Won three of four Grand Slam tournaments, triumphed at the ATP finals, became the first tennis player to be number one in the world rankings for more than 400 weeks – Novak Djokovic was once once more the big star in the tennis circuit in 2023. He countered speculation regarding an imminent generational change with impressive dominance, even if he had to give way to the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final following five tough sets.
Djokovic will be 37 next year, but he is not feeling any motivation problems or signs of wear and tear. “The drive is still there. My body has served me well and listened to me well,” says the Serb. At the top of his to-do list for 2024 is a brilliant achievement that no tennis professional has ever achieved: the “Golden Slam”.
Every four years it is theoretically possible to gild a “Grand Slam” – victory in all four Grand Slam tournaments of the year (Melbourne, Paris, Wimbledon, New York) – with victory in the Olympic tennis tournament. In 1988 it was the German Steffi Graf who became the first and only woman to win all four majors plus the Olympics within one year. A man has never won this “Golden Slam”.
The first ascent of this sporting peak would mean a lot to the ambitious “Djoker”. His sporting business card is also only missing two titles from his hundredth tournament victory. With another success at a top tournament, he would also top the list in this category with 25 major titles.
Declaration of war instead of fear
Instead of being afraid of the young guard like the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (20) or the Italian Jannik Sinner (22), Djokovic draws strength from this challenge. “The young guys who are very hungry and inspired to play their best tennis once morest me are an additional motivation,” Djokovic recently said on CBS’ “60 Minutes.” His next sentence sounds like a declaration of war: “I think they awaken the beast in me in a way.” The situation is a great opportunity to “reinvent yourself and push even harder than ever before.”
No matter what the statistics say, not all experts and fans believe Djokovic is undisputedly the best tennis player in recent history. Roger Federer (42, career ended two years ago) and Rafael Nadal (37, injured) are also mentioned once more and once more. “He has better numbers than mine, that’s undisputed,” said the Spaniard in a recent interview. Nadal is relaxed regarding the eternal discussion regarding the best of all time.
“It’s a matter of taste whether you like one more than the other. But in terms of winning titles, Djokovic is the best in history, there’s nothing to debate.”
The 14-time French Open winner Nadal is currently in the middle of preparing for his comeback at the Australian Open (January 15th to 28th). So it’s not just the young wild ones who want to take on Novak Djokovic in 2024.
