'Novak Djokovic is younger than Roger Federer, and he is close to him,' says Mirza

Novak Djokovic claimed the third consecutive Australian Open crown and the ninth overall, extending his Melbourne Park dominance and making the GOAT race even more exciting. The Australian Open was Djokovic's 18th Major crown, moving two away from Federer and Nadal and looking good to reach the great rivals in the rest of the year if he stays healthy. Praising Djokovic and his achievements, the doubles legend Sania Mirza noted that the Serb is not far behind Federer and Nadal and deserves more attention. Mirza reminded that Novak is much younger than Roger, playing on an unbelievable level for years and delivering consistent tennis that put him right behind the Swiss and the Spaniard in the GOAT race. Mirza backs "incredibly well-prepared" Novak to chase more titles and records in the years to come.

Novak's ninth Australian Open crown came after beating seven opponents and an abdomen injury, struggling against Taylor Fritz, Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev but passing those obstacles to remain on the title course. In the semis, Djokovic took down a qualifier Aslan Karatsev 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 for his ninth Australian Open final, firing 17 aces and earning six breaks from seven opportunities to march over the top.

Sania Mirza praised Novak Djokovic following the Australian Open title.

The Serb had 30 winners and 14 unforced errors, overpowering Karatsev in the shortest and mid-range exchanges to set the title clash against Daniil Medvedev. Before the title encounter, the Russian had won 20 consecutive matches, failing to repeat the same level against Novak and propelling the Serb towards a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 triumph and the ninth Melbourne crown. 

"People are talking about Federer and Nadal all the time, and some of them are forgetting about Novak Djokovic. Then, Novak reminds them that he has won 18 Major titles while being much younger than Federer. He has been the world's leading player for a while now; he is incredibly consistent. Novak has won nine Australian Open crowns; he could even win 15 by the retirement, depending on how much he would play. It's a fact that Novak should win more Majors; he is incredibly well-prepared and has been playing at his pick for a couple of years," Sania Mirza said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2ZOmhpJ