"I'd say 2.5 Slams for Novak Djokovic" - Brad Gilbert believes Serbian great will be the player to beat throughout 2023 season

Novak Djokovic will be the benchmark for all other players on tour throughout the remainder of the 2023 season, believes former World No. 4 and leading tennis coach and commentator Brad Gilbert. The American feels the current World No. 1 is the favorite to win "two-and-a-half" Grand Slams this season, having already won the Australian Open last month.

14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal will go in as a heavy favorite to win the French Open in May-June, before Djokovic enters Wimbledon as a four-time defending champion. Once again, the Serbian great will have to wait with bated breath for confirmation on his chances of entering the US for the US Open. However, there is great expectation that he will be able to play at Flushing Meadows as the US government is set to lift vaccine restrictions for foreigners in May.

Djokovic's dominant Australian Open campaign only extended his purple patch on tour, having lost just one tour-level match since the start of Wimbledon last year. In light of that, Gilbert feels the Serb, who is "getting better at 35," will be the man to beat in 2023.

"I think that it's definitely going to be Djoker vs everyone else this year," Brad Gilbert said on the Holding Court with Patrick McEnroe podcast.

"If I had to set an over-under, I'd say two-and-a-half Slams for him. He's getting better at 35."

Gilbert, who has coached the likes of Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick, highlighted how Djokovic, Nadal, and Roger Federer pushed each other to scale greater heights during the Big 3 era. Having said that, he highlighted the Serb's longevity at the top of the sport, further saying that he is now making adjustments and improvements to his game with the likes of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Carlos Alcaraz among his biggest competitors.

Gilbert feels the 22-time Grand Slam champion's game has reached a much higher level now.

"I think, before, it was all about Rafa and Fed for him, they're measuring and making their improvements to them. The Big 3 pushed each other," Gilbert explained.

"But now, Djoker, I believe, has gone to another elevation where he's making these adjustments in his game to the Tsitsipas's, to the Alcaraz's, to all the young players that are pushing him. That is probably in some sense going to add time on his game."

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Novak Djokovic closes in on Steffi Graf's all-time world No. 1 record, aims at 400 career weeks as top-ranked player

Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the 2023 Australian Open.

Novak Djokovic is just two weeks away from Steffi Graf's all-time record of 377 weeks at the summit of the world rankings. The Serbian great regained the World No. 1 ranking by winning his 10th Australian Open title and the ongoing week is the 375th of his career as the top-ranked player in the world. He already holds the men's record for most weeks at No. 1 and in just three more weeks, he could hold the all-time record.

If he can continue his fine run of form, the 35-year-old could also hit the target of 400 weeks atop the rankings later this year.

The Serb is currently nursing a hamstring strain that troubled him in Australia, which was later believed to be a hamstring tear. He is expected to participate in the Dubai Open later this month, with his participation in Indian Wells and Miami highly unlikely.