"I expected at least two": Brad Gilbert ‘shocked’ by Djokovic's winless Grand Slam season in 2024.

Novak Djokovic did not meet the expectations of Brad Gilbert, Coco Gauff's current coach, who anticipated at least two Grand Slam titles for the Serbian this season. Djokovic's early exit from the US Open confirmed his first season without major titles since 2017.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion arrived at Flushing Meadows as one of the favorites after winning the Olympic gold medal in Paris 2024. However, he suffered a disappointing third-round defeat to Alexei Popyrin and failed to defend his title, which will drop him to world No. 4.

Djokovic still a title contender despite US Open disappointment

The 37-year-old only secured one title this season, at the Olympic Games, winning the last major prize he hadn't previously captured. Brad Gilbert recently spoke to Sport Klub and mentioned that despite recent disappointments, Djokovic will still be a contender for the 2025 majors: “Why not?! No one cheated age, except maybe him,” Gilbert said. “He’s certainly not happy with how it went here, but I’m sure he’ll be back, he always does.”

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“If you had told me he wouldn’t win any Grand Slam titles this year, I would have been shocked. I thought he would win two, maybe even more,” Gilbert added. “It will be interesting to see what he does in the fall – if he doesn’t play much, he will fall down the list and be in a slightly more difficult position from that aspect.”

“I expect Novak to be a candidate for titles at eight more Slams, in the next two years," he added.

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When asked if Djokovic might add a new coach to his team, considering Goran Ivanisevic's departure in March 2024, Gilbert said: “My guess is that they will. It’s always good to have someone to motivate you, maybe offer a different perspective,” Gilbert said. “I would definitely be surprised if he [does not] hire anyone, so I expect him to do that.”