Novak Djokovic’s former coach Nikola Pilic points out the big difference that allowed Carlos Alcaraz to win the Wimbledon title over the Serb
Pilic highlights service issues and lack of Djokovic's true form as factors in Wimbledon loss
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Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic (Credits: Wimbledon and Reuters)
Nikola Pilic, Novak Djokovic‘s former trainer and coach, expressed his thoughts on Djokovic’s performance in the Wimbledon final versus Carlos Alcaraz in an exclusive conversation with Meridian Bet Sport. Pilic, who coached Djokovic in his formative years, believes the Serbian star was not his regular self during the match.
“It wasn’t the real Novak Djokovic,” Pilic said. “It was not Novak’s day, and Alcaraz himself admitted it.” He further emphasized Djokovic’s missed opportunities in the second set, especially in the tie-break, where he failed to recover from two losses, allowing his opponent to take the lead.
He admitted that Djokovic’s game suffered a major dip in the second set but recovered in the fourth set, exhibiting glimpses of his remarkable abilities. However, Pilic remarked that Djokovic struggled with his serve throughout the match, which hampered his performance. “The service movement didn’t look right. For example, in the match against Hurkacz, he served perfectly, and in the final, he did not ace for two whole sets,” Pilic said.
Pilic emphasized that the outcome of the match would have been different if Djokovic had played at his genuine level. Despite the defeat, Djokovic’s track record and recent triumphs suggest that this performance was an outlier rather than a reflection of his general talents.
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Novak Djokovic in 2023 Wimbledon
Djokovic competed at the 2023 Wimbledon Championships with the hope of capturing his fifth consecutive title, a record-equaling eighth title, and his 24th Grand Slam title. He advanced to the semifinals by defeating Pedro Cachin, Jordan Thompson, and Stan Wawrinka in straight sets, as well as Hubert Hurkacz and Andrey Rublev in four sets.
In the semifinals, Djokovic won in straight sets against Jannik Sinner to go to his fifth consecutive and ninth overall Wimbledon final. That’s not all; this was his record-extending 35th Major final, where he faced Carlos Alcaraz. He went on to lose the final in five sets to Alcaraz, ending his 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon since 2018 and his unblemished run in both the Wimbledon final and Centre Court since his 2013 Wimbledon final defeat to Andy Murray.
Djokovic will be looking to win the US Open to claim his 24th Grand Slam title, which makes him equal to veteran player Margaret Court.
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Navya Mishra
(407 Articles Published)