Novak Djokovic’s former coach shares the incredible story of when Diego Maradona predicted the Serb’s ascendance to World No. 1
Diego Maradona, the revered football icon, had predicted the rise of Novak Djokovic to the World No. 1 in 2008, way before the Serb actually did that.
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Diego Maradona, Novak Djokovic
Serbian tennis icon Novak Djokovic is enjoying his stay at the top of the ATP rankings. The 35-year-old reclaimed his top spot following his masterclass in the 2023 Australian Open. Djokovic has now spent a total of 376 weeks at the peak and looking set to continue his rule.
Djokovic started later than his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the other members of the celebrated ‘Big Three’. But, his rise to the summit was already written on the stars. Diego Maradona, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, predicted about the same way before the Serb became World No. 1 for the first time.
Marian Vajda, Djokovic’s coach from 2006 to 2017, shared the incredible story of when the revered Argentine footballer saw the future of Djokovic. “I saw him in Abu Dhabi while training Novak, we had a nice day,” Vajda said. “He told me “coach, you are going to train at No. 1 in the world,” he recalled in conversation with Ole Tennis.
“It was in 2008 when Nole was not yet No. 1 (it was only given in 2011). And it was a privilege because I felt touched by God (while making the gesture of being touched by someone), it was incredible. That’s my best memory of him,” Vajda added.
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Novak Djokovic inches closer to breaking the record of Steffi Graf
The Serb has held the top position for a record total of 376 weeks and now inching closer to the all-time record of German icon Steffi Graf staying on the top of the rankings. Now he is just one week away from that feat to cement his credentials as an all-time great. Djokovic started the week of February 13 with 7,070 points and he looks to extend his time on the peak.
Current World No. 2 and 3, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas respectively will be in action this week threatening Djokovic’s rule. But, even their best results can’t prevent Djokovic from drawing level with Graf’s 377 weeks at No 1 when the rankings are updated again on February 20. At best, Alcaraz will be able to level with the Serb in the points.
Djokovic is looking to continue his masterclass of the season’s beginning entire season and move ahead of Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam tally. Marian Vajda also concurs with the prospects of Djokovic winning more Majors in the rest of the season. “If he has no injuries and remains physically stable, he has already demonstrated at the Australian Open what he is capable of doing,” Vajda said earlier in the same conversation with Ole Tennis.
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Abhinavendu Singh
(290 Articles Published)