Eye of the coach #83: "Novak Djokovic can perform until 40"
Novak Djokovic has the body and physical attributes to be able to play tennis beyond his 40th birthday.
That’s the feeling of coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who has watched Djokovic as he continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in tennis, even in an era when the game is more physical than ever.
“He can play past 40,” Mouratoglou says, in the latest episode of Eye of the Coach. “I’m not saying he’s going to because it’s also about motivation and he could get injured. But I think his body is extremely young for his age.”
Mouratoglou says Djokovic is the best athlete on Tour and the fact that the Serb, at 36, is able to compete, physically, with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, shows just how good he is.
The Frenchman says Djokovic has surrounded himself with the best people to get the best out of his body and that his recovery and movement around the court is testament to the discipline he has shown throughout his career.
KEY MOMENTS FROM EYE OF THE COACH #83:
0.11: Djokovic has benefitted from having the best people around him to work on his physical state and is the best athlete on Tour.
0.25: “I think he can go over 40”
0.40: The fact that Djokovic is able to match Alcaraz’s physicality
1.00: Djokovic’s ability to recover and his movement is testament to the dedication he’s shown throughout his career.
1.15: Djokovic is driven by records and by ensuring his body is as good as it can be for as long as possible
That’s the feeling of coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who has watched Djokovic as he continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible in tennis, even in an era when the game is more physical than ever.
“He can play past 40,” Mouratoglou says, in the latest episode of Eye of the Coach. “I’m not saying he’s going to because it’s also about motivation and he could get injured. But I think his body is extremely young for his age.”
Mouratoglou says Djokovic is the best athlete on Tour and the fact that the Serb, at 36, is able to compete, physically, with 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, shows just how good he is.
The Frenchman says Djokovic has surrounded himself with the best people to get the best out of his body and that his recovery and movement around the court is testament to the discipline he has shown throughout his career.
KEY MOMENTS FROM EYE OF THE COACH #83:
0.11: Djokovic has benefitted from having the best people around him to work on his physical state and is the best athlete on Tour.
0.25: “I think he can go over 40”
0.40: The fact that Djokovic is able to match Alcaraz’s physicality
1.00: Djokovic’s ability to recover and his movement is testament to the dedication he’s shown throughout his career.
1.15: Djokovic is driven by records and by ensuring his body is as good as it can be for as long as possible
Transcript
00:00 I haven't seen ever a player of 36 years old
00:03 that is in that shape physically.
00:04 Now they have the best professionals every single day
00:11 helping them work on their body.
00:13 And I think that Novak benefited that.
00:16 The fact that he's incredibly serious and focused
00:19 made him become the best athlete
00:21 because I think he's the best athlete.
00:23 I still think that he can go over 40.
00:25 I'm not saying he's gonna do it
00:26 because it's all also about motivation.
00:29 Of course he can get injured.
00:31 Anyone can get injured.
00:32 And I think his body is extremely young for his age.
00:35 Extremely young.
00:35 I mean, it's quite obvious.
00:37 You see him move on the court,
00:38 but you can compare him with Carlos Alcaraz, who's 20,
00:43 which is crazy when you think about it.
00:44 He's playing for 16 years more than him
00:48 and you don't see a difference.
00:51 Even though they don't have a completely different body type
00:53 and probably Carlos is more explosive
00:56 because it's his body type also,
00:59 but the way that he moves around the court,
01:00 I mean, his court coverage, his ability to recover
01:04 is the consequence of all his years of discipline,
01:08 working every day with the best professionals
01:10 and looking always for new techniques to improve.
01:14 He's completely driven by, of course, setting records,
01:19 but also making sure that his body is gonna stay with him
01:24 as long as possible so that he can achieve his goals.
01:27 (upbeat music)
01:30 (upbeat music)
01:32 (upbeat music)
01:35 (upbeat music)