Why Djokovic can win 30 Slams

Once again we are amazed by yet another feat by Novak Djokovic, who at 36 years old never ceases to amaze and with first-rate tennis and athletic condition continues to dictate the law on the circuit. Avoiding the usual discussions about the best player of all time, which always leave the time they find, however, we have extraordinary numbers to think about, probably unrepeatable numbers that stimulate an obvious question: where can he go with the Slams won?

Precisely in these days, 21 years ago, the world of tennis with its millions of fans celebrated Pete Sampras’ 14th victory in a Major, a record then stolen from the Australian Emerson. It seemed, and at the time it was to all intents and purposes, an epochal achievement, but the appearance of Federer, Nadal and indeed Djokovic made it an almost normal undertaking. Here lies the extraordinary nature of these three phenomenal champions, and of the Serbian in particular: it is no longer a crazy utopia to imagine that one can win 30 Slams. Is it a realistic goal, within Nole’s reach? Simply put, if he continues on the path of three Slams a year as happened to him in 2021 and 2023 (last year he didn’t play in Australia and at the US Open…), he could reach his goal in two years. Competitively, he remains a warrior capable of exalting himself in the toughest and bloodiest battles and the obsessive care he continues to reserve for the preparation of his body, combined with the wise management of the calendar, brings him closer to the big events in ideal psycho-physical conditions despite his age. Ultimately, the level of competition has qualitatively lowered compared to the golden era of challenges with Roger and Rafa, because currently only Alcaraz and Medvedev, and the Russian limited to hard courts, are able to have equal matches with him. In these US Open, then, apart from the unexpected setback against Djere when he had to come back from two sets, the draw and the fact that the most famous opponents on his side were eliminated before meeting him guaranteed him a path without worries, final aside.

Therefore, even a pinch of luck can affect the results of future Slams, while the biggest unknown obviously concerns the progression of the years. Djokovic remains a perfect tennis machine, but at 36, every season he spends is worth five, casting legitimate shadows on the career of anyone who finds themselves competing at the highest levels at the age of forty. If we keep faith with his words, and if he doesn’t have to deal with unforeseen physical problems that no one wishes for him, Djokovic intends to play for at least another three years: therefore, we must certainly budget for the conquest of other Slams.

That he can reach 30, however, remains in the field of unlikely hypotheses, but not impossible for a champion of his making. The charm remains of a number that until twenty years ago gave shivers just thinking about it, and which Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have instead cleared as an achievable feat. Without one of the other three in their path, each of them could have legitimately aspired to that sum: this is why what they built cannot have heirs.