Martina Navratilova Sees Inconsistent Play as Reason Why Novak Djokovic Is Yet to Win Another Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic exited the Wimbledon Championships after losing to Jannik Sinner, ending his opportunity to win his 25th Grand Slam at the tournament. The 39-year-old’s hopes of claiming another Slam have been the major debate on tour since his exit. Martina Navratilova has given reasons why Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam since September 2023.

The last time Djokovic claimed his 24th Slam was at the 2023 US Open after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final. The former World No.1 has reached the final of a major tournament just twice, losing both of them against Carlos Alcaraz. He has prioritized major events for the past four years, and this year he has only played in five tournaments.

Three of the five events that Djokovic has featured in this season have been Grand Slam tournaments. He only managed to reach the final of the Australian Open. At the French Open, he crashed out in the third round after losing to Joao Fonseca in five sets, despite winning the first two sets.

At Wimbledon, he was the second favorite to win the championship, after Sinner, as Alcaraz was sidelined due to injury. Djokovic showed resilience by beating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals after over five hours at the Center Court, but couldn’t replicate the same form against Sinner, who cruised past him 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.

During a conversation on Tennis Channel, Navratilova revealed that Djokovic’s major problem is his lack of enough matches before a major tournament. The Grand Slam winner stressed that the 39-year-old has not looked as sharp as he used to on the court and has not been 100% for a long time:

Three out of five helped him get there. So, he had a little cushion, but then it hurt him because then he was tired because he played the five setter in his last match. And I think he if he really wants to win one more, he’s got to play a few more matches, a few more tournaments. I think it cost him because he just wasn’t matched up. He’s been so reliable for so long in these majors. The outlier isn’t him making the semi-finals at 39…

Djokovic got annoyed with a Serbian journalist for demanding he win another Grand Slam on tour, despite already winning 24. The seven-time Wimbledon winner revealed that he’s meant to be celebrated rather than questioned, as he has achieved a lot on the men’s circuit and broken several records on tour.

Martina Navratilova praises Novak Djokovic for reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals at 39

Novak Djokovic has admitted many times that he’s not at his physical best on tour compared to when he was in his 20s. That has seen him reduce the number of tournaments he competes in each season, focusing mostly on Grand Slam events. Also, his age puts him at a disadvantage while competing against young stars on the court.

However, Djokovic continues to impress irrespective of his circumstances. The former World No.1 has reached the semi-finals of two Grand Slams this year already and earned his 107th Wimbledon match win this week. During the aforementioned conversation, Martina Navratilova praises Djokovic for his resilience on the court at 39:

The guy can just show up and play this well. But to win a title like this, I think you probably need a few more miles in your body to be able to avoid running out of something, whatever that special sauce is… So, you need some luck. You need all that. But the guy’s got greatness oozing from him still at 39. He’s made semis or better guys in six of his last seven majors, but still no titles.

Djokovic will feature at the US Open next month, but he’s yet to announce whether he will feature at the Cincinnati Open. He revealed after exiting Wimbledon that he hopes to return to the tournament one more time before retiring from the professional circuit.

Also Read: Carlos Alcaraz Makes Playful Banter on an AI Photo of him and Jannik Sinner as John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg