‘Very dangerous’ Novak Djokovic backed for Grand Slam resurgence in 2025

Novak Djokovic celebrates at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships
Novak Djokovic celebrates at the 2024 Wimbledon Championships

Novak Djokovic has been backed to be “very dangerous” and contend for further Grand Slam titles in 2025.

Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles and is the only man in the Open Era to win all four majors on at least three separate occasions.

The Serbian won three of the four majors in 2023 but failed to win a Slam in 2024, with his best result being a runner-up finish at Wimbledon.

This marked the first season since 2017 that the former world No 1 did not win a Grand Slam, with the 37-year-old winning just one title this season; the Olympic Games in Paris.

Djokovic has fallen outside the top five of the ATP Rankings and, on paper, faces an uphill task to dislodge the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to win further Slam titles.

However, renowned French tennis pundit and expert Benoit Maylin believes it is unwise to discount the 37-year-old next year.

As part of a video with Sans Filet, Maylin believes Djokovic was “emotionally drained” after his Olympic win, and could come back with a vengeance next season.

He said: “But where is Djokovic? Because he qualified for the Masters [ATP Finals], so, there’s talk. ‘The guy is burned out, no longer motivated. He won’t even win a Grand Slam anymore’. Stop.

“We’re talking about Novak, and we tend to forget that in 2023, he was monstrous in winning three of the four Grand Slams plus the Masters [ATP Finals], which he hadn’t managed to do since 2015.

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“This year, despite a knee operation, he wanted gold around his neck at all costs – and he did it. This Olympic title, which he had been chasing since 2008, drained him emotionally. He needed to recharge his batteries.

“Djokovic knows that his time is running out, he will be 38 on May 22, so he preferred to take a break to regenerate.

“And I bet you that he will be very dangerous again in 2025. Until he wins a 25th Grand Slam title? Yes. And why not a 26th?

“There are not many favourites left on clay, nor on grass – so you see where I’m going with this.”

Outside of his run to the Wimbledon final, where he was beaten by Alcaraz, Djokovic’s best Slam result this season was a semi-final showing at the Australian Open, losing to Sinner.

He was forced out of his French Open quarter-final with Casper Ruud due to his meniscus tear, while he was stunned in the third round of the US Open by Alexei Popyrin.

Djokovic was also the runner-up at the Shanghai Masters, again falling to Sinner, and compiled a 37-9 record on the ATP Tour in 2024.

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