Former World No. 18 and recently inducted Hall of Famer, Vijay Amritraj, believes that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have figured out how to beat Novak Djokovic.
Vijay Amritraj is one of the most important names in Indian tennis history. He was a pioneer in many ways. The country has left a solid mark on the sport in recent years, and very few think it would have happened without Amritraj paving the way.
He peaked at number 18 on the ATP Tour in 1980 and was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024 for his contributions. The Indian talked about the tennis landscape, which seemed to have shifted slightly this year.
Djokovic has spent the first six months of the year trying to get to his first final. Finals likely don’t matter to him much at this point of his career, but they’re one way to prove that he’s still on top of his game.
His Wimbledon final appearance was his first final of the year, and that’s very atypical for the Serbian. In his defense, he played very few events overall, and making the final of the biggest events is not easy, but he has taken a step back.
At the same time, there are two players who have taken a step forward, and according to Amritaj, who spoke to Star Sports, the mental side of that is hugely important.
“When I was playing against Borg, Connors, McEnroe, the best of my generation, I thought that on my good day, nobody could beat me. I was going to beat them. I knew it, they knew it and I knew they knew it.”
“Now, in their minds, Alcaraz and Sinner also know how to win against Djokovic. Djokovic knows it, Alcaraz knows it, and Djokovic knows that Alcaraz knows it.”
The dynamic of tennis is certainly shifting in the favour of the young guys. Sinner and Alcaraz are ascending to a level, and Djokovic has struggled to keep up. It doesn’t mean he can’t keep up, but it will be tougher and more challenging. With every match they play, Sinner and Alcaraz know how to play him better.
“There is a change in dynamic that you can feel, including in terms of body language. The important thing for Sinner and Alcaraz is what they learned from the first few times they played against Novak.”
According to Amritraj, the crucial thing that changed for those two was simply their realizing that they don’t really have to press things as they did in the past. Djokovic has all the pressure, which worked out well for both Sinner and Alcaraz.
“What young players tend to do against a great champion is that when things get tough, they tend to force things. They don’t step back and say, ‘You know what, I’m fitter than him, I can play him longer on a point, so I don’t have to force the game and do too much’.”
“That’s what was happening in the early matches. That’s why Sinner was able to win in Australia and Alcaraz was able to win last year at Wimbledon.”
