Novak Djokovic says he will 'keep going' after US Open win
Novak Djokovic has written his name in the tennis history books for the umpteenth time as the Serbian’s recent success takes him to new heights in the ATP rankings. The Serbian may be advancing towards the final years of his career in his mid-30s, but he is showing no signs of slowing down whatsoever, with Djokovic set to venture into unprecedented territory with his latest achievement.
The 36-year-old claimed three Grand Slam titles this year, with only Carlos Alcaraz’s epic five-set victory over the world No 1 denying him the Calendar Slam to hold all four Major titles at the same time. And Djokovic’s success on the court is helping him reach new heights, at least in comparison to his younger colleagues.
He is now nine years older than the next oldest player in the top 10 in the ATP list, which happens to be the largest gap between the top-ranked player and second-oldest in the history of the men’s game.
Daniil Medvedev, at 27, is the next oldest with a group of emerging stars – Alcaraz (20), Jannik Sinner (22) and Holger Rune (20) – making up the rest of the top five.
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Sitting at the summit of the rankings, Djokovic is closing in an astonishing milestone of spending 400 weeks – nearly eight years – cumulatively as world No 1 across his career. Currently, he has completed 393 weeks at the top of tennis, some way clear of Roger Federer’s 232-week reign and Rafael Nadal’s 209 weeks throughout his time in the sport.
Despite predictions that Djokovic’s fitness and form would eventually decline, he has defied logic and may be at his strongest when other players perhaps may be on the wane. In claiming the US Open against Daniil Medvedev back in September, Djokovic now has 24 Grand Slam singles titles to his name, which puts him level with Margaret Court.
Few would bet against Djokovic adding at least two or three more Majors to his collection before he retires, even with two-time champion Alcaraz proving to be a thorn in his side. But at 36, Djokovic’s recent comments about his age suggest he is unbothered by the number – instead concentrating on how young he feels within himself.
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Having won 45 out of his 50 matches in 2023 – a win rate of 90 per cent – the Belgrade-born superstar was asked at Wimbledon in July if he he felt he was playing his best tennis, to which he replied: “I’d like to believe that’s the case.
“We are part of an individual sport so you have to rely on yourself and put yourself in the best possible, physical, mental and emotional state before going out on the court. So I tried not to look at the age as a hindrance that might change the outcome on the court.
He then added: “I feel 36 is the new 26, it feels good. I feel a lot of motivation and I’m inspired to play the tennis that I truly love, this sport has given me so much and I’m eternally grateful so I’ll try to… I guess return the favour to this sport and play as much as I possibly can.”
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