Novak Djokovics season has been full of ups and downs, although the Serbian legend has finally achieved its grand goal of winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The former world number 1 had set precisely the Olympic tournament as his main goal in 2024 and has achieved a real feat on a surface not ideal for his style of play.
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The top favorite to win the gold medal was definitely Carlos Alcaraz, who had won the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships playing a really stellar tennis. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has put all his energy into the field by prevailing in two tiebreaks and proving once again to be a living legend of the sport.
Nole burst into tears at the end of the match and ran to hug his family, a gesture that confirms how important it was for him to complete the puzzle by the end of his career. The 37-year-old from Belgrade recently expressed his intention to continue playing for many years to come, but he never lost his motivation.
Noleis a special human being
For this reason, the current world number 4 will continue to carefully select events to attend. His focus will be on the Grand Slam tournaments and events in which he can represent Serbia. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is the only great veteran still competitive at the top of the world tennis. Roger Federer and Andy Murray have retired, while Rafa Nadal has played very little this year and seems close to announcing his farewell.
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In a recent interview with Eurosport, ATP legend and top analyst Mats Wilander paid tribute to Nole: Well, Novak Djokovic is a special human being. That we know. For him to have the drive to still go out there, trying to win matches in, of course, the big tournaments, but even in the small tournaments, and to play Davis Cup is absolutely incredible. Its impressive that, physically, he wants to put in the effort.
But practicing when you are his age and when you have won as much as him, its an absolute pleasure. Im not talking about the gym sessions, but Im talking about hitting the tennis ball against, remember, hes on tour, the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev. Hes playing with the best players in the world because they want to practice with him. They dont care if theyre going to play a match three days later. They want to enjoy practice and have a great time.
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At 37, Novak will have to work even harder if he wants to keep up with young champions like Jannik Sinner and Carlitos Alcaraz. The Italian ace defeated him last year in the Davis Cup Finals and the Australian Open semi-finals, while the Spanish champion won the Wimbledon Championships for the second consecutive year.
During a press conference in Shanghai, the former World No.1 opened up on Sinners controversy: "I believe it's quite obvious that we have a system that isn't working, something that even people who don't follow our sport will realize. There are too many regulatory bodies, inconsistency in their decisions, and everything happening is not helping tennis at all. Jannik has won all three appeals he faced and now faces another trial. It must be very tough for him and his family.
What amazes me the most is seeing the impressive level of play he's displaying, winning most of the matches he plays despite being in a situation like this. I just hope this case can be resolved as soon as possible because everything that's happening is not good for our sport.
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An epic career
The 37-year-old from Belgrade will be one of the stars of the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia from 16 to 19 October. Novak has already qualified for the semi-finals, where he awaits the match winner Sinner and Medvedev. There is no doubt that the coming year will be crucial for the Serbian legend, who will try to win the 25th Major of his incredible career.
Djokovic is still considered the favorite by bookmakers at the 2025 Australian Open, but he will have to pay a lot of attention to Sinner, Alcaraz and Medvedev. For the first time since 2017 - when he was conditioned by an elbow injury - Nole has not won a single Grand Slam title this year. The Serbian ace also suffered a knee injury during the French Open, which forced him to undergo surgery just before Wimbledon. Despite not being at the top of his game, Djokovic reached the final in Church Road but had to surrender to a deluxe version of Alcaraz.
