Former World No.1 Holds Optimism for Novak Djokovic in the Grass Court Season After Falling Short at Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic will be hoping to tie Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon titles.

Former World No.1 Holds Optimism for Novak Djokovic in the Grass Court Season After Falling Short at Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic (Image via X/We Are Tennis France)

Former World No.1 Andy Roddick insists that Novak Djokovic has a great chance to win Wimbledon this year after his improved performance at Roland Garros. The Serb exited the French Open in the semifinals, losing to Jannik Sinner in straight sets.

Roddick believes that his chances of winning in SW19 are high, but he doesn’t have the same confidence when it comes to Roland Garros. Despite that, the American holds in the same boat as Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Roddick said on his Served Podcast:

After Novak Djokovic lost, I said he could still win Wimbledon. I'm not sure if I believe he can still win Roland Garros, and I say that cautiously because every time I say something, he ends up doing the impossible. But yes, I think he's a great contender, I think he's right up there with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner.

Djokovic hasn’t had a great deal of Grand Slam luck since winning his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023. Since then, the Serb has reached only one Grand Slam final, which came at Wimbledon last year.

Meanwhile, Sinner and Alcaraz have had a stranglehold on Grand Slams since the start of 2024, winning three Grand Slams each. As a result, they sit comfortably in the top two of the ATP rankings.

Novak Djokovic’s position in the ATP Race

Novak Djokovic is currently ranked sixth with 2,580 points. He reached the semifinals at Roland Garros but lost in straight sets to Jannik Sinner. Prior to that, Djokovic secured his first title of the year at the Geneva Open.

Novak Djokovic (X/Wimbledon)
Novak Djokovic (X/Wimbledon)

Carlos Alcaraz has created a wider gap over Sinner in the ATP Race to Turin, which tracks players aiming for the year-end No. 1 spot. His five-set win against Sinner in the French Open final added a major boost to his standing. The match lasted five hours and 29 minutes, making it the longest Roland Garros final ever.

With his win, Alcaraz not only lifted the Coupe des Mousquetaires but also strengthened his place in the top eight of the Race to Turin. The top eight at the end of the regular ATP season qualify for the ATP Finals, while Grand Slam champions ranked between 9th and 20th may also qualify under special rules.

Alcaraz and Sinner have now won the first two majors of 2025. Alcaraz began Roland Garros with a 1,090-point lead over Sinner and extended it to 1,790. Sinner’s absence from key events, including four ATP Masters 1000 tournaments due to a three-month doping ban, has affected his ranking.

Carlos Alcaraz continues dominance over Jannik Sinner

Carlos Alcaraz’s recent triumph over Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros final added another chapter to their growing rivalry. Along with claiming the Coupe de Mousquetaires, Alcaraz extended his winning streak against the Italian to five matches, improving his head-to-head record to 8-4. Since the start of 2024, five of Sinner’s eight losses have come at Alcaraz’s hands.

Carlos Alcaraz Roland Garros French Open 2025
Carlos Alcaraz (image via Roland Garros)

Their clashes consistently deliver high-quality tennis, with Alcaraz currently having the upper hand. After the dramatic final in Paris, Sinner admitted to feeling both proud and frustrated. The question now is whether repeated defeats to Alcaraz will begin to weigh on him mentally as their rivalry evolves.

Tennis history shows that even the greatest rivalries include long winning streaks. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal met 60 times, with Djokovic winning their series by a narrow 31-29 margin. Both players had stretches of dominance, with Djokovic putting together two seven-match streaks and Nadal winning five in a row at one point.

Other rivalries, like Nadal vs. Federer and McEnroe vs. Connors, also saw similar shifts. Nadal had multiple five-match runs over Federer, which pushed Federer to adapt and eventually dominate their final meetings.

McEnroe once defeated Connors in 11 consecutive matches, but their rivalry is remembered more for its intensity and level of play than any streak. For Sinner, losing to Alcaraz is tough, but such momentum swings are part of tennis history.

Also Read: Andy Roddick Ignites Debate on Tennis Players Being the ‘Best Athletes in the World’ After Sinner vs Alcaraz Roland Garros Final