Novak Djokovic Has Flushing Meadows Title in His Sights After Olympic Glory
Having achieved his dream of landing an Olympic gold medal for his beloved Serbia, Novak Djokovic has swiftly switched his focus to securing a fifth US Open title at Flushing Meadows.
The 37-year-old has failed to get his hands on any of the Australian Open, French Open or Wimbledon titles this year but the last major of 2024 in New York City provides a great opportunity for the veteran to land a remarkable 25th Grand Slam.
Djokovic Offers a Timely Reminder in Paris
Approaching the latter stages of his playing career, for many years pundits and rivals have wondered when Djokovic will have won his last Grand Slam title. Djokovic, who is 9/5 in the tennis betting to win an 11th Australian Open next year, was last victorious at a major in 2023 at Flushing Meadows. The Serbian star, who is 15/8 in the US Open 2024 betting, almost completed a clean sweep of the Grand Slam titles in 2023. Only just falling short in the Wimbledon final, Djokovic secured all the other three titles to pull clear of his rival Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam standings.
It was always going to be incredibly difficult to maintain that sort of form from 2023, especially with the rising stars in tennis looking to challenge the old guard. However, the Paris Olympics were a timely reminder that Djokovic is certainly not done yet when it comes to challenging for the biggest titles. An Olympic gold was the only major accolade missing from Djokovic’s extensive collection but victory in the men’s final in Paris finally saw him land that elusive gold.
All Eyes on Flushing Meadows
After the high of Olympic glory in Paris, Djokovic is not one to linger on his successes for too long, as he always has the next title in his sights. The Belgrade star is a serious contender to build on his performances in the French capital and land what would be a fifth US Open title. Djokovic’s last success in the Big Apple came in 2023 when he managed to beat Russia’s Daniil Medvedev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 in the final.
That victory in New York saw Djokovic become the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era and extend his record-breaking tally of Grand Slam titles to 24. Winning his first US Open title back in 2011, Djokovic has often been there or thereabout since when competing in New York. Unlike the Australian Open where the Serb has won 10 titles, Djokovic has been made to work much harder for success on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.
Djokovic’s success at the Olympics will feel like a relief as well as an achievement, as it was highly likely that it was his last chance at gold at this late stage of his career. Buoyed by that victory in Paris, Djokovic’s rivals will have to be wary of the veteran, who should be firmly in the title conversation come the business end of the US Open once again.
