Sport
Novak Djokovic warned he has ‘two chances left’ to win a Grand Slam
Former opponent John Isner has cautioned Novak Djokovic that he only has “two chances left” to win the 25th Grand Slam singles championship.
Djokovic holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles titles, with 24. He is two titles ahead of Rafael Nadal.
The former world No 1 won three major titles in 2023, though he has failed to win a Grand Slam since sealing his fourth US Open crown towards the end of that year.
Novak Djokovic has been warned by former rival John Isner that he only has “two chances left” to win what would be a 25th Grand Slam singles title.
No man in history can match Djokovic’s staggering haul of 24 Grand Slam singles titles, with the Serbian two clear of great rival Rafael Nadal in the all-time standings.
The former world No 1 won three major titles in 2023, though he has failed to win a Grand Slam since sealing his fourth US Open crown towards the end of that year.
2024 proved to be Djokovic’s first Slamless year since 2017, and he was forced to retire injured in his Australian Open semi-final versus Alexander Zverev back in January.
Djokovic turns 38 in May, and debate has been rife as to whether he can challenge the likes of 23-year-old Jannik Sinner and 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz for majors in the future.
Few know as much about the challenge of facing an in-form Djokovic as Isner, with the American having been beaten in 10 of his 12 matches against the tennis great.
However, speaking on his Nothing Major podcast, the former world No 8 raised concerns as to whether the Serbian would win Grand Slams in the future.
Isner has claimed that 2025 is Djokovic’s “last opportunity” to contest for a historic 25th major title.
He said: “I hope I am wrong here, but it seems like he has two chances left to win a Grand Slam in the rest of his career – Wimbledon and the US Open. It just seems like that.
“Next year is tough, he is getting older. We know how well he takes care of his body, but it just seems like I am talking about as far as his career goes. The question was his level in Miami, if he can serve like that then he absolutely can win Wimbledon.
“It just seems like 2025 is his last opportunity to win a slam, it’s either going to happen at Wimbledon or the US Open.
“I hope I am wrong, it would be amazing to see him turn back the clock and win a slam in 2026, but it just seems like that from my perspective.”
Isner was speaking alongside fellow American and former world No 21 Steve Johnson, who expressed his belief that Djokovic’s “best chance” of Slam success would come at Wimbledon.
However, he revealed his own concerns that the 37-year-old could “run out of gas” over the course of a Grand Slam tournament.
“I would say Wimbledon would be his best chance if he can get through the first week basically unscathed with a bunch of straight setters and maybe get some luck of the draw in the quarters and semis,” Johnson commented.
“He just needs to get to the end of the two weeks with a bit more juice in his step. I just feel like he is going to run out of gas at some point, but I think Wimbledon would be his best chance of getting that title.”
Djokovic’s next chance to win a Grand Slam singles championship will come at the French Open, which begins on May 25th.
The former world number one is a three-time Roland Garros champion, having won in 2016, 2021, and 2023, and has reached four other finals in Paris.
Djokovic advanced to the tournament’s quarter-finals against Casper Ruud a year ago, but was forced to withdraw due to a meniscus rupture.
He recovered to reach the Wimbledon final, but was defeated in straight sets by Alcaraz, before suffering a surprise third-round loss to Alexei Popyrin at the US Open.
