- Novak Djokovic is on the cusp of holding all four Grand Slam titles at the same time.
- Djokovic is the reigning Wimbledon, US Open, and Australian Open champion and could complete the sport's majors for the second time in his career should he win the French Open this summer.
- Roger Federer said this is "super impressive."
- However, Federer who has never actually held all four majors at the same time himself added that it is not that impressive when you put it in context.
- Djokovic and Federer are currently in Florida for the 2019 Miami Open. They are in the second round against undetermined opponents.
Novak Djokovic is one Grand Slam trophy away
from holding all four tennis majors at the same time a great
achievement, but one that has been downplayed by his arch rival Roger
Federer.
Djokovic has been on a tear since the middle
of last summer when he hit peak form during the grass season, won the
2018 Wimbledon Championships, and then took his hot streak into the hard
court season when he claimed the Cincinnati Masters, the US Open, and
the Shanghai Masters titles in a three month span.
Read more : Novak Djokovic just beat Roger Federer in one of the best tennis matches you'll see all year
In 2019, Djokovic has been just as impressive as he won the Australian Open his third Grand Slam title in a row with precision tennis , backhand winners, and superior rally craft, outhustling Rafael Nadal in straight sets.
Should he win the second French Open of his
career at Roland Garros this year, then he'll have triumphed in four
consecutive Grand Slam tournaments in tennis something that only two
other athletes other than himself have ever achieved in the entire
history of the men's singles category.
He has done this once before, known as the
Nole Slam, when he won his first French Open title in 2016, having won
all majors in the previous year.
Federer told Sport 360
that this is "super impressive," but he then downplayed the achievement
when he said it is actually easier to accomplish this in the modern era
than when the former great Don Budge won six Slams in a row between
1937 and 1938 or when Rod Laver completed Calendar Slams in 1962 and
1969.
"There is no secret that nowadays
it's easier to do than maybe before then. It's just that the surfaces
play more even today, more equal. Back in the day you had really fast
grass courts to extremely slow clay courts."
Read more : Roger Federer is sliding down the world tennis rankings, but there's a very good reason why he won't care
Federer then referenced the former world
number one tennis player Bjorn Borg, who won 11 Grand Slam titles six at
the French Open and five consecutive majors at Wimbledon in the mid to
late 1970s and early 1980s.
"The difference was just so extreme that it
was hard to do what Borg did you know, winning back-to-back French Opens
[and] Wimbledons because the game was so different. You really had to
serve and volley on grass," Federer said. "Today you can not serve and
volley once on grass and win Wimbledon."
Though Federer has won 20 Grand Slam titles he
has never held all four majors at the same time, though he has come
close. Rafael Nadal, too, has 17 Grand Slam titles but has never won
each major consecutively.
"Thats what I'm saying, it could happen more
frequently. Thats what were seeing. I won three, made the finals once.
Rafa, I think he was close many times. Novak has been extremely close,
has done it once, now maybe going for another one.
"So it shows that it is more possible today,"
Federer said, before eventually praising Djokovic. "But the feat, still
regardless of the conditions are easier, is still and would be an
unbelievable one. Credit to him."
Federer and Djokovic are currently in Florida for the 2019 Miami Open.
They are both in the second round of the
competition. Djokovic will face the winner of Bernard Tomic and Thiago
Monteiro's first round match, while Federer will take on either Radu
Albot or Matthew Ebden.
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