US Open: Ever determined Novak Djokovic eyes historic 25th Grand Slam title to follow on from Olympic gold
Novak Djokovic is back dining at tennis’ top table and looking to make yet more history at the US Open.
With a gold medal secured in Paris earlier this month, one that had proven so elusive through his four prior Olympic attempts, Djokovic – aged 37 – became just the fifth player to claim the sport’s ‘golden slam’, following in the footsteps of Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.
Now the Serb chases a 25th Grand Slam success at Flushing Meadows, one which would see him break his current tie on 24 with Australia’s Margaret Court.
Of all the mountains that Djokovic has conquered, this is surely the lone peak that remains before he has quite literally completed tennis. And it’s one that looked highly unlikely for much of 2024.
He went winless for the early part of the season, losing his world No 1 ranking to Jannik Sinner as the young Italian followed up his maiden slam success at the Australian Open with victory too at the Miami Open.
Sinner beat Djokovic along the way, at the semi-final stage in Melbourne, to make it three wins in four over the aging tennis great.
Add to that Djokovic’s knee injury that curtailed his quarter-final run at the French Open and the ease at which Carlos Alcaraz dispatched of him for a second-straight year in the Wimbledon final, in straight sets, you’d be forgiven for thinking there was a changing of the guard and that another one of men’s tennis’ ‘big four’ was on his way out.
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