Andy Murray believes that Novak Djokovic, who clinched his 24th Grand Slam title last Sunday at the US Open, will continue to reign over men's tennis for years to come. Murray contends that younger players have not yet attained the same level of skill and expertise as Djokovic, ensuring his continued dominance in the sport. Djokovic's recent victory has also brought him on par with Margaret Court's record of major singles titles.
“It’s up to the young guys to be pushing Novak and looking to overtake him. It doesn’t look like that’s close to happening,” Murray told the BBC on Monday.
“He proved that he’s the best player in the world again yesterday and like I said it’s up to the youngsters to improve enough to take him.”
The 36-year-old Serbian, one of the ‘Big Three’ with Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer who dominated men’s tennis for the past two decades, said he had no plans to retire.
“Novak’s longevity has been the greatest. He’s played at this level for such a long time now,” said Britain’s Murray, who won three Grand Slams.
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In July, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz ended Djokovic’s Wimbledon reign after the Serbian had won four titles in a row at the All England Club. However, Murray believes the wrong conclusions were drawn from the Spaniard’s victory.
“I said that after Wimbledon, everyone was saying it was a changing of the guard, but it wasn’t for me,” he added.
“Physically, motivation, whether someone like Alcaraz improves – he’s an amazing player Alcaraz, he’s brilliant, but to do what Novak is doing on a consistent basis is different.”
The current world number one, Djokovic, will be heading to Valencia for his next endeavor. He is set to team up with the Serbian squad for the Davis Cup Finals, where they will face off against South Korea, Spain, and the Czech Republic in the group stage matches.
