Fighting the dying of the light
Tennis legend Novak Djokovic already holds the all-time record for the most men’s singles Grand Slam titles, having won 24 to date. He’s already on the record saying he wants to hit 25 before he finishes playing.
He looked like he was on track to hit that target at last week’s Australian Open after he beat number three seed Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinal, but a hamstring tear ultimately caused the 37-year-old to concede his semifinal match against Germany’s Alexander Zverev.
the Serb hinted that this could be his final season
Following his withdrawal, the Serb hinted that this could be his final season. That leaves just three more Grand Slam events, assuming he is fit to participate in them after the expected two-month recovery. We decided to look at his chances in each of these prestigious tournaments.
French Open
Previous Wins: 3 (2016, 2021, 2023)
The French Open at Roland Garros is the Grand Slam that Djokovic has won the least. A big reason for this was Rafael Nadal’s dominance, who won the title 14 times before retiring last year.
He lost to Nadal four times in the finals, only beating the Spaniard twice at the iconic venue. Despite playing during Nadal’s era, Djokovic still has an impressive win rate on clay courts, and he’s always a contender.
Djokovic is the third favorite in the early betting lines, with only Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, ahead of him. Djokovic still maintains a strong record against Alcaraz; he beat him in the Olympic gold medal match at Roland Garros in September 2024 following two thrilling tiebreakers.
the slower court speed will help
Playing on clay favors Djokovic’s consistency and the slower court speed will help, especially if he’s still coming back to full fitness after his injury.
With Wimbledon and the US Open being a lot harder on the body, the French Open looks to be Djokovic’s best chance of clinching another Grand Slam title.
Wimbledon
Previous Wins: 7 (2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
Djokovic is one of the greatest Wimbledon champions of all time, having won the title four consecutive times between 2018 and 2022 (Wimbledon wasn’t played in 2020 due to the pandemic). He’s behind only Roger Federer for the most Wimbledon championships in history, so he’s a force to be reckoned with.
His great movement and ability to deal with the low bounces on grass courts have made him such a strong player on this surface. With a lot of experience playing on grass, Djokovic will instantly be ahead of most of the field.
Djokovic has reached the final in the past six Wimbledons, including times when he struggled with injury and form. He’ll be 38 by the time the tournament rolls around, so age will be against him.
The key will be avoiding any draining five-set matches before he gets to the business end of the tournament. It will be an interesting affair if he can arrive at the final relatively fresh and unscathed.
US Open
Previous Wins: 4 (2011, 2015, 2018, 2023)
The 2023 US Open was Djokovic’s historic 24th Grand Slam, and he will be looking to round out his career in style in Flushing Meadows in the fall.
the Grand Slam that has given him the most trouble over the years
The main problem is that this is the Grand Slam that has given him the most trouble over the years. While he has fewer French Opens, that was mainly due to Nadal’s dominance on clay rather than his struggles on the surface.
The US Open has been topsy-turvy for Djokovic. In three of his last five appearances at the tournament, he has failed even to make it to the quarterfinal stage. A third-round exit last year was his worst performance in a Grand Slam since 2017, as Djokovic looked tired at the end of a long season.
While we can never write off the Djoker, his chances don’t look great if he’s relying on a US Open victory to take him to 25 Grand Slam titles.