‘I don’t see Novak Djokovic winning a Grand Slam anymore – it’s far too complicated’
Retired French ATP player Nicolas Escude has claimed that Novak Djokovic is on “a downward slope” and cast doubt on the tennis icon’s hopes of winning another major title.
Djokovic secured his 24th and most recent Grand Slam crown at the 2023 US Open — a triumph that extended his record men’s major tally.
Since then, the closest Djokovic has come to winning a major was his runner-up finish at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships, where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz.
The 37-year-old also reached the semi-finals at the last two editions of the Australian Open.
The Serbian’s last tournament win was his historic victory at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August, when he downed Alcaraz with a remarkable performance in the gold medal match.
Djokovic holds a 12-6 record from the six tournaments he has played in 2025, with his run to the Miami Open final in March his season highlight.
The world No 5’s wait to win a 100th singles title will stretch until at least the Madrid Open after he lost to Alejandro Tabilo in the second round at this week’s Monte Carlo Masters.
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Escude, who works as a tennis analyst, explained why he thinks it will be “far too complicated” for Djokovic to accomplish the biggest goal he has left.
“He’s definitely on a downward slope,” the former world No 17 told Eurosport France. “Given what he’s accomplished, he’ll no longer be able to achieve, not just feats, but win every tournament he entered, dropping only a few sets here and there.
“So, yes, he’s on a downward slope. At the beginning of the year, we already asked ourselves the question about Novak Djokovic and, in my opinion, I don’t see him winning a Grand Slam anymore; it’s far too complicated for him.
“There are people now competing against him, there’s rivalry. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are really sucking in a lot of players just below them in the rankings.
“And unfortunately for him, and it’s been the same for [Roger] Federer, [Rafael] Nadal and [Andy] Murray, the more you push, the more there are physical problems here and there, and it wears you down.”
Escude won four ATP singles titles during a professional career spanning from 1995 to 2006. The Frenchman was a semi-finalist at the 1998 Australian Open.
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