NOVAK Djokovic, who is excited after winning the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is targeting a new Grand Slam record when he appears at the United States (US) Open, which will take place starting Monday (26/8).
Djokovic, the defending US Open champion, could become the oldest Open era champion at the tournament if he secures a fifth title, equalling Jimmy Connors, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
The 37-year-old would also reach 25 Grand Slam wins, surpassing the 24 she currently holds, the same number as Margaret Court.
The final major tournament of the year is a critical moment for Djokovic.
He was unable to defend his Australian Open title, which was won by Italian Jannik Sinner, who also took the world number one ranking from him.
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz won the French Open title and then beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
Also read: Carlos Alcaraz Challenges Medvedev in US Open Semifinals
However, Djokovic returned to the clay of Roland Garros to stun Alcaraz in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Djokovic’s victory in Paris made him only the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam at all four majors and win an Olympic gold medal.
The win also silenced the doubters of many who considered the Serb a weak player in a new era when Sinner, who is 23, and Alcaraz, who is 21, continue to hog the limelight.
Read also: Shelton to Face Djokovic in US Open Semifinals
Djokovic, who underwent surgery on his right knee in June, described his Olympic victory as a ‘sporting success’
the biggest.’
The win was also the 99th title of his professional career.
“At 37 years old and facing a 21-year-old who is probably the best player in the world right now, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back to back, I can say that this is probably the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had,” Djokovic said on Thursday (22/8).
Read also: Novak Djokovic Closer to 24th Title
On the other hand, Sinner arrives at the final Grand Slam of the season after winning the Cincinnati Masters title.
However, that victory was overshadowed by the news that he was cleared of any wrongdoing after twice testing positive for a banned substance earlier in the season.
Sinner tested positive for clostebol, an anabolic steroid banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
However, he escaped a long-term ban after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted his explanation that the substance was detected due to contamination from a support team member.
“I will now put this challenging and very unfortunate time behind me,” Sinner said.
The green light for Sinner to continue competing was deemed ‘ridiculous’ by Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. (Ant/Z-1)
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