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It’s pretty rare that any of us question the abilities of the great Novak Djokovic. But after his heavy defeat at the hands of Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon finals, big questions are starting to be asked. This relates to questions over his physical capacity to remain at the top of the tree, his commitment to the game, his desire to win more titles, and more.
However, it’s the latter that I’m going to address today, as this is the most pressing of all the questions raised right now. Of course, Djokovic is already the Grand Slam title leader with 24 to his name. And it’s almost 100% certain that he will retire with the most slams out of the big three, given Nadal’s imminent retirement.
But after such a dominant 2023 season in which he won three slams, he’s failed to win any in 2024. Is this purely a coincidence, or is it a sign that the so-called changing of the guard in men’s tennis has officially arrived? More importantly, after his worst season since 2017, is it even possible for Djokovic to win another Grand Slam in his career?
I’m going to look at both sides of the coin today to give the most rounded answer possible – so let’s get started!
Reasons Djokovic can win another Grand Slam
Contents
This first section is for all the Djokovic fans out there who aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to this legend yet – myself included! Sure, his results in 2024 have been anything but stellar by his standards. But there are still several reasons that show Djokovic could still win another Grand Slam in his career.
Therefore, let me start with these before addressing the reasons that indicate he won’t win another slam.
He made the finals of Wimbledon without being 100% fit
While Alcaraz looked in a different league to Novak Djokovic in the finals of Wimbledon, people tend to forget that Djokovic had surgery just weeks beforehand. As it happens, it’s a bit of a miracle that he competed in the tournament at all – never mind making the finals! This shows the physical specimen that he is, and it shows his resilience as well as his commitment to the sport.
And although Carlos Alcaraz was a step too far for the 24-time Grand Slam champion this year, he still took down some of the world’s best at SW19. All of this was achieved without being 100% fit, which is certainly an indicator that he’s still in the mix for Grand Slam trophies.
He still claims he is hungry for more titles
One of the worrying signs this year is that Djokovic has seemed to lack motivation and drive in the later stages of big events. He’s never been shy about admitting that his primary goal is to win slams at this point in his career. But there have been moments where that animal-like desire has been missing.
However, when he’s engaged in press conferences and interviews throughout 2024, he has consistently said that he’s motivated to win more titles. And to be honest, I feel he wouldn’t make such comments if he didn’t mean them.
He is still beating most of the best players in the world
The final reason is somewhat connected to Wimbledon. But it’s also true of his other results in the 2024 season too. He’s taken out some of the biggest talents in the game in 2024, and his list of victims includes Rune, de Minaur, Fritz, Musetti, Cerundolo, and many others.
Naturally, this confirms that he still has the game and the mindset to beat the world’s best, even if he has been below par for most of the 2024 season.
Reasons Djokovic cannot win another Grand Slam
I promised to look at both sides of the coin, and that’s precisely what I’ll do right now. After all, there are opinions and reasons to support both sides of the argument here. So it’s only fair that I address why Djokovic might not win another slam in his career as well.
The young guns seem to have reached his level or surpassed it
Perhaps the most prominent of all the reasons why his slam dominance might be over is this one. To all intents and purposes, it seems as though the younger generation has finally caught him. He’s losing to the likes of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz more frequently than he did in the past, and this means his grip on the men’s game is slipping.
It’s not just these two that have reached or surpassed his level either, which could suggest Djokovic’s slam record won’t increase in the future.
The inevitable decline with each passing season
Here’s another worrying thing for Novak Djokovic and his fans – time isn’t exactly on his side! At 37 years of age, it would be fair to say that Djokovic has been in the twilight of his career for many years already. That said, it’s already miraculous what he has achieved in his mid to late 30s, although he obviously cannot keep that level forever.
His body seems to now be struggling with the relentless demands of the tour too, which is totally normal.
The recent lack of belief on the biggest stages
In my opinion, Djokovic has looked almost disinterested in both of his Grand Slam losses in 2024. Against Jannik Sinner in Australia, he looked like a beaten man almost from the get-go, and the same was true against Carlos Alcaraz in Wimbledon. That’s just not the Djokovic we’re used to seeing, and I think it comes down to a lack of belief and will to win – even in these major events.
I could be wrong, but that’s certainly what it looks like from the perspective of a tennis fan.
The most likely answer moving forward
So, what is the conclusion to this question? Well, my personal opinion is that Novak Djokovic will grab at least one more Grand Slam title in his career. If he can get back to 100% fitness, he has at least a chance to win the US Open in 2024. And looking ahead to 2025, he’s still got a shot at three of the four slams – excluding the French Open.
Therefore, I do think he will reach 25 Grand Slam titles before he hangs up his rackets!
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