5 tournaments Novak Djokovic could struggle to win in 2024
Novak Djokovic continued his seemingly tireless pursuit of unprecedented tennis excellence in 2023. He bagged three of the four Grand Slams and also won a Masters 1000 tournament and the ATP World Tour Finals.
The Serbian great, who will turn 37 next year, has also secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record eighth time. He has already completed 400 weeks as the top-ranked player in the world.
In such a scenario, few would want to bet against him in any tournament. However, age can catch up with any player at any time.
On that note, here's a look at five tournaments Djokovic might struggle to win in 2024.
#1. French Open
Roland Garros is probably the most difficult Major to win, at least from the physical standpoint. The Serb could well find it too demanding to win on the red dirt of Paris next year. The threat of Carlos Alcaraz, among others, will very much be there.
Rafael Nadal might also feature in next year's tournament, which could very well be his last. All things considered, an aging Djokovic may find it difficult to win his fourth French Open title.
#2. Italian Open:
Djokovic has won six titles in Rome, and could have possibly won a few more had Nadal not been there. However, he might find it difficult to go through the grind of a claycourt tournament one more time.
The likes of Alcaraz and Sinner would likely pose a serious challenge to the Serb in Rome. Sinner will also have some extra motivation on his home soil. Moreover, Djokovic's nemesis on clay, Nadal, might also be there.
#3. The Olympic Games
Novak Djokovic has not won a gold medal at the Olympics yet and could find it considerably difficult to do so on the red clay of Paris. The Olympics will pose a different sort of a challenge and the Serb might find the weight of expectations of his nation a bit too tough to handle.
#4. US Open
Djokovic will be the defending champion at next year's US Open, but he has historically not done that well on the high-bouncing surface of the US Open. He has won the title four times, which is still below par given his prowess on hardcourts.
The Serb might be exhausted too by the time the New York Major rolls around. Djokovic has repeatedly run into Daniil Medvedev at Flushing Meadows, and the Russian remains quite a formidable opponent there.
#5. ATP Finals
The ATP Finals has a round-robin format and the Serb might well find it difficult to navigate past it. Moreover, the powerful games of the likes of Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev should pose a more serious challenge to him on the fast surface of Turin.