Hall of Famer and former World No. 1 Tracy Austin believes Novak Djokovic is at the stage where he’s competing not just against his opponents, but also against history. Djokovic is currently the most successful Male tennis player of all time, with 24 Grand Slam titles in his glittering cabinet.
The Serbian won the Australian Open, Roland Garros, and the US Open in the recently concluded season to write his name in the history books. Furthermore, Djokovic won the Nitto ATP Finals after beating Jannik Sinner in the final. Another Slam victory will help Djokovic leapfrog Magaret Court’s tally of 24 Majors.
Djokovic still has a lot of fuel left in his tank and he would want to carry the good show on the tour in 2024.
Tracy Austin spoke in a column for Tennis.com’s ATP Player of the Year Countdown, “Novak is always looking to make those one-percent improvements: everything from diet, to agility, to strokes like his serve and forehand volleys. So, once again, he’s set new records in men’s tennis: 24 Grand Slam singles titles, and eight times finishing the year No. 1 in the world. Those are big achievements that might be unreachable,” Austin said.
Austin, a two-time US Open champion, revealed that Djokovic didn’t make any unforced errors in 55 tiebreaker points at the Roland Garros.
“Amid those lofty numbers, here’s another one from 2023 that I find amazing: At Roland Garros, Novak played six tiebreakers—55 total points. Not once on those 55 points did he make an unforced error! As we know, in tennis, some points are bigger than others. And when it’s most important, Novak just locks down. He’s at the stage now where he’s competing not just versus his opponents, but also against history,” Austin said.
Djokovic will aim to continue the good show in 2023 and once again deliver on the tour.