Connors reacts to Djokovic admitting he didn’t feel like he was on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s level anymore.
Jimmy Connors reveals he was pretty surprised to hear Novak Djokovic openly admit that he was not on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s level anymore as the American tennis legend suggests that could possibly give a sense that the Serb is “feeling defeated.”
Last year, Djokovic became the first man with 24 Grand Slams and that only solidified his status as the player who almost always delivers in the latter stages of Majors.
But in early 2024, Djokovic’s winning streak at the Australian Open came to an end after current world No. 1 Sinner handed him a 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-3 loss in the semifinal. Not only that Djokovic didn’t look like powerless that day, but it was also his first defeat at Melbourne Park since 2018.
Then at this past Wimbledon, Djokovic didn’t stand much of a chance against Alcaraz as the Spaniard ousted him with a 6-2 6-2 7-6 (4) scoreline.
Afterward, Djokovic confessed that both Sinner and Alcaraz were a step ahead of him at the moment.
Reflecting on that, former eight-time Grand Slam champion Connors wasn’t a fan of that move.
“Man I would never admit that. That’s just me. I would think that, from the inside of me I’d be saying I’m gonna do everything to try and stay up there and compete with them. And to be as good as I could to match them as opposed to saying I am not on their level,” Connors said on the Advantage Connors podcast.
“Sometimes, we always talk about confidence and the mental aspect of this, you don’t want everyone to go in feeling defeated. And against a Sinner or an Alcaraz, to say well I’m not on your level, maybe it’s reverse psychology that he’s throwing out there that, then if I win, I’m superhuman!”
What Djokovic exactly said about Alcaraz’s performance against him?
After losing his serve twice in the opening set and not getting any breaks, the same happened to Djokovic in the second set. In the third set, Djokovic did manage to put up bigger resistance but still it wasn’t enough for the record 24-time Grand Slam champion to win a single set.
And afterward, Djokovic admitted to feeling “inferior” on the court to Alcaraz.
“The way I felt on the court today against him, I was inferior on the court. He was a better player. That’s it. He played every single shot better than I did. I don’t think I could’ve done much more… he wasn’t allowing me to have free points on my serve,” Djokovic said.
“He played with a lot of variety. I’ve never seen him serve that way. 136. I’ve never seen him serve that fast. He must’ve had a really good serving practice day yesterday. He really outplayed me… he was better than me in every aspect of the game.”
What Djokovic said about Alcaraz and Sinner’s level
The season is set to enter its eighth month but Djokovic has yet to win a title this year. On the other side, Sinner won the Australian Open while Alcaraz won back-to-back Slam titles at the French Open and Wimbledon.
After the Wimbledon final loss, Djokovic noted that he needed to improve and find a way to beat Alcaraz and Sinner in order to have a chance against them in the deep stages of Slams.
“Being able to reach the final of Wimbledon gives a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a matchup today against the best player in the world right now for sure, other than Jannik, both of them are the best this year by far… I feel like I’m not at that level,” Djokovic said.
“In order to really have a chance to beat these guys in the Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m gonna have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today. It’s not something I haven’t experienced before in my life.. in the face of adversity, normally I rise, learn, & get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do.”
Going into the Paris Olympics, many had Alcaraz and Sinner as the two top favorites for the title. But on Wednesday, Sinner pulled out of the Olympics due to tonsillitis.
On paper, not having to deal with Sinner in Paris will make it easier for Djokovic to achieve his goal of winning his first gold medal. However, there is still Alcaraz and there is no doubt that Djokovic won’t take anything for granted at the Olympics.
