Novak Djokovic has been compared to 14-time major winner Pete Sampras, who he grew up idolising as a child.
Djokovic beat Roman Safiullin to reach his 17th Wimbledon quarter-final at 39 years old.
The Serbian was able to do this despite his clear frustrations at points throughout the match, with Djokovic even risking disqualification at one point.
After coming through another four-set battle, Djokovic has been told he is doing something that is just like Sampras in this latter stage of his career.
Brad Gilbert explains what Novak Djokovic is now doing that is similar to Pete Sampras
Brad Gilbert has coached some of the biggest names in tennis history, including one of Sampras’ biggest rivals Andre Agassi, who he helped win six of his eight Grand Slam titles.
When discussing Djokovic’s latest match on The Big T Podcast, Gilbert compared Djokovic to Sampras when speaking about his willingness to go for his forehands more at this later stage in his career where he is trying to conserve energy more.
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“I do think the one thing at 39 years young that you notice for Novak, a lot of players that even are great movers get to grass and their movement is compromised,” said Gilbert. “He’s still moving efficiently and the way he can defend out of the corners, especially with the open stance backhand.
“But the new wrinkle that I’ve noticed this year for him, you know maybe if the stamina isn’t what it once was, when he used to be in the corner on the forehand, he would do a lot of the same things that he does on the backhand and kind of like hit a good shot, get back into the point, look to turn around.
“The thing that I’ve noticed a lot from him this year, especially in the [Jannik] Sinner match in Australia, when he’s in the corner, he’s unloading a little more like Pete Sampras on the forehand.
“That’s been like a new thing that like, whoa, where did that come from? Obviously he can hit it, but he’s doing a lot more often on the forehand side, the backhand side he will have the open stance and go for transition points.”
What Novak Djokovic said after meeting his ‘idol’ Pete Sampras for the first time
Djokovic has been very open about how much he idolised Sampras growing up, so this comparison from Gilbert will likely feel more of a compliment.
Indian Wells in 2010 was where Djokovic actually met Sampras for the first time and he had nothing but positive things to say.
“Actually, I was very happy to meet Pete, which is my lifetime idol,” Djokovic told press at the time. “I met him for the first time in my life. I’ve seen him for the first time live just a couple days ago, which was strange, you know, because I’ve seen most of the guys except him. I’ve seen him in La Quinta and we had a little chat.
“You know, I fulfilled somehow my childhood dreams, you know, because he’s the one that gave me a lot of motivation to become a professional player. I’ve seen him winning the Wimbledon when I was four, five years old.
“Because I didn’t have anybody playing tennis in my family, I had to do it myself. So he’s one of the persons that I admire a lot in the sport, and to be able to meet him was just amazing.”
Djokovic added when asked about what inspired him the most about Sampras, “Definitely commitment and just mental mindset. Mindset and the way he approaches matches, tournaments. He’s just one of the biggest ever that played this game.”
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Sampras had already played his last match before Djokovic became a professional tennis player, so they never actually had the opportunity to face one another.
However, Djokovic and Sampras have often been compared in the history books, as two of the players with the most Grand Slam titles in history.
Djokovic and Sampras also have equal Wimbledon titles with seven, but the former will be hoping to move ahead on to eight at this year’s tournament.
Now at the quarter-final stage, Djokovic will play against third seed Felix Auger-Aliassime, whom he has not faced since 2022.
