"Novak Djokovic is a guy I don't see physically declining in any meaningful way" - Tennis analyst

Tennis analyst Gill Gross recently said that he hasn't observed a decline in Novak Djokovic's physicality over the years, but the Serb has been vulnerable emotionally in the past.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion turned professional in 2003 and has since dominated the ATP Tour alongside Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

Answering questions posed by tennis fans online, Gross mentioned on the "Monday Match Analysis" podcast that while the Serb is still strong physically, he has struggled with his emotions in the past. Gross said:

"Djokovic is a guy who I don't really see physically declining in any meaningful way. But I have seen him suffer some ups and downs emotionally. In fact, the only real down I've seen in his career was towards the end of 2016, and 2017."

Gross believes that the Serb lacked aggression during that time not only because of an injury but also due to a poor state of mind. He added:

"Yes, there was an elbow thing going on, but I don't think he was good mentally at that time. I don't think he was happy. I don't think he had the fighting spirit. There were a lot of things bothering him."

The analyst opined the Serb struggled to find motivation having achieved a lot of success in 2016. He said:

"And I also think he had accomplished a ton in 2016. And there might have been a little bit of motivational dip before he kind of refound the fire."

Gross also talked about the 36-year-old drawing inspiration from his contemporaries and the record books. He added:

"He has been motivated by chasing records throughout his career, which is not a bad thing. He is somebody who pays attention to record books and uses them to drive himself while competing alongside fellow greats and he tries to catch them. That is why I bring motivation into a conversation about Novak Djokovic in the next couple of years."

2017: A forgettable season for Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic receives medical care: Wimbledon 2017

Novak Djokovic started the 2017 season in the second spot in the ATP rankings and finished the year in 12th place. The Serb failed to win any Major title in 2017, the first such year after 2010.

Djokovic had a horrible beginning to the year at the Australian Open, where he lost to unseeded Denis Istomin in the second round. The Serb then traveled to Paris for Roland Garros and managed to reach the quarterfinals, but was outdone by Dominic Thiem in the last-eight.

The Serb's disappointing season continued at Wimbledon as he had to retire during his quarterfinal encounter against Tomas Berdych due to an elbow injury. He eventually decided to not compete in the last slam of the year, the US Open, finishing his 2017 season after the grasscourt Major.