The Grandest Slam: Is Djokovic destined to pass Rafa & Roger in Slams?

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer are all vying to end their careers with the most majors ever for a male player, and they’re all going to be in the hunt for another at Roland Garros. Could this year’s French Open reshape men’s tennis history? This week, we give early answers to four questions surrounding their three-way showdown in Paris.

Twelve months ago, Djokovic looked like a beaten man. He hadn’t won a Slam in two years, he had just undergone elbow surgery and he had offered only token resistance in early defeats in Indian Wells and Miami. When he lost to little-known Marco Cecchinato in the French Open quarterfinals, Djokovic threatened to skip the grass-court season altogether.

Instead of skipping grass, Djokovic turned his season around on it.

“Winning that epic semifinal with Rafa at Wimbledon, I think that’s what did it,” ESPN commentator Brad Gilbert says of Djokovic’s resurrection. “Rafa was playing great, and that forced Djoker to play even better. No one’s come close to him at a Slam since.”

Djokovic’s two-year absence from the winner’s circle only left him hungry to make up for lost time. Just as important, there are no younger players who appear to be immediate threats to his dominance.

“He could easily be the favorite at the next six to eight majors,” Gilbert says of the Serb.

Over the last three months, though, Djokovic has played at a somewhat less-than-Olympian level. Are his early losses in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo cause for concern? Let’s wait to see what happens in Madrid and Rome; in 2016, Djokovic lost his opening match in Monte Carlo before going on to win his only French Open title.

As for the longer term, the only thing we know is that time will take its toll on a 30-something Djokovic, just as it has everyone else. For all of their later-career heroics, Federer has won just four of his 20 majors in his 30s, and Nadal just three of his 17.

For now, there’s no reason to look that far ahead. As Federer, Nadal and Djokovic might say, you can only play one Grand Slam at a time. You can only watch one at a time, too. This year’s French Open should be one we’ll remember watching for many years to come.

**Monday, April 29: Introduction

Tuesday, April 30: If Djokovic and Nadal meet in the Roland Garros final, how crucial would it be for the Grand Slam title chase?

Wednesday, May 1: Could someone other than Nadal be favored at Roland Garros?

Thursday, May 2: What factor might Federer play?

Friday, May 3: Whatever the result is in Paris, is Djokovic destined to pass Nadal and Federer in majors?**