When talking about Novak Djokovic’s future in tennis, tennis great Tracy Austin said that it is “insane” that the Serbian legend has not yet claimed a championship this year.
In the Wimbledon final, the former world number one said it appeared as though Carlos Alcaraz was “toying” with Djokovic, implying the Spaniard is “starting to separate himself.”
In his only final of the season, the 2024 Wimbledon championship match, Djokovic was soundly defeated in straight sets by Alcaraz.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion has not won an ATP championship since winning the Dutch Open in July 2006, which is the longest trophy drought he has had in a year.
The 37-year-old had an incredible 2023 season, winning seven titles total. The final trophy came in November at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin.
During his interview on the Tennis Channel Inside-In podcast, Austin talked about Djokovic’s difficult 2024 campaign and encouraged the world No. 2 to continue competing.
“At 37, only he can truly understand how motivated and full his gas tank is,” the American stated.
“He hasn’t won a title this year, which is crazy, but I believe he has only participated in seven tournaments. It’s clear that he has a lesser schedule because, given his age, he may want to spend more time with his children and avoid overtaxing his body.
“I’m unable to respond to it. What these guys are feeling is unknown to us. We love to watch you play for as long as you like because we know how much they enjoy the game and the sport and how they have been able to take better care of their bodies than others [in] previous decades.
The two-time US Open champion was especially pleased with Alcaraz’s Wimbledon performance versus Djokovic.
It was exhilarating, Austin thought. In the end, Carlos Alcaraz did an outstanding job both serving and returning. At times, it appeared as though he was, I’m not sure, playing about with Novak. It was simply amazing.
“When you consider [Jannik] Sinner and his athleticism, you’re scratching your head, saying, ‘Now you’re taking tennis to another level,’ and this is very exciting where we can go.”
Didn’t start to feel uneasy until he was serving at 40-0 [during the third set, at 5–4]. To watch Carlos succeed and get his fourth Major, he had to sort of wriggle out of it and figure it out, which was kind of fun.
Simply constructing. Although there are a few in the conversation, I think it will be interesting to watch where men’s tennis goes over the next fifteen years. However, is Carlos beginning to distance himself?