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Novak Djokovic can’t match Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, says Boris Becker
Tennis great and former coach Boris Becker feels Novak Djokovic will not be able to make as successful a comeback like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Tennis great Boris Becker, who has coached Novak Djokovic in the past, feels the Serbian cannot match the feats of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in making strong returns after injuries.
While Federer achieved unprecedented feats last year after making a comeback from a knee injury, Nadal also won two Grand Slam titles and finished the year as World No.1.
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Djokovic too is recovering from an elbow injury for which he underwent surgery as well.
But Becker, who was even helped financially by the Serb when he declared bankruptcy, believes that Djokovic will not be able to match the achievements of Federer and Nadal.
“Usually they say the amount of time you have been away takes you the same amount to come back to your previous level and I hope that is not the case for Djokovic because that would mean the end of the year,” Becker was quoted as saying by Daily Express.
“It would be a lot to expect him (Djokovic) coming back and winning his first tournament at a Grand Slam. Rafa and Federer have set examples of coming back but they are not normal. Usually it takes time.”
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The 13th-ranked Djokovic returned to the tennis court mid last week for the first time since his exit from the Australian Open earlier this year. In an Instagram post, Djokovic informed of ‘tuning his guitar’ as he returned to training.
The 30-year-old had to sit out half of 2017 due to his injury and resultantly, moved out of the top-10 for the first time since 2007. According to ESPN, while Djokovic is scheduled to play in Indian Wells and Miami, he has not yet set a date for comeback.
