What can we expect from Novak Djokovic in 2024? In one word – everything. The choice of tournaments could be dramatically different from previous ones. The Serbian tennis player will turn 37 in May 2024. Accordingly, he undoubtedly needs a longer recovery period, so a less demanding season is expected.
Another issue in scheduling is the Olympic Games, which might lead to a smaller number of tournaments. In previous seasons, excluding Davis Cup appearances, he played only 12 tournaments and won seven. This year, a similar schedule is expected, with only a few things practically certain.
Scheduled Tournaments
Novak Djokovic will participate in every Grand Slam in the year (if all goes according to plan) and the Olympic Games. That means we already know five competitions where we will see him.
So far, he played the Australian Open, where he suffered his first defeat in Melbourne in six years. The top seed and ten-time champion was defeated in the Australian Open semifinals by Jannik Sinner (4) with a score of 1:3.
After that, he was defeated in an exciting semifinal at the Monte Carlo Masters by Casper Ruud (8) with a score of 1:2.
And then there are countless question marks. Roland Garros is scheduled from May 26 to June 9, three weeks later from July 1 to 14 is Wimbledon, and then from August 26 to September 8 is the US Open.
The US Open womens final and men’s doubles final are scheduled for September 7, and the men’s final on September 8. You can purchase tickets for these events in advance at the provided link. Additionally, on the website, you can find tickets for numerous other events worldwide.
Additionally, the Olympic Games are scheduled from July 26 to August 11. Thus, Novak will have an extremely busy schedule from late May to the first half of September.
What will he play between the confirmed tournaments?
So, these are the confirmed tournaments, but what will be in between? There probably won’t be tournaments in Serbia during the clay season this year, so it wouldn’t be a big surprise if Novak once again decides not to play in Madrid, with his clay court preparation being only Monte Carlo, and then traditionally Rome before heading to Paris. Rome is certainly the safest Masters considering he has always had good results there and sees it as the perfect preparation for the Grand Slam in France.
He probably won’t play anywhere on grass except Wimbledon, followed by a return to clay. Although he will defend 1,000 ATP points in Cincinnati, it is questionable whether he will skip this tournament because it starts the day after the Olympic Games. This means he would have to risk seeking form on US hard courts without a tournament, which differs from Wimbledon, where he adapts to grass much more quickly.
After that, Novak will likely skip all tournaments until Shanghai, if he decides to play that tournament at all. It is known that he has an almost flawless record in China, and it’s one of the biggest markets globally. It’s hard to expect him to miss appearing there for two years, especially since he hinted at an upcoming visit to China.
The season will close with the Paris Masters (unless Paris and Shanghai are excluded), followed by the ATP Finals in Turin scheduled for November 11. The Davis Cup probably won’t be a priority in a year when he’s chasing Olympic gold, as was evident at the end of the previous season.
As always, surprises are expected from Novak
So, we could experience many unexpected moves from Novak, with him playing one or at most two Masters in each part of the season alongside a Grand Slam.
It shouldn’t surprise many if he doesn’t hold the top spot on the ATP rankings as that surely won’t be a priority. But we would certainly love to see him in the US Open final.
No one knows what moves Novak will make; the only certainty is that his complete focus will be on winning the remaining 3 Grand Slam titles and long-awaited Olympic gold.
It’s expected that he will play the fewest tournaments of his career this year, maybe even just 10. Somewhat paradoxically, extended Masters tournaments (with a day’s break) give him more chances for recovery and thus better results.
We’re confident that Novak can still surprise and has more to offer to tennis fans. After a rough start to the season, he might just surprise us and win Olympic gold and the remaining 3 Grand Slam tournaments, although his desire for the “Golden Slam” won’t come true after the defeat at the Australian Open.
Potential schedule for Novak in 2024: Rome, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Olympic Games, US Open, Shanghai, Paris, ATP Finals in Turin.
