The tennis GOAT is running out of time
Novak Djokovic arrives at the French Open battling a slump in form, a slide down the world rankings and the sense that tennis has entered the era of the New Two.
PARIS—While the elite of men’s tennis reacquainted itself with the tony confines of Roland-Garros this past week, easing into this posh corner of the French capital, Novak Djokovic was stuck 300 miles away.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion didn’t have the luxury of a gentle return to Paris. He was busy grinding through a minor tournament in Geneva in a last-minute bid to recover some semblance of form.
Until this week, Djokovic hadn’t won a title of any kind since his Olympic gold here last July. He hasn’t won a major since the U.S. Open in 2023. Reminders that even his remarkable longevity has an end are everywhere. On Thursday, he turned 38 years old.
“It’s a completely different feeling from what I had in 20-plus years of professional tennis," Djokovic said last month after a round-of-64 exit in Madrid.
Time seems to have caught up to Djokovic all at once. Barely two years ago, he reached every Grand Slam final in the same season and won three of them. He had managed to outlast the other members of the Big Three and was still holding off the next generation. He reached a men’s record 24 major titles—putting him ahead of Rafael Nadal’s 22 and Roger Federer’s 20—and seemed poised to keep padding that number.
Then came the slump. There were lingering physical issues, but there was also a pair of problems named Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner is 23, while Alcaraz is 22, and between them, they have now won the past five major tournaments.
“We came out of the era of the Big Three—this is the era of the New Two," said four-time major winner and TNT analyst Jim Courier. “They’ve clearly shown that there’s separation there at the highest level."
Their ascension meant that 2024 became Djokovic’s first year without a Grand Slam trophy since his injury-plagued 2017—and only his second 0-for-4 season since 2010. The saving grace was his Olympic triumph over Alcaraz.
But the most alarming part is how often Djokovic is being knocked out in early rounds. In six tournaments before Geneva, he only reached one final, which he lost to Jakub Mensik in Miami. During that run, he also ended his brief stint working with Andy Murray, who had joined his coaching team last winter.
“Kind of a new reality for me, I have to say," Djokovic said later. “Trying to win a match or two, not really thinking about getting far in the tournament."
The biggest problem with this new reality is that tennis has a tendency to kick you when you’re down. Djokovic’s world ranking has slipped to No. 6, which means having to face a serious heavyweight as early as the quarterfinals. If things go as expected here, that would mean a matchup against world No. 3 Alexander Zverev, before even thinking about Sinner or Alcaraz.
So earlier this month, Djokovic ventured to Switzerland to rack up a few more clay-court matches before the spotlight was back on him in Paris. In fact, he went one better and won the tournament on Saturday, claiming his 100th tour-level title. That’s an improvement on last year, when Djokovic also tried this approach in Geneva, where he reached the semis before tearing the meniscus in his right knee during a fourth-round marathon match at the French Open.
“It’s a challenge for me mentally to really face these kinds of sensations on the court, going out early now regularly in tournaments," Djokovic said.
The adjustment hasn’t been easy. For a man whose relentless excellence helped him win 100 titles and spend a record 428 weeks of his career ranked world No. 1, the idea of anything less than perfection is profoundly troubling. This is a player who hadn’t lost three matches in a row since 2018. This season, he’s already done it twice.
But in true Djokovic fashion, he intends to keep plugging away. People close to him have said publicly that he intends to play at least until the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Djokovic, still motivated by his obsession with tennis history, knows that one more major title would give him sole possession of the all-time mark ahead of Margaret Court. He also has an eye on the leaderboard for all-time men’s single titles. Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer sit ahead of him, with 109 and 103, respectively.
Whether he can get there depends on careful management of his body and his schedule, picking the few spots where the 38-year-old version of himself can keep up with an entire generation that grew up watching him.
“That’s the circle of life and the career," Djokovic said. “Eventually it was going to happen."
Write to Joshua Robinson at Joshua.Robinson@wsj.com
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