Brad Gilbert claims he wouldn't be surprised if Novak Djokovic won 27 Slams, says the Serb is a better player at 34 than he was at 24
Acclaimed tennis coach Brad Gilbert was recently invited by L'Equipe to write about Novak Djokovic's stranglehold over men's tennis. And Gilbert took that chance to lavish rich praise on the Serb.
Novak Djokovic clinched his 20th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon on Sunday, thus equalling Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's all-time tally. It is also pertinent to note that Djokovic has won eight of the last 12 Grand Slams, and has shown no signs of slowing down despite being in his mid-30s.
In that context, Brad Gilbert claimed in his column for L'Equipe that Novak Djokovic should be expected to continue his dominance at the Grand Slams in the coming years. The American, who has coached the likes of Andy Murray and Andre Agassi, suggested that Djokovic could end up with a whopping tally of 27 Majors if he continues at his current pace.
"I wouldn't be surprised if, over the next three seasons, that is, the next 12-13 Grand Slam tournaments, Novak were to win between five and seven more. So why not around 27 titles at the end of the day," Brad Gilbert wrote.
Brad Gilbert also pointed out that Novak Djokovic tries to get better all the time, and that he instills something new in his game after every victory. According to Gilbert, the Serb is playing at an even higher level now than when he was supposedly at his physical peak (10 years ago).
"In fact, he continues to evolve; every match, every opponent, teaches him something," Gillbert added. "At 34, he is stronger than at 24!"
"I find he has made incredible progress in serving" - Brad Gilbert on Novak Djokovic
Brad Gilbert went on to highlight that Novak Djokovic has made some critical improvements to his serve. Gilbert attributed Djokovic's continued success to his serve as well as his ever-incredible movement and open-minded mentality.
"I find he has made incredible progress in serving," Gilbert said. "And then he always moves as well and I also find him more open-minded in his approach to the Majors."
Although Novak Djokovic's 2011 at the age of 24 was objectively one of the best ever seasons in the history of men's tennis, Brad Gilbert might not be way off in suggesting that Djokovic is a better player now in some aspects.
Djokovic has certainly improved his serve in recent years. While the Serb was already a clutch server at the onset of the 2010s, he has developed a much bigger serve since returning from shoulder surgery in 2018.
Djokovic won a whopping 85% of his service points at this year's Wimbledon, and also struck a whopping 25 aces in his opener against Jack Draper.