. He is in extraordinary physical condition at 36 years old and is still extremely competitive. Last year he achieved something incredible by winning 3 out of 4 Slams. I respect Novak a lot and have known him for a long time.

I remember he won his first title against me in Amersfoort in 2006 and he is still at the top today. I’m sure he can still win Slams. There is great competition, of course there are other favourites, but we must never leave Novak aside. It’s going to be an interesting year, that’s for sure. I have no doubts about his performances and his ability to still win important tournaments like the Slams,” said Massu in an interview with SportKlub

Even though the defeat in the Australian Open semi-final was hard for Novak Djokovic to digest, opinions continue to come from former players who believe that this is not the beginning of the end of the Serbian tennis player’s career. Indeed, as Rod Laver stated, Nole will learn many things from this defeat.

Bertolucci expressed on Sinner-Alcaraz’s rivalry

The former Italian tennis player Paolo Bartolucci spoke about the rivalry between Sinner and the young Spaniard Carlitos Alcaraz, analyzing the growth of the young Italian.

“His growth in the last 5 months has been exponential, from a boy Sinner has become a man. Alcaraz, on the other hand, is still a teenager, as can be seen from the results of the last year, with many ups and downs (more the latter than the former) which suggest an adjustment phase after the two Slam wins and the number 1 position in ranking.

Both can revive the most beautiful rivalry, the one between Federer and Nadal which for two decades gave great impetus and popularity to tennis. There is empathy between the two, they play to outdo each other but with great respect towards each other. And, like the great Roger and Rafa, they have all the characteristics to take their challenge far ahead in time,” he said.