Novak Djokovic labeled underdog for 2025 Australian Open as Todd Woodbridge believes he is in “unusual phase of his career”
Todd Woodbridge believes that 10-time champion Novak Djokovic will be an underdog at the Australian Open next year.
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Novak Djokovic, Todd Woodbridge (Images via Imago, The Guardian)
Serbian tennis legend, Novak Djokovic, a 10-time Australian Open champion, has been labeled an underdog for the 2025 edition of the Grand Slam tournament. Former Australian tennis player Todd Woodbridge has boldly claimed that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is in an “unusual phase of his career”. However, Woodbridge also believes that Djokovic would enjoy being an underdog.
The 37-year-old, for the first time since 2017, did not win a Grand Slam title in a season. The best result for Djokovic at a Majors was the runner-up finish at the Wimbledon Championships. At the Australian Open, the Serbian managed to reach the semifinals where eventual champion Jannik Sinner thrashed him.
Djokovic pulled out of Roland Garros due to an injury after reaching the quarterfinals and he suffered a third-round exit at the US Open. His only big win this year came at the Paris Olympics, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz to win his maiden Olympic gold medal.
Apart from that, Djokovic has not even won a tour-level title. He also has been picky about the tournaments he plays in and thus, Woodbridge feels he will be an underdog in Melbourne.
He’s coming into a very different and unusual phase of his career because the way he’s chosen to not play as many tournaments, his focus is on the majors,” Woodbridge observed. He actually comes in as a bit of an underdog in all of these players we’re talking about because of that, and he didn’t win a major this year. I think it’s probably going to bring him freedom in the way that he approaches it, and he’ll enjoy that.
Todd Woodbridge told the The AO Show podcast
Djokovic has played only twelve tournaments this season, including the four Grand Slam tournaments and the Paris Olympics. The Serbian has a win-loss record of 37-9 but has only one title.
Todd Woodbridge in awe of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
While he acknowledged Novak Djokovic‘s unusual phase, Todd Woodbridge also talked about the two rising superstars of men’s tennis – Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. The 16-time doubles Grand Slam champion is mightily impressed with the level of tennis the two youngsters bring to the fore when competing against each other.
Woodbridge said he sometimes cannot believe some shots Sinner and Alcaraz pull off. About their rivalry, the Australian feels that although it is in its early stage, the quality of tennis played matches the level the Big Three played against each other.
Sometimes as a player I sit and watch tennis and I’ll go, ‘No, no, no. You can’t do that. Sorry, that’s not possible’. And they do it again. Then another point and they do it again…That [quality of tennis Sinner and Alcaraz play is] the Novak-and-Roger and the Rafa-and-Novaks and that mix of what those guys played in finals. That’s what they do in their matches which is extraordinary.
Todd Woodbridge said
Notably, Sinner and Alcaraz have played ten matches against each other so far with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head record 6-4 at the moment. In just ten matches, the two players have produced two epic matches- the 2022 US Open quarterfinal and the 2024 China Open final.
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Ritesh Pathak
(2150 Articles Published)