Navratilova's epic reaction to 'Djokovic rolling through young players' claim before Wimbledon final 2023 vs Alcaraz
Djokovic is already 36 but he continues to be one of the most athletic and consistently brilliant players on the tour.
Continuing his roll through the field in 2023, Novak Djokovic extended his Grand Slam record for the year to 20 wins with no losses. The Serb is already 36 but he continues to be one of the most athletic and consistently brilliant players on the tour.
Djokovic's most recent win against Jannik Sinner stood testament to his quality remaining as high as ever. The young Italian would say after the match that he felt better about this performance than his 5-set loss to the Serb in the 2022 quarterfinals but the world number 2 still succeeded in completing a routine straight-sets win.
Djokovic is focusing almost exclusively on Grand Slam tennis, and it has seen him earn 11 singles titles out of his 23 after his 30th birthday. Only two men have won Grand Slam singles titles at an older age than Djokovic, Roger Federer and Ken Rosewall.
However, what has surprised many is that his level is superbly high, with the Serb now capable of consistently dominating matches and never giving his much younger opponents a look in.
One former player who commended Djokovic’s longevity and quality at his age is Martine Navratilova, who herself enjoyed a very long and fruitful career. Her reply to a tweet regarding Djokovic’s excellence at 36 indicates how well-regarded the Serb is by his fellow professionals.
Tennis journalist Glenn Greenwald wrote on his Twitter account after Djokovic’s defeat of Sinner: “Djokovic isn't just now the clearly best male player in tennis history, but somehow seems to be getter better at the age of 36.”
“Obviously it helps that Federer and Nadal aren't there, and Wawrinka and Murray are old, but rolling through these young players like this is amazing.” Sinner is 14 years younger than Djokovic, while his finals opponent Carlos Alcaraz is even younger than that. Nevertheless, Djokovic seems capable of outlasting even the fittest and finest the ATP tour has to offer.
Navratilova agrees with Greenwald. The great champion wrote “Yup. Simply amazing!” in response to the original tweet.
Navratilova’s longevity is the stuff of legend as well. The only player to have completed the “boxed set” in the open era — that is, winning all 4 grand slams in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles — won her first slam title as a teenager in 1974, and her final one approaching 50 years of age in 2006. Even in singles, Navratilova reached her first final in 1975, and her last final in 1994.
Djokovic is seeking to match Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles but will remain one short of Navratilova’s 9 singles titles at the Championships. Nevertheless, the great Czech-American player is a professed Djokovic fan, and will be rooting for the Serb as he takes on young challenger Alcaraz in the finals.