Novak Djokovic is the last Grand Slam champion left in the men’s singles draw (Image: Getty)
It seemed like Novak Djokovic’s best chance at a record 25th Grand Slam title came and went at the Australian Open. There, he got one walkover, one mid-match retirement, and then beat two-time defending champion Jannik Sinner in a thrilling five-setter that finished around 1am local time. The Serbian superstar took the first set off Carlos Alcaraz in the final but lost in four.
However, his golden opportunity now seems to be the 2026 French Open, as two-time defending champion Alcaraz pulled out of the tournament long ago with a wrist injury, while title favourite Sinner has been stunned in the second round while struggling with sickness in the hot conditions.
In 2025, Djokovic reached the semi-finals of all four Slams. An injury forced him to retire mid-match in Melbourne, while it was either Sinner or Alcaraz who beat him at the other three. Now, neither man is left in the draw in Paris, and British tennis commentator Andrew Castle believes it’s the perfect opportunity for the No. 3 seed to pounce – even though he hasn’t “got the weapons” to compete with the world’s two best players.
Castle has questioned why, a few weeks after his 39th birthday, Djokovic continues to compete, having won virtually everything possible in the sport. But he also believes the Olympic champion has one more great run in him – especially with Sinner out.
“I don’t know what else is driving him. He’s won everything 10 times, and I can’t understand the drive, really, that keeps him going. It’s the pain, the rehab, the recovery. People don’t see any of that,” he said, speaking for Betway.
“They see the moments in the sunshine, but it’s bloody hard to stay as sharp and as fit and to recover as quickly as he is. He goes on holiday and spends three or four hours a day stretching, even on holiday. I mean, give it a rest, lad. But he’s awesome. He’s inspiring. And I think there’s got to be one last go in him.
Jannik Sinner struggled physically and lost in five sets (Image: Getty)
“What happens if Sinner doesn’t make it to win six matches? You know Novak’s going to be around.”
And Sinner only made it through two matches – barely – before he suffered a gigantic upset on Thursday. The No. 1 seed led Juan Manuel Cerundolo by two sets and 5-1, with victory just four points away. From there, he crumbled.
Sinner lost 18 consecutive points and, in the middle of that stretch, at 5-4 0-40, he had to leave the court for a medical evaluation after telling the trainer he felt like he was going to throw up.
The four-time Grand Slam champion did not take a medical timeout in the end, but won only two more games when he returned, losing 3-6 2-6 7-5 6-1 6-1. Sinner later said he had been feeling unwell and did not want to blame the heat, even though temperatures reached the mid-30s and he used a fan during one changeover.
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It may be a silver lining for Djokovic, who dropped a set in both of his first two matches here, and could give him some extra motivation as he prepares to face teenage sensation Joao Fonseca. Before Sinner’s shocking exit, Castle had already thought it was a positive that the 39-year-old wasn’t in his half of the draw. Now, his path looks even clearer.
“I see that in the French Open draw, he’s on the other side to Sinner. I have thought right from when he won his number 24 and Alcaraz and Sinner arrived, he’s not as good as those two anymore. He’s not got the weapons that those two have now,” he added.
“But I have thought at some point he’s going to have a deep run in a Slam. And of course he did. He made semi-finals of all four of them [last year], and he’s bound to have one last run.
“Let’s be honest, in Australia, he beats Sinner before losing to Alcaraz, and the big vibe is that he can’t beat two in a row, but he might be able to beat one of them. And why not? At the age of 39, maybe one last push. Now there’s the story. That would be glorious. That would be cool to see because he’s the best I’ve ever seen.”
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