Novak Djokovic played little and did not achieve great results in 2024, but he realized one of the greatest dreams of his career by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The former world number 1 has shown his best performance in the most important match of his season, despite being clearly underdog against Carlos Alcaraz on the red clay of Philippe Chatrier.
Novak Djokovic, Shanghai Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
The Serbian champion is still chasing his 100th title of his legendary career, a feat he failed to achieve in Shanghai last Sunday as he was defeated by a great Jannik Sinner in the final. The 37-year-old from Belgrade has played a good game of tennis in China and is in the running for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, but he admits that he hasn’t exactly decided his schedule for the last month of the season.
Novak will be one of the protagonists of the prestigious exhibition in Saudi Arabia this week, where he will face in the semi-final the winner of the match between Sinner and Daniil Medvedev. The 24-time Grand Slam champion may decide to end his season just after the Six Kings Slam to focus on 2025, which could be his last year at the top of the league.
The courage of Nole
The 2024 proved that Nole struggles to hold the same intensity as the young champions of the professional tour and that his retirement may not be so far away. Djokovic reiterated that he is motivated to continue competing at the highest level and will do everything possible to raise more trophies.
Taylor Fritz & Novak Djokovic, Shanghai Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
In a recent interview with Eurosport, top analyst Mats Wilander praised Nole for his resilience: “I think Novak will feel so proud. I mean, sad in a way, but he lived through the storm. Yes, he’s younger than both Roger and Rafa, and Andy Murray and him, I think, are the same age or pretty close, but he survived it all.
He is the best male tennis player ever. I think he would just be proud. I think he sees it more than anyone, the effect that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have had on Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner and all the guys behind him. I think Novak has felt the effect of the big two, Rafa and Roger, more than any player. That’s going to make him feel so good because he was part of that. And the effect of Novak is very clear when it comes to the physicality of all the players today.
I think Novak has told us all, ‘Hey, I want to keep playing because these guys, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik and the rest, they are so good, and are pushing me to be better and better and better’. Maybe he’s not better than he used to be, but to him, he’s putting out his best every single day, and he’s able to do that even after having knee surgery.”
New challenges
The 37-year-old from Belgrade wants to keep playing despite having to face much younger players than himself. The 24-time Grand Slam champion has already broken all possible records and may retire, but he loves tennis too much to leave it right now. The next goal is to win the 25th Major title of his legendary career, although it will not be easy to beat very young and competitive opponents like Sinner and Alcaraz.
Despite losing in the final at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, Novak was satisfied with his level: “I think there are some positive conclusions I can draw. Firstly, my tennis level was really good in this tournament, probably the best since the Olympics in terms of how I felt, how I played, how I fought. Today, I did everything I could. Under circumstances where maybe I didn’t feel 100% fresh, but at the same time, all credit to Jannik for playing the important points better than me, that made the difference. He deserved to win, he was too strong in those crucial moments. Likewise, I even believe I played quite well in today’s final, so that gives me a reason to believe that I can still compete against these guys, who are the best in the world. I hope I can maintain that level in the coming months and in the future.”
Novak Djokovic, Shanghai Masters 2024© Stream screenshot
Thanks to the points he won in China, Djokovic is well placed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. The former world number 1 appears on the entry list of the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy, but his presence is uncertain at the moment. Last year, Nole won both in Paris-Bercy and Turin.