MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic’s continued success on tour can be explained by the lack of a strong challenge from the younger generation, believes Marat Safin.
“I don’t know if he can win a Grand Slam, but at least he can win some matches. Apparently, he is winning because the new generation is not super good. Otherwise, almost at the age of 40 he should already be out,” the Russian told CLAY and RG Media in Melbourne, during a media availability.
“He is still going deep in tournaments… that means the new guys are not as good as you would think,” added the two-time Grand Slam champion about the Serbian, who will turn 39 in May.
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Djokovic is into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open for the 16th time in his career, extending his all-time Grand Slam record: 65 appearances in the last eight.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion continues to push his own records further. In Melbourne, he surpassed 400 match wins at major tournaments. To put that into perspective, he has almost double the victories of Pete Sampras, nearly 90 more than Rafael Nadal, and over 30 more than Roger Federer.
Safin, who celebrated his 46th birthday on January 27 in Melbourne, was the first player to defeat Djokovic at a Grand Slam.
It happened in Australia in 2005, when the draw paired a 17-year-old Djokovic against Safin, who went on to win the title that year, defeating Lleyton Hewitt in the final.
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