Novak Djokovic has given up grand slams, says former coach Boris Becker

Tennis great Djokovic has now gone two years without winning a major with his last Slam trophy coming at the 2023 US Open as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have dominated the past 24 months with each winning four majors.

The Serbian lost in the semi-final of all four Grand Slams this year as he retired injured from his match against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open before losing against Sinner at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and Alcaraz at the US Open.

After his defeat to Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows, the 24-time Grand Slam winner appeared to be emotional and took his time to wave to the crowd on Arthur Ashe Stadium, sending a heart signal before exiting.

And the 38-year-old also acknowledged after the loss that he realistically can't keep up with the younger Alcaraz and Sinner in the best-of-five sets.

"I can do only as much as I can do. And yeah it will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner and Alcaraz in the best of five in the Grand Slams," he said.

"I think I have a better chance in best of three but best of five, it's tough. I'm not giving up on Grand Slams in that regard. Having said that, I'm going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least. But it's going to be a very, very difficult task."

Fellow former world No. 1 Becker believes Djokovic's comments suggest that he has accepted he can't win Grand Slams anymore.

"He's playing against Sinner or Alcaraz, and he doesn't know yet how long his Grand Slam career will continue. So, for the first time, it was openly discussed that 2026 might be his last Grand Slam year," he said on the Becker-Petkovic podcast.

"He mentioned that he can still keep up with the best of three sets. That's true. But why is he playing tennis, to win Rome or Monte Carlo ⦠or to achieve 25 Grand Slam victories? And I think it's the latter.

"And I admit that I now believe that, due to his age and the strength of the young guns, he can't realistically do it anymore. What exactly does that mean? Does that mean that he'll stop at some point? Do you have any idea when that might be? Do you think he'll play a full Grand Slam year?"

Djokovic has stated that he wants to compete at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics as he is the defending champion after beating Alcaraz in the singles gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Games.

Becker added: "On the other hand, he's still dreaming of the 2028 Olympics, where he wants to defend the gold medal for Serbia.

"In three years, I personally find that unrealistic, but the US Open sounded a bit like a farewell to me."

Former world No. 1 Andrea Petkovic also believes Djokovic's farewell was more than just a normal goodbye.

"Yes, I thought so too, and also when he left, he was on his way out, he stopped again, took off his bag again, and showed his heart to the audience again," the German commented.

READ MORE: Marathon stars rally behind Elroy Gelant ahead of World Champs race