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Novak Djokovic already has one Grand Slam in 2023 and he is the crowd favorite for the remaining three seasons, but Dominic Thiem believes there could be a major obstacle in his way.
World No. 1 Djokovic has made no secret of his desire to win the calendar Grand Slam, which would make him only the second player since Rod Laver in 1969 to achieve the feat in the Open era.
The Serbian came close to realizing his dream twice in 2015 and again in 2021. In 2015, he was the man who denied Stan Wawrinka a calendar slam when he beat the Swiss in the French Open final two years ago. He lost to Daniel Medvedev in the US Open final.
Djokovic began this year by winning his 10th Australian Open title to join Rafael Nadal on 22 Grand Slams, followed by the French Open – mostly Nadal’s domain – before heading to Wimbledon, where Djokovic has dominated in recent years.
The US Open is last on his agenda but he will be back this year after not competing last year, unseeded and one of the best players on hard courts.
Thiem believes Roland Garros is the only major factor in Djokovic’s calendar Grand Slam bid failing, but he will take on the fully-qualified Nadal. Struggled with injuries in recent monthsTo stop him.
“Now I feel there are a lot of players who can beat those two guys. [Djokovic and Nadal]” he told Casper Ruth. Euro Sports Ruud Talk.
“There are good people there, but obviously, those two, when Roger was three [Federer] They were there, they were still a step above everyone else, especially at the Slams, especially when it came to the top-five.
“It would have been nice for the whole tennis world to see one last show at Roland-Garros, obviously, but Novak is still the man to win the Grand Slams in 2023.
The only competition is Roland-Garros: if Rafael fits there, it’s the exact opposite. He’s going to win, obviously, winning the race 14 times, it’s crazy.
“But if you saw Novak’s performance at the Australian Open, it was incredible, and he’s going to be just as popular at Wimbledon and the US Open.”
Read more: Roland Garros favorite Rafael Nadal, but Novak Djokovic ‘can beat anyone’, says Goran Ivanisevic
