Novak Djokovic’s hopes of winning 25th Grand Slam ‘a bridge too far’, says Roger Federer’s ex-coach
Novak Djokovic is unlikely to win a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title in 2026, according to Tennis Channel experts Paul Annacone and Coco Vandeweghe.
Tennis great Djokovic has been stuck on 24 majors for the past two years with his last title coming at the 2023 US Open when he defeated Daniil Medvedev in the final at Flushing Meadows while his last final was at Wimbledon in 2024 when he was beaten by Carlos Alcaraz.
The Grand Slam scene has been dominated by Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner the past two years as the pair have shared eight titles between them, and this year they played in three consecutive finals as they squared off at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open.
Djokovic – who is tied with Margaret Court for the all-time Grand Slam record – reached the semi-finals of all four majors this year, but lost against either Alcaraz or Sinner in three of the tournaments.
Age is no longer on his side as he turns 39 in May and many feel he will find it difficult to break the Alcaraz and Sinner stranglehold.
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Legendary coach Annacone, who mentored the likes of Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, says it is always hard to go against Djokovic, but he feels best-of-five-set matches at Grand Slams will be tough on him.
“My heart says yes, but my head says no. I think it’s getting tougher and tougher,” he told Tennis.com.
“The ageless Novak will have to go through a lot of great players and I think seven best-of-five match wins to capture a 25th major title may be a bridge too far. But bet against him at your peril: legends are the exception, not the rule.”
Fellow Tennis.com pundit Vandeweghe says Djokovic will find it difficult to get through Sinner and Alcaraz at the majors.
The former world No 9 stated: “I hate to bet against the GOAT but I am going to have to say no. I think the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz is just too much to overcome, especially in a best three-out-of-five Grand Slam format.
“Djokovic made four semi-finals in 2025 and lost three of them — in straight sets — to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.”
Novak Djokovic News
Why the 2026 Australian Open could be Novak Djokovic’s last tournament
Novak Djokovic pointing a finger at Rafael Nadal and ‘cold’ Roger Federer revealed so much
Brett Haber is another pundit who doesn’t think he will get to No 25.
“No. I say this with all conceivable respect for the GOAT, and the fact that he made the semifinals at all four major tournaments this year is beyond laudable, but it’s hard to envision him getting through both Sinner and Alcaraz at the business-end of a major at this stage,” he stated.
However, David Kane believes the fact that so many people are writing him off will work in his favour as he will have “something to prove”.
“On one hand, Novak Djokovic will likely have to beat at least one of Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner—if not both—to win a 25th Grand Slam title,” he said. “On the other, Djokovic is still very much the third-best player on the ATP Tour, and could have certainly capitalised on a field without them.
“One need only look at the Rolex Shanghai Masters to remember that things are quite chaotic beneath the Sincaraz duopoly, and it’s certainly possible to imagine a scenario where the draw breaks Djokovic’s way—so long as he continues to create these deep-run opportunities at majors.
“He may be pushing 40, but Djokovic is at his best when he feels he has something to prove.”
