Djokovic had 'slap from reality in last couple of years'

Novak Djokovic says he still believes he can win an outright record 25th Grand Slam singles title - despite being given a "slap from reality in the last couple of years".

The Serb great equalled Margaret Court's record of 24 major singles titles with his 2023 US Open triumph, but the emergence of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner has prevented him from going one further.

Alcaraz and Sinner, the world's top two players, have split the past eight Slam titles between them.

Djokovic met Sinner and Alcaraz in the semi-finals at three of the four majors this year but injury and fatigue hampered the 38-year-old on each occasion.

"I believe that to some extent I am the superman who can never injure myself, that can never be weak," Djokovic said in an interview with Piers Morgan.

"But I got a slap from reality in the last couple of years. I'm just getting to know this new chapter."

Djokovic pulled out of the Paris Masters in October without giving an explicit reason, although he was hampered by injury in a semi-final loss to qualifier Valentin Vacherot at the earlier Shanghai Masters.

He qualified for the ATP Finals as the third-best player on the men's tour but pulled out the day before the tournament with injury.

Djokovic lost to Sinner in the French Open and Wimbledon semi-finals and to Alcaraz at the same stage at the US Open.

"I'm aware that [comparing] my best level now and their best level now, they're better. That's the reality," Djokovic said of the pair.

"I have always believed in things that are almost impossible to achieve.

"I do have doubts that I can win Slams against these two guys. But when I enter the court, I don't care who's across the net.

"I always believe I'm better and I deserve to win."

Sinner reached all four major finals in a year when he also served a three-month doping suspension after twice testing positive for a banned substance in 2024.

Wada accepted Sinner "did not intend to cheat" and Djokovic said he believed the Italian "didn't do it on purpose".

However, Djokovic warned that the case would remain a "cloud" over the 24-year-old throughout his career.

"That cloud will follow him as the cloud of Covid will follow me," said Djokovic, who was deported from Australia in 2022 because he was not vaccinated against the virus.

"Over time it will fade, but I don't think it will disappear."

A number of players questioned the timing of Sinner's ban, with Djokovic adding: "There is the lack of transparency, the inconsistency, the convenience [of] the ban coming between the slams so he doesn't miss out. It was very, very odd.

"I really don't like how the case was being handled. You could hear so many other players who had similar situations coming out in the media and complaining that it was a preferable treatment."