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Novak Djokovic turned 39 last week and, having reached at least the semi-finals in each of the past five majors, has received a boost in his quest for an elusive standalone record 25th Grand Slam.<\/p>\n
The third seed is the only man left who knows what it takes to win a major and will be drawing on all that vast experience.<\/p>\n
A man of his age has obvious physical limitations and Djokovic has also struggled in the heat over the years.<\/p>\n
Playing in Friday’s Chatrier day session against exciting Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca, with temperatures set to reach 34C, will be a litmus test.<\/p>\n
If Djokovic gets past Fonseca, he will feel he has the capacity to build through the tournament.<\/p>\n
The temperatures dropping and remaining cooler next week will also benefit him.<\/p>\n
When the conditions favour Djokovic, he has continued to defy the ageing process – a point illustrated when he beat Sinner in this year’s Australian Open semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Djokovic lost to Alcaraz in the Melbourne final, again missing out on a first Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open. Last year, either Alcaraz or Sinner stopped Djokovic in the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open semi-finals.<\/p>\n
With both now out of his way, there are precious few players left in the draw who have the experience of beating the Serb great in a Grand Slam setting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n