Tennis: Novak Djokovic 'Does Not Have Weaknesses', Says Dutch Player

Novak Djokovic being regarded as one of the best tennis players in history will never be questioned. But despite his greatness already fixed in the books, the Serb superstar still does not fail to amaze his adversaries.

Robin Haase is one of the several competitors who spoke highly of the current world No. 1. The 33-year-old Dutch player called Djokovic the “toughest” who does not possess any weakness in his game.

"The toughest thing is to play against Novak. Without any doubt. You feel like an amateur when you play against him,” said Haase, per Sportsklub. “I have never been close to a winning set against him. He doesn’t have weaknesses. Against the other players, there were moments when I felt I could threaten a bit — but against him, I had no idea what to do.”

Haase has faced Djokovic thrice in his career. But so far, all their face-offs were seized by the Serb.

The 32-year-old has been off the charts for the last couple of years marked by five Grand Slam titles, including the Australian Open this year, which highlighted a searing 18-0 start in the 2020 season prior to the hiatus caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Overall, Djokovic holds 17 Grand Slam titles, which is the third-best in singles behind Roger Federer (20) and Rafael Nadal (19).

Ranked No. 169 in the world, Hasse said he is anything but worried about the future of tennis when the Big 3 head to the exits. Getting support from history, he cited the likes of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras passing the torch to Federer and Nadal, who then took care of the sport since.

"I would say the answer lies in the past. People wondered the same when (Andre) Agassi and (Pete) Sampras were retiring,” said Haase. "The same happened when (Bjorn) Borg and (Ivan) Lendl were calling it quits. I don't think that tennis is in jeopardy. A player can't be bigger than the game. There is a new generation, they have beaten the best -- which is a good sign. The guys are good."

Apart from Haase, retired professional Pat Rafter is also one who does not shy away from heaping praises on Djokovic. The Australian, who retired in 2002, could only think about how he would fare against the Serb star. But in his own assessment, he admits Djokovic would be too much of a talent for him.

“Someone like Djokovic would make my life miserable. He returns too well,” Rafter told tennis365.