By Shrivathsa Sridhar
BENGALURU (Reuters) – As the all-conquering Novak Djokovic continues to cast a shadow on the next generation, teenager Carlos Alcaraz’s fearless approach marks him out as a player with the potential to dethrone him, sports psychology experts have told Reuters.
Djokovic will turn 36 in May but has barely slowed down and outclassed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the Australian Open final last month to capture a record-extending 10th crown at Melbourne Park.
The Serbian mowed down significantly younger rivals en route to his 22nd Grand Slam title, all the while managing a hamstring tear, prompting his coach Goran Ivanisevic to say he could rule the sport for a few more years.
Djokovic is now into his 378th week as the world number one, surpassing Steffi Graf’s record for the most weeks at the top of the sport, a feat that prompted some of his young rivals to express adoration and back him to break more records.
Florida-based Patrick Cohn, who teaches mental skills and sports psychology techniques to professional athletes, said he was not surprised Djokovic was still dominating the next generation.
“The tennis greats can be intimidating to younger players who idolised them growing up,” said Cohn, who has worked with tennis players, NASCAR drivers, the Miami Dolphins as well as golfers on the PGA Tour.
Cohn believes young players must rely on better preparation, tactics and develop a stronger mental game to topple Djokovic.
“They have to believe he’s not a god and they can win,” Cohn added. “They have to be mindful of putting him on a pedestal and thinking he can’t be beat.
“When playing a top player, the only thing that’s important is tactics and mindset, not the fact that he’s won several Grand Slams. I suggest to younger players that they view opponents as nameless and rankless.”
NOT INTIMIDATED
Cohn said the current crop of young challengers could not be written off and he believes that the 19-year-old Alcaraz, who became the youngest number one after his U.S. Open triumph last year, could be the player who ultimately dethrones Djokovic.
“Alcaraz is fearless and not intimidated by players with much greater experience,” Cohn said. “He plays his game no matter the opponent and doesn’t implode mentally.”
Alcaraz’s injury absence from the year’s first major allowed Djokovic to leapfrog him to top spot. But the Spaniard gave fans a glimpse of his powers by beating Djokovic in their only meeting in Madrid last year.
Former tennis player Jeff Greenwald, now a sports psychology consultant, said the Spanish world number two possessed rare qualities required to excel at the elite level.
“Alcaraz is the one who demonstrates versatility that some of the others players don’t have, including being able to play incredible offence under pressure and play fearless tennis,” Greenwald said.
“He doesn’t seem to have the emotional ups and downs that some of the others can have at times because tennis is a rough sport and they’re only human.
“He seems to have a uniquely helpful temperament for high-level tennis and the style to match. He will be a contender and likely one of the players who begins to take a bite out of Djokovic.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Toby Davis)
