Novak Djokovic - How far can he go? 

At the Australian Open in Melbourne Park in January, Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic beat Stefanos Tsitsipas in a highly anticipated final, with a win of 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-5). The victory marked his 10th Australian Open title and his 22nd Grand Slam title. In tennis, the “grand slams” are the four major championships of the year, hosted in Australia, France, the United States, and Britain. After the match, Djokovic, after shaking hands with Tsitsipas, nonchalantly strolled back to the player’s box, showing little sign of celebration. However, the moment he got inside the player’s box, the emotion of his achievement overcame him, and he sobbed uncontrollably. Despite everything he had to deal with, such as the media shunning him, he still did it. He was still crying when he walked back on the court to receive the trophy, his face in a towel.

When he was awarded the trophy during the presentation ceremony, he reflected on his struggles. Not only was he kicked out of the Australian Open last year for not getting the COVID vaccines, but this year he dealt with a hamstring injury and a controversy involving his father posing with a fan with a pro-Russia shirt. He described his win as “the biggest victory of my life,” thanking his family and teammates for supporting him in the same speech. 

Because of the controversy his father was involved in, Djokovic’s father decided not to show up for his son’s championship game for safety reasons. “So there is no disruption …for my son or for the other player, I have chosen to watch from home,” his father said that night.

The last time Djokovic lost at the Australian Open was in 2018, meaning he maintains a 28-game win streak. He holds the record for the longest time at the top of the world ranking, at 378 weeks. 378 weeks means that he has passed Steffi Graf, who spent 377 weeks at the top of the women’s leaderboard.

Djokovic’s 22nd Grand Slam win ties him with tennis legend Rafael Nadal for the most grand slam wins all-time. His win at the Australian Open means that he is the second man in history to win more than ten titles at the same open, second to Nadal, who has won 14 times at the French Open.

Tennis pros such as Patrick McEnroe say that Djokovic could win “four or five more” grand slams. “He’s the favorite at three out of four [grand slams] for the next, I’d say probably two years,” McEnroe stated. McEnroe said that he thinks that Djokovic is playing with a “big chip on his shoulder” from the controversy over his vaccination status. After the win over Tsitsipas, another tennis star, Nick Kyrgios, claimed on Twitter that Djokovic “will get to 28 slams easy.” Reaching 28 slam titles would cement Djokovic as the greatest tennis player in history for many.

Djokovic has a few more months to rest and train before he attempts to win his 23rd Grand Slam at the French Open in late May. However, many think the French Open might not be  Djokovic’s 23rd, because he might face Nadal, who historically dominates on clay courts. Moving past the French Open, however, it seems Djokovic will be the favorite at Wimbledon.

Djokovic is a true example of resilience and perseverance in sport. He persisted, not only when he was winning, but most importantly when he was under immense pressure. Over the past couple years he has faced hate for “supporting war initiatives,” because people thought he was supporting Russia in the Russia-Ukraine war; he was deported from Australia last year for not being vaccinated, and he tore his hamstring while he played. But he still continued. And no matter what perspective you have about him, you must admit, what he managed to do takes a truly powerful mentality.