"Another year with Novak Djokovic at the top, the younger players are going to get tired of it" - Jimmy Connors on the Serb's dominance

Novak Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Novak Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion.

Former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors recently stated that the younger players on the ATP tour might soon get tired of Novak Djokovic's continued domination.

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Djokovic had a memorable campaign last year, winning a tour-leading seven titles, including three Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open, French Open, and US Open. He ended the season with a 56-7 win-loss record.

Djokovic came very close to completing a Calander Grand Slam, falling to Carlos Alcaraz in the title match at the Wimbledon Championships.

Eight-time Major winner Connors, however, is hoping to watch the younger players challenge and take over Djokovic this year.

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“I hope it turns out like that [younger players taking over from Djokovic] because if it does it's going to be fun to watch. Where there's good matches and tight matches and guys having to push themselves to the next level, to the brink to come through and then snap your fingers and they got to be out on the court again the next day and have to do it over again. That would be fun to watch,” he said on the latest episode of the Advantage Connors podcast.
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“It's another year with Djoker at the top, eventually they're going to get tired of it,” he added.

Jimmy Connors applauds Novak Djokovic for his domination despite advancing years

Novak Djokovic heads into the 2024 Australian Open as the defending champion.
Novak Djokovic heads into the 2024 Australian Open as the defending champion.

After a year of winning most of the big titles on the ATP tour in 2023, Novak Djokovic stated that he was relishing the challenge posed by the younger players.

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"The young guys who are very hungry and very inspired to play their best tennis against me is an additional motivation. I think they kind of awaken a beast in me," he told CBS in December.

Reflecting on Djokovic's efforts to raise his game to thwart every new threat, Jimmy Connors praised the Serbian for staying on top despite his advancing years.

“But on the other hand, I like what Djokovic said. He says ‘If they're not beating me, I'm staying.’ And I get that. Because eventually, age beats everybody. But how cool is that to look back and say ‘Listen, I fought it, I gave it everything I had. And there's only one thing that beat me and that was age.’ That'd be pretty cool,” he opined.

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Edited by Anirudh Velamuri
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