With the passing of their prime years, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have seen their dominance in the tennis world wane, paving the way for Novak Djokovic. The Serbian star won three out of four Grand Slam titles, including a record-breaking 24th at the US Open in September. After starting the year as world no. 2, Djokovic regained the top spot from Carlos Alcaraz in August, marking 398 weeks as the world’s best. He recently won his 7th Rolex Paris Masters title, taking his tally to 97-tour-level championship.
The 36-year-old tennis star is preparing ahead for what may likely be his 7th Nitto ATP and has also extended his lead over Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympic race.
Novak Djokovic surpasses Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic defeated in-form Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets at the Rolex Paris Masters to win his 40th ATP Masters 1000 title of his career, which is a record at this tournament level. With the triumph, Djokovic extended his gap at the top of the world rankings to 2,990 points ahead of 2nd-place Carlos Alcaraz.
This means Djokovic needs only one win at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin to be certain of finishing as the year-end no.1 for a record-extending 8th time. Also, the 36-year-old star garnered 1,000 points from his Paris Masters victory and overtook Alcaraz in the Olympic race.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has accumulated 5,200 points since his Wimbledon title defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, when the Olympics race began earning points. The Serbian is 920 points ahead of Alcaraz in second position. Novak Djokovic, who has no Olympic gold medals to his name, would like to have one more shot at the Olympics in 2024.
Carlos Alcaraz will make his Olympic debut, while fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal remains a significant doubt for next year’s athletic spectacle. The 20-year-old is his country’s best hope for a medal in the tennis tournament, and he has stated his ambition to compete in the doubles with Rafael Nadal. The tennis competition at the Paris Olympics is set to begin on July 27, 2024, and will run till August 4, 2024, at the iconic Stade Roland Garros.
Novak Djokovic wants to finish the year as World no.1
Novak Djokovic is aiming to finish the year top, as heads to the ATP Finals in Turin. He has won the competition 6-times and would be seeking for his 7th. Also, after the Turin Finals Djokovic will head to Malaga, Spain, for the Davis Cup where he will lead Serbia against Great Britain in the quarter-final with the main aim being to win a second title.
Novak Djokovic says finishing the year as world no.1 & Davis Cup are his main goals for the end of the year: “I think I need one more victory to secure number one, that is my main goal, apart from the Davis Cup. The next three days are recovery, I will put the racket aside and spend time with the family to recharge.”
“Then I will go to Turin, where each match will be like a final of a great tournament. Each meeting has many points, a lot of importance. I will arrive with good feelings, a lot of confidence. I haven’t lost a match since the Wimbledon final, so I hope to finish the season on a high. Finishing the year number one & the Davis Cup are my main goals.”
Djokovic will battle for the renowned ATP Finals trophy alongside Alcaraz, Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev, and Rune from November 12-13, while the Davis Cup Finals knockout phase will take place from November 21-26 in Malaga.
