‘Novak Djokovic will be a candidate to win Grand Slam titles at the age of 40 if he wants to’
Former world No 4 James Blake believes Novak Djokovic will still be a contender to win Grand Slam titles by the time he is 40 if he has the desire.
The 10-time ATP Tour titlist proclaimed that Djokovic has “one or two good years” if he wants to continue “sacrificing everything.”
Djokovic did not add to his record total of 24 Grand Slam titles this year, which made 2024 his first ‘majorless’ season since 2017.
He was a semi-finalist at the Australian Open, a quarter-finalist at Roland Garros (where he withdrew through injury), a runner-up at Wimbledon, before he fell in the third round at the US Open.
The 37-year-old did, though, claim the only significant prize previously missing from his unrivalled trophy collection this year — at the Paris Olympics in August.
The Serbian produced arguably one of the greatest performances of his career to down Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets in the Olympic gold medal match at Stade Roland Garros.
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The Olympics is the only tournament Djokovic has won so far this year after he claimed seven titles — including three Grand Slams — in 2023.
In an interview with Sport Klub, Blake assessed that Djokovic’s motivation will be the decisive factor in his ability to keep challenging for majors.
“Everything depends on Novak. Physically, he is still impeccably fit. Now the only question is whether he wants to,” said the American.
“He has done and won everything in this sport. He still has that fire when he wakes up. Does he still want to sacrifice everything to continue to be the best?
“He has been doing this for almost the last 20 years. If he wants, then he certainly has, I won’t prejudge, but one or two good years.
“His level of tennis is incredible even at 37 years old. The question is not whether he can, but whether he wants to. If he wants to, he will be a candidate for Grand Slam titles by the time he is 40.”
Blake also reflected on the surprise early exits suffered by Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 US Open.
“Of course I was surprised in the first moment, because you always expect them to go to the very end,” he added.
“However, if you look at the facts objectively, they did a lot in the previous period. Both were in the finals of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games.
“Alcaraz also won Roland Garros. Novak achieved his biggest goal, he reached the Olympic gold. They used a lot of energy. I think that the bigger problem was psychological than physical preparation”.
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