“What are you continue to doing right here?” Daniil Medvedev joked to Novak Djokovic following the Serb’s historic twenty fourth Grand Slam triumph.
“I do not know, when are you planning to decelerate a little bit bit?” the Russian enquired.
It’s a honest query.
Overcoming Medvedev in straight units on Sunday, 36-year-old Djokovic equalled Margaret Courtroom’s all-time document of 24 main singles titles to face on the pinnacle of his sport.
And it appeared to imply greater than some other earlier than it. The emotion got here pouring out of Djokovic because the magnitude of his achievement sank in, earlier than the celebrations along with his household and group members commenced.
“This is among the greatest achievements in sport historical past,” his coach Goran Ivanisevic later declared. “We’re not speaking about tennis. We’re speaking usually, in sport.”
He added: “If he wins 25, he’ll suppose ‘why not 26?’ It is at all times yet one more, one thing extra.
“He is taking good care of his physique, he is taking good care of the whole lot, each single element needs to be excellent.”
Maybe most remarkably, the Serb – who’s peerless within the Open period (since tennis went skilled in 1968) – has achieved such outstanding heights regardless of competing within the biggest period the boys’s recreation has witnessed.
A twenty fourth Slam prolonged his lead over rival Rafael Nadal to 2 titles within the ongoing race for supremacy, after Swiss nice Roger Federer retired with 20.
However whereas Spain’s Nadal has introduced his plans to cease on the finish of the 2024 season, there aren’t any indicators of Djokovic’s outstanding profession coming to an finish.
“I do not put any quantity proper now in my thoughts on what number of Slams I need to win,” Djokovic stated.
“Figuring out that I play at such a excessive stage nonetheless and I win the most important tournaments, I do not need to go away this sport if I am nonetheless on the high.”
Djokovic will get US Open revenge to match Courtroom
Djokovic admitted that the load of historical past contributed to an underperformance when, getting ready to a shocking calendar Grand Slam in 2021, he misplaced to Medvedev within the US Open closing to overlook out on profitable all 4 main titles in the identical yr.
However, two months after being denied a twenty fourth title by Carlos Alcaraz in an epic five-set Wimbledon closing, he wouldn’t permit his newest alternative to cross him by.
The potential of profitable all 4 majors in the identical yr was not on the road right here – though matching Rod Laver in that regard is little doubt an achievement he may have on his thoughts after shedding only one match in Grand Slams in 2023.
Nonetheless, a twenty fourth main represented essentially the most important trophy of his illustrious profession to this point.
The one participant to have beforehand reached 24 titles is Australian Courtroom, whose achievements got here throughout tennis’ transition to knowledgeable sport.
Whereas Djokovic has gained his Slams within the Open period, nearly all of Courtroom’s titles – 13 to be exact – arrived earlier than 1968. Till that time, most majors had been contested by amateurs whereas high gamers sought the prize cash on supply at personal occasions.
It was an element that Serena Williams alluded to when she spoke about falling agonisingly wanting Courtroom’s tally when she retired final yr.
“I believe [Djokovic is the greatest of all time]. How will you argue with these numbers,” BBC Radio 5 Stay commentator David Legislation stated.
“He is bought the identical quantity as Courtroom and, let’s be sincere, they had been registered at a time when tennis was a unique sport. A lot of them had been on the Australian Open, when there wasn’t an enormous quantity of competitors.
“He has needed to come after Federer and Nadal, play in opposition to them once they have been at their finest. He needed to hunt them down, regardless of being significantly much less well-liked with the crowds.”
| Grand Slams | Margaret Courtroom | Novak Djokovic |
| Australian Open | 11 | 10 |
| French Open | 5 | 3 |
| Wimbledon | 3 | 7 |
| US Open | 5 | 4 |
Courtroom gained her first singles Slam on dwelling soil on the 1960 Australian Open, the place she triumphed on 11 events, together with her final coming in New York in 1973.
Equally, Djokovic has gained an all-time document 10 males’s titles in Melbourne since clinching his very first Slam there in 2008.
Wimbledon is his subsequent most profitable match, the place he is only one title behind Federer’s males’s document eight triumphs.
One feat achieved by Courtroom which Djokovic is but to match is that elusive calendar Slam.
Whereas Courtroom is considered one of 5 ladies to have gained a calendar Grand Slam – profitable all 4 majors in 1970 – Laver stays the one man to take action after Medvedev denied Djokovic in New York two years in the past.
‘Tremendous human’ Djokovic ‘not stopping quickly’
It’s the fourth season of Djokovic’s profession by which he has gained three Grand Slam titles, turning into the primary man to attain that on as many events.
The data proceed to fall and the numbers concerned develop into extra staggering with every success.
Victory over Medvedev got here in Djokovic’s record-extending thirty sixth Grand Slam closing, and record-tying tenth US Open closing – equalling Invoice Tilden’s complete.
He’s the oldest man to triumph at Flushing Meadows within the Open period, surpassing Ken Rosewall, who gained in 1970 aged 35.
General, he’s the fourth-oldest Grand Slam champion. By subsequent yr’s US Open he shall be sufficiently old to beat Rosewall for that document.
And along with his 96th profession title total, he decreased the hole to Federer (103) and Jimmy Connors (109) for essentially the most within the Open period.
“I do not suppose he is stopping any time quickly,” British former participant Annabel Croft stated on BBC Radio 5 Stay. “Why would he? It was virtually an ideal season.
“We witnessed one thing extremely particular tonight. We witnessed him tying Margaret Courtroom with 24 titles. It has taken him time to get there however he is achieved it. He is tremendous human, is not he.”
On Monday, Djokovic will return to world primary, changing 20-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz – overwhelmed by Medvedev within the semi-finals – who now seems the most important menace to his bid for an all-time document twenty fifth main.
The Serb has spent essentially the most weeks at primary in ATP rating historical past (since 1973) and subsequent week shall be his 390th on the high of the boys’s recreation.
“You might want to reinvent your self, as a result of everybody else does,” Djokovic stated. “As a 36-year-old competing with 20-year-olds I most likely should do it greater than ever.”
The four-time US Open champion added: “It is a fixed, evolving strategy of me attempting to implement sure issues that can give me an edge over the younger weapons.”
It’s tough to understand what he could have achieved in one other period.
Since Wimbledon 2003, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer have collectively claimed 66 of the 81 Grand Slam titles accessible over that interval.
That’s greater than 81% of the accessible titles, with simply 15 Slams in 20 years going to different gamers.
Now Djokovic will intend on growing that share additional when he returns to his favorite Grand Slam in January.
“To make the historical past of this sport is one thing actually outstanding and particular,” Djokovic stated.
“I by no means imagined that I might be right here, speaking about 24 Slams. I by no means thought that might be the truth. However the final couple of years I felt I had an opportunity, a shot at historical past – and why not seize it if it is offered?”