With age catching up, can Novak Djokovic cross 100 singles titles?
Novak Djokovic, who has had to sit out multiple tournaments this season due to his unvaccinated status against COVID-19, has decided to participate in as many ATP events as he can to remain in practice and accumulate ranking points.
Apart from the two Grand Slam tournaments — the Australian Open and US Open — the Serb missed out on four Masters 1000 events in the US and Canada. Although he won his 21st Major at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in July, there were no ranking points awarded to him since the ATP stripped Wimbledon of them.
On Sunday, Djokovic downed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4 in one hour and 15 minutes in the final of the Astana Open, an ATP 500 tournament, to lift his 90th singles title on the tour.
It was the 10th meeting between the two top-10 players and the Serb improved his head-to-head record to 8-2. His 89th title win came just a week ago at the Tel Aviv Open, an ATP 250 event held in Israel.
Before winning two titles in the last two weeks, Djokovic had scored big wins this year at the Italian Open Masters 1000 event and Wimbledon, making it four titles for him in 2022.
Here’s an extraordinary stat — it is the 14th season for the 35-year-old when he has won at least four titles in a year. There are still a number of tournaments left for him to participate in this season.
Out of these 14 special seasons, there were a few which further stood out. In 2011, when Djokovic made certain changes to his diet and lifestyle, he won a total of 10 titles, including three Grand Slams. Similarly, in 2015, the Serb walked away with as many as 11 titles, including three Majors. Although he won just five titles in 2021, it was the third season in which he won three Grand Slam titles. He lost the fourth one (US Open) in the final.
2007 (5)
2008 (4)
2009 (5)
2011 (10)
2012 (6)
2013 (7)
2014 (7)
2015 (11)
2016 (7)
2018 (4)
2019 (5)
2020 (4)
2021 (5)
2022 (4)
Novak Djokovic has won at least 4 titles in 14 different seasons https://t.co/k7ikntajvW
"I dared to dream" - Novak Djokovic on winning 90 titles
When he won the Astana Open on Sunday, the on-court interviewer asked Novak Djokovic if he had ever imagined that he would win 90 singles titles. The legendary player responded by saying that he "dared to dream." He also remarked about his age, stating that he is not 25 anymore, but his experience came in handy at this stage of his career.
"I dared to dream, actually. I always hoped that I would be going to have a great career," Djokovic said. "Obviously, didn’t know the amount of finals I was going to play, the amount of tournaments I was going to win, but my intention was always to reach the highest heights in our sport."
"I’m just very grateful and blessed to be able to play this well at this stage of my life. You know, 35 is not 25. But I think the experience, probably, in these kinds of matches and big occasions helps as well to approach mentally in the right way," he added.
Although he is 35, Djokovic is one of the fittest tennis players in the world with no signs of injury. He credits his diet as the biggest reason for his body always being in shape and helping him win more than anybody else. Like Andy Murray recently introduced him at the 2022 Laver Cup by saying:
"The player that I'm going to welcome up onto the stage, he loves to eat plants, he celebrates all of his Grand Slam victories by going wild on vegetable smoothies, he's gluten-free."
Even if Djokovic is not 25 anymore, he has a lot of tennis left in him. Plus, different authorities banning him from playing big tournaments this year has made him even hungrier. He is currently fifth on the list of the highest number of singles titles among men after Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, and Rafael Nadal.
Given his form, fitness, desire to win, and the fact that there's hardly any challenge for him on the tour, Novak Djokovic has every chance of not just crossing the 100-mark, but smashing every possible record that there is.