Novak Djokovic reflects on 'worst season' despite Olympic glory: “It was going to come at some point where I wouldn't win Slams”

Novak Djokovic reflected on his season and said he was satisfied with his results despite not having won a Grand Slam title. In fact, the Serbian has not secured any ATP titles in the nine tournaments he has played this year, though he did achieve one of the goals he had been chasing throughout his career: the Olympic gold medal.

Djokovic's results would have been more than enough for almost any other player on the Tour, with a 37-9 record, a Wimbledon final, and semifinals in both the Australian Open and French Open. However, for the Serbian, it was one of the 'worst' seasons of his career, with no Grand Slam titles for the first time since 2017.

In 2017, injuries kept him off the courts for much of the year, making it a particularly unusual season for Djokovic. Since 2011, Djokovic has won at least one Grand Slam title in every season up to 2023 (excluding 2017), making this only the second time in 13 years that he has not won a major.

When asked about his assessment of the season so far, the 24-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged it hadn't been ideal: "Well, I mean, comparing to most of my seasons throughout my career, this has been one of the worst-performing seasons in terms of results. But, you know, it was going to come at some point where I wouldn't win slams and maintain that highest level for so many years in a row."

"And that's okay. I'm happy with my gold medal from the Olympics—that was the main goal for this year. And, of course, I wish I could have gotten at least a Grand Slam title or won a big title, but it's fine, you know... it is what it is. It's the kind of season you just have to accept, embrace, and I'm more than happy with what I’ve achieved throughout my career. So, I'll just, yeah, see what the next challenges bring to me."

Although it was a season far from the great results he’s had throughout his career, Djokovic remains world No. 4, ranks 6th in the ATP Race, and still has good chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals. However, the standout result of the year for Djokovic was the Olympic gold medal, the only title missing from his extraordinary career. In the tournament held at Roland Garros, he defeated opponents like Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Lorenzo Musetti before beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.