Newcombe Not Sure Djokovic Can Do it Again Next Year

Written by: Staff on 21st December 2011

Newcombe Not Sure Djokovic Can Do it Again Next Year

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns the ball to Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia during their group A match of the ATP World Tour tennis finals in London, Britain, 25 November 2011. EPA/KERIM OKTEN |

©”DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”©

Novak Djokovic may be convinced that he can carry his extraordinary form from last season into 2012 – but that’s not the case for armchair critic John Newcombe.

Australia’s seven-time major champion remains somewhat skeptical that the 24-year-old Serb can just pick up where he left off from a season which resulted in ten titles including three of the four majors.

Djokovic, who admittedly did a fade after the US Open as injuries and fatigue started to bite, ended the season on a low in London but is determined to put it all right next week in Abu Dhabi at the end-of-year exhibition in the Gulf.

Newcombe is not so sure: “He’s just won so many matches, and it’s been pretty obvious, even at the US Open, he was struggling,” he told Australian media. “Since the US Open, there’s been injuries; a sore shoulder, a sore back.

“When you watch him playing, he’s running on three cylinders. I’d say that his body has temporarily given in. It’s not a lot of time to suddenly suck it up and start the year again and defend everything that he won last year.

“I think it will be a superhuman effort for him to repeat the six months that he had. It was an amazing run, and that is very hard to defend.”

Tennis fever is picking up in Australia as the start of the 2012 campaign looms with the Hopman Cup in Perth kick-starting the season from December 31.

©”DAILY TENNIS NEWS WIRE”©