Novak Djokovic has been warned by former world No 6 Gilles Simon that he is “fighting against something difficult” in his quest to win further Grand Slam and ATP Tour titles.
Former world No 1 Djokovic is considered by many to be the greatest male tennis player of all time, with 24 Grand Slam titles and 99 ATP titles to his name.
However, the Serbian has faced a difficult 15 months on tour, with several significant setbacks.
2024 proved to be the 37-year-old’s first Slamless season since 2017, and he was ranked as the world N0 6 by the end of the year, having started it as the world No 1.
He retired injured in his Australian Open semi-final against Alexander Zverev this January due to a hamstring tear, having pulled out of his 2024 French Open quarter-final due to a meniscus issue.
Djokovic was on a three-match losing streak heading into last fortnight’s Miami Open and, despite an impressive turnaround in form, was beaten by 19-year-old Jakub Mensik in the final.
Former ATP star Simon knows better than most about the challenges of facing an in-form Djokovic, having lost 11 of his 12 meetings against the tennis great.
But the 14-time ATP titleist, who retired in 2022, believes the Serbian’s age is starting to prove a factor in his struggles.
Speaking to Tennis365, Simon warned that Djokovic was struggling to consistently handle the physical challenge of competing into his late 30s.
He said: “If there is one player who knows the way, it’s Novak, but Novak is fighting against something that is difficult and something that you can’t have – and that’s time.
“Time is only going in one direction and he is working a lot, I’m sure, to be as healthy as possible, because the tennis is not a problem – it’s just about the body.
“That’s why when I said once he would not get 30 Grand Slams. I said if he gets to 25, it’s the maximum. Today, we realise yes – time has grip on everyone and he is realising it now.
“I’m sure he realised it before, but he’s feeling it now. We are seeing it even more, but he’s going to have good weeks, and when he has good weeks, he is the player we know he be – and he can win anything.”
Djokovic’s last title came at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where the 37-year-old stunned gold medal favourite Carlos Alcaraz in the final to claim the one title that had eluded him.
Olympic gold was the Serbian’s main target for 2024 and meant he left the season with a huge positive despite struggles elsewhere, including a shock round-three US Open exit just weeks later.
But, Simon has warned that it will prove an even tougher challenge for the tennis great – who turns 38 in May – to ultimately win a historic 25th major.
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“I think it was a huge achievement to win the Olympics last year,” added Simon.
“We don’t realise it was the main goal of the season and he was ready to have the week he had – it’s crazy. It says a lot about how strong he is mentally.
“Now, for the Slams, there’s only three left this year and next year he’s going to be one year older.
“Let’s see what he’s going to do, but he also needs to be a bit lucky and I think that’s what he maybe starts to understand – because sometimes he is doing maybe the same preparation as before.
“Everything he can control, he is doing it, but when you get older, some weeks you are trying your best and the body is not responding the way it used to respond.
“He’s going to prepare to be ready for the Slams, obviously what he wants to win is a Slam. Let’s see if he’s going to do it, but it’s five sets, it’s two weeks – it’s not like the Olympics where it was three sets, one week.”
Simon was speaking in his role as an ambassador and team captain for the 2025 Roland-Garros eSeries by Renault.
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