The former Croatian player leaves some surprising words about the current rivalries on the circuit ahead of the ATP Finals 2024.
Ivan Ljubicic, former coach of Roger Federer and current coach of young French players, shares his thoughts on current circuit issues on Italian television. The Croatian former tennis player explains how he sees Novak Djokovic’s current level and what his role will be in the sport after the retirements of Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal. He also reveals who he sees as the clear favorite for the ATP Finals title, and shares interesting comments about Carlos Alcaraz.
Does Djokovic’s future depend on himself?
The recent withdrawal of the Spanish player makes it clear that the end of the Big 3 is approaching. While there are still a few weeks left until Rafa officially leaves tennis, Novak Djokovic is the only one of the three who is determined to continue in competition. “I don’t know, and I believe he doesn’t know either at the moment. In my opinion, his goal is definitely the tournaments and not the ranking because to climb higher, he would have to play much more,” Ivan explained on Sky Sport.
“He is neither physically nor mentally prepared for it, but he showed us in Shanghai that when he wants to compete, he can challenge the best. I doubt he will play in Turin this year, but he will try again next year.” Those doubts are now minimal after the confirmation of Djokovic’s absence from the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, a tournament from which he needed a significant number of points to secure his place in the ATP Finals.
Is Jannik Sinner the favorite for the ATP Finals?
“Yes, for me, he is the dark horse. Also because Alcaraz still has to convince me on indoor courts. He has a very high level on hard court, but even in Turin last year, he struggled a lot on indoor courts, especially from a mental perspective. Let’s see if that changes this year. If we want to look for someone closer to Jannik, I would say Zverev,” confessed the former Croatian player regarding that major final tournament in the ATP.
