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.”
“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.
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.”