Written by Richard Pagliaro | @TennisNow | Friday, January 10, 2025
Photo credit: Jean Catuffe/Getty
Novak Djokovic he is an eternal optimist.
The Grand Slam king does not consider his major records to be permanent records.
Pegula: The Swiatek Case Stirs Faith and Frustration
It’s new Cover story Q&A24-year-old Grand Slam champion Djokovic quotes four-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz again country no. 1 Jannik Sinner as two players with the ability to exceed his high mark.
“People say no one will ever beat my records. But I doubt it,” Djokovic said he told GQ. “I mean, Carlos could be next. Even Jannik.
“Carlos has done something that no one has ever done in history at such a young age. So I think he has all the odds. I think he will finish quickly.”
Reigning Roland Garros and Wimbledon winner Alcaraz aims to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam by winning this month’s Australian Open.
The 21-year-old Spaniard beat the 37-year-old Serbian star in back-to-back Wimbledon finals. Djokovic says that while he admires Alcaraz’s ambition, it may be too early to “think about history.”
“He himself has said it, he wants to make history,” said Djokovic talking about Alcaraz. “He wants to be ‘the best in history’. I respect that kind of thinking, like, ‘Hey, I think I have what it takes.’ But maybe it’s too early to think about history.”
Djokovic studied composure under pressure in his 7-6, 7-6 win over Alcaraz in the 2024 Paris Olympic gold medal match and gave the reigning Roland Garros champion an encouraging endorsement.
In his fifth Olympics, Djokovic became the oldest player to win an Olympic singles gold medal since tennis returned to the Games at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
At the net, Djokovic told Alcaraz that his golden moment was coming.
“He told me that I would win gold in the Olympics one day,” Alcaraz told reporters at a press conference after the match. “And we will work for it. I am sure that my time will come.”
