Novak Djokovic, regarded as the third-best player in men’s tennis, faces a similar scenario he confronted in 2007 when he stood behind tennis giants Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. After a successful summer in 2007, Djokovic faced continuous losses against Nadal and Federer until 2011. His only celebrated win during these years was the 2008 Australian Open title. Now in 2024, young talents Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz stand in his way. Sinner had steady victories over Djokovic including a recent Shanghai Masters final win, a tournament Djokovic previously triumphed four times. Meanwhile, Alcaraz defeated him consecutively in the Wimbledon finals.
Despite the hurdles, Djokovic expressed motivation to expand his Grand Slam win tally. Winning the Olympic gold against Alcaraz this year marked one of his major victories. Nevertheless, his performances against the top two have not been remarkable. The four Grand Slam titles this year have been split by Sinner and Alcaraz, leaving Djokovic without a major for only the second time since 2010. Djokovic’s bid to break Margaret Court’s record of 24 major titles is also at stake.
Djokovic’s first defeat at the Australian Open after six years occurred during his semi-final match against Sinner. Djokovic, known to be the finest returner in the sport’s history, struggled at moments when he failed to surpass Sinner’s solidity. His performance against Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final was also underwhelming. A notably awful serving day coupled with a notably powerful serving day from Alcaraz led to Djokovic’s defeat.
Considering the outstanding performances of Sinner and Alcaraz, it is a challenging task for Djokovic to prepare for matches against them. Djokovic’s consistent yet moderate event schedule has let him maintain his fitness and gear up for major tournaments with early rounds. However, this method would require him to consistently secure titles to avoid encounters with the best players at early stages. In the 2024 season, Djokovic has won only one event and has not bagged any ATP titles, marking his lowest performance since 2005.
Djokovic’s recent loss to Sinner has prompted a potential change in his tournament routine as his world ranking is expected to drop without ranking points. This would lead to earlier meetings with Sinner and Alcaraz in the tournaments he aims to win. Despite the challenges, Djokovic is hopeful to compete with the top players. However, consistent losses against these emerging talents could potentially lead to his demotivation.
Djokovic’s current situation draws a parallel to Roger Federer’s challenge when he faced a gap of five years without a Grand Slam title and was considered the third-best player behind Djokovic and Nadal. Djokovic now must grapple with the prospect of younger rivals outperforming him in the sport. Djokovic is yet to decide on his retirement and remains sturdy in his plans to compete in the next season, intending to replay his career-launching trick to extend his successful run on the court.
