The Serb beat Alcaraz in the gold medal match at the Paris Olympics and has not competed since. He withdrew from the Canadian Open and then withdrew from the Cincinnati Open. Djokovic is the reigning US Open champion and has an 88-13 record in the tournament. This year, he could pull off a number of feats at the US Open.
Novak Djokovic can win his 25th Grand Slam title and become the all-time leader in Grand Slam titles won
Djokovic currently holds the record for most Grand Slam titles won by a man with 24. He shares the overall record with Margaret Court, who set it when winning her last Grand Slam title at the US Open in 1973.
Djokovic was expected to break this record at this year’s Australian Open. However, he lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals. Things went badly for Novak at Roland Garros due to injury and he lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final. Winning the US Open this year will make him the sole holder of this incredible record. The Court’s record has been around for over half a century, and if Novak breaks it, it will likely stand the test of time for many decades to come.
100th career title
A win at this year’s US Open would secure Djokovic not only his 25th TSB title, but also the 100th of his career. Currently, only two players are ahead of him in terms of titles won.
Jimmy Connors ranks first with 109 titles in 164 finals, followed by Roger Federer with 103 titles in 157 finals. If Novak wins in New York, he will win his 100th title in his 141st final. Given his fitness, he will certainly try to break Connors’ record in the future.
First US Open title defense
Djokovic has reached 10 finals at the Australian Open and US Open. Novak dominated in Australia, but he was unlucky in New York.
The Serb has four US Open titles and has never won them back-to-back. He has come close to defending his title twice. After his first US Open triumph in 2011, he reached the final the following year but lost to Andy Murray. Djokovic won his second US Open title in 2015 and reached the final the following year but lost to Stan Wawrinka in four sets.
Winning a title is easy, but defending it is harder. After defending his titles multiple times at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, he will try to do the same at the US Open.
Djokovic could become oldest Grand Slam singles winner
If Djokovic wins the US Open this year, he will become the oldest player to win a TBS singles title. Ken Rosewall currently holds the title and was 37 years and two months old when he won the Australian Open in 1972.
The men’s singles title match will take place on Sunday, September 8. If the Serb wins that day, he will be 37 years and 3 months old.
Djokovic could equal Federer, Connors and Sampras’ record for US Open wins
Federer, Connors and Sampras currently hold the Open Era record for most US Open titles with 5. Richard Sears, William Larned and Bill Tilden hold the combined record with seven titles.
Connors was the first to reach that mark in the Open era when he won his fifth title in New York in 1983. It was also his last TBS title. Sampras matched him when he won his fifth title in 2002, which would ultimately be his final professional appearance on the ATP Tour. Federer joined their company by winning his fifth US Open title in 2008. He was aiming for a record sixth consecutive title in New York, but was defeated by Juan Martin del Potro in the 2009 final. Djokovic now has a chance to join those players.
Vyacheslav Gorbachev, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Rose Brown , a journalist and writer with over 10 years of experience in the news industry. I specialize in covering tennis-related news for Athletistic, a leading sports media website. My writing is highly regarded for its quick turnaround and accuracy, as well as my ability to tell compelling stories about the sport.
