BELGRADE (Dispatches) - Novak Djokovic will swiftly overcome the disappointment of failing to win a calendar Grand Slam and a record-breaking 21st major at the U.S. Open, former Yugoslavia Davis Cup coach Radmilo Armenulic told Reuters.
Djokovic suffered a crushing straight-sets loss to Russian Daniil Medvedev but Armenulic, who guided Yugoslavia to three Davis Cup semi-finals from 1988 to 1991, was confident it would not derail the 34-year old Serb’s quest.
“I think he’s got two or three years left at the highest level and he has every chance of winning another three or four slams, which would be enough to make his tally unbeatable,” said the 81-year-old Armenulic.
“His age will at some point undoubtedly become a factor and the younger contenders are at an advantage because they can still improve whereas all he can do is work hard to stay on his current level.”
Djokovic is tied with Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal at 20 majors each and although Armenulic conceded the world number one was well below par in Sunday’s final, he predicted Djokovic would nose ahead of his rivals at next year’s Australian Open.