Where Novak Djokovic’s old challengers are now seven years after record campaign

11/26/2023

Novak Djokovic picked up his seventh and final title of the 2023 season on Sunday, defeating Jannik Sinner to win the ATP Finals. It marks the first time since 2016 that he has lifted that many trophies in a single year. In the seven years since, the tennis landscape has changed entirely with Djokovic’s old challengers failing to follow him by staying at the top of the game. Express Sport takes a look at where the players who ended 2016 in the top 10 are now as Djokovic continues to replicate his old heroics.

Djokovic finished the 2016 season as the world No 2 after lifting seven titles. The rest of the top 10 was comprised of Andy Murray, Milos Raonic, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Marin Cilic, Gael Monfils, Dominic Thiem, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych. Murray had prevented the Serb from capturing two more trophies that year – beating him in the final of both the Rome Masters and the ATP Finals.

Wawrinka was also one of Djokovic’s big roadblocks, beating him in the US Open final, while Cilic defeated him in the Paris Masters quarter-final. But none of them have been able to maintain the same longevity as the 36-year-old, while Berdych has since retired altogether. With Djokovic sitting atop the rankings at the end of 2023, his closest old challenger is Murray who is currently No 42 in the world.

If the 2016 season was an impressive one for Djokovic, it was sublime for the Brit. He picked up nine titles – including his second Wimbledon trophy and second Olympic gold medal – and ended the year as the world No 1 on a 24-match winning streak. But Murray injured his hip the following year and hasn’t been the same since.

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He underwent hip resurfacing surgery in 2019 and was able to mount a successful comeback, winning a title at the European Open that same year. In 2023 he reached his highest ranking since his surgery at No 36 but he has been unable to return to the very top of the game. And injuries have been a problem for most of Djokovic’s 2016 rivals.

The world No 3 seven years ago, Raonic now sits at No 318 in the world and got injured in both 2017 and 2021. Following a two-year hiatus he returned in June but played just five tournaments, including this week’s Davis Cup. Nishikori and Cilic have also faced similar struggles. The Japanese star had a hip operation in 2022 and returned unranked at the Palmas del Mar Challenger in June, lifting the title.

But other setbacks have detailed his comeback and he hasn’t competed since July. Cilic was able to hang around longer – reaching the French Open semi-final last year – but he injured his knee in January and has only been able to compete in two tournaments in 2023. Some of Djokovic’s other old foes are still trying to make waves after returning from physical setbacks, like Wawrinka, Monfils and Thiem.

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Three-time Major winner Wawrinka had double foot surgery in 2021 and this year he returned to the top 50. Monfils has been injury-prone for several years and made two comeback attempts this year – one in March and one in July after getting injured at the French Open. It has since been a successful return for the Frenchman, who recently lifted his first trophy since January 2022 at the Stockholm Open.

As for Thiem, the Austrian was able to stay on top for several years and won his first Grand Slam title at the 2020 US Open but a wrist injury shut down his season in 2021 and he is yet to return to the same heights. Meanwhile, Nadal’s struggles with injury have been well-documented.

He managed to finish as the world No 9 in 2016 despite ending the season early with a wrist issue and won eight more Grand Slam titles after returning in January 2017. Since winning his 22nd Major at the 2022 French Open, he has barely played. He shut down his 2023 season in January after getting injured in Australia and, in May, admitted that he could retire next year.

Nadal underwent arthroscopic hip surgery in June and tried to be realistic about his chances of making a comeback, admitting that his body could stop him from doing so altogether. But earlier this month he confirmed that he would be able to make a return in 2024 and he is expected to announce concrete plans in the coming weeks.

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