Australian Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt has described record-breaking world No. 1 Novak Djokovic as a champion without comparison as the Serbian stands within two matches of finishing another incredible season as the standard-bearer for the sport.
That is troubling given Djokovic could well stand in the way of Australia ending a 20-year-drought in the Davis Cup after it reached Sunday night’s final with a 2-0 defeat of Finland in the semi-finals of the iconic team competition in Spain.
“It’s incredible. Every record that he continually breaks now is remarkable,” Hewitt told foxsports.com.au.
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“There’s going to be no comparison at the end of his career in terms of his playing ability and the records … that he holds. It’s quite remarkable.”
Djokovic will lead Serbia against a talented Italian side spearheaded by Jannik Sinner in a semi-final that begins early on Sunday morning on the Australian eastern coastline for the right to challenge the Hewitt-captained team for the 2023 Davis Cup.
The singles rubber between Sinner and Djokovic shapes as a highlight of the Davis Cup Finals, which have drawn surprisingly strong crowds in Malaga this week despite some clear issues with the current format.
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Sinner, the world No. 4 who is mentored by renowned Australian coach Darren Cahill, managed to defeat Djokovic in a thrilling three-set match during the round robin stages of the ATP Tour Finals in Turin last week.
But Djokovic qualified for the knockout rounds after finishing second in his group and then convincingly defeated Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz in a semi-final before avenging the loss to Sinner with a straight sets triumph over the Italian in the final to clinch the ATP Tour Finals for a staggering seventh time.
Hewitt, who claimed the prestigious season-ending tournament in successive years in 2001 and 2002, told foxsports.com.au he could never have imagined a player would manage to clinch an event featuring the world’s top eight players as regularly as Djokovic has managed.
“The tennis that he was able to perform when he needed to in the most important moments in the Tour Finals was as good at tennis as you will see,” he said.
Hewitt defeated Djokovic in their first meeting in 2006, but the 24-time major champion six outings against his fellow No. 1, though the Australian was able to challenge Djokovic several times in their clashes at major level and in the Olympics in London in 2012.
The manner with which Djokovic, who will chase an 11th Australian Open title at Melbourne Park in January, dispatched the best two young stars in Alcaraz and Sinner in the finals in Italy was breathtaking and prompted suggested the 36-year-old is playing better than ever before.
Hewitt is not certain that is accurate, noting Djokovic’s dominance over the past decade. Since the start of 2013, Djokovic has won 19 of the 40 majors he has contested.
“It’s probably hard to say it’s better than ever, because over the last 10 years there’s been moments where he has looked unbeatable,” he said.
“It took Jannik Sinner to play an incredible match in the final to beat him in the round robin stage, but as soon as Novak got a sniff that the title was on the line, he was able to go to a new level in those last two matches.
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“That’s why he holds all these records, because he’s able to do it in the pressure situation against the best players in the world timer and again. To defeat a couple of young guys in straight sets in that semi and final was very impressive.”
De Minaur faces a significant challenge in leading Australia to success regardless of his opponent in the No. 1 singles rubber in the decider. Djokovic thrashed him in a fourth round of the Australian Open in January, while Sinner has won all five outings against the world No. 12, including their clash in the final of the Canada Masters in August.
While Ebden and Purcell shape as automatic selections in the doubles rubber, should it be required, Hewitt has a choice between Jordan Thompson, Alexei Popyrin and Purcell for the second singles position.
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