Novak Djokovic is defying tennis history with his success at the age of 37, and fellow ATP player Matteo Berrettini is in awe of what the Serbian achieved at the Olympics.
Djokovic did not win any of the opening three Grand Slams of the year, including a comprehensive loss in the Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz. That left some fans wondering whether his time challenging for big titles was over.
However, Djokovic still made the Wimbledon final and the Australian Open semifinal. He also had to withdraw from the French Open after making the quarterfinal. He was still challenging at his age, which was already incredible.
Also, Djokovic's biggest goal for 2024 was winning a gold medal at the Olympics. He never hid that reality, meaning the 24-time Grand Slam champion would always give slightly extra to make that dream a reality.
The Serbian claimed the one achievement missing from his career by securing the gold medal against Alcaraz in the final. He defeated the 21-year-old 7-6, 7-6 by producing one of the best serving performances of his career.
Djokovic's winning every major title in tennis is why his former coach, Nikola Pilic, says he is a different caliber than Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Although Alcaraz and Sinner are superb players, they have a long way to go to match the 37-year-old's achievements.
No one knows how much longer the 10-time Australian Open champion will play. Patrick Mouratoglou thinks Djokovic could play for another three or four years, but he acknowledges it depends on his motivation to keep competing.
Berrettini is already amazed by what Djokovic is achieving at his current age. The Italian told a live Served with Andy Roddick event at the Cincinnati Open that he does not understand how Djokovic continues to play at such a high level.
"Talking about Novak and what he has achieved, it’s incredible I get goosebumps. I don’t know how he does it. He’s a cyborg because at 37 he’s still playing at this level. Personally, I don’t know if I’m still going to play at 37, given my injury history, I don’t know."
Djokovic defeated Berrettini in four sets in the 2021 Wimbledon final, which remains the 28-year-old's only Grand Slam final to date. Therefore, the former Italian No. 1 experienced firsthand how good the seven-time Wimbledon champion is in major finals.
No other player has achieved as much in the sport since turning 30. Twelve of Djokovic's 24 Grand Slams came after his 30th birthday. That compares with eight for Rafael Nadal and five for Roger Federer, who were the Serbian's great rivals for so long.
Although becoming as successful as Djokovic is unrealistic, Berrettini hopes to have a long career ahead of him after his injury problems. The former Wimbledon runner-up is a great player to watch, and the sport is better when he is fully fit.
Berrettini proved what he can still do by winning consecutive titles at the Swiss Open and the Austrian Open in July. Holger Rune broke his 10-match winning streak from those tournaments at the Cincinnati Open.
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