Former world number 4, Greg Rusedski, warned Novak Djokovic's rivals against discounting him because the Serbian is not done yet.
Djokovic has had a horror season so far in 2024, as his tennis never looked right. The underwhelming season turned into a horror season when he suffered a knee injury at Roland Garros, which could prevent him from playing at Wimbledon.
Still, Djokovic's performances in Paris looked better than what we've seen from him before, making many believe that he was about to turn a corner. However, because his objectives are so high, we don't know whether he was truly going to do that, as an injury stopped him.
Playing better than before is one thing, but actually achieving what he hopes to achieve is a totally different thing. Former ATP number 4 Rusedski recently talked about the current state of tennis, noting that Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz seem to be the new dominant faces, but he wouldn't discount Djokovic out of the equation just yet.
"I think it’s [Sinner vs Alcaraz] going to be the rivalry for the future. They’re one and two in the world, Sinner’s No 1 – but don’t discount Novak Djokovic. A meniscus tear, I had one myself this year and I’m older, so it took me a while to get over it, but he might be back in time for the Olympics and I hear he’s super hungry, he wants to play for a few more year."
"Don’t discount Novak – let’s not forget that last year he won three of the four majors and was in the final of Wimbledon. I know a lot of people have been saying he’s slowing down, this and that. “He’s human and I think he’s going to be back with a vengeance, so don’t discount him."
Discounting Djokovic would not be clever, but it's also impossible to pretend that nothing changed. Sinner and Alcaraz improved, while Djokovic's level diminished. He may return to the best, but it's not a guarantee that he will dominate as he once did.
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