New Delhi: When Novak Djokovic broke through in the late 2000s, tennis was already basking in the brilliance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The Serb emerged as the disruptor, entered as an outsider, making his way into the conversation, and eventually shattered the duopoly of the two. Not only did he catch the two men who once seemed untouchable, but he also left them behind in the race for Grand Slam glory.

Now, almost two decades later, Djokovic finds himself back in familiar territory as he is the odd man out in the Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz duopoly. The two young champions have split the last seven majors between them and look set to shape the future of men’s tennis. But the 24-time Grand Slam champion, with relentless competitive fire at the age of 38, wants to prove there is still space for him in that story.

While the tournament was about to begin, most assumed that once again the tournament would end with either Sinner or Alcaraz lifting the trophy. They are younger, faster, and have already shown the consistency that eluded a generation of Djokovic’s other challengers, but the Serbian has never cared much for scripts........

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