Tim Henman believes it is “very ominous for the other players” how relaxed and contended Novak Djokovic looks after the great Serb reached the 2024 Australian Open semi-finals.
John McEnroe lauded Djokovic for his ability to do “absolutely anything” and described the world No 1’s hunger and level at the age of 36 as “crazy” and “insane.”
Djokovic defeated world No 12 Taylor Fritz in four sets in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Tuesday to reach the last four at the tournament for the 11th time in his career.
The 10-time champion has never lost in the semi-finals or the final of the Melbourne Grand Slam – a remarkable statistic that illustrates his dominance at the event.
The Serbian has now won 33 straight matches at the Australian Open and is bidding for a fifth title in as many appearances, having last lost at the major in 2018.
Speaking on Eurosport, Henman identified Djokovic’s demeanour as an ominous sign for his rivals after his battling victory against Fritz.
“It’s very ominous for the other players [how relaxed he is]; how he’s looking so contented with where he’s at. His form is great. No-one would be surprised if he goes on and wins the title again,” the former world No 4 said.
“That was a battle. He’ll be relieved to get through the match. I don’t know why we’re surprised, we’ve seen him play this type of tennis so often in Melbourne. He finds a way to get the job done.
“He can’t relax in that second set and just lose it if he loses the first set. That’s why we realised how important that was for both players, but especially Fritz, to have those set points [in the first set] and not take them.
“It just gives Djokovic the breathing room, and from Fritz’s point of view, he’s played an hour and 25 minutes for that first set and got nothing out of it. He’s like, ‘Wow, I’ve still got to win three of the next four’. So it’s a mountain to climb at all times.”
Seven-time Grand Slam champion Mats Wilander also highlighted the first set as being crucial in the quarter-final clash.
“The first set changes everything. When you say three hours and 45 minutes, I would say that Taylor Fritz was out there for three hours and 45 minutes. Novak is not out there for more than two hours,” the former world No 1 assessed.
“The third set wasn’t very hard. Novak has this unbelievable ability to suddenly just relax and let it go, which is what he kind of did in the second set.
“Zero for 15 break points, that’s unbelievable. He wants to be two sets up. But does it matter if he doesn’t win the second set? Not really. There’s a big difference on what Taylor Fritz has to go through and what Novak goes through because he’s so much better in so many places.”
Former world No 1 McEnroe gave his assessment of Djokovic’s performance and marvelled at his completeness and drive given his age.
“I have to hand it to Novak because he started serving terribly. His percentage was like 20%. By the end of the match, he had more aces and was a higher percentage than Fritz, who I don’t think served that badly,” the seven-time major singles champion said.
“At one stage he was zero for 15 on break points and it still felt like he was putting all kinds of pressure on Fritz, who did a lot of good things. He played really well; tried a lot of different things.
“He tried the drop shot, he tried to come in more….you name it. It didn’t work, because Djokovic has got everything now. Absolutely everything; he can do anything now.
“It’s amazing to watch; to see this guy at 36 years old want it this much, to have the hunger to do what it takes. I thought I knew what it took to play at a high level. This is a crazy level. It’s insane.”
Djokovic will face world No 4 Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Friday.
