Novak Djokovic has yet to win a tennis tournament in 2024, and former ATP player Jimmy Connors also noticed his form struggles.
The American knows how it feels to compete for much longer than his peers, as Connors retired at 43. To this day, he holds the record for most singles titles won on the ATP Tour – 109.
Djokovic also aspires to beat that record, as he currently holds 98 titles. However, the 24-time major winner will find it increasingly difficult to win titles as he won’t get any younger.
In fact, the Serbian will likely feel that he’s getting older much faster than before, as his rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal would likely attest.
Still, of these three, he’s managing to stay competitive the longest, as also currently, Djokovic is the world no. 1 in the ATP Rankings. Yet, in 2024, he’s yet to win a title, a drought, which hasn’t happened too often in his career.
That’s also why the legendary Jimmy Connors discussed the Serbian’s age on his Advantage Connors podcast, saying that’s one thing that no one can beat.
“Age is something that you can never beat and as much you try to fight it and as much as you try to figure out a way with your diet or with your training or whatever, numbers count in that.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who are currently the two players most capable of challenging Djokovic, are 16 and 14 years younger than the 36-year-old, who will find it harder and harder to compete against them.
“When you’re playing guys that are 15 years younger than you, experience is a great thing. The only thing with experience is that by the time you get it, you’re too old to do anything with it. It comes to a point where these kids are just young and are willing to do and to stay.”
In addition, there’s an ongoing shift of the generations on the ATP Tour, something Djokovic also experienced and exploited when he was an up-and-coming player.
“Djokovic, too, was the same way when he was coming up, playing the players that he had to beat to make his reputation and all that and it’s tough.”
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