"But bet against him at your peril: legends are the exception, not the rule" - Respected tennis figures vote against Djokovic clinching 25th Grand Slam title

Novak Djokovic is hunting down an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam, offering him daylight between him and some of the best tennis players in the world while cementing his legendary status in the sport even more. While this is a huge ambition for Djokovic, there have been doubts of his chances of picking up another major title, with Coco Vandeweghe and Paul Annacone having their say.

The 38-year-old is surprising everyone with his longevity in the sport. He is still competing at the top end of tennis as he has been for almost two decades now. He has broken a whole host of records and completed a load of achievements that seemed unrealistic. While many of his rivals have called it a day, he is still ploughing on with his goals in the sport still clear: winning big titles and competing with the best.

However, there have been so many doubts over recent times whether this feat is still on the cards. The world number four is consistently around the business end of events, but is not close to lifting the big titles like he used to do regularly.

A big factor of this is due to Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. The pair has sprant away from the competition and are in a league of their own. They have split the last eight Grand Slams between them while facing off in the last three finals. In 2025 they have enjoyed loads of exhilarating battles on the court. Not even Djokovic can get close to the big two. He has been defeated in the semi-finals of each of the major tournaments in the 2025 campaign. Aside from overcoming Alcaraz in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, he has not come close to dethroning him or Sinner on the court. It is a worrying sign as he goes into the 2026 season looking for more success.

Former doubles Grand Slam champion Vandeweghe has cited the dominance of Alcaraz and Sinner as the primary reason for why the Serbian will not lift another major title, but it is not easy to say this take.

"I hate to bet against the GOAT but I am going to have to say no," she told Tennis.com. "I think the dominance of Sinner and Alcaraz is just too much to overcome, especially in a best three-out-of-five Grand Slam format. Djokovic made four semifinals in 2025 and lost three of them—in straight sets—to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz."

Roger Federer's former coach Paul Annacone has sat more on the fence with his decision. While he leans towards a no, he is not ruling out the possibility of Djokovic once again breaking the barriers.

"My heart says yes, but my head says no. I think it’s getting tougher and tougher," he admitted. "The ageless Novak will have to go through a lot of great players and I think seven best-of-five match wins to capture a 25th major title may be a bridge too far. But bet against him at your peril: legends are the exception, not the rule."

The road to a 25th major title starts in Australia, a country Djokovic has had countless amounts of success. He begins in the Adelaide International from January 12-18 as he looks to get back into prime condition ahead of the Australian Open, commencing from January 18 - February 1. He has won the major event a record 10 times and has had plenty of golden memories in Melbourne. He will be desperately hoping for another, but it is not going to be straight forward.