It sounds like a silly question. Will Djokovic win everything in 2024? After the ATP Finals in 2023, you have to ask it, though.
Despite struggling on and off in the group stage, he won two relatively routine wins in the semi-finals against Alcaraz 6-3 6-2 and in the finals against Sinner 6-3 6-3 (we got our prediction right), cementing him even further as the strongest player in the world by some margin.
Djokovic won seven titles in 2023. With three Grand Slams, he has spent 400 weeks as world number one, finished year-end number one for a record eighth time, and only lost two matches since May. How can he improve on that?
“Well, you can win four Slams and Olympic gold,” he said with a smile, alluding to the upcoming Paris Olympics. “Let’s see. I have always had the highest ambitions and goals. That’s not going to be different for the next year, that’s for sure. The drive that I have is still there. My body has been serving me well, listening to me well. I have a great team of people around me.
Novak Djokovic
“Motivation, especially for the biggest tournaments in sport, is still present. It still inspires me to keep going. In the end of the day, people see you performing in the big tournaments, but they don’t see all the weeks and months of dedicated day-to-day, week-to-week work, trying to build your form so that you can peak where you want to peak. For me, obviously, those are the Grand Slams and the Finals, and next year, hopefully also the Olympic Games.
“The mindset is the same. I’ll keep going. I don’t know whether I’m going to have as good of a year next year, but I’m going to keep this freshness of mind and in a way motivation to do that.”
What does it take to stop Djokovic?
Alcaraz famously did in the Wimbledon final, but otherwise, it has been close to impossible to defeat Djokovic in 2023. The recipe the Serb has for his success, just seems to be getting more and more powerful.
“When they play me, I want them to feel that it’s going to require the best tennis from them in order to win against me,” he said. “That’s what I want my opponents to feel, no doubt, because that helps mentally coming into the match.
“I think the more I win on the biggest stage, the more this kind of aura grows, and I’m glad for it, no doubt. Of course, that’s not going to win you the match, but it might give you the little percentage, the little edge.”
Novak Djokovic
Besides putting pressure on his opponents by taking the ball early and always hitting with brilliant depth, they are also intimated by his invincible aura. The opponent is already starting the match with some mental deficit in terms of believing they can win.
This will give him a powerful edge going into 2024. Will Novak Djokovic win everything in 2024? No, probably not, but it will require something extra special for players like Sinner, Alcaraz and Rune to stop him.
Check this article if you are interested in Novak Djokovic’s racquet specs.
