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Novak Djokovic’s Coach Confident of Winning the Calendar Slam This Year After French Open 2021 Glory

Published 06/14/2021, 12:03 AM EDT

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Serbian World No. 1 Novak Djokovic was two sets down and one set away from losing the French Open 2021 title. But as champions commonly do, he flipped a switch to become the first man in the Open Era to win all major titles at least twice. 

The 34-year-old also spoiled the dream of a young Greek player of winning at Roland-Garros. He defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-7(6), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to win his 19th Grand Slam title. The Serb’s coach, Marian Vajda, opened up on this astounding feat and described everything that went behind to seal the outcome of this day.

via Reuters

Additionally, Marian also reflected on the possibility of a Calendar Grand Slam. He said, “As much as Novak is healthy, and he is, he is in great shape, he has the ability to win Grand Slams.”

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WATCH: Novak Djokovic Wins Hearts with Touching Gesture at French Open 2021, Serena Williams’ Husband Reacts

Novak Djokovic learned a lot from his defeats: Coach Marian Vajda

To begin with, Marian stated that Novak knows he’s ready to play five sets, physically and mentally. The coach also added that on clay, the momentum is changing more often than on the hardcourt.

via Getty

But it is the hard-to-swallow losses that made the Serb the player he is today. The coach highlighted the defeat against Austrian Jurgen Melzer in the 2010 Roland-Garros QFs.

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“He learned a lot from his defeats at the beginning of his career and from Melzer in 2010. His mind is ready,” the coach said. Even Djokovic had once described that match as the “turning point.”

Furthermore, the Slovak tennis coach said he appreciated the trophy more than the 2016 triumph because Novak was too nervous this time. In 48 hours, the Serb won two of his biggest matches on clay.

“Rafa’s match gave him a lot of confidence. In the first two sets, he was maybe thinking too much,” Marian said

Conclusively, the coach highlighted that winning over the 13-time champion Rafael Nadal boosted Djokovic’s confidence. However, the coach himself had doubts in the final when he lost the first two sets.

“I believed that if he beat Rafa, he had a good chance even if Stefanos played incredible tennis,” Vajda continued. “I was worried that after two sets, he couldn’t get energy because he was too flat.”

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Proving the supporters right and naysayers wrong, Djokovic created history at the French Open 2021. Now, there is a strong belief that he could match Roger Federer and Nadal’s 20 Grand Slam record this year itself.

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Do you think Djokovic will win the next two Grand Slams this year?

Watch this story: Champions!: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, And Others’ Trophy Lift at French Open

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Written by:

Purav Joshi

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Purav Joshi is a Tennis author at EssentiallySports. Having a degree in Films, Television and Media Production, he guided his passion for writing and journalism into the sport of aces and rallies. With over 2 years of experience as a copywriter, Purav has authored over 500 tennis articles.
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