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Tennis fans fear that Novak Djokovic is on the decline as he prepares to return at Indian Wells. The world No. 1 started the season with losses in two tournaments including his first Australian Open defeat in six years. And fans are now divided over how many Grand Slam titles he will be able to win this season after he failed to capture his 25th in Melbourne.
Djokovic had a disappointing start to the year by his standards. The 36-year-old was ousted by Alex de Minaur at the United Cup and had a shaky start at the Australian Open where he was pushed to four sets in his first two matches. His run eventually ended in the semi-final with a 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 loss to Jannik Sinner.
Djokovic had a disappointing start to the year by his standards. The 36-year-old was ousted by Alex de Minaur at the United Cup and had a shaky start at the Australian Open where he was pushed to four sets in his first two matches. His run eventually ended in the semi-final with a 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 loss to Jannik Sinner.
Apart from 2022 – when he was deported from the country and unable to compete – this was the first time since 2017 that Djokovic had started the season without lifting the trophy in Melbourne. Djokovic confessed that he wasn’t playing “up to par” during his time Down Under.
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The uncharacteristic defeats have prompted some to question whether he has started to dwindle at the age of 36. And 60 per cent of Express Sport readers believe that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is on the decline.
It comes after former world No. 12 Paolo Bertolucci recently questioned Djokovic’s level after his outing in Australia. “He is a player who played badly in Australia, as in previous matches. We have not seen him in good condition,” he told Fanpage.it.
“Now, if this is due to a problem that can happen, because it happens that someone doesn’t get his preparation right, or if the decline has begun, we will find out in the American matches between Indian Wells and Miami.”
