Novak Djokovic has to win the 100th title of his legendary career and has not lifted an ATP trophy since the 2023 ATP Finals, when he defeated local idol Jannik Sinner in the final. If he hadn't won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics last summer, Nole's decline would be even more evident.
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The former world No.1 is still competitive in the most prestigious tournaments, especially in the Grand Slams, where he finds the right motivations and uses his experience to achieve new memorable feats (such as the one against Carlitos Alcaraz at the Australian Open last month).
In the other tournaments on the ATP calendar, the Serbian legend struggles more to play his best tennis as evidenced by the defeats against Reilly Opelka in Brisbane and against Matteo Berrettini in Doha last week.
It is worth remembering that Novak was back from an injury to his left thigh, which had prevented him from practicing in recent weeks and was not 100% in Doha. Fans were very worried when 'AS' posted a video depicting the 37-year-old from Belgrade limping as he was reaching Doha airport.
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Johnson commentsonNole'sschedule
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is expected to play the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami next month, but the conditional is mandatory for a player of almost 38 years old.
Djokovic will have Andy Murray in his box in the United States and the impact of the former Scottish champion was very evident in Australia in January.
On the latest edition of the 'Nothing Major' podcast, Steve Johnson reflected on Nole's schedule at this stage of his career: I am not sure what Novaks plan is going forward, nobody knows it but him. I dont know why he is playing this tournament just in general. It feels like he just wants to win Slams to continue his legacy and stamp as the greatest champion of the sport we have ever seen.
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The American continued: It sometimes feels that he is a bit flat emotionally, which has usually never been the case for him. So he has earned the right to play whatever schedule he deserves and wants to do. Its a tough draw going against Berrettini who played really well that match, the serve, the forehand. Everything was going well.
So its just interesting to watch Novak in these events because the Doha title is not going to further his legacy, so Im not sure his emotional investment.
