Wawrinka impressed by powerhouse Djokovic: ‘He does things he didn’t do before’

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The sentence comes as a joke, but is meant seriously. When asked about his role as a hunted, Novak Djokovic (36) said after his quarterfinal victory over Andrei Rublev (25): “I love it. I know they all want my scalp and beat me – but that won doesn’t happen.” They all laugh. The audience, the interviewer and Djokovic himself. “Very modestly,” he adds, but shrugs his shoulders to make it clear that the current situation is like that.

At least at Wimbledon. Here he has won the last four events. Here he is just two wins short of Roger Federer’s record (41/eight titles). And here he recently did not let himself be put off by set losses against Hubert Hurkacz (26) and Rublew.

Djokovic managed to fend off the attack of the young generation. In Paris it was his pure appearance that made world number one Carlos Alcaraz (20) tense. But it is also his work ethic, says Stan Wawrinka (38), who failed 3:6, 1:6, 6:7 against Djokovic in the third round: “Novak does things that he didn’t do before. He has gained muscle mass in recent months won.”

Wawrinka enjoys training with Djokovic

Djokovic himself says that he has currently found his “optimum weight” and that he invests a lot in his body – for hours on end. He’s working on strength and flexibility, which should also “protect him from injury” at his age. The times when he was “very, very slim” are over.

Now the Grand Slam record holder is more muscular than ever. Wawrinka has long since recognized this and is impressed: “He hits harder and dominates the rallies more than before. I train a lot with him, I love it, he is doing everything he can to get even better. He strives for perfection. And that’s also a big motivation for me.”

Now 21-year-old Jannik Sinner (ATP 8) stands in his way in the semi-finals. And although the South Tyrolean is also in shape, Djokovic’s failure would only be one thing: an outright sensation.

Source : Blick