Is Novak Djokovic doomed to end his career without ever achieving the Golden Slam?

Novak Djokovic's hopes of winning a Golden Slam in 2024, i.e. all four Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal, were dashed when he lost to Jannik Sinner in the semifinals of the Australian Open.

The Serb had never lost in the semifinals or the final of the Australian Open in his career and was on a 33-match winning streak in Melbourne. This run ended at the 2024 Australian Open when he was defeated by young Italian sensation Jannik Sinner in the semifinals 6-1, 6-2, 7-6(6), 6-3.

This unlikely loss also doomed his goal of winning a Golden Slam this year and matching Steffi Graf's prestigious record. The German legend became a Golden Slam winner in 1988 when she was just 19-years-old. Graf registered victories over Chris Evert in the Australian Open final, Natasha Zvereva in the French Open final, Martina Navratilova in the Wimbledon title contest, and Gabriela Sabatini in the final of the US Open and the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

No other player has managed to join Steffi Graf in the Golden Slam winner list. Novak Djokovic came the closest to etching his name in the history books in 2021. He won the titles at the Australian Open, French Open, and the Wimbledon Championships. However, he lost in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics to Alexander Zverev and finished as the runner-up at the US Open.

Now that his Golden Slam opportunity has vanished in 2024 as well, it is hard to see the 36-year-old having another shot four years down the line. 2024 was the best chance for Djokovic to win a Golden Slam. He was ranked World No. 1 and was the reigning champion at three of the four Grand Slams.

Miracles do happen, and a 41-year-old Novak Djokovic might still be around in 2028. However, it might be too far-fetched to see him win all four Majors and the Olympic gold medal at the Los Angeles Summer Games. Age aside, other top ATP stars and young rivals of the Serb like Carlos Alcaraz (20), Jannik Sinner (22), and Holger Rune (20), would likely have taken over the reins from the 'Big 3' and be the favorites for every top title.

The next-gen lot, which includes Arthur Fils (19), Luca Van Asshe (19), and Hamad Medjedovic (20), would also throw in their hat for glory at the big tournaments by the time 2028 rolls around. In this environment of intense competition, even if Djokovic is an active player and surprisingly in the top echelons of the ATP Rankings, the chances of him pulling off a Golden Slam four years from now are extremely grim, if not non-existent.

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Novak Djokovic has won one medal at the Olympics

Djokovic pictured at the 2008 Olympics

Novak Djokovic has dominated every tournament he has played on the ATP Tour. However, one competition where he has not been able to find much success is the Olympics. He made his debut at the once-in-four-years tournament at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The man from Belgrade had won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open earlier that year and came into the Beijing Games as the No. 3 seed. He ousted Robert Ginepri, Rainer Schuttler, Mikhail Youzhny, and Gael Monfils but lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. He bettered James Blake in the bronze medal match to win his only medal at the Olympics.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion has represented Serbia at every Olympics since then. At the last games in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, he was the top seed and lost to Zverev in the bronze medal match.