Injuries, defeats and father time - Is there any coming back for Novak Djokovic?

The 2024 season was the first time since Novak Djokovic's maiden ATP title win in 2008 that he went without winning an ATP title throughout the year. While he added another jewel to his crown with an Olympic gold medal win in Paris, his performances at the Masters and Grand Slam tournaments were worrying.

Djokovic's last ATP title was the ATP Finals at the end of 2023. He is one shy of a 100th career singles title win and one Major away from becoming the first player in the Open Era history to win 25 Grand Slam titles. However, with an aging body and the younger generation of tennis stars taking over, it is hard to anticipate his next title win.

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Novak Djokovic's record in 2025 is proof that father time is catching up with him

Novak Djokovic started his 2025 season early in Brisbane before the Australian Open. After winning the first two matches, he suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Reilly Opelka in the third round as his hunt for a 100th singles title continued.

Later in the Australian Open, the 37-year-old looked closer to his best as he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals. However, he suffered a hamstring injury and withdrew after the first set against Alexander Zverev in the semifinals. He later played at the Masters 1000 tournament in Doha and lost to Matteo Berretinni in straight sets in the first round.

Novak Djokovic withdrew from the semifinals of the Australian Open due to injury. Source: Getty

Djokovic looked good at the Australian Open, but his run was not good enough to win the title. He looked slow and sluggish in the initial tournaments of 2025, and with another injury scare in Melbourne, he will have to mount another comeback. With his aging body, the 37-year-old will need more time for recovery and this 'stop-start' nature of tennis will affect his performance going into the rest of the season.

As the 2025 season heats up with the American leg of the Masters tournaments and the Wimbledon and French Open coming up, Novak Djokovic's performance is still unpredictable. With no ATP tournament wins in almost 18 months, he will be looking for motivation to mount another comeback toward the end of his career.

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Wimbledon 2025 might be Novak Djokovic's best chance to win his 25th Grand Slam title

Despite his poor momentum in the last 18 months, Novak Djokovic has excelled at Wimbledon. He has won the title at the Center Court seven times and reached the final in the previous two years. Carlos Alcaraz beat him on both occasions, but there was a hint of the old, relentless, and confident Serbian during his final runs.

Unsurprisingly, Djokovic loves playing on the grass courts at Wimbledon. The slow nature of the court gives him that little bit of extra time before his shots as opposed to the quick hard courts dominated by the new generation of stars.

Novak Djokovic has lost back-to-back Wimbledon finals against Carlos Alcaraz - Source: Getty

Another motivation for the former World No. 1 at SW19 will be a chance to match his long-term rival Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon. Throughout his illustrious career, he won the Wimbledon title eight times, the most in the Open Era. Djokovic is one shy of the record, and yet another Wimbledon title win would put him level with the Swiss maestro at the top of the Wimbledon chart.

With Jannik Sinner dominating the hard-court tournaments and Carlos Alcaraz coming into his own on the Parisian clay, Wimbledon seems like the best chance for Novak Djokovic to win a record 25th Grand Slam title. He finished runner-up at the All England Lawn Tennis Club in the last two seasons, but 2025 could be his best chance to rewrite history.

While Djokovic has suggested that he still has the hunger to succeed, there is no denying that he is at the end of his career. Constant injuries in the last couple of years have made it tough for him to compete with the next generation of tennis stars as 'father time' catches up. However, he will hope for one final hurrah and a record-breaking Grand Slam title before the curtain falls on his iconic career.