"Novak Djokovic is a phenomenal athlete, he's adding strings to his bow all the time" - Pat Cash

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash has hailed Novak Djokovic for his ability to constantly improve different aspects of his game.

Djokovic defeated Matteo Berrettini in four sets in the Wimbledon final to win his sixth crown at SW19 and 20th Grand Slam overall. After dropping the first set against the Italian in a tiebreaker, Djokovic raised his level and relied on his return of serve and backhand to prevail 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4, 6-3.

Novak Djokovic becomes the third active player to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year. pic.twitter.com/vdik1XY4jd

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) July 11, 2021

The Serb has won eight of the last 12 Majors and is level with long-time rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the Grand Slam leaderboard.

Weighing in on Djokovic's victory over Berrettini, Pat Cash said the Serb is getting better with each passing year.

"He’s a phenomenal athlete, I think we know about that," Cash was quoted as telling BBC by Tennishead. "You know, he’s adding strings to his bow all the time. It’s almost shocking to think – in actual fact he’s getting better."

"Obviously he’s got the mental focus... He’s got the determination," he added.

Djokovic now finds himself in a unique position. If he wins the Olympic gold in singles and the US Open title this year, he will become the first male player in history to complete the Calendar Golden Slam.

Cannot disappoint my little friend Koujirou. I booked my flight for Tokyo and will proudly be joining #TeamSerbia for the Olympics. 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/23TmSdvc4x

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) July 15, 2021

Novak Djokovic needed to have his returns working to beat Berrettini: Pat Cash

Novak Djokovic (L) and Matteo Berrettini

Novak Djokovic is widely considered the greatest return in men's tennis history. And according to Pat Cash, the Serb needed that shot to work in the Wimbledon final against a big server like Matteo Berrettini.

"He needed to have the returns working [against Berrettini] because Berrettini has got an absolutely phenomenal serve," Cash claimed.

During the course of the final, the World No. 1 broke his opponent's serve six times, created 15 break point opportunities, and won 40% of the return points. Cash claimed that Djokovic was dialled in on return after dropping the first set.

"He struggled a little bit in the first set getting the serve back, but after that, boy those first serves – unless Berrettini hit 130 miles an hour on the line – they were coming back," the Aussie said.

"And we know him as this amazing returner, but you’ve got to be an incredible athlete to get to those shots."