Can Novak Djokovic Win Grand Slam Number 25?  

After Novak Djokovic’s quest for a record-breaking 25 Grand Slam titles was ended at the semifinal stage of Wimbledon by Jannik Sinner, tennis fans are left wondering whether the 38-year-old will ever win a Slam again. 

The straight sets defeat to World No. 1 Sinner at SW19 made it five losses in a row to the Italian. A worrying stat for Djokovic and his fans alike, made even more so by the fact that in those five defeats, the Serb has only won two sets out of the 15 played.  

Djokovic’s choice to skip Cincinnati means that he will enter the US Open without having played since Wimbledon, making his intentions clear – he is only interested in Grand Slams.

Can Djokovic Win No. 25?

New Kids On The Block

If Djokovic is to ever win a slam again, he will likely have to go through both Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – winners of the last seven slams. Can he do it? The answer isn’t as easy as yes or no.  

On one hand, you have to respect Djokovic’s legacy and mentality, and you would be foolish to ever write him off as long as he continues to play. On the other hand, the new generation in Sinner and Alcaraz are proving to be quite the problem. Arguably, the biggest problem he faces, though, is father time.  

Even Djokovic, an athlete who prides himself on looking after his body more than anybody else, cannot outrun time. But equally, Djokovic is a man who thrives when the odds look stacked against him.

Mental Giant

Djokovic’s mentality has defined his career. Right from the very beginning, he gate-crashed the much-loved “Fedal” duopoly, much to the disdain of their beloved fans. Also towards the end, in the summer of 2024, Djokovic produced yet another inspired performance on the big stage to defeat heavy favourite Alcaraz on Parisian clay to win Olympic gold in his (potentially) final chance, and finally claim the one title that eluded him all his career.  

Many thought that Djokovic would come up short against Alcaraz, especially given that clay is arguably both Djokovic’s worst surface and Alcaraz’s best, but he rolled back the years to put on a flawless display. If Djokovic is to win another Major, he is going to have to roll back the years once more.  

An Impossible Task

The fact that at the age of 38, the question of whether Djokovic will win another Slam is even a debate is testament to him, given he is an incredible 16 and 15 years older than his closest rivals. “Sincaraz” is closer in age to Djokovic’s son, Stefan, than Djokovic himself. A truly remarkable sign of Djokovic’s longevity.  

The prospect of beating Sinner and Alcaraz back-to-back is rather daunting, but if anybody can, it’s Djokovic. He already has at the ATP Finals in 2023, where he defeated Alcaraz in the semi-final and Sinner in the final, both in straight sets. However, it’s fair to say the youngsters have gone up a level since then. Sinner especially.  

The Italian is probably the toughest matchup for Djokovic, as these days, Sinner simply does everything better than Djokovic. For Djokovic, it must feel like playing a younger version of himself – his speed, movement, and dominance from the baseline make him near impossible to beat.  

The prospect of facing the two best players in the world back-to-back, combined with injury troubles, drastically narrows the chances of Slam 25.

Injury Woes

At his age, it is no surprise that injuries are beginning to plague his chances of success. At last year’s French Open, he was forced to withdraw from his quarterfinal tie due to injury, and that same injury hampered him at Wimbledon, despite making the final, as he was put away in straight sets by Alcaraz. 

This year in Australia, we saw Djokovic retire from his semifinal match against Alexander Zverev after one set due to an injury picked up in the round prior, where he somehow beat Alcaraz.  

Just recently at Wimbledon, he looked held back by injury in his semifinal match after an untimely slip on match point in the quarters. It is becoming an unfortunate pattern for the Serb, as his body is beginning to let him down like never before.  

Despite playing some brilliantly ruthless tennis that we are so used to seeing from him in the early rounds, his body failed him in the latter stages of the tournament. It is not a question of whether Djokovic can find the level needed to win a Slam, but whether Djokovic can maintain the level needed to win a Slam.  

Never Say Never

So, will Djokovic win one more slam? While the odds are shrinking, they aren’t zero. With careful management of his schedule, a bit of luck in the draws, and his body keeping up with him, you wouldn’t put it past him.  

He may not be the favourite, as he once so often was, but he is still a favourite. Until Djokovic hangs his racket up for good, the door will always remain ever so slightly ajar for Grand Slam number 25.