Novak Djokovic still has a chance to claim a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title before he calls time on his remarkable career but one big factor may block his late big ambition in the sport, according to respected tennis broadcaster Marcus Buckland.
Djokovic and Australian legend Margaret Court jointly hold the record for the most Grand Slam titles, with their haul of 24 ensuring they lead the way in the major tournament history books.
Now Djokovic has set his sights on claiming that record for himself and the form he showed in the opening Grand Slam of 2025 suggested he could still be a contender in the biggest tournaments in tennis.
Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz in thrilling fashion in the Australian Open quarter-finals in January, but he was forced to pull out with injury in his semi-final against Alexander Zverev.
That may be the recurring story for Djokovic as he approaches his 38th birthday in May, with Buckland telling Tennis365 that the Serbian legend may be fighting a losing battle with his body in the chapters of his career.
“It’s all going to be down to his fitness,” began Buckland, speaking exclusively to Tennis365.
“I saw images of him the other day limping, so we don’t entirely know where he is physically heading into Indian Wells. There are one or two question marks there.
“The guy is almost superhuman, but he can’t go on forever and it has suddenly started to look a little more difficult for him to do what he wants to do.
“It’s difficult to find your consistent best if your body is not allowing you to do that.
“Give him a half decent draw, his experience and he obviously has the chance to challenge anywhere when he is at his best, but it is getting harder.
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“It is the same with Murray as you never want to write off these great champions until they have given every last ounce to revive their glory days, as these guys love to prove people wrong.
“He will be doing everything he can to be as fit as he can be and come Roland Garros and Wimbledon, given a favourable draw and if his body doesn’t let him down, of course he has a chance.”
Djokovic was booed off court when he was forced to quit his semi-final with Zverev in Melbourne, on what was the latest ugly spat between the most successful male tennis player of all-time and tennis fans.
Despite his success, Djokovic has never been a fan favourite around the world and Buckland believes that narrative needs to change, as he is the last man standing from an era of great champions that also featured serial winners Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray.
“We have to relish the fact that Djokovic is still around,” said Buckland. “I was so lucky during my time at Sky Sports and the early stages at Amazon as well to watch Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and Murray performing at such a high level every week.
“We thought it would go on forever as they were all so good and they started to dominate the sport for a long, long time.
“Now Djokovic is the only one left and we have to respect him more and more. I would love to see him do it once more.
“As for the crowd reaction to Djokovic in Melbourne. Well, we have seen it before and it happened again.
“The crowd in Australia can get a little over-excited. Also, when they have paid a lot of money and they are not getting the match they wanted, you can understand their disappointment, but that was not an excuse to boo a great champion.
“I would like to think that 90 per-cent of those that booed him regret it, but we have this tribalism in our sport and if you are not a Djokovic fan, it can inspire some people to voice their annoyance at him when he does something they don’t approve of.”
Buckland is also relishing the prospect of Djokovic continuing his unexpected partnership with his former rival Andy Murray, who has confirmed he will extend his coaching role in the Serbian’s camp after a successful start to their working relationship at the Australian Open.
“We have got the excitement of the Djokovic and Murray player coaching combination continuing and that was fascinating to watch at the Australian Open,” he added.
“We don’t know what events Andy will be going to, but it will be great to see how that develops.”