Former tennis legend Martina Navratilova believes that no one will be able to defeat Novak Djokovic at the Grand Slams this year because he has discovered the secret sauce.
In addition to taking home titles at the Australian, French, and US Opens, Djokovic also came in as runner-up at Wimbledon last year, giving him three major titles.
Since he hasn’t lost at Melbourne Park since 2018, it should come as no surprise that he is the clear favourite to win the Australian Open this year. He will undoubtedly be present at the other three majors as well.
In her opinion, the 24-time Grand Slam champion has discovered the ideal routine for success at the majors, so Navratilova doesn’t think it’s feasible.
She expressed her remarks about Djokovic in a recent interview and said: “He’s found the secret sauce to longevity and being able to peak for the major. That’s what tennis has become all about—just the majors. So then you schedule yourself perfectly, and Novak has found the perfect sauce, so I don’t see anybody beating him unless they get a lot better, especially three out of five [sets]. Two out of three? A lot of people had a chance.”
The 18-time Grand Slam winner also explained why, at 36, he is still so effective on the court and disclosed that Djokovic can only be stopped by one method.
She added: “Three out of five? He is so efficient in the way he plays with his stroke production that he doesn’t have to run from backhand to forehand. So he’s efficient and energy-efficient. And then he presses the court so much that he gets everybody else. They are so tired that even if they get two sets, they cannot get three. Father Time has the best chance of beating Novak Djokovic at this stage.”
Djokovic at the Australian Open, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently the world no.1, Djokovic has managed to achieve a compiled 3-1 record in 2024. Novak is playing at the Australian Open where he beat the world no.187 Dino Prizmic 6-2 6-75 6-3 6-4.
Novak Djokovic will play the world no.43 Alexei Popyrin in the 2nd round on Wednesday at 9:00 pm on Rod Laver Arena. The head to head is 1-0 for Djokovic.
The Serbian won 98 titles in his career: 52 on hard courts, 19 on clay courts, 19 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
He is also scheduled to play at the Wimbledon (Wimbledon) on the 1st of July and U.S. Open (U.S. Open) on the 26th of August.