Coco Gauff’s coach makes ‘insane’ Novak Djokovic US Open admission
Coco Gauff’s coach Brad Gilbert has claimed it’s “insane” that Novak Djokovic has simply three US Open titles to his title. Djokovic is probably the best males’s participant in tennis historical past, however the 23-time Grand Slam champion hasn’t dominated at Flushing Meadows in the identical method he has at different majors.
Djokovic has received three US Open titles, rising victorious in 2011, 2015 and 2018. However, the Serbian icon has misplaced within the closing on six events. This makes the US Open his worst main when it comes to closing win share (33 %) and variety of finals misplaced.
While the 36-year-old’s Open Era report of 9 closing appearances – 10 after defeating Ben Shelton to succeed in Sunday’s 2023 closing – is undoubtedly a stellar achievement, it’s stunning he has not received extra at Arthur Ashe Stadium. At the opposite hard-court Grand Slam, the Australian Open, Djokovic boasts a flawless 10-0 report in finals.
Gilbert, the coach of World No. 6 Gauff, believes the US Open is essentially the most troublesome Grand Slam event to win on account of its physicality. He believes it is sensible that Djokovic struggles most in New York, however nonetheless expressed his shock that the Serb has simply three US Open crowns.
“It’s insane,” Gilbert advised USOpen.org. “This is, to me, the toughest physical Slam to win. You have everything here, from extreme hot weather to it used to be way more windy in the stadium.
“This is a surface that kind of lends itself – if you’re a great player, you’re great on this surface. His story is not finished being written.”
Gilbert, the previous World No. 4, has beforehand coached Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray earlier than working with Gauff. The American will face Aryna Sabalenka in her first US Open closing after defeating Karolina Muchova on Thursday night time.
As for Djokovic, he’s conscious of his report on the US Open. He identified that no participant has defended the title since 2008, giving credence to Gilbert’s views.
“Well, I actually lost more finals here than I won in my career,” Djokovic mentioned at his pre-tournament press convention. “My score in the finals of US Open is the worst of all slams I think. There’s some very close finals that I lost, some that I won. But generally I think the consistency of results here has been pretty good.
“I mean, I’ve played most of my US Open editions at least quarterfinals or better throughout the last 15 years. It could be the fact that it’s in the end of the season in a way. End of the Grand Slam season. It’s the last Grand Slam of the year. It’s been eight tough months of tennis for all the players.
“Maybe that’s the reason why you would probably see more surprises in this Grand Slam than maybe some other Slams. That’s the only thing that really comes to my mind. Yeah, nothing else.”
Djokovic is now one step away from including a fourth US Open crown to his report. He is thru to the ultimate on Sunday after beating Ben Shelton in straight units.