At the end of this year, Novak Djokovic could become The GOAT aka The Greatest of All Time in Grand Slam tennis.
Last month Novak Djokovic won Australian Open 2023 rather easily. While also battling a hamstring injury, he dispatched 7 opponents almost all with straight sets. He only lost one game against Enzo Couacaud in the second round. Djokovic defeated number 5 seed, Andrey Rublev (6-1, 6-2, 6-4) in quarter finals, and number 3 seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas (6-3, 7-6 [7-4], 7-6 [7-5]), in the final. The Serbian claimed a record tenth Australian Open title. He already won Australian Open 2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
Djokovic also reached 22 Grand Slam titles with his newest success at Rod Laver Arena.
Along with 10 Australian Open titles, Djokovic also won French Open 2016, 2021; Wimbledon 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022; and US Open 2011, 2015, 2018.
With 22 titles, Novak Djokovic already is the most decorated male tennis player in terms of collected Grand Slam trophies. He equals Rafael Nadal as the men’s player with the most Grand Slam titles in the Open Era. Unbeatable since The ATP Finals in last November, Djokovic is on the track to become the Greatest of All Time in Grand Slam tennis when 2023 is over.
He will be competing for 23rd title at French Open 2023 on May 28-June 11.
Winning that tournament would be very hard for Djokovic if Nadal performs at his best. That’s because French Open is Nadal’s territory, just like Australian Open is Djokovic’s turf.
Since 2005, only four times the winner of French Open is not Nadal. Roger Federer won in 2009, Stan Wawrinka in 2015, and Novak Djokovic in 2016 and 2021. But there are other Grand Slam tournaments that Djokovic should have better chance of winning.
Djokovic won 7 times in Wimbledon, which will be held on July 3-16 this year. With 7 titles, Djokovic only one short of the all-time record that belongs to Roger Federer. Also note that Djokovic dominates Wimbledon in the last five years as he is the champion of 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022 edition.
Djokovic surely has a big chance to replicate his Australian Open 2022 performance in Wimbledon 2023. And there is US Open 2023, another opportunity for Djokovic to get another Grand Slam title. US Open is a much more unpredictable tournament because there are five different champions since 2018. But Djokovic has the experience that he is the US Open champion in 2011, 2015, and 2018.
To become the GOAT of Grand Slam in the end of 2023, Djokovic needs another three titles. With 25 Grand Slam wins, he will overtake Margaret Court, a female player who notched up 24 titles in 1960-1973.
Getting an extra three titles meaning Djokovic would need to win all the remaining Grand Slam this year. It is something that has never been done in 35 years. The last person who did the sweep of all Grand Slams single titles in a year is Steffi Graf in 1988. This mission looks near impossible for any tennis player, but Novak Djokovic is something else.