Nole aims for the Grand Slam and Olympic gold, but Alcaraz, Sinner and Rune are lurking
Recite this nursery rhyme and abandon yourself to the emotions: Edberg, Courier, Kuerten, Murray, Nastase, Alcaraz, Wilander, Medvedev, Roddick, Becker, Safin, Newcombe, Ferrero, Muster, Rios, Kafelnikov, Moya and Rafter. It is the noble list of 18 players (out of 28) who have reached number one in the world in their career, the door to paradise for any kid who begins to hold a racket in his hand. Well: the sum of the weeks spent at the top by all of them is 397, that is, three less than the 400 that Djokovic alone celebrated yesterday. An unreal fact, beyond any logical consideration, but which gives a clear idea of what Novak represents in the history of tennis. An insatiable hunter of victories and records, an inexhaustible collector of pearls who is shaping the rolls of honor in his own image and likeness, to probably deserve the coronation as the strongest of all time.
to infinity
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At the Finals he could immediately chase the goal of closing the season at number one for the eighth time, and he achieved it by winning the first match with Rune. Then, there were Federer’s six tournament victories to update, to remain alone in the lead here too. And thanks to Sinner’s respect for the rules, after fearing elimination in the groups he confirmed himself as Master of Masters against Jannik, winner of the direct match in the round robin but powerless in the final. They have 71 Big Titles (24 Slams, 40 Masters 1000, 7 Finals), Nadal is far away with 59. At 36 years old, with the athletic condition of a child faced with opponents who could almost be his children, the Djoker is projected towards the infinite: “What more could you want? To finally achieve the Grand Slam and win Olympic gold. The competition with the young champions who are emerging stimulates me, gives me motivation, as long as I can stay at their level I want to train to remain ultra-competitive. Alcaraz, Sinner and Rne may be the new Big Three, but I’m not giving up.” At this point, the next great achievement that he will be able to frame in his sights, alongside that Grand Slam which twice eluded him due to a lost final (US Open 2021 and Wimbledon 2023), is the record of 109 tournaments won by Jimmy Connors, which the American left-hander has held since January 1979, when in Philadelphia he surpassed Laver’s 72 career Open successes. Nole is already third in the rankings with 98 (Federer is also ahead with 103) and in the last six seasons (since 2018, the year of rebirth after the technical and spiritual crisis) he has won 30 tournaments, 5 on average per year . 11 are missing, an apparently substantial number, but nothing is precluded a priori for this Djokovic: “This was one of the best seasons of my career, crowned with the success over the home hero: I couldn’t have asked for more. In the semi-final and in the final I beat the two strongest young people in the world. I’m very happy. Competing in front of my children (Stefan and Tara, ed.) is fabulous: I’ve always wanted my children to see me play and today they are old enough to understand what I do. And this makes me immensely proud.”
the challengers
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The ability to squeeze out extra motivation day after day has made Djokovic an immortal warrior, but if a couple of generations have been lost in the impossible pursuit of the Big Three, the nouvelle vague, brazen, talented and certainly favored by growing age of the titans (Federer even retired) has shown that he can take up the revolution. Alcaraz rivaled Novak for number one until the Asian swing in October and, above all at Wimbledon, dethroned him in his favorite palace: «Nole deserved number one at the end of the year, he had a phenomenal season. He is an incredible player, I would like to reach his age by fighting to win the big tournaments, with a better physical shape than many opponents who are 24 or 25 years old. I think I am only at 75% of my potential, I want to work for reach one hundred percent. Next year, among other things, there are the Olympics, I hope to get there in the best possible conditions to bring a medal to Spain.” At the Finals, the other phenomenal Next Gen Sinner beat Djokovic for the first time in his career, before losing the final: «Novak is a source of inspiration and an extraordinary example of professionalism. Facing him represents a very high challenge, but I am aware that I am closer to him, even if he remains a sensational champion. At a certain age, still feeling your body in the right way, in such physical and mentally difficult matches, is incredible. He plays the important moments very well, he knows how to best manage complicated situations.” Novak is the Master. But the young apprentices learn quickly.
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