By Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Friday, January 10, 2025
Photograph credit score: Jean Catuffe/Getty
Novak Djokovic is an everlasting optimist.
The Grand Slam king does not view his main milestones as eternal data.
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In a brand new GQ cover story Q&A, 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic cites four-time main winner Carlos Alcaraz and world No. 1 Jannik Sinner as two gamers with the potential to surpass his main mark.
“Individuals say nobody will ever beat my data. However I doubt it,” Djokovic told GQ. “I imply, Carlos might be subsequent. Even Jannik.
“Carlos has carried out one thing that nobody has carried out in historical past at such a younger age. So I feel he has all the percentages. I feel he’ll recover from it very quickly.”
Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz is aiming to turn into the youngest man to finish the profession Grand Slam by profitable this month’s Australian Open.
The 21-year-old Spaniard has crushed the 37-year-old Serbian famous person in successive Wimbledon finals. Djokovic says whereas he admires Alcaraz’s ambition, it might be untimely to “take into consideration historical past.”
“He himself has stated it, he needs to make historical past,” Djokovic stated of Alcaraz. “He needs to be ‘one of the best in historical past’. I respect that type of mentality, like, ‘Hey, I feel I’ve what it takes.’ However perhaps it is a bit early to consider historical past.”
Djokovic delivered a lesson in poise beneath strain in his 7-6, 7-6 victory over Alcaraz within the 2024 Paris Olympic gold-medal match then gave the reigning Roland Garros champion an encouraging endorsement.
In his fifth Olympic Video games, Djokovic made historical past because the oldest participant to win the Olympic singles gold medal since tennis returned to the Video games on the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
At internet, Djokovic informed Alcaraz his gold-medal second is coming.
“He informed me that I’ll win Olympic gold at some point,” Alcaraz informed the media in his post-match press convention. “And we’re going to work for it. I am certain my time will come.”
