Most top athletes will tell you that one of the most difficult challenges they face in their careers is returning from serious injury. Andy Murray is a prime example of this, with the Brit acutely aware that a comeback can often measured in years rather than weeks or months. Each body is different, and each injury recovery is different, but all players can share similar frustrations on the way back.
Novak Djokovic, of course, seems to have come right through the other side, with a patient approach to his rehabilitation rewarded with victories at Wimbledon and the US Open. Indeed, it feels like a matter of if, not when, for Djokovic to catch Nadal at the top of the world rankings. In fact, it might be fitting for Djokovic to do so at the upcoming ATP Finals and close out the year as the world number one.
While that would be quite the achievement, considering where Djokovic’s career stood just last spring, the Serbian master will have higher ambitions than simply being regarded as the best male player on the planet again. That means becoming the dominant figure he was in both 2015 and first half of 2016.
Bookmakers back Serb in 2019
Can Djokovic return to the standard that saw him win four Slams in a row? Well, the bookmakers certainly seem to think so. The latest 2019 Grand Slam betting markets from 888sport show Djokovic as 7/5 favourite for the Australian Open (ahead of Nadal at 5/1), 5/2 favourite for Wimbledon (ahead of Federer at 3/1) and 7/4 favourite for the US Open (ahead of Nadal, again at 5/1).
That’s a very clear statement by bookmakers on Djokovic’s potential dominance in the Slams, especially in the Australian and US Opens. It does, of course, omit the French Open, where not even peak-Djokovic is expected to touch Nadal (evens). The Serb is second-favourite at 7/2 though, and likely to be made the second seed, so perhaps a showdown between the pair will occur in the Final at Roland Garros.
We can, of course, end up looking foolish when making assumptions about elite level tennis, especially when it comes to the Big 4. How many times down the years has, for example, Roger Federer had a career obituary laid out in the sports media? How many times has there been a suggestion that Nadal’s knees had finally buckled? Indeed, it’s worth remembering that Andy Murray went toe to toe with Djokovic when both players were fully fit. The Brit has a long road back to the top, but few would doubt his commitment to getting there.
Djokovic finally looks injury free
In the end though, each of Djokovic’s main rivals has an asterisk beside their chances, so the Serb is in with an incredible chance of hauling in the records of both Nadal (17) and Federer (20) in the all-time men’s Slams list. You cannot rule that pair, nor Murray, out of taking a Slam or two next year, but Djokovic is very much starting from the front of the grid.
The start of each year we almost always feel that it is time that someone else should take the step to consistently challenge the old guard. It’s remarkable to see that five of the top six in the men’s rankings are in their 30s. Can an Alexander Zverev or Borna Coric make that step? Ominously, they will have to go through a fully fit Novak Djokovic in order to get there.
