Novak Djokovic has achieved pretty much every accolade possible in tennis. However, one feat that still eludes the Serbian talisman is the Golden Slam.
Steffi Graf is the only player (male or female) to clinch a Golden Slam, i.e. win all four Grand Slams as well as the Olympic gold medal in a calendar year. The German legend pulled off this incredible milestone in 1988.
In the title contest, the then 19-year-old bettered Chris Evert at the Australian Open, Natasha Zvereva at the French Open, Martina Navratilova at the Wimbledon Championships and Gabriela Sabatini at the US Open.
Steffi Graf represented West Germany at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and defeated Argentina’s Sabatini to grab her only gold medal at the event. Since then, no player has come close to replicating Graf’s Golden Slam record and Novak Djokovic would be hoping to achieve this in 2024.
The unstoppable Serb already owns the record for most Grand Slam titles with 24, and the Golden Slam would surely be next on his bucket list this year. However, it will be a mighty task for the 36-year-old who will have to contend with the emerging field of young guns on the ATP Tour.
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune have become mainstays on the top 10 ATP rankings, racking up wins against Djokovic in their early careers. The trio will be among the favorites at every Grand Slam and the Olympics.
Alcaraz has already won two Grand Slam titles and would be hoping to add to that collection. Meanwhile, Sinner and Rune are both ATP 1000 title winners and will be eyeing the ultimate prize at a Major in 2024.
The World No. 1 was consistent enough last year to win the Australian Open, French Open and the US Open, as well as finish runner-up at Wimbledon. Repeating those performances at the Grand Slams for the second year in a row would be tough, and adding the 2024 Paris Olympics to the mix would add more pressure. However, if anyone in the tennis world can do it, it would surely be Novak Djokovic.
The Belgrade native’s schedule for 2024 will play a huge role in his chances to match Steffi Graf’s achievement, with the tournaments that he chooses to play and how he manages his body. Last year, he played 15 tournaments and only three of them were below the ATP 1000 level.
