Will Novak Djokovic win next year’s calendar Grand Slam?

It’s been another year of dominance for world number one Novak Djokovic. The winner of this year’s Australian, French and U.S Opens, the Serb sensation was only just denied a calendar Grand Slam in the 2023 Wimbledon final by Carlos Alcaraz. 

Now 34, and with 24 Grand Slams in his back pocket, Djokovic’s career is starting to enter its final act.  

Clearly driven to become the best player in the history of the sport, many believe that the time is now for Djokovic, and that he could become the first man to win the calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver back in 1969. 

With Djokovic determined to finish his career in style and be recognised as the official GOAT, bookmakers are already taking evasive action and offering up some temptingbetting odds for the Serb to achieve the rare feat.  

So what’s standing in his way? Could he really win all four majors in one year? 

Superb Grand Slam record  

When looking at the numbers, they certainly suggest he can. It isn’t a surprise to see that a man with 24 Grand Slam titles has numerous Grand Slam records, but some of the stats are just eye popping.  

• He has won the Australian Open ten times, including four in the last five years.  
• He has won seven Wimbledon titles, placing him only one behind Roger Federer. 
• He has appeared in 39 Grand Slam finals, a record across both the men’s and women’s games. 
• He has reached the semifinal stage of a Grand Slam a staggering 47 times which is another record across both the men’s and women’s games. 
• He has won each of the Grand Slams at least three times, which makes him the only man in history to achieve this feat.  

Injuries and a light schedule  

One of the main reasons behind Djokovic’s astonishing career is his ability to keep injury free. Unlike his rivals, Djokovic has never missed any serious playing time and still seems to be as fit as some of the younger players on the tour. 

At various stages in 2023, Djokovic did reveal that he suffers off the court far more than he used to, but a light schedule, which consists mostly of the Grand Slams and ATP 1000 events ensures that he can remain fresh and healthy to compete for the sport’s biggest prizes.  

A wave of next generation talent 

2023 has given birth to a new fantastic rivalry between Djokovic and current world number two Carlos Alcaraz. 

At just 20 years of age, the Spaniard is already  a Grand Slam winner twice. Scarily for the rest, he will still improve and will be hell-bent on denying Djokovic any further Grand Slam titles. 

Other names to throw into the mix are Holger Rune, Jannik Sinner, Lorenzo Musetti and Arthur Fils. All looked destined to contend for the game’s biggest prizes and will give Djokovic plenty to think about in 2024.  

The Olympics 

When you think of the Olympics, tennis isn’t one of the main sports that instantly jumps to the front of mind, but the Olympics’ standing within tennis is growing seismically.  

Despite his huge raft of accomplishments, Djokovic is yet to taste Olympic Gold and has already spoken of his desire to win the one prize that has eluded him.  

Set to be played at Roland Garros later in 2024, Djokovic has already won three times at the venue and will start as the favourite for victory.  

With his obsession over Olympic Gold, could that distract him and dent his calendar Grand Slam chances?