Novak Djokovic is in the news today after making a big announcement regarding the ATP Finals in Turin.
After weeks of speculation, Djokovic has announced that he won’t be playing in Italy with an injury winning the battle.
The Serbian has struggled with his knee all year and wore a knee brace at Wimbledon after being forced to pull out of the French Open.
Djokovic’s absence from the Tour Finals basically ends his year and now attention will turn to the Australian Open in January.
The year 2024 does ask some questions of Djokovic though with no major title added to his impressive haul of career titles.
Djokovic did win the Olympic gold medal in Paris but for a player who demands so much of himself, it probably goes down as a poor year.
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Goran Ivanisevic shares whether Novak Djokovic can still win major titles
Up until March, Ivanisevic and Djokovic were working together but the relationship ended after five years this year.
The Croatian is now going to coach Elena Eybakina but clearly, there are few coaches out there who know what Djokovic is all about.
He’s been quizzed on the 24-time Grand Slam champion and whether or not he’s got what it takes to add a 25th to his collection in 2025.
Ivanisevic told Tennis Majors: “I can’t know if he is motivated and how much, but the moment he decides to play, it means that he is eager to play.
“Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are convincingly above the rest of the field, but I put Novak in the group with them, because when Novak really wants to play, he is still the best in the world, in my opinion.
“The other thing is how much he wants to play and when – we saw at the Olympics… If he goes out on the court like that, then he can still win a Slam.
“Also, it depends on his ranking and the draw, when does he need to face Sinner or Alcaraz, lots of factors, but can Novak do it? Yes, he can. You can never write him off, I would never do that.
“And good for me – I won’t have to root against Novak, I can stay his fan unless he switches to women’s tennis!!”
Djokovic can still win Grand Slam titles
It feels almost silly to be discussing whether or not one of the greatest players to ever return a tennis ball can still win major titles.
Naturally, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are new kids on the block and they’re not here to mess around.
Those two have shared the four majors in 2024 but that doesn’t mean that Djokovic can’t come back with a vengeance next year.
Ultimately, the 37-year-old hasn’t been able to shake off the knee injury as quickly as he might have hoped.
Playing Wimbledon was always something he was going to do in search of the eighth title but perhaps that tournament has taken its toll on Djokovic’s body.
Missing the ATP Finals isn’t the end of the world and the challenge for Djokovic now is to rest up and come back raring to go when things get underway next year.
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