Novak Djokovic wins his 19th Grand Slam at Roland Garros and looks more and more likely to get the Grand Slam record.
Novak wins his 19th Grand Slam and you need to ask yourself: Is Novak the ultimate GOAT? Well, when it comes to numbers, I think both Nadal and Federer fans will have to come to terms with this fact. Because he has now won all Grand Slams twice, he is the only player to win all 9 Masters titles, he has won four Grand Slams in a row (but not in a calendar year) and he is getting close to pretty much any other tennis record. In the Grand Slam race, he is just one title behind Rafa and Roger. It looks all set up for him to be the best player of all time. At least when you look at the numbers.
I am personally more of a fan of Federer and Nadal, but you can’t deny that Novak is crushing it on a tennis court. He is ridiculously strong both mentally and physically and I don’t see how anyone can stop him from winning at least two more grand slams (likely one or two more than that). If he wins Wimbledon, which he is the overwhelming favorite for, he can even win a proper Grand Slam with four major titles in one calendar year. This means he overtakes Rafa and Roger in the Grand Slam race already in 2021.
What or who can stop Novak?
Novak doesn’t seem to have any lingering injuries or issues in his own game that should diminish his chances to win the slam race. The question is therefore if anyone else can rise from the shadows and defeat him. Roger Federer is always a threat at Wimbledon and if he could win the title, the Grand Slam race question might change again. Tsitsipas will surely take a lot o good things from his impressive performance at the French Open and come back stronger. Medvedev should be good on the grass as well.
Can Rafa win Wimbledon again? Yes, it’s possible, but still somewhat unlikely. He hasn’t won a title there since 2010, which is a mind-blowing 11 years ago, so he is not someone you put as one of the main favorites. Federer, Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Zverev etc are all stronger favorites to me, but you should never count out Rafa.
Going back to Tsitsipas, you have to give him huge props for the way he fought in the final. He played two fantastic sets to lead 2-0, but to beat Novak, you need to play at least three fantastic sets. But the Greek did show that he has the potential to be a future world number one in a couple of years. He pushed Novak to the brink, but Novak is the best “on-the-brink”-player in the world.
All-in-all, this was a great French Open with a lot of exciting matches, crowds, and the feeling of a normal Grand Slam. Now we look forward to Wimbledon. Will it be Novak’s 20th slam or will someone else step in and change the script?
What is Novak’s Djokovic’s racquet?
What is Stefanos Tsitsipas racquet?
