Djokovic is considered a 'psych master'

"I think Djokovic is number one in terms of competitive spirit," Paul said in an interview on the sidelines of the Masters 1000 tournament in Indian Wells on March 14. "His mentality has reached a pretty crazy level. Djokovic handles every situation, every big moment in the big games better than all."

Paul first met Djokovic in the semifinals of the Australian Open 2023. The American player played well in the first set when he lost 5-7. But he then won only three games in the remaining two sets. "Honestly, Djokovic's shot is not superior to the group of strong players. But his psychological difference is huge."

Paul admits he wants to imitate Djokovic. The 25-year-old said: "If you want to reach the highest level, you have to have the same mental strength as Djokovic. I have been trying to improve this for a long time and will continue to do so."

The bad psychology caused Paul to lose against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the match in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on the evening of March 14. Paul won the first set 6-3, then lost with the same score in the second set. In the final set, Paul led 6-5 and 40-0 but could not finish the match. He missed a total of six match-points, then hung the racket 6-8 in the tie-break.

Besides Auger-Aliassime, the quarterfinals of the BNP Parbias Open have only three others in the top eight seeds. The Canadian tennis player will play first seed Carlos Alcaraz in a late match on March 15. Before that, Daniil Medvedev met Davidovich Fokina, Taylor Fritz played Jannik Sinner and Cameron Norrie competed for the semi-finals with Frances Tiafoe.