Popular tennis entertainer and former professional player Mansour Bahrami has shared his thoughts on Novak Djokovic’s hopes of winning another major.
Djokovic has been searching for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title since winning his last major at the 2023 US Open.
The 38-year-old’s bid to become the oldest major singles champion in history at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships ended in unfortunate fashion.
After suffering a nasty fall at the end of his quarter-final win over Flavio Cobolli, Djokovic was visibly compromised in his 3-6, 3-6, 4-6 semi-final loss to world No 1 and eventual champion Jannik Sinner.
The Serbian, who is ranked sixth, also reached the last four at the French Open and the Australian Open this season.
Djokovic pulled out of the ongoing Canadian Open due to injury, although it is unlikely he would have played even if healthy given he has frequently missed the event in the latter period of his career.
Speaking on Roland Garros’ Courtside Conversations podcast, Bahrami revealed he thought Djokovic would win Wimbledon before his injury blow.
“Honestly, I thought that Djokovic has a chance and I know he wants to win his 25th Grand Slam and so I thought he will do it. But then somehow he was injured, we know how it went,” said the Iranian-Frenchman.
“I thought that he is going to do it. I know that it’s going to get more and more difficult.
“For me, it was… Wimbledon was maybe the last one, so it would be unbelievable and he has done so many things unbelievable that we all are amazed how great he’s done.
“He’s a great champion, he’s won everything and so is he capable at almost 39 to go and win Australian Open?
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“I would say if there is one, it would be Australian Open. But it’s going to be very, very hard.”
Bahrami went on to highlight Djokovic’s recent issues with injuries and expressed his hope that the tennis icon can stay healthy at the upcoming majors.
“What he’s done has been unbelievable,” the 69-year-old said. “If he’s injury-free, he can still be very dangerous. And I wish and I hope that he would play the Grand Slams that he’s going to do next — the next US Open and the Australian Open — I hope he’s injury-free.
“He’s a very honest man and he’s very, very serious about what he’s doing and he’s a great champion. And he can amaze us again, I think. I really think he can be there for a while, I think that’s what his aim is.”
Speaking in 2023, Bahrami argued Djokovic deserved better treatment from crowds.
“He is unloved, and he suffers from that. But you have to have respect for this boy. He is the greatest player in history. We may not like it. I understand. But we must not assassinate him. If you don’t like it, don’t applaud it, but don’t whistle at it,” he told DH Sports+.
“He wins and we whistle him. What did he do wrong? Nothing! He suffered from this for a long time. Now I think he manages to take a step back from this situation. He’s a great pro. We must not forget that he fell into the same era as [Rafael] Nadal and [Roger] Federer, two very popular players.
“He did everything to be loved. Sometimes too much for me. He’d better play his matches, win them and go home. People think it’s fake. This is not true. He loves the public and he wants the public to love him.”
Bahrami was a runner-up at the 1989 French Open doubles event.
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