Former World No. 6 warns Novak Djokovic about his biggest challenge in milestone title quest

Novak Djokovic, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is on the hunt for his 100th career ATP title. Last week, he came close to achieving the milestone at the Miami Open but ultimately fell short in the final against rising star Jakub Mensik. While the Serbian legend has shown flashes of brilliance, former French tennis star and World No. 6 Gilles Simon believes Djokovic’s biggest obstacle isn’t his skill level—it’s time itself.

Despite being the all-time Grand Slam leader with 24 major titles, 2024 marked Djokovic’s first Slamless season since 2017. Additionally, he finished the year ranked No. 6 after starting at the top. For Simon, the real challenge for Djokovic moving forward is the unavoidable passage of time.

“If there is one player who knows the way, it’s Novak, but Novak is fighting against something that is difficult and something that you can’t have – and that’s time,” Simon said in an interview with Tennis365. “Time is only going in one direction, and he is working a lot, I’m sure, to be as healthy as possible, because the tennis is not a problem – it’s just about the body”.

“That’s why when I said once he would not get 30 Grand Slams. I said if he gets to 25, it’s the maximum,” Simon admitted. “Today, we realize yes – time has a grip on everyone, and he is realizing it now”.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia celebrates a point against Camilo Ugo Carabelli of Argentina during Day 6 of the Miami Open. (Al Bello/Getty Images)

While Simon acknowledges that Djokovic is feeling the effects of time, he also believes that when the Serbian is at his best, he remains a dominant force capable of winning any tournament.

see also

French star Gael Monfils chooses one of Nadal-Djokovic’s matches as the ‘most memorable’ in history

“I’m sure he realized it before, but he’s feeling it now,” Simon continued. “We are seeing it even more, but he’s going to have good weeks, and when he has good weeks, he is the player we know he can be – and he can win anything”.

Simon on Djokovic’s last title

Djokovic’s most recent title came at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where he won the gold medal by defeating Spanish sensation Carlos Alcaraz in two tight tiebreak sets.

“I think it was a huge achievement to win the Olympics last year,” Simon noted. “We don’t realize it was the main goal of the season, and he was ready to have the week he had – it’s crazy. It says a lot about how strong he is mentally”.

However, Simon also pointed out that while Djokovic is gearing up for another Grand Slam run, the challenge will be far greater than what he faced at the Olympics.

“He’s going to prepare to be ready for the Slams, obviously what he wants to win is a Slam,” Simon added. “Let’s see if he’s going to do it, but it’s five sets, it’s two weeks – it’s not like the Olympics where it was three sets, one week”.