In the pantheon of the greatest male tennis players of all time, Novak Djokovic surely stands up with the very best of the best.
The record books certainly support this claim. For example, over his 20 year career to date he has been ranked No. 1 in the world for no less than 389 weeks. His nearest rival, Roger Federer only managed 310 weeks over a career of similar length.
But, at 36, even the mighty Novak will admit that his days of dominance over the men’s game may be numbered and he must surely be considering when to hang up his racket for the last time.
Twenty Years of Brilliance
After rising through the ranks in junior tennis, he first turned professional in 2003. At the time Federer and Rafa Nadal had already established themselves as the players to beat on the circuit.
Making steady progress over the following years, in 2008 he won his first ever Grand Slam title when he beat the unseeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets to win the Australian Open.
What followed were three relatively successful years in which he regularly made it through to the semis of many tournaments without being able to convert them to championship victories. All the same, he steadily rose to become the world’s No. 3.
It was 2011 that saw the champion we know today really start to emerge. Winning not only Wimbledon, US and French Opens, he also dominated in a record-breaking five ATP events.
Since then, he has gone from strength to incredible strength with 2017 being the only year in which he hasn’t won at least once Grand Slam, adding up to a record-holding 23 in all.
The Question of Age
But, although he’s still the favorite for this year’s US Open in the tennis odds, there may be one opponent that he can’t overcome and that’s his advancing years.
By the start of next year’s Wimbledon he will be a little over 37, While he will not be quite as old as the oldest ever winner of a Grand Slam – Ken Rosewall won the 1972 Australian Open at 37 years and 62 days – he won’t be far off.
And, given the intensity of the modern game that is more punishing on players’ fitness and physiques than ever before, it seems unlikely that he can go on to still be playing at 38.
Injuries, Real and Imagined
Anyone who’s ever watched Djokovic play will have seen his incredible speed and flexibility around the court, refusing to give up on any point no matter how long or challenging the rally.
So it’s all the more remarkable that he has remained comparatively injury-free over his career, particularly in contrast to Nadal who has been frequently sidelined by foot and knee problems. About the only significant issue for Djokovic has been with a right elbow which he reluctantly allowed to be operated on in 2018.
He’s also known, perhaps unfairly, for requesting medical time-outs at critical moments in a match. Sceptics suggest that these may be more to break an opponent’s momentum and rhythm than to receive necessary attention from his back-up team.
The Next Generation Emerges
It’s inevitable that, and not just in sport, the old guard must always give way to the next generation. And, although the big three of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have had a near constant stranglehold on the game for a couple of decades, new challengers are now emerging.
For the Serb it’s one player in particular who seems to have got his measure. The 2023 Wimbledon final against the young Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz was an epic that many saw as the turning of the tide. Over five sets that veered wildly in favor of each player, Alcaraz emerged as the eventual winner. This was despite Djokovic throwing everything he had at him.
In the recent ATP Cincinnati Masters he did manage to come out on top in a match that was equally thrilling, but the 5-7, 7-6,7-6 scoreline shows how close it was. So there must be questions about just how many matches of this intensity Djokovic has left in him.
The Family Speaks
He has intimated in interviews that retirement is often on his mind – and close family members have also had their say. In an upcoming documentary about the player his father Srdjan has said he hopes this will come in 2024. His mother Dijana agrees, but has said that the ultimate decision must lie with her son.
So while the tennis world will undoubtedly mourn the day when Novak is no longer thrilling us with his incredible skills, it looks like there’s another year of Grand Slams in him. And no doubt his determination to win every single one of them will be stronger than ever before.