Novak Djokovic is widely considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time – but he’s been snubbed by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner by one coach
Novak Djokovic has been overshadowed by a bold claim from legendary coach Brad Gilbert.
Despite Djokovic’s impressive career, he has had a somewhat disappointing year in tennis, failing to secure victory in any of the four major tournaments. He was defeated in the semi-finals of the Australian Open by Jannik Sinner, gave Casper Ruud a walkover in the quarter-finals of the French Open, narrowly lost the Wimbledon final to Carlos Alcaraz, and was knocked out of the US Open by Alexei Popyrin in the third round.
However, the 37-year-old Serbian can take solace in his Golden Slam win over Alcaraz in the finals of the Paris Olympics this summer, adding a gold medal to his bronze from Beijing in 2008. With a host of rising stars threatening the tennis icon’s position, legendary coach Gilbert, who has previously worked with Andy Murray and Coco Gauff, conceded that Djokovic may struggle to keep up with the new generation.
Gilbert took to social media to share his thoughts: “After 20 years of amazing matches from the big 3 didn’t think it was possible this soon to have another amazing rivalry,” referring to the emerging competition between Alcaraz and Sinner as “the gold standard in tennis”.
He concluded: “Here’s to the next 10 years of these 2 with tons of great matches, hopefully Wada doesn’t mess it up.” Djokovic’s illustrious tennis career has been marked by a long-standing rivalry with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, all three of whom are contenders for the title of ‘greatest of all time’.
Djokovic leads the pack in terms of Grand Slam titles, boasting 24 to Nadal’s 22 and Federer’s 20, reports the Express. However, the friendly competition between the trio has largely come to an end, with Federer retiring in 2022 and Nadal missing from most major tournaments over the past two years.
Gilbert suggests that fans can now look forward to a fresh clash of titans in the form of Sinner vs Alcaraz. Alcaraz, at just 21, has had a meteoric rise in the sport, clinching the US Open in 2022, his first Wimbledon victory the following year, and subsequent wins at the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024.
