An overwhelming majority of tennis fans believe Novak Djokovic will not add a 25th Grand Slam title to his record-breaking tally, despite his continued success on the ATP Tour. In a recent Express Sport poll, 80 per cent of readers said the current world No. 8 would not lift another Major crown. Three per cent said they did not know, while 17 per cent still back Djokovic to win one more Slam before he retires.
Djokovic's Recent Success
Last week, the Serbian superstar lifted his 102nd career title, and his seventh in Beijing, beating three top-10 players en route to the trophy. Djokovic now holds a staggering 34-0 match record at the China Open, the longest unbeaten streak to start a tournament of any man in history. He has also won a title in 21 consecutive seasons on the tour.
However, it has been three years since his last Major triumph. Aged 39, Djokovic is still proving himself as one of the world's best players. He reached the Australian Open final in January, upsetting Jannik Sinner en route, and said his recent run to the Beijing title was the reason he still played.
Close Calls and Challenges
Djokovic has come painfully close to another Major since his last victory at the 2023 US Open. He finished runner-up at Wimbledon in 2024 and in Australia earlier this year, where he took the first set off Carlos Alcaraz before losing in four. Last year, he reached the semi-finals of all four Slams.
Still, Djokovic's efforts have not been enough to convince 80 per cent of poll respondents. While best-of-five set tennis may now prove more of a challenge for the Serbian at 39, he is still having plenty of joy in best-of-three set matches.
Victory Over Zverev
The reigning Olympic champion beat Alexander Zverev in the Beijing quarter-finals. Zverev has claimed two Major titles this season and is guaranteed to claim the year-end No. 1 ranking. Djokovic outlasted him 4-6 6-4 6-4.
Afterwards, the former world No. 1 said: "These kind of matches are the biggest motivation why I keep on competing and why I keep on pushing myself pretty much on a daily or weekly basis to train and get myself on this level to be prepared to play the matches like tonight against the best players in the world and to win. That's a kind of a proof or an evidence to me that I can still beat the best players in the world on the biggest stage. I always knew that. I always know that. Things are a bit different nowadays. It's hard to be consistently playing on the highest level like the youngsters."
