Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic’s long-term adviser and guru Pepe Imaz has hit out at his critics for not acknowledging the struggles and the spectacular achievements of the Serbian.
Pepe Imaz, who has been associated with the 12-time Grand Slam champion since 2012 claimed that Novak has suffered unfair criticism at the hands of the pundits, but has bounced back to give a fitting reply to them every time they have slammed him.
Imaz said: “I remember that night before the semi-final of the 2016 French Open, which he won, I was with him the whole night. After four years of working together, he told me that he was closer to fulfilling his objective and that it was fantastic, but that he was calm and wasn’t frustrated or nervous.”
Djokovic put an end to his 2017 season at Wimbledon after struggling with an elbow injury and will make his much anticipated comeback at the Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi scheduled for December 28-30, 2017.
And according to Imaz, the break could prove to be a blessing in disguise for Djokovic as it will re-energize him. “His body needed a break. He didn’t have any mental setback throughout his career. He came to a climax, but he kept trying it, but he couldn’t achieve more.”
Imaz concluded: “Instead of being looked up to for setting an example, Djokovic is being criticized because he is walking on the path of love. But, these critics have waited for his form to drop to criticize him for what he is doing.”
