Do not bet against greatness: Amritraj on Djokovic

Mumbai: There came a time through his career that touched many highs for Indian tennis, says Vijay Amritraj, when he knew that he could beat the likes of Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. They, more importantly, knew it too. These were giants of that generation and greats of the sport, each of whom the former world No. 18 Indian had defeated at least once, including at Grand Slams, through the mid-1970s and 80s.

“When I played with Borg, Connors, McEnroe, the best of my generation, I believed that on my good day, no one could beat me. I was going to beat them,” Amritraj said. “I knew that, they knew it, and I knew that they knew it.”

It’s exactly the mindset the challengers of this generation, that flashy Spaniard and the classy Italian, now carry fronting up with the statistical Serbian GOAT. Both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have defeated Novak Djokovic in a Slam final and semi-final, respectively, over the last year. And should the defending champion and seven-time champion book a repeat show of the 2023 title clash at Wimbledon this weekend, Alcaraz — as well as Djokovic — will be aware of that fresh outlook.

“Now in their mind, they (Alcaraz and Sinner) know how to win against him (Djokovic) as well. Djokovic knows that, Alcaraz knows that, and Djokovic knows that Alcaraz knows that,” Amritraj said from the All England Club in an interview facilitated by Star Sports.

Not too long ago, it wasn’t the case. Alcaraz, 21, surrendered to Djokovic in the 2023 French Open semis before slamming the door on him in last year’s Wimbledon final. Sinner, 22, twice lost to Djokovic at Wimbledon in 2022 (quarters) and 2023 (semis) before getting one over him at this year’s Australian Open semis to go all the way. These youngsters grew up watching Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal go about doing their barely believable things. Observing them from outside the court, however, and turning up to face them on it can be two starkly different lessons, felt Amritraj from his own experience.

“There’s a momentum switch that you can feel, also in terms of body language,” Amritraj, a four-time Slam quarterfinalist, said. “You had to really read your opponent. That’s why Borg was so tough, because you couldn’t read anything. In McEnroe’s case you knew you could upset him, same with Connors. But with these greats, at 30-40, 3-4, you knew they were going to do something special. And you needed to be ready for it.”

In those high-pressure 30-40 moments, guys like Alcaraz and Sinner have started to figure out a way to crack Djokovic, which, earlier, seemed a near insurmountable task against the Serb.

“The important thing for Sinner and Alcaraz was what they learnt from the early times they played Novak. The thing that younger players tend to do against a great champion is when push comes to shove, they tend to force the issue. They don’t take a step back and say — you know what, I’m fitter than he is, I can stay with him longer over the course of a point, so I don’t have to force the issue and overdo stuff. Which is what would happen in the early matches. And that’s why Sinner was able to win in Australia and Alcaraz was able to win last year (at Wimbledon),” Amritraj said.

That defeat, along with the one in the 2021 US Open final that denied Djokovic the Calendar Grand Slam, would have “hurt him the most”. Should they meet again in this year’s Wimbledon final — Alcaraz plays Daniil Medvedev and Djokovic takes on Lorenzo Musetti in the semis — on Sunday, “I think they’re even”, reckoned the International Tennis Hall of Famer.

“It’ll really come down to Djokovic’s fitness,” Amritraj said.

Which, a month ago as he withdrew from his French Open quarter-final and underwent a knee surgery, was a big unknown. Once Djokovic entered the Wimbledon draw, though, “he was the frontrunner” for Amritraj.

“Look, when everyone says, ‘Novak is done, he’s just had knee surgery, he’s wearing a brace, he’s not moving as well he used to’, the first thing I tell them is, do not bet against greatness,” he said. “That is always going to be in Djokovic’s DNA. He knows how to handle his body. He wasn’t going to play this tournament to win one or two matches; he’s in it to win seven.”

And the Serb continues to take on the crowd, feeding off even the slightest bit of negative energy from the British fans.

“I mean, he blows hot and cold. He’s one of the nicest guys you could meet. What he’s done for Serbia and European tennis is spectacular. He’s literally the golden boy of his country. Public opinion is a tough one. To me, it was never ever me at Wimbledon, but an Indian at Wimbledon. I think that, to him (Djokovic), is important as well,” Amritraj said.