American tennis star Frances Tiafoe is gearing up for the Citi Open and he recently gave an interview speaking on several things including Novak Djokovic, US Open and his participation in the Washington Open.
Djokovic is trying to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four Grand Slams. The current world no. 1 has already won the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon and is eager to win the US Open to complete the Calendar Grand Slam.
Speaking in this matter, Tiafoe, who put up a big fight against Djokovic at the Australian Open, feels that the Serb is a very special player. The American feels that it is his mental fortitude that makes him stand out among others.
“The guy’s special, man. He (Novak Djokovic) can play on all surfaces, he’s moving so well, his serve has gotten a lot better. Mentally, just the toughest in the world. Not necessarily he has the best forehand, backhand or whatever, just mentally he’s so, so good,” Tiafoe told the ATP Tour.
Tiafoe highlighted Djokovic’s adaptability, the Serb can adapt to anything that his opponent throws at him. The American feels that he can end the Serb’s dominance.
“As you raise your level, he’s going to keep raising it, keep raising it, really make you beat him. He goes to a place that people just don’t quite want to go to. He’s always got an answer for you. He’s on the brink of achieving something crazy special,” Tiafoe said.
“As much as I love seeing greatness, I’d like it to stop, someone else wins, preferably me. We’ll see how it goes in the end,” he added.
Djokovic’s hope of winning the Calendar Golden Slam ended when he lost to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals of the Men’s Singles in the Tokyo Olympics. He was extremely heartbroken after the loss and therefore he went on to lose the Bronze medal match against Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta.
After his loss in the Bronze medal match, Djokovic revealed that he was playing through injuries and fatigue also kicked in and he is not sure about his US Open participation. The 34-year-old will first gear up to defend his Cincinnati Masters title first before heading on to the US Open.
