“Djokovic will win a Grand Slam or two” – Becker’s predictions for 2024, including Nadal’s return

Novak Djokovic will turn 37 in 2024, but Boris Becker still expects him to pick up a couple more Grand Slam titles to add to his tally next year.

Reflecting on the Serbian’s stellar 2023, including his US Open triumph, the German said to Eurosport Germany’s ‘Das Gelbe vom Ball’ podcast: “You’re not really meant to play tennis like that at the age of 36. When does the guy get tired, or when does he run out of motivation?

“Novak is the dominator of the tennis scene – he has won three out of four Grand Slams [in 2023], then came second in that fabulous Wimbledon final against [Carlos] Alcaraz. For me, that was the best match of the year. With all due respect to all the other winners, Djokovic against Alcaraz was out of this world.”

Becker: Alcaraz and others will throw more spanners in the works for Djokovic

Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner both notched notable wins against the reigning world No 1, and Becker urged them to continue to close the gap next year.

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“He will be 37 years old next May, whereas Alcaraz and co will be better and more experienced. I think the best thing that can happen for the tennis scene as a whole is for Djokovic to remain strong and for the younger generation to come closer.

“In other words, I still expect Djokovic to win a Grand Slam or two. But I also believe that Alcaraz and co will more often throw a spanner in the works.

“I hope that this rivalry between the most successful player of all time and the rest of the tennis world continues for a long time, because we tennis fans and amateur players benefit from it.”

Becker: Nadal’s expectations at the Australian Open will not be high

As for Rafael Nadal, returning to the tour for what looks likely to be his farewell season, Becker is advising fans to moderate their expectations – certainly until the clay-court season.

“I don’t think his expectations for Melbourne are sky-high right now: if he wins a few matches there, good for him,” he said.

“He will then concentrate on the clay-court tournaments early on. He’ll definitely play Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid and maybe even Rome in order to be 100 per cent fit again in Paris.

“His goal has to be Roland-Garros, and then the Olympics, both of which will be played in Paris on clay, but he has to play first: he will only gain match fitness and match practice by playing in matches.

“So he has to suffer a little so that he gets better in March, April, until he can play his best game in May.”

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