Novak Djokovic has dealt with a ‘mess’ of a season ‘extremely well’, says Eurosport expert Alex Corretja

Novak Djokovic has dealt with what has been described as a “mess” of a season by Eurosport’s Alex Corretja “extremely well”.

The 21-time major champion has had a disrupted year as he was unable to play in Melbourne or New York due to being unvaccinated. That meant he missed both the Australian Open and the US Open.

However, he won Wimbledon for a seventh time a month after losing in the quarter-finals of the French Open to Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic did not play on the tour for nearly three months after winning Wimbledon. But he has looked in good form on his return, winning titles in Astana and Tel Aviv before losing to Holger Rune in the final of the Paris Masters.

“I mean, Novak’s season has been like a mess and he’s been dealing with it, I think, extremely well,” said Corretja, who was speaking ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals.

“I’m very impressed by the way he’s been handling the whole situation. Every time he’s on court, he’s winning.

“And I’m sure he’s been suffering so much because he loves tennis as much as all the others, but because of the circumstances, he decided that he didn’t want to go through some situations and sacrificed some of the bigger events of the tennis world.

“And especially since he’s been bidding to become the greatest of the whole history at the end of their careers when they retire.

“He’s been for me an example of superiority because every time he plays he’s almost winning.

“And also when you don’t play that much, then it’s difficult to get the rhythm, but he’s been just winning almost every time he plays the tournament.

“So it’s been quite an amazing season from Novak, and I only hope that for next season he could play all the tournaments and all the events, because that would be extremely good for him.

“But it would be super good for tennis, because if you have one of the best players in the history of tennis and he’s not playing the most important tournaments, it definitely changed the dynamics and the history of our game.

“So hopefully he’s going to be able to play because that would be the best for everyone.”

Djokovic is the second-oldest player of the eight competing in Turin, after 36-year-old top seed Rafael Nadal.

The Serbian has won the ATP Finals five times during his decorated career, and success this year would see him equal Roger Federer’s record of six titles.

“I think the motivation for Novak right now is to try to win everything he plays, because he’s zero tired from the season, because he’s been on and off and he’s been winning almost every time he steps on the court, so his confidence must be huge,” continued Corretja, who believes the world No.8 will be desperate to bounce back after defeat to Rune in Paris.

“The fact that he lost the finals in Bercy might help him also to relieve a little bit the feeling that he cannot lose.

“Now he knows that he can lose, and again trying to win another Masters, it’s something that you have under your belt, 1st, 2nd.

“It’s points that you gain into your ranking to go into the next season, trying not to be as far as the top seeds, because at the end you don’t want to be seat eight or seven, because then you can face the tougher opponents in the quarters.

“So whenever you climb in the rankings it helps you to be a little bit safer for the future. And it brings confidence also when you win, you’re always happier.

“So I think he’s a winner and he’s been showing that he’s a winner and he likes to go there and try to show again that every time that he can play, he’s better than the others.

“And that’s why I think for Novak it’s such a relief to be able to play and he’s happy because he’s showing himself and the others that he’s still there as one of the toughest guys.”

Djokovic was pitted against second seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev in Thursday’s group stage draw.

He faces the Greek in an opening match that could give both players a sense of déjà vu, after they met twice in October.

The ATP Finals take place from November 13-20.