Novak Djokovic has not won a single title at this point in the season, an exceptional case for a legend like the Serb. The 37-year-old from Belgrade struggled more than expected to find the right motivation this year and was not particularly brilliant even in the Grand Slam tournaments, reaching the final only at the Wimbledon Championships (lost to Alcaraz for the second time in a row).

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is nonetheless pleased to have won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, a legendary feat because it was the only valuable piece missing from his endless collection of trophies. After the disappointment at the US Open – where he was eliminated in the first week – the former world number 1 went on a hunt for his 100th title playing the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. The Serbian legend has played a great game in China and reached the final losing only one set during his run, but he could not beat a wild Jannik Sinner.

Novak gave his best in the first set, where he came to the tiebreak with a great performance, but a couple of points made the difference in favor of the current world number 1. In the second set, Nole’s level dropped and Jannik flew to victory thanks to a single break. Djokovic has lost the last three matches played against Sinner. The two-time Grand Slam champion defeated the best ever at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, in the 2024 Australian Open semifinal, in the Shanghai Masters 1000 final a few days ago.

Time passes

The passing of age is moving and it is felt and this year Novak Djokovic won only one title. For him it was a priority, we talk about the Olympic gold medal but also the Serbian had to deal with the rise of the new forward and in particular of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, tennis players who gave him big losses during these months.

On the last Sunday in the final of the Masters 1000 in Shanghai, the Serbian tried to win his 100th title but he gave up on Sinner’s power. The Italian tennis player has won the last previous against Djokovic and one more date of all has highlighted his power. In the last three matches, the number one player in the world has not given a break to Djokovic, which is a resounding fact since the former number one is considered by many as the best-responding tennis player in history. A handover for many and the last 3 balls break are very significant for Italian tennis.

It was the semifinal of Davis and Jannik had to start again from 0-40 in the decisive set that would mean practically defeat, the Italian ace turned that game around and since then has changed the story between him and Djokovic and in general his history. That moment will be remembered as an icon in tennis and Italy can remember it with affection now. The tennis player from Belgrade has been making history for years, now Sinner is starting to make it and we are at the beginning of a story that we hope will continue for as long as possible.

The legend is hurt

After the 2024 Shanghai final, Nole praised Sinner’s rise in 2024: “He is very aggressive from the baseline, whenever he gets a short ball, you know he will take the initiative. Very solid on both backhand and forehand, he hardly makes mistakes and takes time away from you. That reminds me of myself throughout my career, I guess that’s what I’ve done for so many years, that high-paced style of tennis, taking time away and in a way suffocating your opponent. That’s what you aim for, you want your opponents to always feel pressured by your speed, your presence on the court, and the quality of your shots. That’s something he has, and this year he has been tremendously consistent, it has been impressive.”

The Serbian ace will play the ‘Six Kings Slam‘ in Saudi Arabia this week and he still does not know what his schedule will be next month. Novak is in the middle of a race to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin – where he lifted the trophy last year – but he admits that this event is no longer an objective at this point of his career. The feeling is that Djokovic will be focusing all his energies on next season, in which he will try to win the 25th Major of his phenomenal career. The 37-year-old from Belgrade will work hard during the off-season to be ready in Melbourne early 2025.