Brad Gilbert shocked by Novak Djokovic's season

09/06/2024 11:22 AM

Few expected that Novak Djokovic would not win a single Grand Slam title this year, as the Serbian legend won three Majors last year (and reached the final of the Wimbledon Championships). In 2024, Novak struggled to find the right pace and motivation has declined compared to the recent past.

The former world number 1 suffered from the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who inflicted very painful defeats in the most important tournaments. The Spaniard beat him in the last two Wimbledon finals, while the Italian ace prevailed in the Davis Cup and the semi-finals of the Australian Open.

When his descent parable seemed to begin, the 37-year-old from Belgrade shocked the world by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics and realizing his greatest dream. The Olympic tournament has certified that Nole is a legend of modern sport and the best tennis player ever.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion made a remarkable effort to win the gold medal in Paris and failed to show up at the US Open 100% fit. After struggling in the first two rounds, his run ended already in the third round against a very good Alexei Popyrin. Djokovic will lose several positions in the ATP ranking and - at this time - is not qualified for the ATP Finals due to the semi-final reached by Taylor Fritz in New York.

After the disappointment suffered in NY, Novak will help his Serbia in the Davis Cup tie against Greece in mid-September. The Serbian team will be clearly favored, not least because Greece will not be able to count on Stefanos Tsitsipas.

During a recent interview with Sportklub, former ATP ace and top coach Brad Gilbert commented on Nole’s results in 2024: “If you had told me that he would not win any Grand Slam titles this year, I would have been shocked. I thought he would win two, maybe even more. It will be interesting to see what he does in the fall: if he doesn’t play much, he’ll drop off the leaderboard and find himself in a slightly more difficult position from this point of view. I expect Novak to be a contender for the titles in the next eight Grand Slams, which is within the next two years.”

Next year will be decisive to see if the Serbian legend can still compete in the Grand Slam tournaments. In the latest edition of his podcast, ATP legend Jimmy Connors spoke about Novak: "When he got that medal and maybe relaxed a little, celebrated, had some fun, went to Serbia, hung out with his family and friends. He didn’t play any warm-up events. So do you think like his expectations coming in might not have been that high? He’s still probably reveling in the Olympic gold medal.

That certainly was an accomplishment and the one that was on his bucket list. He’s won everything else hasn’t he. But I don’t think, especially at this time, when he’s getting older and like everybody else, there’s gonna be an end, I don’t think he’d ever come in not expecting the best of himself."

He continued: "Even though he did, maybe celebrate a little bit and have some fun all that, I still think when he ties those shoelaces, he expects to come in and be what he’s been all these years, and that’s a winner. But I will go back and say that was a priority and to come off of that and to have won it like he did, probably made him kind of have a different attitude towards a lot of things. But I don’t think he ever wants to cut himself short."

In terms of results, 2024 was one of the worst years of Djokovic’s career. The former world number 1 has opted for a reduced schedule and his presence in Turin is very much at risk right now. Speaking with Sky Sports Tennis, tennis legend Martina Navratilova talked about Nole’s future: “He got the one he really wanted, which was the Olympic gold medal, but he also still wants that 25th, because then he has one more than Margaret Court. Father Time will catch up to him… and maybe it already is a little bit, because he really wasn’t himself in that last match.

It depends how much the fire is still burning. If it’s still burning, I’m never going to say ‘you shouldn’t play’, because he’s never going to tarnish his legacy – it’s ridiculously good. You can’t criticise because what a fantastic career. I would probably hang it up but if he loves, it why not?”