Why You Can’t Count Out the 24-Time Grand Slam Champion at the 2026 Roland Garros

Novak Djokovic is the most decorated tennis player of all time, and he's looking to extend his tenure as a professional tennis player by winning his 25th Grand Slam title. He’s stated that he plans to postpone his retirement as long as possible until he reaches this achievement, breaking his own record for the most grand slams won by a single player. The 39-year-old hasn’t won a slam since 2023. Since then, the titans that are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have properly come into the scene. Now, however, many argue that Roland Garros in 2026 is Djokovic’s best chance at this record, but will he be able to do so?

Djokovic faces some major hurdles heading into Paris this year, namely, his age. The historic player is almost 40 years old, much older than the rest of the top 10 right now. His age has been a factor slowing him down in the last few years; he's noted that it's caused him to have less stamina in a tournament, and he's sustained more minor injuries as well. His skill in the sport hasn’t fallen much, if at all, however. At the peak of his game, 2026 Djokovic can still tango with the best in the sport, going toe-to-toe with Sinner, the favorite for Roland Garros, this year in the Australian Open and winning. This is part of his track record of having historic wins in moments where the tennis world counted him out. 

Going into the tournament, the challenger is one of only a few players who’ve actually won Roland Garros, with Djokovic having won the title three times. He also holds the ninth most titles on clay in history with 20. That being said, in 2026, the 39-year-old has only played one official match on clay this year, and he lost it. His clay-court record leaves him in a mixed place heading into the tournament. Despite this, Roland Garros is the closest he has been to winning a slam in a while. This is mainly because of the number of withdrawals this tournament has seen from top players, mainly, Alcaraz. Djokovic has stated that winning against both Alcaraz and Sinner in the same tournament is nearly impossible for him because of his stamina problem. With Sinner seeded on the other half of the draw and Alcaraz not playing, this could be Djokovic’s year. If he wins the tournament, he will also break his own record as the oldest player to win a Grand Slam Title. He would also be the only person in history to complete four career slams.