Boris Becker explains why the Novak Djokovic era of dominance is far from over
Novak Djokovic will be motivated to continue playing and dominate tennis despite his heartbreaking defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, according to Boris Becker.
Djokovic has won 11 of the 20 Grand Slams he has played in since the start of the 2018 season while he finished runner-up in another three.
One of those runners-up finishes came at Wimbledon on Sunday when rising star Alcaraz ended his unbeaten at the All England Club as the Serbian lost his first match at the tournament since 2017 while the defeat also denied him the chance to draw level with Roger Federer’s record eight titles at SW19.
Many believe the five-set defeat signalled that Djokovic’s time of ruling tennis is over, but Becker is not convinced as he feels the lure of a 24th Grand Slam will keep him going.
“I don’t think it’s the end of the Djokovic era, and I hope not, because that was an excellent example of how a tennis match should be,” he told the Eurosport’s Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
“We won millions of new fans thanks to that, and I hope they can repeat that in New York or Melbourne. I don’t think Djokovic will stop performing.
“The question is about motivation: what keeps Djokovic going? Yes, certainly on the 24th [Grand Slam], then he would be the best along with Margaret Court as far as ‘majors’ are concerned. He already is in the men’s category, but of course he wants to be in the general.”
The Grand Slam Record
Djokovic currently leads the race for most Grand Slams won by a man as he moved to 23 following his victories at the Australian Open and French Open this year. He is one ahead of Rafael Nadal – who won his 22nd title at Roland Garros last year – with the retired Roger Federer on 20.
When he won his 23rd title he also drew level with Serena Williams – who retired last year – in terms of majors won by men and women in the Open Era with the duo one behind Margaret Court, although 13 of the Australian’s titles came before the sport became professional in 1968.
Djokovic was asked after the final if the match against Alcaraz marked the start of a new rivalry and he was non-commital about the long-term future.
“I would hope so, for my sake. He’s going to be on the tour for quite some time. I don’t know how long I’ll be around,” he replied.
“I mean, let’s see. It’s been only three matches that we played against each other. Three really close matches. Two already this year in later stages of Grand Slams.
“I hope we get to play in US Open. Why not? I think it’s good for the sport, 1 and 2 in the world facing each other in almost a five-hours, five-set thriller. Couldn’t be better for our sport in general, so why not?”
READ MORE: Novak Djokovic’s 2023 tennis schedule: Where and when will he compete after Wimbledon heartbreak?
