Novak Djokovic's Chances Of Winning Grand Slam Honestly Assessed By Andy Roddick
NewsFriday, 04 April 2025 at 22:06
Novak Djokovic needs one more Grand Slam triumph to become the only player with 25 majors in tennis history. Andy Roddick recently spoke about his chances of achieving that.
Djokovic's last Grand Slam title was at the 2023 US Open. 2024 marked the first time he had failed to win one of the four majors since 2017, which is broadly considered the worst season of his illustrious career.
However, the Olympic gold he won last year at Roland Garros felt like more than a Grand Slam title to Djokovic. It was the one significant achievement that had eluded him until he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the gold medal match.
Djokovic reached his first final of 2025 and with Andy Murray by his side at the Miami Open. He narrowly lost 6-7, 6-7 to Jakub Mensik. The Czech's powerful serving and willingness to be brave in the most important moments proved decisive.
Despite not securing the title, Roddick, speaking in an episode of his podcast, said Djokovic's level is good enough to win another Grand Slam, but he is uncertain whether he will achieve it before retirement.
"Is the product he is putting out there good enough to win a major? Yes, it is. Will it happen? I don’t know. You talked about Roland Garros, three out of five [sets]. This guy did win the Olympics there a few months ago."
Roddick then got more specific and said he ranks Djokovic as the third-favorite at Grand Slams behind Jannik Sinner and Alcaraz. He hopes the tennis legend will keep playing for a while yet since the sport is better with him in it.
“So long as he is in tennis, it’s better to watch. Even a version of him, and I say this gently, where he is ‘only’ the third favorite in every Slam now. He’s going to be 38, but are you going to put him outside of the top three to win Wimbledon? No, he’s your third favorite. Sinner, Alcaraz and Djokovic."
Although Djokovic has yet to win a title in 2025, there have been promising signs in his partnership with Andy Murray. Hiring his former rival as a coach means there is even more interest than usual at the ten-time Australian Open champion's matches.
Djokovic's level at the 2025 Australian Open was superb, including a quarterfinal victory against Carlos Alcaraz. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire from his semifinal against Alexander Zverev with an injury.
The former ATP world No. 1 did not drop a set during his impressive run to the Miami Open final. He will hope to carry that momentum into the clay court swing, starting next week at the 2025 Monte-Carlo Masters.
Djokovic's chances of winning a third title in Monte-Carlo may be helped by some players who will be absent. The most notable of these is Jannik Sinner, who remains suspended until May 4th.
Taylor Fritz, who significantly improved on clay in 2024, and Hubert Hurkacz will also be missing. Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have a chance to close the gap to Sinner at No. 1 by winning the title in Monte-Carlo.
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