Novak Djokovic at times to use to make his way throughout tournaments with ease.
Up until 2023, the Serbian was still dominating the ATP Tour and he extended his Grand Slam record to 24.
Though he became Olympic champion in 2024, the air of invincibility that once surrounded the 38-year-old was perhaps starting to wane.
It has been a challenging 2025 season for Djokovic is playing with a level of inconsistency that fans have not seen from him for years.
Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone says if Novak Djokovic can still win big tournaments
As Novak Djokovic continues to struggle for results and performance, questions have been raised about whether father time is now catching up to him.
There has been talk around his level of motivation to play tennis, given he has now won every big title in the sport after becoming Olympic champion.
Roger Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone is one of those discussing Djokovic’s current form, and whether he thinks he can win the big titles.
“I think the hardest thing is that when you win as much as these all time greats win, you tend to only make news when you lose,” Annacone told Tennis Channel. “Novak now, because he is not playing that much, he is losing what seems to be an inordinate amount of times.
“But guess what, like Andy just said, the most important thing for players at this stage and this level is to periodise how am I going to get ready for Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
“Guess what, he is going to have some of these losses but because he knows how good he is, he is not going to panic, his confidence is not going to crash. It is about trying to peak in the right moments.
“I have always believed you don’t want to bet against greats, particularly all time greats in the biggest moments.
“He is not probably going to win three or four majors over a couple of years span all the time now, he is not going to be in every single major. But when the guy wants to play I am not betting against him in a big tournament yet.”
Novak Djokovic lost third opening round match of 2025 in Monte Carlo
Djokovic’s start to the European clay court season did not go as he had hoped.
Djokovic was defeated by Alejandro Tabilo for the second time in a row and the Chilean will play Grigor Dimitrov in the next round.
Djokovic has now lost three opening round matches this season, adding to his loss to Matteo Berrettini in Qatar, and a three-set loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in Indian Wells.
“I expected myself to at least put in a decent performance. Not like this. It was horrible,” Djokovic said. “I did not have high expectations.
“I knew I’m going to have a tough opponent and I knew I’m going to probably play pretty bad. But this bad, I didn’t expect.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
