According to former ATP player James Blake, who played Novak Djokovic three times in his career, the Serbian player could be a candidate to win Grand Slams until he's 40.
Blake and Djokovic played three times against each other in their careers, and the American wasn't able to win any of the matches. He knows how tough it is to play the Serbian player, which is why he was a little bit surprised when the 37-year-old crashed out of the US Open.
Carlos Alcaraz's and Novak Djokovic's early losses surprised him, but there are some parallels. They both reached the Olympic final, and that experience likely affected both of them.
Even before the Olympic final, both played many matches at Wimbledon, so the likelihood of them expending a lot of energy in doing so was high. By the time the US Open came around, they were running on fumes, and it was evident in the way they both played the matches they lost.
So, while the early losses surprised Blake, after some thought, he can understand how they happened. Being a former player allows him to tap into his own experience and draw conclusions from it, as he did when talking to Serbian publication Sport Klub.
"Of course I was surprised in the first moment, because you always expect them to go to the very end. However, if you look at the facts objectively, they did a lot in the previous period. Both were in the finals of Wimbledon and the Olympic Games, Alcaraz also won Roland Garros."
"Novak achieved his biggest goal, he reached the Olympic gold. They used a lot of energy. I think that the bigger problem was psychological than physical preparation."
Some analysts and pundits suggested that Djokovic's early loss was also affected by his lack of motivation. After winning the Olympic gold, the Serbian has won everything he could in tennis.
There are some goals that he would still like to achieve, but in the grand scheme of things, by winning that gold, he completed his career. That's why when he was in New York, many visually lacked his signature passion.
Still, according to Blake, the 24-time major winner could challenge for Grand Slam titles until he's 40 if he truly stays motivated.
"Everything depends on Novak. Physically, he is still impeccably fit. Now the only question is whether he wants to. He has done and won everything in this sport. He still has that fire when he wakes up."
"Does he still want to sacrifice everything to continue to be the best? He has been doing this for almost the last 20 years."
"If he wants, then he certainly has, I won't prejudge, but one or two good years. His level of tennis is incredible even at 37 years old. The question is not whether he can, but whether he wants to. If he wants to, he will be a candidate for Grand Slam titles by the time he is 40."
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