Novak Djokovic taken aback by Ukrainian star's 'insane winner' during ITF 15K tournament in Serbia

Novak Djokovic recently reacted to Ivan Kremenchutskyi going the extra mile to hit a forehand winner during the final qualifying match at the M15 Kursumlijska Banja 023 in Serbia. The Ukrainian managed to hit the forehand while falling on the clay court and even hitting the fence. However, the match ended 6-4, 6-3 in favor of his opponent, Jan Kobierski.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner is also known for going to such lengths to hit forehand winners and has often been praised by fans, players, and analysts for his flexibility and court coverage, which allows him to hit winners from nearly impossible positions during matches.

On Wednesday, the Serb shared a video posted by “Tennis Legend” on Instagram to his story, which featured Ivan Kremenchutskyi’s successful attempt to score a winner from the baseline while falling and hitting the net fence on the clay court. Djokovic expressed his awe by captioning the video with a string of flushed faces, exploding heads, and clapping hands emojis.

Novak Djokovic's Instagram story

Back in February 2024, while speaking to the Argentine sports magazine Olé, three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka discussed the different playing styles of the "Big 3" in tennis: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Wawrinka particularly described Djokovic as a "perfect player,”.

“I think they have a different style of play. You have Rafa who is left-footed, (the matches are) very hard, very physical. It's hard physically and mentally to play against him, "Roger is a faster player, who makes you feel uncomfortable on the court, and Novak is the perfect player, because of the way he played.” wawrinka said

Novak Djokovic back to practice for first time since US Open 2024 3R loss

US Open 2024 - Day 5 - Source: Getty

Novak Djokovic has returned to the courts for the first time since the 2024 US Open, where he was knocked out in the third round by Australia's Alexei Popyrin.

The 38-year-old is part of the Serbian team alongside Viktor Troicki, Miomir Kecmanović, Dušan Lajović, and Hamad Medjedović, representing his nation at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals. They will be facing off against Greece on the 14th and 15th of September. On Wednesday, videos from their training session emerged on X (formerly Twitter).

This season has been filled with ups and downs for the Serb. With the end of the 2024 US Open, it’s worth noting that the last time Djokovic didn’t win a Grand Slam in a calendar year was in 2017 when he suffered an elbow injury and saw his ranking drop to 12th on the ATP tour.

Throughout the season, the Serb has prioritized Grand Slam events. He began the year at the Australian Open but was unable to defend his title, losing to the eventual winner Jannik Sinner in the semifinal. At the French Open, Djokovic withdrew from the tournament in the quarterfinals due to a knee injury that required surgery.

At Wimbledon, he faced Carlos Alcaraz in a repeat of the 2023 final and was once again defeated by the Spaniard, who claimed his second Wimbledon title.

A major highlight of his season was winning the much-sought-after gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final.