Novak Djokovic dropped off the radar somewhat over the last couple of years as injuries and personal problems blighted the 31-year olds career. The Serbian seemed to lose his way and many people began to write him off with Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer all coming to the fore; and this in many ways saw fans begin to forget about the former world number one. But he’s back with a bang and looking to reclaim his throne.
Djokovic really announced his return to the main stage with a three-set victory over Kevin Anderson in the Wimbledon final just recently, which saw the Serb claim his fourth Wimbledon men’s singles title and his 13th Grand Slam crown. His latest victory means he’s now one short of Pete Sampras when it comes to Grand Slam wins and he has both Rafael Nadal (17) and Roger Federer (20) in his sights.
The aim for Djokovic is surely to get back to the top and then to challenge to become the greatest player of all time, but he will indeed face stiff competition from the likes of Nadal and Federer, who have both proven that they’re eager to win more and very capable of doing so too. While Federer, 36, may be coming to the end of his career, he’s set the bar high with 20 Grand Slam wins, and Nadal still has the years to add to his total too.
So, while becoming the greatest and most successful player of all time might be a big ask, Djokovic is more than capable of dominating the men’s game once again and after doing so before you can certainly see him doing so once again. Djokovic is currently ranked as the world number 10, following his victory at Wimbledon, so his first task is to climb up the rankings to try and disrupt the stronghold that Nadal and Federer currently have on the top two positions.
The next Grand Slam event on the calendar is the US Open and this is a tournament that Djokovic has won twice before, in 2011 and 2015. Rafael Nadal won the US Open in 2017 and it would be a real statement of intent for Djokovic to go and made it two Grand Slam wins from two, and this would certainly announce his re-emergence as one of the best tennis players out there right now. This has certainly been the overwhelming opinion by tennis fans and pundits, this is reflected in commentary from Betting.com and other sports commentary sites.
Boris Becker spoke recently about Djokovic and his thoughts on the Serb’s mindset, “I don't think Djokovic expected to win another Wimbledon after two years of not being close. When he started this year he just wanted to be healthy and play, he wasn't thinking of winning. During the clay season he was happy to just win a match. It was only at Queen's, when he went to the final, he started to believe there was something left.”
Becker also spoke about Djokovic and what he can achieve going forward, “Regarding the future, Novak is super fit and very dedicated. He studies the history books and knows Nadal and Federer have more Grand Slams, though he won't bring it up in conversation. He can play for two or three years more and win a few more majors - starting with the US Open.”