Sue Barker fears Novak Djokovic may be past his best as the tennis superstar targets an 11th Australian Open crown.

And the former British number one claims Andy Murray is proving to be a distraction in his new role as the Serbian’s coach. Djokovic set up a blockbuster quarter-final with Carlos Alcaraz after beating Jiri Lehecka in straight sets on Sunday morning. The 37-year-old has set his sights on becoming the oldest man to win a Grand Slam title, after overcoming Tomas Machac, Jaime Faria and Nishesh Basavareddy in the previous rounds.

But speaking before the fourth-round match in Melbourne, ex-BBC TV tennis anchor Barker admitted she worries whether Djokovic is good enough to go all the way. She told talkSPORT: “Although watching him this week, he doesn’t look like the Djokovic of two years ago. I worried last year, that was the first year that he hadn’t won a Grand Slam for so long in 2024, and I worry now whether he will.”

Barker, 68, also shared concerns that the high-profile appointment of Scots hero Murray could hamper Djokovic’s chances of a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title. The 1976 French Open champion said: “He’s got Andy there. That’s maybe proving to be quite a distraction for him in a way, because it’s almost more about Andy than more about Novak Djokovic at the moment.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) talks with coach Andy Murray (R)
Novak Djokovic of Serbia (L) talks with coach Andy Murray (R)

“But it’ll be interesting to see what Andy brings to the table and if he can reignite that fire to let him get the one more Grand Slam he needs to be the greatest of all time beating Margaret Court’s record. They’re both on 24.”

However, no matter what happens in Australia, Barker believes Djokovic will go down as the greatest tennis player of all time.

She insisted: “As the record books say, absolutely he is [the greatest]. 24 Grand Slams. He was just unbeatable for so long. A lot of people will say Roger Federer did a lot more for the game and has more popularity, possibly. But Novak Djokovic, there’s no question. In the era that he was in, with Rafa [Nadal], with Roger, with Andy [Murray], to win the Grand Slams that he won time and time again, it’s just incredible.”

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