Mumbai: With a heavily strapped right knee, Novak Djokovic competed in and reached the final of Wimbledon last year. This was just a few weeks after he underwent surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus. He played on one fit leg and still managed to get through to the final without much of a challenge. Then came the straight-set loss to Carlos Alcaraz.
In many ways, that run to the final at Wimbledon, the most prestigious of all the Grand Slams, gives an indicator of how the tournament could shape up this year in the men’s singles event. In Alcaraz and Djokovic, there are, arguably, only two players wholly comfortable with the nuances of playing on grass.
With the ball staying low and zipping through on the bounce, playing at Wimbledon just weeks after the high-bounce-and-slow-ball clay season ends is considered one of the most difficult transitions in the sport. But it is in this turnaround where Djokovic may find his best – and possibly last – shot at winning a 25th Grand Slam title.
Djokovic is all that remains of the golden era of men’s tennis. But at the French Open earlier this month, he gave a first great indicator that the end is probably near for him too.
As he walked off Court Philippe-Chatrier after a semi-final defeat against Jannik Sinner, Djokovic paused, acknowledged the crowd and touched the red clay surface before walking out. He later mentioned that “it could have been the last match” he ever played at the Parisian major. If that was indeed the last time, he left as the greatest Grand Slam player in the Open Era.
The Serbian has won everything tennis has to offer. But for a man who has asserted time and again that he is driven by records and statistics, he has struggled to go one better than Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles.
His greatest adversaries, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have long retired. But taking their place are two energetic and talented youngsters, world No.1 Sinner and No.2 Alcaraz.
“Getting older and playing against these young kids is no easy task,” former world No.1 Jimmy Connors said on the Advantage Connors podcast. “It just happens to every athlete. You can’t beat it. Because the athletes, when you get older, your competition is younger and when they come in and want to make their name like Sinner and Alcaraz, they want to use you, the older guy, as their stepping stone.”
Alcaraz had ended Djokovic’s 34-match winning run at Wimbledon in 2023, when the Spaniard won a thrilling five-set final. Sinner later took over the world No.1 spot from the Serb at the French Open last year.
The duo have also shared the last six majors between them.
But as the best players in the world descend upon London for the Slam that begins on Monday, the seemingly growing line of familiar foes for Djokovic runs thin. All because of the grass.
Djokovic has reached the final at Wimbledon in each of the last six editions, winning four and losing the last two to Alcaraz. The Spaniard, among the current crop of players, has been the only player who has looked comfortable on grass, especially with his dynamic all-court game.
The two-time defending champion, he will once again be the main hurdle for Djokovic as the veteran tries to win that elusive 25th. And though Djokovic has fallen down the ranking ladder and has not won a Grand Slam since the US Open in 2023, he is still a force to be reckoned with at Wimbledon.
“I just cannot discount Djokovic on grass,” Wally Masur, the former world No.15 told ausopen.com. “On grass, Djokovic is a little better against the field given his experience and the way that he sort of understands the nature of the surface.
“I don’t think he’s too far off (the level required to win Wimbledon). This surface, it elevates him against the field. So if you asked me, is he there, or thereabouts? Yeah, he sure is.”
Growing up in war-torn Serbia, it was the green pastures of Wimbledon that ignited his imagination of making a name for himself in tennis.
A win this time would see him become the oldest player – man or woman – to win a singles Grand Slam in the Open Era. A win will make him the most successful player at the majors ever. It will also take him level with Federer’s record for most men’s singles titles at Wimbledon.
There are plenty of records on offer. In all likeness, it is now or never for Djokovic.