Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic: French Open 2023 semi-final – live
GuardianJUL 2023
The Spin
Narrative A
Djokovic's achievements aren't a fluke. The legend won 11 of his Slam trophies after he turned 30 — a relatively late stage in the career of any tennis player — and there is little sign of him slowing down. Love him or hate him, you can't ignore that the Serbian is way ahead of his contemporaries.
Narrative B
Though Novak Djokovic has now surpassed tennis greats Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer by breaking this record, the poor example set by his platforming of anti-vaccination rhetoric has made him a clear outcast in tennis' Big Three. Regardless of his technical or sporting success, his high-profile, reckless response to COVID will always be more notable.
Metaculus Prediction
There's a 50% chance that the all-time tennis slam singles record for men will be at least 24 in 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
