Federer’s record on my mind: Djokovic
ABU DHABI: Novak Djokovic admitted he’d be “lying” if overhauling Roger Federer’s mark of 20 Grand Slam titles was not on his mind but insisted Saturday it will be a great challenge to get there, especially with the sport’s widely-hyped young generation stepping up.
Djokovic, who sent out an early warning ahead of the official kick-off of his 2019 season with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 victory over Kevin Anderson to win the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, took his Grand Slam tally to 14 by picking up the Wimbledon and US Open titles within the span of the last five months.
The 31-year-old Serb is currently six majors behind Federer and three adrift of Rafael Nadal, but is likely to keep up the pressure on his rivals this upcoming season considering how he recaptured his dominating form in the second half of 2018.
Asked if there is a record he
dreams of capturing before the end of his career, Djokovic said: “I would lie if I say I didn’t want to get to as high as Grand Slam wins number possible. That’s definitely the objective, the desire, the goal. Those are probably the tournaments where I want to do my best for the rest of my career, however long that’s going to be, and trying to also fight for No. 1.”
Djokovic has lost just three times in the last six months, but all three defeats came against players aged 22 and under (Stefanos Tsitsipas in Toronto, Karen Khachanov in Paris, and Alexander Zverev in London at the World Tour Finals).
On Thursday, the world number one conceded that “the face of tennis is changing” due to the influx of new young talent and he believes the ‘Next Gen’ will make it harder for him to stay on top.
NIGHTMARE DRAW FOR VENUS, AZARENKA
WELLINGTON:VENUS Williams and Victoria Azarenka have been drawn to face each other in a blockbuster first-round clash at the WTA ASB Classic, which
starts in Auckland on Monday.
FEDERER WINS IN HOPMAN CUP
PERTH: Roger Federer outplayed Briton Cameron Norrie 6-1, 6-1 to secure a winning start for defending champions Switzerland at the Hopman Cup on Sunday. Federer’s playing partner Belinda Bencic beat Katie Boulter 6-2 7-6(0) in the women’s contest to clinch Switzerland’s victory in the round-robin stage.
The 37-year-old Federer has won the last two Australian Open titles.