Novak Djokovic can still win a few Grand Slam titles, feels Australian Open director Craig Tiley
Former World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will go past Rafael Nadal's tally of 22 Grand Slam titles, according to Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley.
Djokovic is gunning for his 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open this year. With Rafael Nadal's withdrawal, many feel this is the Serb's best chance to become the most successful male tennis player in the Open Era. Currently, both Djokovic and Nadal are at 22 Majors.
Speaking on the AO Show podcast, Craig Tiley claimed that although Djokovic isn't in the best of form coming into Roland Garros, he is very difficult to beat in Slams.
"He (Djokovic) hasn't had the normal leader that he has coming in, but, when he plays Grand Slams, he's really difficult to beat," he said.
Tiley further stated that everyone knows the former World No. 1 can win many Majors and that the question is how many he can win.
"So you know, I think at some point it's going to happen, whether it be here or at the Wimbledon or the US or back at Australia," he added. "I think he's, we all know he's got quite a few Slams left in him and we still don't know how many."
Novak Djokovic has won the French Open twice, in 2016 and 2021. The 2023 edition is the first time since 1998 that the French Open will be played without Nadal or Roger Federer.
Novak Djokovic's likely opponents at French Open 2023
Novak Djokovic is coming into the French Open without a title on clay this year. However, given the champion he is, the Serb could still bring out his best in Paris, as he has done many times in the past.
The former World No. 1 is seeded third at Roland Garros. He will be up against USA's Aleksandar Kovacevic, ranked 114th in the world, in the first round.
Djokovic would most likely run into Hungarian Marton Fucsovics in the second round, and probably World No. 34 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the third round. Davidovich Fokina already has five quarter-final appearances this season, two of which came on clay (Barcelona and Estoril). The Spaniard would be expected to test Djokovic in this edition of the French Open.
Djokovic's fourth-round opponent could be Marseille champion Hubert Hurkacz. The duo have met once this year, on the hardcourts of Dubai. Hurkacz managed to stretch the Djokovic in the second set before losing 6-3, 7-5.
World No. 7 Andrey Rublev is on a collision course with Novak Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Next for the Serb could be a potential semi-final clash against Carlos Alcaraz, a match most fans would be waiting for. However, Djokovic could also run into former French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas at that stage, if the Greek player manages to get past Alcaraz.
Either Daniil Medvedev or Holger Rune would then likely stand in the way of Djokovic's 23rd Grand Slam title.