Coach Goran Ivanisevic shared that he is not worried about Novak Djokovic's chance to win Roland Garros championship even though he started the season on clay with a result of 5 wins and 3 losses.
He has this software in mind and can transform when a Grand Slam comes. Grand Slam is a different event from other tournaments. The day we arrived here, he was better, more motivated, more hungry, Ivanisevic said after Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday (6.11.1).
Hes getting better and better every day. I thought in the match against Alcaraz (in the semi-finals), he played smart and unbelievable tennis. And today he just finished what we really started at Monte-Carlo.
During the trophy awarding ceremony, Djokovic hinted at the hardships he had caused his team over the past two weeks. Ivanisevic confirmed that and joked about how the Serbian was able to overcome everything to win his 23rd Grand Slam title in his career.
He chained us with handcuffs for three days, Ivanisevic said, smiling. Hes not an easy guy, especially when something doesnt go his way.
But we are here to fight back and be tortured, you know. That is the goal of the team. We are here to make him feel better, perform better. Sometimes that's not easy. Sometimes it's very complicated.
But overall, this is life, tournaments like this, end like this. It's not easy. It was not an easy journey. We started in Monte-Carlo, Banja Luka.
Rome is a little better but still far from real form. He tortured us, took our nails. There are many more things but I can't tell you that.
But we are still here, we are alive. My heart is still fine. I am an old man, I need to be careful with my heart. So he's okay.
Hopefully Rafael Nadal will return
Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to become the all-time leading male tennis player. Ivanisevic explains why he hopes to see the Spaniard return to the winning circle.
I am really sorry Rafa is not here, but I said a long time ago before I became a member of Djokovic's team that he and Rafa, they would have won 22 Grand Slams.
I hope Rafa will return to win another title, and Novak is the only player who can win the Grand Slam Calendar. Two years ago, he was just one game away from that mark, and there will be a chance this year.
Challenges from Carlos Alcaraz
The most anticipated match at Roland Garros 2023 is the semi-final between Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz. After two tense first sets, Alcaraz crushed and Djokovic took the lead to win.
Many people say that Alcaraz is a candidate that is rated higher than Novak. You can't say that when playing against someone who has played 33 Grand Slam finals, won 22 of them.
Alcaraz is the next outstanding player. I love Carlos, and he will win many Grand Slams, I don't know how many," Ivanisevic said.
But you cant say hes the one whos more highly regarded. He played better here. But this is a Grand Slam, where we compete for courage. As you can see what happened in set 3. Novak knows. Novak waited.
With that mindset, Ivanisevic believes that Alcaraz and others will continue to challenge Djokovic. But the former world No. 2 still has faith in his player regardless of the circumstances.
He will definitely be a threat, on the pitch, on the hard court, everywhere, Ivanisevic said of Alcaraz. But, its always the word but, hes still young. You know, there is still Novak and you can't bet against Novak."
