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Zwei Tage nach seinem 38. Geburtstag konnte Novak Djokovic noch einmal feiern: Am vergangenen Samstag gewann er in Genf das 100. Turnier seiner herausragenden Karriere. Diese Marke schafften vor ihm nur Jimmy Connors (109 Titel) und Roger Federer (103). Den Erfolg beim eher schwach besetzten Turnier hatte der Serbe bitter nötig, um Selbstvertrauen zu sammeln, denn in den vergangenen Monaten lief es nicht. Das Karriereende rückt näher. Er kämpft gegen die Djokovic-Dämmerung!
Über mehr als ein Jahrzehnt dominierte der 24-malige Grand-Slam-Turniersieger die Szene. Seit 2009 gewann er stets mehr als 80 Prozent seiner Matches, holte einen Titel nach dem anderen. Doch 2025 stürzte seine Siegquote trotz des Turniersieges auf 69,6 Prozent ab. In den 20 Jahren davor lag diese nur fünfmal unter 80 Prozent.
Pass, Annahme, Traumtor!: Italien staunt über diese Szene
Dennoch denkt Djokovic nicht ans Aufhören. Boris Becker (57), der Djokovic von 2013 bis 2016 trainierte und ihn zu sechs Grand-Slam-Turniertiteln führte, kann seinen Freund gut verstehen. „Novak ist wie ein jüngerer Bruder für mich“, sagt Becker, der als Eurosport-Experte von den French Open berichtet. „Erfolgreicher Tennisprofi zu sein ist der schönste Job der Welt. Ich weiß, wovon ich rede. Das gibt man nicht so schnell auf. Nadal hat das im vergangenen Jahr bis zum Ende ausgereizt. Federer wurde auch durch seine Knieverletzung gezwungen aufzuhören. Er hätte am liebsten noch länger gespielt. Ich hoffe nicht, dass es eine Verletzung wird, die Novak zwingt aufzuhören. Aber es ist eine verdammt schwierige Entscheidung.“
[–>Abschreiben will Becker, der 1999 im Alter von 32 Jahren seine Karriere beendete, seinen Ex-Schützling noch nicht: „Ich halte ihn immer noch für konkurrenzfähig, solange er gesund bleibt. Die Sandplatzsaison verlief nicht gut für ihn. Aber sein Ziel, 25 Grand-Slam-Turniersiege zu erreichen, ist nach wie vor realistisch.“
Boris Becker (57) ist für Eurosport als Experte im Einsatz. Der Sender überträgt die French Open aus Paris
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Allerdings sagt Becker: „Auf Rasen hat er größere Chancen auf seinen 25. Titel als auf Sand. Nur muss er dazu weiter die Sandplatzsaison spielen und auf die Zähne beißen. Nur so kann er in Wimbledon erfolgreich sein.“ Die Sandplatzsaison auszulassen sei keine Option, da dies den aktuell Weltranglisten-Sechsten komplett aus dem Rhythmus reißen würde.
Kurz vor den French Open trennte sich Djokovic von seinem Trainer Andy Murray (38) nach nur sechs Monaten. „Das hat mich überrascht“, sagt Becker. „Mir hat die Verbindung gut gefallen. Die Sandplatzsaison war vielleicht dünn, aber ich dachte, dass das Ziel vor allem Wimbledon ist. Und Andy Murray als zweimaliger Wimbledonsieger ist eine absolute Legende. So einen Mann in seiner Ecke zu haben wäre für Novak sehr gut gewesen.“
Seit seinem Triumph bei den US Open 2023 steht Djokovic bei 24 Grand-Slam-Turniersiegen. Die Nummer 25 treibt ihn an. „Ich bin stolz auf alles, was ich in meiner Karriere erreicht habe, aber ich habe immer noch den Wunsch, alles zu tun, um mein bestes Niveau zu erreichen, damit ich Grand-Slam-Turniere gewinnen und die besten Spieler der Welt schlagen kann“, sagt Djokovic und fügt hinzu: „Ich will mehr Trophäen.“
Evert: Bei Djokovic wird es nichts mehr
Legende Chris Evert (70), die für Eurosport die French Open analysiert, fürchtet aber, dass der Serbe kein Major mehr gewinnen wird: „Ich wäre überrascht, wenn er vor seinem Rücktritt noch einen Grand-Slam-Turniertitel holt. Die Zeit ist nicht auf Novaks Seite. Ich persönlich glaube, dass er sein bestes Tennis bereits gespielt hat.“
Die Amerikanerin weiß, wie hart die Schlussphase einer Karriere sein kann: „Als ich Anfang 30 war, schlug mich Martina Navratilova 13-mal in Folge. Monica Seles und Steffi Graf waren auf dem Weg nach oben. Da sagten die Kommentatoren: Chris wird nie wieder ein Grand-Slam-Turnier gewinnen. Doch dann gewann ich noch zwei weitere French-Open-Titel. Wegen meiner eigenen Erfahrung würde ich Novak nie abschreiben, aber mein Gefühl ist, dass es eher nichts mehr wird.“
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