"It's almost a strategy" says Boris Becker on Novak Djokovic's slow starts at US Open

ATP
Thursday, 09 September 2021 at 20:00
boris becker 2021
Novak Djokovic lost a set in all matches he played so far at the US Open but and Boris Becker believes it's almost like a strategy of the Serbian.
Novak Djokovic is only two matches away from making history at the US Open and expectedly his form has been steadily rising as the event has been going on. The Serbian lost a set in all matches he played so far but it never rattled him and he came back to win each time with ease. Boris Becker, who coached Djokovic for a while, says it takes the Serbian time to get into the swing of things:
"Djokovic has a different game. He unnerves you about the length of the match. On the one hand, his opponents were very strong at the beginning, but on the other hand, Djokovic doesn't let that bother him. He really gets going after one and a half or two hours and then finishes the matches very strongly. It's almost a strategy of Djokovic's to unnerve his opponents first and then beat them."
Becker has a point as Djokovic is famously known to start off matches rather slow before turning it on and coming back to win. Very rarely does the Serbian get beat in straight sets. Several of his last major wins featured comeback victories such as the 2021 Wimbledon and Roland Garros triumphs.
The Serbian will play Alexander Zverev next and he will look to avenge his Olympic Games defeat that disappointed Djokovic badly. On that match Becker said:
"You can't just watch the current tournament. Tennis doesn't work like that. You always have to consider the background as well. Novak Djokovic is playing for tennis history and sports history, Sascha Zverev is trying to win his first Grand Slam tournament. That will always play a role."

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