NEW DELHI: British tennis star Andy Murray is convinced that Novak Djokovic's reign in men's tennis will persist for years to come due to the younger generation of players not yet reaching his level, as stated by Murray in an interview with the BBC on Monday.
Djokovic's latest victory at the U.S. Open secured his 24th Grand Slam title, matching Margaret Court's record for major singles titles.
Murray commented, "It's up to the young guys to be pushing Novak and looking to overtake him. It doesn't look like that's close to happening." He continued, "He proved that he's the best player in the world again yesterday, and like I said, it's up to the youngsters to improve enough to take him."
The 36-year-old Serbian athlete, one of the 'Big Three' alongside Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who have collectively dominated men's tennis for the past two decades, has conveyed that he has no intentions of retiring.
Murray, who himself has secured three Grand Slam titles, praised Djokovic's remarkable longevity in the sport. He stated, "Novak's longevity has been the greatest. He's played at this level for such a long time now."
In July, 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz ended Djokovic's Wimbledon reign, following the Serbian's four consecutive titles at the All England Club. However, Murray believes that the interpretation of Alcaraz's victory was misleading. He explained, "I said that after Wimbledon, everyone was saying it was a changing of the guard, but it wasn't for me.
"Physically, motivation, whether someone like Alcaraz improves - he's an amazing player, Alcaraz, he's brilliant, but to do what Novak is doing on a consistent basis is different."
Djokovic, currently the world number one, is scheduled to travel to Valencia to join the Serbia team for their Davis Cup Finals group stage matches against South Korea, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
(With Reuters inputs)
