The Tyranny of The Clock

Tick, tick, tick... 

Is time finally running out for Djokovic to ever reach that elusive record breaking 25th slam? He's already cemented his place in history as one of the all time greats, but there's something a little irritating about being stuck on 24. 25 CAREER SLAMS has a much nicer ring to it. 

At the ripe 'old' age of 38, the Serb champ finds himself in unfamiliar territory - no longer the inevitable favourite, he has to be content with the underdog tag, watching his younger, fitter rivals consistently claim the bigger prize while his own history making aspiration drags on.

The numbers tell a sobering story. Djokovic hasn't won a Grand Slam since the 2023 US Open, his longest slam drought since 2016-2018. And those fine Serbian legs aren't getting any younger.

If the recent Australian Open taught him anything, it's that if (and it's a big if) he manages to get past a Sinner or a Alcaraz, chances are the other will be waiting for him in the final. 

To highlight their dominance, both Sinner and Alcaraz have shared the last nine slams between them, and unless Djokovic can somehow 'Benjamin Button' himself, this looks unlikely to change.

Most professional tennis players retire around 30. Djokovic is 38. So already he's pushing the envelope. But it's not all doom and gloom. Let's take a step back and look at some other age-defying legends of sport:

In Football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, both 38 and 41 respectively, are still going strong, consistently performing well and competing at both club and international level.

In the NFL, everyone's favourite quarter-back, Tom Brady, won two of his seven Super Bowls in his 40's. The last of them when he was 43! 

In Golf, Tiger Woods was still swinging his club like the best of them (no pun intended) when he won the 2019 Masters. Again he was 43!

So let's not write off Djokovic just yet. It's clear that competitive fire still burns. He has proven repeatedly throughout his career that he performs best when doubted, responding to adversity with ruthless efficiency. 

Will he reach 25? He certainly possesses the ability and, of course, that 'warrior spirit' that has got him to this point thus far. Whether his aging body can withstand the best-of-five battles against all these young pups remains to be seen. But in my opinion, there's life in the old dog yet.

Maybe his best chance will come at this year's Wimbledon. He has won the tournament seven times to date. The last being in 2022. When the prestigious grass tournament begins on the 29th of June, Novak will be a sprightly 39, 

But if history (and movies) has taught us anything, it's that you never count out the underdog. Especially one with a very clear objective:

To cement his place in the record books as the undisputed greatest of all time - The Tennis GOAT.