Mats Wilander believes Novak Djokovic’s early loss at the 2024 US Open means the Serb will be “even more ready” for the end of the season and next year’s Australian Open.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion proclaimed that “we have to stop being surprised” when Djokovic loses and “be more surprised that he is still winning tournaments” at 37.
Djokovic‘s four-set third round defeat to Alexei Popyrin at the US Open ended his title defence at Flushing Meadows and saw him suffer his earliest major exit in over seven years.
The Serbian won his 24th and most recent Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and secured his only title of 2024 so far at the Paris Olympics in August.
The 37-year-old will next compete in Serbia’s Davis Cup World Group I playoffs tie against Greece, which will be staged in Belgrade from September 14-15. He will then play at the Shanghai Masters for the first time since 2019, with the Masters 1000 event due to run from October 2-13.
Wilander explained why he feels Djokovic’s playing style makes his record Grand Slam tally particularly amazing.
“It’s complicated to play on clay in the middle of the season and not have a single match before the US Open,” the Swede told Sport Klub.
“It’s quite amazing that he won 24 Grand Slam titles considering the following – when he’s not playing so well, suddenly his shots seem ‘normal’ compared to others.
“Rafa Nadal had that big spin, Roger Federer’s serve and slice, and with Novak – if he’s a little out of rhythm, I think others can feel a bit more comfortable on the court with him. That’s why it’s even more incredible that he’s so much better than everyone when he’s in shape.
“This is just a reminder that he is still a human being. He had one main goal this year – gold at the Olympics. He had knee surgery at the worst possible time and still won the gold.
“This defeat only shows that he will be even more ready for the end of the season and for the Australian Open.
“That’s how it goes with him – of course he would like to win every Slam, but this means that he has more time to rest, train, work on some little things, so that he can be a 27-year-old again in Australia.
“Some double faults were the result of nervousness, he didn’t even have matches… We have to stop being surprised when he loses, but be more surprised that he is still winning tournaments at 37 years old.”
The former world No 1 also discussed the lack of frustration displayed by Djokovic against Popyrin.
“We assumed he was going to blow up a bit, that we would hear some ‘aaaah’, because the audience was with him,” Wilander added.
“It’s not usually like that, Popyrin was an outsider, but you could feel the audience’s love and respect for Novak, especially because he was trying to come back and not get angry.
“On the other hand, the fact that there was no ‘burn’ at all means that he did not feel the ball as well as he should.
“I know that feeling, and then it’s easy to say, ‘Hey, I should get stuck, get fired up,’ but if you don’t feel the ball, you just shrug your shoulders like, ‘Oh, God.’ It’s hard to motivate yourself when you’re not playing well.”
