The 6-time Slam champion Stefan Edberg was interviewed by BBC Sport on the eve of the Australian Open 2025 scheduled to start on Sunday 12 January.
The Swede, former world number 1 with immense class and an extraordinary volley, was asked in particular about Novak Djokovic. And if in his opinion there are chances that the Serbian tennis player can win another Slam, the number 25 of his career, at the age of 37.
“You can never rule it out, if everything goes well for him. From my point of view I think his best chances are the Australian Open and Wimbledon, with all the experience he has on grass. Everything has to go well for him: he is a year older and hasn’t played so many matches in the last six months,” said Roger Federer’s former coach.
In 2024, Djokovic did not win any Slam but he did win the Olympic gold medal. The beginning of 2025 was marked by the defeat against Reilly Opelka in the ATP 250 tournament in Brisbane.
“Nole is still extremely fit, so this will at least give him a chance, although it will be really difficult this time. When I look back at my career, I think what burned me in many ways was playing Davis Cup. We reached six Davis Cup finals in a row: it meant playing until December and then starting the season again.
That really shortened my career when I look back on it. Physically I could have played for another five years. When I was playing, the chances of winning a Slam at 30 or 31 were very, very slim. Now things have changed,” added Edberg.
We recall Nole has big ambitions ahead of Melbourne: the Serbian champion is in fact looking for both his 25th Major and the 100th title of his glorious career. His toughest rivals will obviously be Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
