Novak Djokovic is currently the World No.1 after winning an eighth Australian Open title recently. (Getty Images)
As the dust settled and the clock struck midnight in Australian, there was one smile beamed all across the world, that of Novak Djokovic.
The Serbian seemed destined to lose this final to Dominic Thiem but somehow conjured up an incredible comeback.
He won the final two sets of the match to pick up a record eighth Australian Open, a feat that is incredible given the other talents in the circuit.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been exceptional over the years but the Next Gen stars have put up a lot of fight too.
Thiem was just a few games from sealing the fourth set, and the win, but Djokovic came alive when facing elimination.
The Djoker might not be the most loved player on the circuit, but there is no doubting his talent.
He is one of eight men to have completed the Career Grand Slam but was the second oldest to achieve this feat.
That shouldn’t belittle his abilities as time and again he has proved to be an equal competitor to Federer’s guile or Nadal’s brute force.
Federer still is the master of winning Grand Slams but age could be catching up to the 38-year-old. The Swiss ace has 20 Slams, a record, while Nadal at 33 has 19 to his name.
Djokovic is just a year younger to Nadal but the Serbian is at 17 Grand Slams after the 2020 Australian Open.
Federer and Djokovic have had their injury problem over the years, and it seems that Djokovic could go on playing even after his rivals have retired.
The trio have shared the last 13 Grand Slams between them but the big question is when can Djokovic usurp Federer’s record?
Djokovic has to win the next three Grand Slams to stop Federer from extending his record and catch up to the Swiss ace.
That is easier said than done given that the French Open has been Nadal’s playground for years. The Spaniard has won 12 titles at Roland Garros and is a three-time defending champion.
Djokovic has a solitary win at that Grand Slam which came in 2016. However, Nadal withdrew from that even in the third round with a wrist injury while Federer didn’t participate in that event either.
Nadal would have a great chance of winning the French Open and tie Federer on 20 Grand Slams.
That would leave the US Open and Wimbledon as the options for Djokovic to tie the pair, possibly.
Djokovic is a two-time defending champion at Wimbledon but Federer and Nadal have won multiple titles in the UK.
Even if Djokovic is the favourite to land that title, the US Open won’t be that easy. Federer and Nadal also have great records at Flushing Meadows with the Spaniard winning two of the past three titles.
Djokovic does have a decent chance of winning two Grand Slams this year, even if things don’t go his way in France.
However, there is no guarantee that Federer or Nadal won’t pull a rabbit out of the hat in the coming months.
Djokovic, at the most, can tie with Federer and Nadal come the end of the year, but next season could be his time to shine.
Federer would be close to 40 and it would be difficult for him to keep up with the younger pair of Nadal and Djokovic.
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The Serbian just has to stay away from injury trouble, and that should be enough to help him take over from the Swiss ace by the end of 2021.
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