Constant injuries and inconsistent play have become Novak Djokovic’s hallmark in 2024.
He began the year hoping to win his 25th Australian Open title, but lost to Jannik Sinner, ending his 33-match winning streak at the tournament. His struggles continued at the Indian Wells Masters, where he lost to the lowest-ranked player, Luca Nardi (123). He reached the semifinals of the Monte Carlo Masters, but Casper Ruud eventually won. His troubles with the crowd continued when he was hit in the head with a water bottle during an autograph session, and then lost to Alejandro Tabilo in the third round in Rome. Additionally, he failed to win a low-ranked tournament in Geneva, losing to world No. 44 Tomas Machac in the semifinals.
Djokovic also struggled with knee problems for a while and was forced to withdraw from the French Open, eventually undergoing surgery just a month before Wimbledon. Despite the injury, he reached his 37th Grand Slam final, losing to the young Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. And now we are waiting for a repeat of the Wimbledon final and a classic showdown. Djokovic beat Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti en route to the Olympic final. He did not drop a single set, but again complained of knee pain. Despite this, Novak won confidently, but Alcaraz is another level of toughness and there is a good chance that Djokovic will extend his trophy drought and never win Olympic gold.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
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