Novak Djokovic may have disappointed at the US Open, and throughout 2024 admittedly, but few can argue against this being a historic year for him.
After all, as was blatantly evident by his schedule, everything was building towards the summer Olympics in Paris, returning to Roland Garros in an effort to finally snag Olympic gold.
Having already tried and failed on numerous occasions, this marked his final shot, and the pressure was mounting on him to accomplish the one feat that had eluded him across a sparkling and near-faultless career.
And yet, despite achieving his goal, John McEnroe remains stunned by Novak Djokovic.
John McEnroe admits to being ‘surprised’ by Novak Djokovic
Speaking to Tennis365 at a Eurosport event, the American tennis legend was asked about Djokovic after what was a shockingly poor US Open campaign.
However, McEnroe was not surprised by that, but instead the fact that the Serbian is still playing at all, as he claimed: ‘It’s difficult to say what we can expect from him next year.
‘First of all, you never want to count him out, but this is certainly the first time that you could ask the question if his days of winning majors are over.
‘He’s got his family and you mention the word motivation. How long can this guy stay motivated? I’m amazed he’s kept it this long, actually.
‘Whether he does win majors again or he doesn’t. He won three of the four last year and now we are saying he might never win another one.
‘I would be kinda surprised he did win more majors because of his age. At some point, that catches up to you.’
Djokovic did send a message to Jannik Sinner after winning the US Open, showcasing his humility in the face of a third-round exit.
Novak Djokovic will not stop until he has completed his final mission
Realistically, if we’ve learned anything from watching Djokovic over the last two decades, it’s that he will stop at nothing to cement his place in history.
So, with that in mind, even if McEnroe is surprised that he’s still playing, there’s no way he retires anytime soon when he is so close to achieving the very last thing he needs to do to make his GOAT status indisputable.
Already his claim for the throne is supremely strong, having added that coveted Olympic gold medal to his cabinet over the summer to further cement that notion.
However, at this moment in time, he remains tied with Margaret Court when it comes to Grand Slam titles won, sat on 24.
Having won three and reached the final of another in 2023, and still managed to make his way to the Wimbledon final despite an overall poor campaign this year, there’s still every chance that the 37-year-old could snag that final major needed before his career is up.
So, with that mission set out, there’s no way Djokovic will retire anytime soon.
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