Holger Rune has beaten Novak Djokovic in the past, even though he thinks that, on paper, it seems like a pretty impossible thing to do.
Despite being an amazing tennis player with practically no weaknesses, Novak Djokovic also keeps improving. He’s getting better even now, which is what keeps him on top of the sport despite his direct competitors improving as well.
It’s something he talked about often, and while the changes he does seem miniscule, they make a huge impact on his game. Just observe how good of a serve he became later in his career, which unlocked the indoor events for him.
Stuff like that makes it pretty hard to play against him. Some, like Holger Rune, feel like Djokovic is pretty impossible to beat on paper. It makes sense because there is no weakness when you look at it objectively. In reality, though, he’s very beatable, and Rune has done it.
I can’t allow myself to get these thoughts into my mind because on the paper it’s impossible to beat him [Djokovic] but in real life, everything is possible. So I just got to stay in there, take my chance. We know he’s the best but even the best can be beaten. So that’s what I am telling myself.
Rune has actually beaten Djokovic a few times already, which is quite impressive for such a young player. He has a pretty strong game that does really a lot on confidence and risk-taking.
Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t, but the important part is to have belief. Rune explained that if you adopt a defeatist attitude before stepping out on the court, you basically lost.
I think that when I enter the court, I have strong belief in my abilities and what I can do out there. I respect my opponent but I’m never going to be afraid and also, I feel like, they ask me, ‘You know, play a guy with 24 Grand Slams,’ and yes I know but if I would think that, I would already have lost the match.
The legend of their conquest certainly strikes fear in most players, and Djokovic knows that. So the key is to yolo it and see what happens.
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