Carlos Alcaraz was warned to expect a rejuvenated Novak Djokovic after the Serb won an Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games. The pair battled it out for the title in a rematch of this summer’s Wimbledon final, but unlike SW19, Djokovic won to claim the only title he was missing in his illustrious career.
The 37-year-old is one of the most dominant players in the history of the sport, holding a men’s record 24 major titles despite competing in the same era as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray. However, there is a new generation of challengers who could challenge the Serb.
Alcaraz, 21, has already won the French Open and Wimbledon this year, giving him four major titles to his name. However, British tennis star Tim Henman insists that Djokovic will not give up without a fight and that the fulfilment of his Olympic ambitions could be a worrying sign for the Spaniard and other rising tennis stars.
“I just don’t think that because of the way he works, he thinks he’s won the gold medal and that’s it,” Henman told Tennis365. “He’s still got a huge passion for the game. He loves what he does and if anything, it could go the other way.”
“Winning the Olympics could give him more freedom. He could think he has fulfilled all the requirements and I am now playing with the house money. Maybe he will go to the US Open without any pressure and want to win another major.
“It could be dangerous for the rest of us because he will be playing freely and as long as he is fit and healthy, I definitely believe he has more big titles in him.”
Djokovic’s new goal is to break the record for total major titles, which he currently shares with Margaret Court. His next chance comes at the US Open this month, but he will go into the tournament without any hard court preparation.
The tennis icon has withdrawn from this week’s Canadian Open and Cincinnati Open, which come just after his Olympic victory, although Alcaraz made his comeback at the latter. When asked about his future after winning gold in Paris, Djokovic certainly agreed with Henman, declaring that he wants to play into his 40s and defend his title at the next Olympics.
“I will try to make it to Los Angeles,” Djokovic said. “I would like to. The greatest joy is to represent Serbia at the Olympic Games.”
“For me, this is the fulfillment of a childhood dream. The pressure to win gold was huge because I’ve won pretty much everything. I feel fulfilled, complete. Let’s celebrate.”
