After a tremendously successful 2023, which saw Novak Djokovic win three of four Grand Slams, his form and health in 2024 has severely dropped off; the 37-year-old Serbian failed to make a single final this year in any tournament until Wimbledon, amid a plethora of unexpected defeats and niggly ailments
For all of the buzz this year about Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray’s anticipated retirements, Novak Djokovic’s prospective retirement from tennis may have sneaked up as well.
At 37, the Serbian is the same age as Murray and a year younger than Nadal, but he has had much fewer injuries than his long-time opponents, and there has been no discussion of retirement in contrast.
That’s because Djokovic is tennis’ invincible guy. The player who regains everything, who never loses a rally or a match, and who continues to compete and win despite several scandals and setbacks.
Most recently, he returned from knee surgery in three and a half weeks to reach the first round of Wimbledon, where he advanced to another final.However, in that final – a stunningly impressive 6-2 6-2 7-6 (7-4) straight-sets victory for 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz – we saw what we had seen all year: a player whose form and fitness had plummeted dramatically
In 2023, Djokovic won three of the four Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, and US Open) while losing in the final of the other – in five sets no less – to Spain’s Alcaraz at Wimbledon. It was an incredible 12 months.
While the end for Nadal and Murray has been a long time coming, with fans watching continuous decreases, Djokovic has undergone a 2024, implying that he, too, may not have long at the top For many, Sunday at SW19 represented a changing of the guard at the pinnacle of tennis, with Djokovic subsequently conceding he is not.
Djokovic in 2024: trophyless and his body beginning to fail him.
Djokovic made eight finals in 2023, winning all save the Wimbledon final. In 2024, he failed to reach a single final until Wimbledon, where he was lucky to be in a draw that bypassed three of the world’s top five players in Sinner, Alcaraz, and Medvedev.
At Wimbledon, a hip injury to Alex de Minaur resulted in Djokovic receiving a quarter-final walkover, while a knee injury to fourth seed Alexander Zverev earlier in the championship meant the Serbian’s semi-final opponent was 25th seed Lorenzo Musetti, who had never competed in a Grand Slam quarter-final before Wimbledon.Djokovic’s year began with a shocking straight-sets loss to Australia’s De Minaur in the quarter-finals of the United Cup in Perth as part of his preparations for the Australian Open, which required two stoppages due to a wrist injury.
No major issue in isolation, but after arriving in Melbourne as a record 10-time Australian Open victor and appearing untouchable, Djokovic was demolished by 22-year-old Sinner in the semi-finals 6-1 6-2 6-7 6-3.
Next up came Indian Wells in March, where Djokovic suffered another shock setback, this one more seismic: he lost in the third round to unheralded 20-year-old Italian Luca Nardi, who was a fortunate loser in the event. Djokovic later remarked that he was surprised by his own performance level. Djokovic subsequently withdrew from the Miami Open, which he has won six times, citing a “private and personal schedule.”
The Monte Carlo Masters followed in April, but Djokovic was unable to reach the final, losing to Norwegian Casper Ruud in the semis – Ruud’s first win against him in six attempts – and doing so by a weird double-fault.
“I’m accustomed to a fairly high standard in terms of expectations for outcomes, so not having a championship is, perhaps compared to the previous 15 years, not a fantastic season at all,” Djokovic said after the loss.
A month later, at the Italian Open, Djokovic was upset by Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo, losing 6-2, 6-3 for another early exit, this time in the third round.
“The way I felt on the court today was literally like a different person stepped into my shoes,” Djokovic said after losing to Tabilo, who was inadvertently hit on the head by a bottle in the previous round.
Djokovic decided to compete in the Geneva Open later in May because he felt he needed more practice before the French Open. However, cutlery eluded him once more, as Tomas Machac defeated him in the semi-finals. The Serbian later complained about his stomach
Djokovic advanced to the quarter-finals of the French Open, but it took him five sets to beat 30th seed Musetti and 23rd seed Francisco Cerúndolo.
In the second of those matches, Djokovic pulled up with a knee pain, and when examined, a medial meniscus tear in his right knee was discovered. It prompted him to retire from Roland Garros before meeting Ruud in the final eight, and subsequently to have surgery, casting his Wimbledon participation in serious doubt.
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