ATP legend Goran Ivanisevic discussed Djokovic’s current status

During an interview with ‘Tennis Majors’, ATP legend Goran Ivanisevic discussed Djokovic’s current status: “I can’t know if he is motivated and how much, but the moment he decides to play, it means that he is eager to play. Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are convincingly above the rest of the field, but I put Novak in the group with them, because when Novak really wants to play, he is still the best in the world, in my opinion.

The other thing is how much he wants to play and when – we saw at the Olympics – if he goes out on the court like that, then he can still win a Slam. Also, it depends on his ranking and the draw, when does he need to face Sinner or Alcaraz, lots of factors, but can Novak do it? Yes, he can. You can never write him off, I would never do that.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion is no longer the ATP tour’s reference player and will have to make a great effort to add another Major title to his board. The 37-year-old from Belgrade will try to claim his 11th title at the Australian Open next January, where he will also have to hope for a favorable draw.

Due to his absence from the ATP Finals, the Serbian ace will lose several positions in the ATP ranking and this will have repercussions even for 2025. Djokovic has repeatedly said that he is not interested in the ATP ranking at this point in his career, but drawing has become critical given his current status. Facing Sinner or Alcaraz already in the round of 16 at Melbourne Park would be a big problem for the former world number 1, whose gap from these two players has increased in recent months.