Novak Djokovic receives major praise from former coach Boris Becker

Novak Djokovic claimed two Australian Open titles under Boris Becker in 2015 and 2106, staying in a friendly relationship with the German even when they parted ways at the end of 2016. With or without Becker in his box, Novak is the dominant figure at Rod Laver Arena, securing his third straight crown and the ninth overall on Sunday following another exceptional display against Daniil Medvedev. Struggling with an abdomen injury and torn muscle, Novak had to dig deep against Taylor Fritz, Milos Raonic and Alexander Zverev, passing those three obstacles in just under ten hours and entering the semis. Felling better and using his experience from the favorite Major, Djokovic defeated Aslan Karatsev and Daniil Medvedev in straight sets and extended his perfect post-quarter-final Australian Open record to 18-0!

Boris Becker described Novak Djokovic's Australian Open triumph.

Daniil played well to reach his second Major final, winning 20 matches before the final clash and hoping to challenge Djokovic and fight for his career's most notable trophy. Instead of that, the Russian stayed competitive only in the opening set, losing ground in the second and third as he couldn't do anything to impose his shots and take momentum away from Novak. Praising his former pupil, Becker said that Djokovic reached for his genius when he needed his best tennis, beating Medvedev in the pivotal moments for a mental and tactical masterclass. Avoiding more extended exchanges with the rock-solid opponent, Novak took a different approach and threw everything on Daniil, playing aggressive tennis and controlling the pace for another impressive Rod Laver Arena performance and the 18th Major trophy. 

"Novak Djokovic's genius showed itself in the key moments of the Australian Open final, being able to lock in his game when he needed it most. And until the upcoming generation starts matching him in that department, you can expect the established champions to keep cleaning up at the biggest championships. Daniil Medvedev was right in the match late in the first set and then got a break early in the second. Both times you saw Djokovic being able to summon up his best, most solid tennis while his opponent went in the opposite direction. We saw a mental and tactical masterclass from the Serb, and the younger challengers just do not have that same maturity at the moment. Djokovic did not want to get sucked into long rallies from the baseline, so he took the initiative and was aggressive from the start. It messed up Medvedev's rhythm, and the result was a more one-sided victory than predicted," Boris Becker said.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/3s8P0ls