“He Definitely Has The Toughest Serve”- Novak Djokovic Reveals His Pick Among The Next Gen

Novak Djokovic has arguably the best return in the world. The Serbian star is considered one of the most dangerous players in the world because he can return almost any serve with brutal intensity. This means that he breaks the serves of his opponents a lot more frequently.

In fact, his stature as world number 1 proves the utility of this skill. However, with the advent of the next gen in tennis, a new crop of players with powerful serves has emerged. Does Djokovic have difficulty in utilizing his return against these players? Who is the most difficult opponent in the regard?

Let’s find out from the man himself.

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What did Novak Djokovic say? 

Djokovic revealed that Reilly Opelka might have the toughest serve among the next gen in tennis. Interestingly enough, Novak has never faced Opelka. This is how he justified his choice –

“Well, I have not played against Opelka. Because of his height, he resembles Isner a lot, so he definitely has the toughest serve to return from the young players.”

In fact, Isner and Opelka, both come from the USA. While Opelka stands at a whopping 6 feet 11 inches, Isner is just one inch shorter at 6 feet 10 inches. According to Novak, height is a major factor in enhancing your serve. This is how the next gen players manage to serve better –

Most of these next generation players, they’re very tall. Because of their height, they have extremely powerful serves that give them a lot of free points. Like Zverev, Medvedev, Tsitsipas, Khachanov, they all have big serves.”

However, Novak refrained from putting his hand on any one player –

It’s really hard to pick one. They have slightly different techniques, everything. They’re very powerful. They go through the court very quickly. You saw Stefanos has been serving tonight regularly over 200, 215 first serves. Sometimes you don’t want to be on the opposite end when the missile is coming that way.

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“I’ve been fortunate that I could and I still can rely a lot on my return that has served me pretty well.”

Novak prevailed over Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets in the finals of the Dubai Tennis Championships. This gave him his second singles title of 2020 after the Australian Open. In fact, he was also the part of the winning Serbian team at the ATP Cup. With him winning 21 matches on the trot, Novak is on a roll.

Do you think anyone can stop him?