Gilles Simon reveals Novak Djokovic’s most complicated opponent, and it is not Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic will turn 38 in May, which comes just a few weeks before his awaited Roland Garros campaign.
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Novak Djokovic and Gilles Simon (via X)
Former French tennis star Gilles Simon has revealed who he believes is Novak Djokovic‘s toughest opponent in the later stages of his career. Surprisingly, he did not name Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz but instead pointed to “time.”
Simon believes that, eventually, Djokovic will not be able to fight against time, as it spares no one. However, the Serbian has shown incredible resilience against aging, much like the other members of the Big 3.
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.
Gilles Simon said on Tennis365
Djokovic has proven many times that he can compete at the highest level despite his age. Last year at the Paris Olympics, he won his first Olympic gold medal without dropping a set.
Although he struggled with fitness at Wimbledon just four weeks earlier, he still reached the final before losing to Alcaraz. His most recent Grand Slam title came at the 2023 US Open, where he tied Margaret Court’s record for the most Grand Slam titles in history.
Where can Novak Djokovic win his 100th title?
Former World No.1 Novak Djokovic missed the chance to win his 100th career title after losing to Jakub Mensik in the Miami Open final. The 37-year-old is aiming to join Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors as the only ATP players with 100 titles. Despite the loss, Djokovic remained positive about his performance in Miami.
His next tournament will be the Monte-Carlo Masters, an ATP 1000 event where he has struggled in recent years. He has not won the title there since 2015. Before reaching the semi-finals in 2024, he had won only two matches in his previous three appearances. Djokovic will be the fourth seed, competing alongside top players like Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, and Daniil Medvedev. Jannik Sinner will not play due to his ongoing ban.
After Monte Carlo, Djokovic will compete in the Madrid Open, returning to the event for the first time since 2022. He has a 30-9 record in Madrid and reached the semi-finals in his last appearance, where he lost to Alcaraz. The tournament begins on April 23 and will be followed by the Italian Open on May 7, where Djokovic has won six titles.
Djokovic’s focus will then shift to the French Open, which starts on May 25. He will be aiming for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title. The Serbian has won the French Open three times, with two victories in the last four seasons. Currently, he has 99 career titles, trailing only Federer (103) and Connors (109) in the all-time rankings.
Jannik Sinner makes more history despite ban
Jannik Sinner is enjoying his 43rd week as the world No. 1 in men’s tennis. He is now the 14th player in ATP history to reach this milestone, matching Gustavo Kuerten. Sinner is getting closer to Jim Courier’s record of 58 weeks at the top. He has dominated the tour, winning 93 of his last 100 matches.
Sinner has not played since winning the Australian Open. The 23-year-old accepted a three-month ban from WADA after a failed doping test in March last year. Alexander Zverev had a chance to take the No. 1 ranking but struggled with inconsistent results. With Sinner holding a 2,645-point lead, Zverev would need to win Monte Carlo, Munich, and Madrid to overtake him before the Rome Masters, which seems unlikely.
Sinner had a strong finish to 2023. He defeated Novak Djokovic at both the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals, ending the year ranked No. 4. He carried that momentum into the 2024 Australian Open, where he beat Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev to win his first Grand Slam at age 22. He finished the 2024 season with an impressive 73-6 record and eight ATP titles.
Despite his success, Sinner’s doping case created controversy. After nearly a year of uncertainty, he reached an agreement with WADA in February, accepting a three-month suspension. This forced him to miss four Masters 1000 events. He is set to return at the Rome Masters in May, aiming to win his home tournament and reclaim 1,000 ATP points.
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