Djokovic on Course for Calendar Grand Slam

Novak Djokovic is now at the top of the all-time Grand Slam list with 23 singles titles, after beating Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 in the final of the 2023 French Open. It’s a victory that keeps the Serbian on course for winning a first Calendar Grand Slam.

🏆🙏🏼2️⃣3️⃣❤️ #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/KOxvOq3d18

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) June 11, 2023

The world number one has won three Grand Slam titles in a season on three occasions, but he has yet to land all four titles in the same year. Success in both the Australian Open and French Open ensured he had made an excellent start to the campaign again.

Wimbledon Next for the French Open Winner

Djokovic goes into this year’s Wimbledon tournament as the defending champion, after beating Nick Kyrgios in 2021. He is -150 in the bet on sports outright market for the grass event in London this year.

The betting calculator from Paddy Power shows that placing a $10 bet on Djokovic at this year’s Wimbledon returns a profit of $6.67, which emphasizes he is the warm odds-on favorite to keep his winning run at the Grand Slam tournaments going.

Novak Djokovic wins the 2022 #Wimbledon men’s final to land his 21st Grand Slam title!@Wimbledon | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/bofbM26U9R

— The Olympic Games (@Olympics) July 10, 2022

With seven titles at Wimbledon, including the last four renewals, the Serbian has had a lot of success on grass. His all-time record at Wimbledon is 86-10, with his last defeat coming in the 2017 quarter-final when he had to retire injured against Tomas Berdych in the second half of that match.

The 36-year-old will be hoping he can carry his excellent form into Wimbledon. If victorious again in the tournament, he will go two wins clear of Rafael Nadal in the standings for the most Grand Slam titles.

US Open Could See Djokovic Make History in New York

Djokovic has won the US Open three times before, with wins in New York coming in 2011, 2015, and 2018. He was bidding to complete the Calendar Grand Slam in 2021, but he lost the final of the tournament to Daniil Medvedev, going down in straight sets.

That event came after a long season, as Djokovic had also played in the final of the Olympics, losing to Alexander Zverev in the gold medal match in Toyko.

The man from Belgrade has been beaten in the final of the US Open more times than any other Grand Slam. He first reached the final in 2007 but he had to settle for the runner-up spot that year after going down to Roger Federer. Defeats in the final also came in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2016 for the 23-time Grand Slam winner.

If victorious in the Calendar Grand Slam, Djokovic will be the first player to win all four major events in the same year since Steffi Graf in 1988. The last male player to prevail in the sport’s big four tournaments was Rod Laver in 1969.

The key for Djokovic now will be to stay fit for the rest of the season and to ensure he produces his best tennis again at Wimbledon and the US Open. The final of the latter comes on September 10, which could be the biggest day in the Serbian’s career.

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