“Novak is still a contender”: Gael Monfils backs Djokovic’s Australian Open hopes

Former world No. 6 Gael Monfils spoke about Novak Djokovic’s chances of competing for Grand Slam titles against players like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Alexander Zverev. For the Frenchman, Nole remains a strong contender for the Australian Open.

With 10 titles in Melbourne, Djokovic is by far the most dominant player in Aussie Open history, well ahead of the six titles held by Roger Federer and Roy Emerson. However, after a shaky 2024 season, he heads into his next big challenge with some uncertainties.

This year, Djokovic failed to win an ATP title, though he celebrated an Olympic gold medal. Still, it marked the first year since 2017 that he did not win a Grand Slam title, as Alcaraz and Sinner each claimed two this season.

Zverev cannot be overlooked, arguably in the best form of his career, finishing the season as world No. 2 and reaching the French Open final. With seven Masters 1000 titles, two ATP Finals victories, and an Olympic gold from Tokyo 2020, ‘Sascha’ has become one of the most successful players without a Grand Slam title in the Open Era.

While the younger players seem to have taken over from the Big-3, Djokovic continues to aim high in the major tournaments. His recent collaboration with Andy Murray is seen as a sign of his ambition to compete at the highest level and challenge the dominance of his younger rivals despite the age gap.

The 38-year-old veteran Gael Monfils, who knows what it’s like to compete against players 10 or 15 years his junior, shared his thoughts on Djokovic’s chances at the Australian Open. “You look at Carlos, Jannik, Zverev, and all the top ten will be contenders in Melbourne, but the top two will be Jannik and Carlos. Novak is still a contender for the Australian Open,” Monfils told Tennis365.

“Of course, he can win one more Grand Slam in his career, and why can’t it be in Australia, where he has won it so many times? Now he has Andy with him, and this is great for the sport. We are all looking to see how he can match it all up,” he added.

Monfils and Djokovic have faced each other 19 times, with Djokovic winning every encounter. Monfils came closest to victory in the 2020 Dubai semifinals, where he squandered three match points before Djokovic staged a comeback (6-2, 6-7(8), 1-6).