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Novak Djokovic headed into the 2024 tennis season as the undisputed king of men’s tennis, yet he has been written off as yesterday’s man as his reign as Australian Open champion came to a thumping end.
A defeat against eventual champion Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals ended an extraordinary 33-match winning run for the 10-time champion in Melbourne, sparking predictable conclusions that his reign as best player in the game is over.
Djokovic admitted his powers may be waning after a troubled tournament in Australia where he appeared to be suffering from a cold that was draining his energy resources.
Asked if his motivation remains intact, Djokovic told Serbian media as per Tennis Majors: “Let’s see how things will unfold in the future. When you leave the court after a loss, the head is still hot – you are fighting to be rational, but there are many irrational thoughts going through your head.
“I want my thoughts to settle – when I calm down, I will move on and see what tournaments I will play.
“I made a commitment to myself that I will give it my all this year, with the priority being Slams and the Olympics.
“We’ll see whether something will change, in this stage of my life and my career, some surprising decisions are maybe more expected compared to twenty years ago.
“Yes, everything I usually do to be at my best on the court. Different factors contributed to the way I played.
“I was far from my usual level throughout the tournament, Sinner played great and imposed himself, the conditions were a bit different since I normally play in the evening in the final stages of the tournament.
“It’s sports, it happens, I am sorry I played such a bad match. At the end of the day, I got outplayed, no excuses – I shake Jannik’s hand, say well done to him.”
Despite those downbeat comments, the release of the updated ATP world rankings has reminded Djokovic’s doubters that he still holds a health points lead over new Grand Slam champion Sinner, with that lead in the rankings likely to grow over the next couple of months.
Now world No 20 Caroline Garcia has taken to X to suggest those writing off Djokovic are ‘funny’, as she noted the dramatic change in tone around the 24-time Grand Slam champion after just one setback.
I was scrolling a bit and
basically Djokovic was the GOAT 2 weeks ago, still so young, moving so well beyond of this age, going for an other Slam once again, a true inspiration. And now he is too old, we are in a complete new era, he is finished for tennis … this is funny— Caroline Garcia (@CaroGarcia) January 30, 2024
Garcia’s views will be shared by many with knowledge of tennis, as writing off Djokovic when he has achieved so much in the sport is a fool’s game.
The Serbian legend has suggested he will take time to regroup after his defeat against Sinner, but he will still be one of the leading contenders for every tournament he competes in this year and until he hangs up his racket for the final time.
Yet the doubters have been quick to suggest Sinner is the new king of men’s tennis, as his win in Australia was his third against Djokovic in their last four meetings.
Tennis great John McEnroe has suggested Djokovic has already achieved more than could be expected of him, after remaining dominant in the game despite players who are almost half his age trying to knock him off his perch.
“I have to hand it to Novak playing these young guys and wanting to take them on,” McEnroe told Eurosport.
“I have to be honest when I played (Pete) Sampras and (Andre) Agassi, it made me want to retire! These guys were just too good.
“Novak has had a different approach, but there is no doubt Sinner has shown he can be beaten.
“It was a controlled aggression. He was going after him in this match, but he had some safety in his game as well, so I credit him for that.
“I think he showed more than anything his mental toughness. He was that close to winning it (in the third set) against a guy who has won it ten times.
“Novak had the crowd fired up, but he stepped right up in the next set as if it hadn’t even happened, as if he had won the tie-breaker. I was super impressed that he pulled it together so quickly.”
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