Paolo Bertolucci: Roger Federer is tennis but Novak Djokovic is the strongest ever

• Tennis News
• Roger Federer

Former Italian tennis player Paolo Bertolucci has acknowledged that Roger Federer is a tennis icon but declared that the tennis we are seeing from Novak Djokovic over the last year is the strongest tennis we have ever witnessed.

Last year, Djokovic won the Australian Open and finished runner-up at the French Open. Djokovic would have been a top favorite for Wimbledon but The Championships wasn't held last year. This season, Djokovic won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon before ending runner-up at the US Open.

Had Djokovic won the US Open final, he would have captured a record 21st Grand Slam and become the first player since 1969 to win all four Grand Slams in the same year. Djokovic crushed under pressure in the US Open final as he lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.

"Federer is tennis, we are all Federians, but the Djokovic of 2013 and of the last year and a half is the strongest player ever. He and Nadal are capable of keeping mental and competitive rhythms that I would not have managed even 5 minutes," Bertolucci told Corriere del Veneto.

Bertolucci amazed by Djokovic's achievements

"On the one hand: If you win 3 Grand Slams and advance to the final in the 4th, you should also be ahead of the game in the world rankings at the end of a year. And so Novak Djokovic not only leads the ATP charts, but also the annual ranking, the Race, with a sovereign lead," Bertolucci noted.

Bertolucci, a former world No. 12, underlined the importance of finding your soul mate. "Then in tennis it is also important to find the right woman. You look at Federer, Djokovic and Nadal. Federer found himself a tennis player, like Berrettini; Djokovic met his wife at school, Nadal as a child.

Otherwise you risk doing like Borg, who at a certain point got lost," Bertolucci claimed. Federer and Nadal are our for the rest of the season due to injuries, while Djokovic could skip the rest of the season and focus on being ready for the 2022 season.