By winning the gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games, Novak Djokovic has won the major tournament he was missing. Now he has won everything there is to win.
Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis winner of all time. Game, set and match. Without a title and without a victory against a member of the top 10 all season before the start of the Olympic tournament, Djokovic was chasing the last major title that was missing from his list of achievements and did not crack, unlike in recent editions of the Olympic Games. Without losing a single set in the entire tournament, Absence proved that he was still at a very high level until the final where he undoubtedly produced one of his greatest performances of his entire career, in the most important match in what still seems to be his twilight years at the age of 37.
So often in the shadow of its great rivals Roger Federer et Rafael Nadal who benefited much more from the love of the public, next to whom he has long run while surpassing himself by seeing his opponents being supported in his place, Djokovic now takes a good part of the spotlight, helped by the retirement of the Swiss and the inability of the Spaniard to find his highest level.
Very quickly, the Djoker understood that, to be considered the greatest player in the history of tennis, there could be no discussion on the statistical level, the only data that comes into play that cannot be questioned. If he had already taken the lead alone in the number of Grand Slam titles (editor’s note: 24 against 22 for Nadal and 20 for Federer), it must also be remembered that he lifted each of the four trophies at least three times, against two for the Spaniard and one for the Swiss.
Now, the Belgrade native has finally managed to complete his already overflowing cupboard of awards, unlike the other two legends of the sport. Indeed, while Nadal has never won the ATP Finals and Federer has not won Olympic gold in singles, even if he has taken the one in doubles. With 40 Masters 1000 titles, he is also the first in this ranking ahead of Nadal (36) and Federer (28). He has also achieved the feat of winning at least twice each Masters 1000 currently being played while his two rivals have not won them all. Add to that the record for titles at the ATP Finals (7), the number of weeks at the top of the ATP ranking (428), the number of years completed as world number 1 (8), a Davis Cup, an ATP Cup and you get the most beautiful list of achievements in history. Unquestionably.
And now? What more can he aim for? If the motivation remains intact, Djokovic could become the oldest Grand Slam winner at the US Open and do better than Margaret Smith Court and his 24 Grand Slam titles, to become the most in Major, men and women in singles, combined. The other record that he could perhaps go for, but which will undoubtedly be more complicated, is the number of titles of Jimmy Connorsstuck at 109, while Federer is at 103 and now has 99.
It remains to be seen what motivation will remain for the man who, as he himself said, completed the puzzle.
