Novak Djokovic will end his career with 28 Grand Slam titles, predicts Rennae Stubbs
Former doubles World No. 1 Rennae Stubbs has predicted that Novak Djokovic will end his illustrious career with 28 Grand Slam titles to his name.
Djokovic began his 2023 campaign in dominant fashion, winning a record-extending 10th Australian Open title. That triumph saw the Serb return to the top of the ATP rankings and equal Rafael Nadal's tally of 22 Majors.
With the Spaniard currently sidelined with injury, Djokovic will head to the other Grand Slams this year full of confidence. Many believe the 35-year-old will be favorite for the French Open in May.
On the latest episode of The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast, Stubbs shared her thoughts on how many Majors Djokovic could end up with.
"I think that by the time Novak [Djokovic] finishes his career, he’s gonna have, I'm gonna guess at 28. I think that he can win at least five more Grand Slams by the time he’s finished his career. So that'll put him in about 27," she said.
"You have to think that he is a favorite every time he plays, particularly a hardcourt Grand Slam or at Wimbledon. I mean, the guy can win a couple more Wimbledon titles," she added.
Novak Djokovic has won multiple ATP titles in 18 different seasons now 🔥
Can Rafael Nadal two titles this season to extend his streak? 👏
#RafaelNadal #NovakDjokovic #RogerFederer #AndyMurray https://t.co/jANm14PFZd
Stubbs acknowledged that the next generation of players, like Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, will not make it easy for Djokovic. But she believes the Serb has the edge over the younger players when it comes to best-of-five matches.
"I know it's really hard to do once these young kids like Alcaraz, Rune and others start really believing in themselves over five sets. Obviously Alcaraz does because he won the US Open last year," Stubbs stated.
"Over five sets, that's the future. Guys believe that they can beat him over three because they've done it, right? And he can have a bit of an off day, but having an off day over five sets... Even if you have a bit of an off day, you can always pull it back. So over five sets, Novak is just unbeatable. For now," she concluded.
After Novak Djokovic equals Rafael Nadal's Major record, Dominic Thiem says Grand Slam tally should decide GOAT debate
Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem recently stated that the number of Grand Slam titles won should hold the most weight in the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate.
Speaking to Punto de Break, the Austrian gave his thoughts on what makes a player the GOAT, saying:
"In my opinion, the Grand Slam titles should be the defining criteria when determining the best of all time, they are the four most important tournaments in tennis. Everything else is fine, but it's not the same. The Slams are what counts, so the GOAT will probably be the one with the most Grand Slams."
Novak Djokovic is only two weeks away from Steffi Graf's all time record now 👏
#NovakDjokovic #WorldNo1 #Tennis https://t.co/z5WjWW8PLi