Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have been told they need to watch out as \u201cNovak Djokovic is back\u201d with his tennis great\u2019s former coach Riccardo Piatti confident he can challenge for another Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
Djokovic<\/a> produced one of his best performances in recent years to beat two-time defending champion Sinner<\/a> in the last four of the Australian Open as he reached his first major final since he lifted the US Open in 2023.<\/p>\n Facing world No 1 Alcaraz in the showpiece match at Melbourne Park, the 24-time Grand Slam winner blew the Spaniard away in the first set, but the 22-year-old eventually settled down and, with the 37-year-old Djokovic starting to get tired, he ran away with the match, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there is no doubt that the Serbian\u2019s display in the semi-final and in the first set against Alcaraz were reminiscent of his glory days, and Piatti believes it is down to the effort he put in during the off-season.<\/p>\n In an interview with L\u2019Equipe, the Italian \u2013 who coached Djokovic in 2005 and 2006 \u2013 said: \u201cHe hired my friend Dalibor Sirola, a fitness coach, and started preparing for this Australian Open on December 1 of last year.<\/p>\n \u201cHe knows that at his age, he needs even more preparation simply because he is older. In fact, players of different ages have less time than him because they do not have the same schedule.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the final, we saw again that Novak\u2019s only issue was his age and, therefore, his physical condition. I respect his efforts to prepare again for these major events, and I respect him even more after this tournament. He loves this sport and wants to be very competitive.<\/p>\n \u201cI am surprised he lost, but it is simply because Alcaraz was the better player.\u201d<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic Features<\/p>\n Novak Djokovic urged to make a radical move in his bid to chase 25th Grand Slam title<\/a><\/p>\n