Novak Djokovic is the best tennis player of all time after his triumph at the French Open. But the pugnacious Serb is far from finished. New records are already waiting.
It was obvious that he had achieved a major goal in his life when he was on the Terre Battue lay, the fiery red ashes of Paris. It was a moment of liberation for Novak Djokovic. A moment in which he had arrived where he had always imagined himself. On the Olympus of tennis – his sport. This makes him the most successful player of all time.
“I’m more than happy to have won 23 titles in my life. It’s an indescribable feeling.”, said Djokovic when he was handed the microphone on the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris to express his emotions after his sovereign three-set victory (7: 6, 6: 3, 7: 5) against Casper Ruud. It’s after the Australian Open already his second majorstitle this year.
Djokovic is left
The 36-year-old Serb is now the first of the “big three“, the big three, who have so dominated top tennis on the ATP tour over the past decade. Roger Federer has already resigned. Rafael Nadal, who has just had to take a compulsory break of several months due to hip surgery, has already announced the end of his career for 2024 . A comeback is currently questionable. Djokovic is what is left of this unique generation, in which everyone has pushed the others to their performance limits so often and pushed them further again and again.
Djokovic was always driven by the thought of being the best. Even at an advanced age, he can focus and grind like no other player. “He’s not an easy boy, especially when things don’t go his way”said his coach Goran Ivanisevic, himself a former world-class player and Wimbledon winner. “We started the new sadomaso training. It’s a new way of training: from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. I mean, I don’t know what you can do with him. It’s always something. He’s the guy who always wants something.”
Young followers bite their teeth
More than 15 years after his first Grand Slamtitle at the Australian Open 2008 followed Djokovic’s record win. A professional athlete can hardly offer greater proof of his perseverance, obsession and his almost insatiable hunger for success after so many years and triumphs.
Djokovic is an exceptional athlete in the truest sense of the word. The young followers regularly bite their teeth at the veteran – Djokovic’s game is too complete, too varied. His fitness and physical flexibility continue to be second to none.
Not popular everywhere
Outside of the tennis court, the Serb has always been quarrelsome. Djokovic has refused vaccinations against Corona in the past, causing him to miss some major tournaments. His penchant for the esoteric often takes on bizarre traits. He also repeatedly expresses himself politically with controversial theses and thus calls the politicians not only of his country onto the scene. Recently in Paris, for example, he commented on the independence of Kosovo. That’s also why he offends.
In Paris, too, parts of the audience let him feel again and again that his messages outside, but also his dogged determination, his will to win at any price, his lived-out dominance and even arrogance on the pitch, were not only met with approval.
Whistle does the opposite
His immense ambition often causes him to slip far down the popularity scale. The Serb visibly suffers from the whistles of the audience – and he reacts again and again and very openly with his provocative gestures towards his critics. These expressions of displeasure also seem to inspire his hunger for success in a way that is difficult to explain.
Djokovic wants to be popular, but he accepts the criticism because sporting success is even more important to him. If you want to stop him in a sporty way, you shouldn’t whistle at Djokovic. He’s not the most popular of the Big Three. But the most successful. That should be satisfaction enough for him.
Next goal Grand Slam
Djokovic is now entering his 388th week as number one in the tennis world. Nobody but him could do all four Grand Slam-Win tournaments at least three times. Djokovic should have already targeted the next goal, after all there is still no talk of an end to his career. Does he make it this year? Grand Slamall four majors in a calendar year to win?
Only Margret Court (80 years old), Steffi Graf (53) and Rod Laver (84) have managed to do this. And Court lies at 24-Grand Slamtitles even ahead of Djokovic. “He’ll find the motivation to win 24 or 25 from somewhere again”said Ivanisevic: “Who knows where this will end?