Leander Paes reveals remarkable similarity between Novak Djokovic and Cristiano Ronaldo

Indian tennis legend Leander Paes has revealed the one thing that he thinks makes Novak Djokovic and Cristiano Ronaldo the best in their sports. The 18-time Grand Slam Champion commended Djokovic, 33, and Ronaldo, 35, for their ability to maintain their fitness levels to match and even surpass players far younger than them. Paes, who turned pro in 1991 at the age of 18 has announced that he will retire from pro tennis at the end of this year's season at the age of 47.

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Leander Paes reveals what makes Ronaldo and Djokovic the best

In an interview with India Ahead, Leander Paes said that the one thing top athletes like Novak Djokovic and Cristiano Ronaldo have in common is their drive to continuously get better at what they do and their willingness to push themselves to stay on top. 

“On the planet today, Cristiano Ronaldo and Novak Djokovic are the two athletes who invest in themselves the most” Paes said.

Paes heaped praises on Djokovic's decision to study his body's needs and make the decision to go gluten-free after finding out he had Celiac disease. 

This had an immediate effect on the quality of the Serb's game, making him one of the fittest tennis players, known for his ability to go deep into matches and perform even when his opponents run out of fuel. Gone were the days of the current No. 1 dropping out of matches halfway through, claiming medical issues - something he became notorious for in the early days of his career. Djokovic passed the ultimate test of fitness when he defeated Rafael Nadal in a 5-hour and 53-minute-long final at the 2012 Australian Open. 

Paes also mentions Ronaldo and Djokovic's obsession with perfection, not just in their game, but also surrounding themselves with technology and people who are obsessed with perfection.

“Whether it comes to entourages of different expertise that travel with them or whether it comes to modern technology that enhances sporting progress to enhance themselves,” they go the extra mile, Paes opined. 

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Djokovic Grand Slams and other records

Winning his 17th Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this year, Djokovic is just three titles behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He has said that he will not be defending his title at the Paris Masters, choosing to rather earn some points at the ATP 500 event in Vienna. All this, so he can maintain his No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings and break Federer's records of most weeks as No. 1.

Cristiano Ronaldo career stats 

Ronaldo has scored 119 goals for his country in all levels of the game, including U-15, 17, 21 and 23 levels. He has scored 55 goals for Juventus in three seasons so far and has won five Ballons d'Or and five FIFA Best Men's Player titles. He has scored more than 700 lifetime goals, making him one of the most prolific in the sport.

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Video Credits: Indian Ahead 

Image Credits: AP and Novak Djokovic Twitter