Novak Djokovic is chasing a record 25th Grand Slam title, with victory at the US Open seeing him break his current tie on 24 with Margaret Court; watch from Monday August 26, with exclusive live coverage on Sky Sports Tennis and any match available on Sky Sports+
Thursday 22 August 2024 14:20, UK
Novak Djokovic is back dining at tennis' top table and looking to make yet more history at the US Open.
With a gold medal secured in Paris earlier this month, one that had proven so elusive through his four prior Olympic attempts, Djokovic - aged 37 - became just the fifth player to claim the sport's 'golden slam', following in the footsteps of Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.
Now the Serb chases a 25th Grand Slam success at Flushing Meadows, one which would see him break his current tie on 24 with Australia's Margaret Court.
Of all the mountains that Djokovic has conquered, this is surely the lone peak that remains before he has quite literally completed tennis. And it's one that looked highly unlikely for much of 2024.
He went winless for the early part of the season, losing his world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner as the young Italian followed up his maiden slam success at the Australian Open with victory too at the Miami Open.
Sinner beat Djokovic along the way, at the semi-final stage in Melbourne, to make it three wins in four over the aging tennis great.
Add to that Djokovic's knee injury that curtailed his quarter-final run at the French Open and the ease at which Carlos Alcaraz dispatched of him for a second-straight year in the Wimbledon final, in straight sets, you'd be forgiven for thinking there was a changing of the guard and that another one of men's tennis' 'big four' was on his way out.
But one thing that has been most apparent during those two decades in which Djokovic, the now retired Roger Federer and Andy Murray, and the creaking Rafael Nadal dominated the sport, 'never write Djokovic off'.
A mere three weeks after his hammering at the hands of Alcaraz at his near-spiritual home of SW19 - where he's won seven of his 24 slams - Djokovic produced a stunning display on the Roland Garros clay to gain revenge over the Spaniard, sparking wild and emotional celebrations.
"It was the one piece of the puzzle that was missing and at the age of 37 this was his last chance," Sky Sports' Tim Henman said.
"The whole sort of psychology and the pressure around it, it must have been absolutely immense, and then add the fact that he was playing Alcaraz, who is at the top of his game, for Djokovic to come through and win that was absolutely incredible."
Despite the obvious relief and emotion his Olympic triumph brought with it, there is no looming threat of retirement.
Djokovic stated after Wimbledon: "I don't have any limitations in my mind. I still want to keep going and play as long as I feel like I can play on this high level."
Then, when speaking at Serbia's celebration of their Olympic medallists, he even hinted at continuing on till he's 41 in the hope of defending his gold medal.
"I'll try to make it to Los Angeles," he said.
That might be stretching what's physically possible, given the knee injury that disrupted his year and further niggles that will undoubtedly creep in over time, but let's say it together once more, 'never write Djokovic off'.
"People forget quickly that Djokovic won three grand slams last year," Sky Sports' Jonathan Overend said.
"He is 37 but has just played one of the best matches of his life to win the Olympics, so maybe he's not going anywhere just yet.
"He continues to surprise, and while he is doing that, anything remains possible.
"That said, I always think he's got a mic-drop moment in him [to retire], and that might be when he gets to 25 Grand Slams to claim the all-time record, one ahead of Margaret Court."
It certainly would be quite the way to bow out, but he has to get there first, and Djokovic heads to Flushing Meadows with no recent hard-court matches under his belt, having opted out of the Cincinnati Open following his Olympic excursions.
Sinner impressed when winning that warm-up title, Alcaraz is a former US Open champion in 2022, Alexander Zverev is a former finalist and in fine form in 2024 and is Djokovic perhaps a touch undercooked?
Maybe, but 'never write Djokovic off'.
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