Former number one in the double world rankings, Todd Woodbridge, is confident that Novak Djokovic will overtake Grand Slam record winner Roger Federer.
The 16-times major winner in the men’s doubles was impressed by the Serbian’s improvement in performance in recent months. “When I saw him play at the Australian Open, I thought it was over for him. He played mediocre, but suddenly he hits the ball in the centre of the racquet again and plays almost as well as he did some time ago,” said the Australian.
Djokovic suffered defeats against Hyeon Chung, Taro Daniel and Benoit Paire at the beginning of the year before the clay court season began to improve again. With titles in Wimbledon and at the US Open the 31-year-old crowned his fantastic comeback. It wasn’t until January that Djokovic returned to the tour after a six-month tournament break due to elbow problems.
Woodbridge attributes the sporting resurrection mainly to the commitment of former coach Marian Vajda. This would have put the now 14 times Grand Slam winner back on track during the clay court season.
Woodbridge was particularly impressed by the Serbian’s service. “The consistency and the serving at Big Points have improved.” The 47-year-old also thinks he has noticed improvements in the game of “Nole” at the volley game.
Woodbridge therefore believes Djokovic is capable of surpassing Roger Federer in the eternal list of the Grand Slam triumphs. The Swiss has won 20 major titles to date, but Rafael Nadal (17) and Novak Djokovic (14) are on his heels. “In view of what Federer and Nadal have achieved in recent years, Djokovic still has three to four years ahead of him,” explains the Australian.
“During this period, he can win at least five more majors. He has a realistic chance of overtaking Federer in this classification,” Woodbridge sums up in an interview with Tennismash.