Legendary tennis coach Brad Gilbert has asked Novak Djokovic to make a “big change” to his game – after the shocking exit at the US Open.
The iconic Serbian was knocked out in the first round by wildcard Mariano Navone in a five-set thriller in New York. The 39-year-old star struggled with heat and humidity against the 25-year-old Argentine.
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The defeat means that Djokovic has now lost three matches in a row – all the way back to his Wimbledon semi-final loss to Jannik Sinner in July, with a loss in the Cincinnati Open to Thiago Tirante in between.
Gilbert: “He’s undercooked”
Brad Gilbert, who has previously coached greats such as Andy Murray and Coco Gauff, spoke about the situation on The Big T podcast – and revealed what he would say to the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“I think the big change, if I talked to Novak, is that he plays the same schedule as three – or five – years ago, when he dominated,” Gilbert said.
“I feel like he’s undercooked now. He needs to play more games and get more repetitions. It’s weird to say that. The reason I say that is that it’s not about winning Cincy – it’s about getting in fighting shape. When you don’t play that many games, it’s not so easy to just turn it on.
“As a 39-year-old, the biggest challenge – I’m sure Federer went through it, Rafa went through it, Murray and many other great champions – is that if you feel like you can’t win the tournament, that’s probably when time has run out for you.
“I’m sure he feels that the opportunity was there, especially with Sinner out. He still feels that he can win it – he probably hasn’t come to that realization yet.
“But I just feel like he’s unfinished in the games. It’s definitely something that’s happening. He has to get back to winning games.
“I know you don’t think he needs it, but it’s about the belief in the dressing room – he has to show the guys that he’s still there. If you lose to people like this, everyone is going to think you’re beatable.
Already in the process of changes
After the shocking defeat, Djokovic posted an emotional four-word post on social media – thanking New York for its support.
But he already seems to be following Gilbert’s advice. Djokovic has confirmed his participation in the China Open later this month – the first time he will compete in the ATP 500 tournament since 2015.
It shows that he plans to increase his activity level to get back in shape – as he prepares to try and win his record-breaking 25. Grand Slam title in Australia in January.
