Dominic Thiem calls Novak Djokovic 'mentally stronger' than Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic's rise in the tennis world has been one of the great stories of the game in the last 10 years. At a time when the sport was dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and players' entire careers were spent trying to break into the top 2, Djokovic rose to the challenge. His success in tennis and his current records are a testament to not just his prowess as a player, which many other challengers also had, but also to the mental fortitude that allowed him to go on despite the fact that he won just one Grand Slam title in the first six years of his career. 

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Dominic Thiem says Djokovic's mental strength is greater than Rafa and Federer

When Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal came burst onto the scene in world tennis, there was a vacuum at the top. The older generation was at its twilight and there was some space for new blood. But the path was tougher for everyone who came after.

The first real challenge to the Federer and Nadal supremacy came from Djokovic and Andy Murray around 2008-09 by which time Federer had already won 13 of his 20 Grand Slam titles. Much of the credit for this goes to their mental capacity to bear losses and to keep going without being overwhelmed by the star power commanded by Federer and Nadal. 

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Someone who can definitely relate to this is US Open 2020 winner, Dominic Thiem. In a recent interview at the Vienna Masters, the World No. 3 revealed that he immediately sensed the gigantic aura of the 17-time Grand Slam champion. “I played against Novak Djokovic for the first time in Shanghai in 2014. I had immediately noticed the aura of his superb level of play," he said. Thiem lost that match 3-6, 4-6 but reckons that it wasn't a total disaster. 

“Novak Djokovic is probably the best player of all time mentally,” Thiem wrote on his website blog. “We have had a couple of great fights. He is extremely professional, always focused one hundred per cent," he added, saying that he felt Djokovic was mentally much stronger than Federer and Nadal. Both Djokovic and Thiem have been ousted from the ATP 500 Vienna Masters.

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Djokovic on what you need to get to the top

In a recent interview, Djokovic had some advice for Italy's breakthrough player Jannik Sinner, warning him that getting to the top is far tougher than it looks. “Many things have to come together in a career and life of a tennis player in order for him to be able to find his best and maximise his potential and to thrive every single year,” the World No. 1 said. He asked the youngster if he could "endure for three, four, five, 10 years? Fifteen years?” till he finally has that one great season that propels him to the top.

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Image Credits: Dominic Thiem Twitter