Novak Djokovic finally won Olympic gold in Paris to complete his career Golden Slam, but the Serbian is facing the prospect of not winning a Grand Slam in five for the first time since 2017, when preparing to defend the title at the US Open.
Djokovic is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title, also his fifth at Flushing Meadows. However, in 2024, he was overshadowed by younger opponents.
Nole lost to Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semi-finals and to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. At the French Open, the 37-year-old player withdrew in the quarterfinals due to a knee injury.
The last time Djokovic competed in all four Grand Slam tournaments in a season without winning a title was 14 years ago. At that time, he reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the French Open, the semifinals of Wimbledon and the finals of the US Open.
In 2017, Djokovic also did not have a Grand Slam, but he did not compete at the US Open because of an elbow injury.
Recently, form is returning to the Serbian tennis player, when he defeated Alcaraz - the French Open champion, in the 2024 Olympic final.
Since then, Djokovic has opted out of warm-up tournaments for the US Open in Montreal and Cincinnati to recharge, before attempting to surpass Margaret Court for the all-time Grand Slam record.
“I think he can find his motivation again, the gold medal will lift him up. If he keeps playing like this, he will be the one to beat at the US Open,” Djokovic's former coach Goran Ivanisevic said.
“I'm happy that he finally won the Olympic gold medal. I wish him to win his 25th Grand Slam, set an absolute record, and then maybe retire, even though he never will.”
According to the draw results, Djokovic is in a fairly favorable bracket to be able to go straight to the final. Meanwhile, the two biggest rivals, Sinner and Alcaraz, may have to clash in the semi-finals.
US Open 2024 starts on August 26. In round 1, Djokovic will meet Radu Albot - a Romanian tennis player who qualified.
