Novak Djokovic hoped to achieve better results this year, especially in the Grand Slam tournaments. The former world number 1 – who had won three Majors in 2023 and lost the Wimbledon final after a tremendous battle with Carlos Alcaraz – did not shine in the biggest tournaments in 2024 and showed some cracks in his legendary armor.
At 37, the Serbian champion is no longer as strong as a few years ago and is forced to select events to attend. In addition, the rise of young champions like Carlitos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has created additional difficulties for him. The Spaniard defeated him again in the final of the Wimbledon Championships, while the Italian ace prevailed over the Serbian in the semifinals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
During the French Open, the 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered a knee injury that forced him to undergo surgery. Nole’s season cannot be considered disappointing because the Serbian won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, fulfilling one of his greatest dreams.
Novak played a near perfect tournament, enhanced by a monstrous performance against Alcaraz in the final. Clearly underdog according to the bookmakers and on his opponent’s favourite surface, the 37-year-old from Belgrade has shown why he is a legend of modern sport.
A tough season
Many wonder if Nole will be able to stay motivated at this point in his career. The 24-time Grand Slam champion knows that next year will be decisive and that – if he does not win a Major next year either – the hypothesis of retirement would begin to become concrete.
During a recent interview with Sportklub, former World No.4 James Blake commented on Novak’s future: “Physically, he is still in perfect shape. Now the only question is whether he wants to. He has done everything and won everything in this sport. Does he still want to sacrifice everything to continue being the best? He’s been doing that for almost 20 years. If he wants to, he’ll have a good year or two ahead of him. His tennis is incredible even at 37. The question is not whether he can, but whether he wants to. If he wishes, he will be a candidate for the Grand Slam titles until the age of 40.”
Nole is still not satiated
The former world number 1 is likely to miss the Nitto ATP Finals this year, especially after Taylor Fritz reached the final at the US Open. ATP legend and top analyst Mats Wilander paid tribute to Nole: “It’s complicated to play on clay in the middle of the season and not have a single match before the US Open. It’s quite amazing that he won 24 Grand Slam titles considering the following – when he’s not playing so well, suddenly his shots seem ‘normal’ compared to others.
Rafa Nadal had that big spin, Roger Federer’s serve and slice, and with Novak – if he’s a little out of rhythm, I think others can feel a bit more comfortable on the court with him. That’s why it’s even more incredible that he’s so much better than everyone when he’s in shape. This is just a reminder that he is still a human being. He had one main goal this year – gold at the Olympics. He had knee surgery at the worst possible time and still won the gold. This defeat only shows that he will be even more ready for the end of the season and for the Australian Open.”
He continued: “It’s not usually like that, Popyrin was an outsider, but you could feel the crowd’s love and respect for Novak, especially because he was trying to come back and not get angry. On the other hand, the fact that there was no ‘burn’ at all means that he did not feel the ball as well as he should. I know that feeling, and then it’s easy to say, ‘Hey, I should get stuck, get fired up,’ but if you don’t feel the ball, you just shrug your shoulders like, ‘Oh, God.’ It’s hard to motivate yourself when you’re not playing well.”
The 2025 Australian Open will be a key event for Djokovic’s ambitions, as he looks to win his 11th title in Melbourne. The current world number 2 has broken almost all records in recent years and has proven never to be full, but age is beginning to weigh on him too. Fans and insiders are waiting to see how many tournaments Novak will play in this season finale to try to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. His next official tournament should be the Masters 1000 in Shanghai.
