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Rory Carroll
Having ascended Mount Olympus this month with the Olympic gold that had eluded him, Novak Djokovic now has nothing left to prove and just one more Grand Slam victory at the US Open would put him within striking distance of his two historic rivals.
The 37-year-old Serbian star fell to his knees and cried on the red clay of Paris after defeating rising star Carlos Alcaraz to complete the “Golden Slam” and cap his already-firm GOAT status in men’s tennis.
Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title in New York last year, two points ahead of Spaniard Rafa Nadal, who is nearing the end of his career and will not play in the final Grand Slam of the year, and four ahead of retired Swiss great Roger Feeder.
Djokovic, Nadal and Federer once formed a Big Three that dominated the men’s singles event for two decades, but Federer, currently ranked second in the world, has become the last of the hegemons this year.
“He wants to distance himself from Federer and Nadal, and that’s the key,” former world number one and current ESPN broadcaster John McEnroe told reporters.
“He seems to have done it to some extent. He’s won the Olympics, won everything, won more than those guys. For me, you’d have to ask him, but it (more success) is a bonus. He’s already got himself there.”
Djokovic’s victory in Paris was all the more impressive because it came two months after he underwent knee surgery and because his opponent was 21-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in this year’s Wimbledon final, which felt like it could be a changing of the guard.
Djokovic received a hero’s welcome from thousands of spectators when he returned to Belgrade on Monday, calling the Olympic title “my greatest sporting achievement”.
The affection he has received in the Serbian capital stands in stark contrast to the sometimes cool reception he has received from tennis fans around the world, who had fallen in love with Federer and Nadal before Djokovic came along and surpassed his rivals.
“It’s a fairy tale,” former world number one and ESPN commentator Chris Evert said of Djokovic’s gold medal in Paris.
“But you know what? I believe in karma. This guy has worked hard his whole life and put up with a lot of media criticism and the bad guy image that Federer and Nadal have. He deserves this. He deserves this.”
If four-time US Open champion Djokovic can accomplish the “daunting” task of lifting a 25th Grand Slam trophy at Flushing Meadows, what comes next?
“I would allow him to retire after that,” Evert said, drawing laughter from reporters. “I would say, ‘Well, everybody in the world agrees with you to retire.'”
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