What John McEnroe once claimed would be a ‘major surprise’ if Novak Djokovic failed to do that he’s still yet to achieve

They paired up to face Andre Agassi and Carlos Alcaraz in what was a thrilling exhibition between the past, present and the future of the sport.

Ironically, this came many years after McEnroe had made a huge prediction about the Serbian’s future that at the time, didn’t seem ludicrous at all.

Frustratingly, it has yet to come to fruition.

The prediction John McEnroe made about Novak Djokovic four years ago

Speaking to BBC Sport back in 2021, McEnroe had just witnessed yet another triumph for Djokovic at Wimbledon, in what was his 20th Grand Slam title.

With that, he moved to within touching distance of some of the greats like Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Margaret Court.

Since then, he has surpassed the former two and sits level with the latter. Alas, he cannot seem to get that coveted 25th major to remove himself from the pack.

This will come as a great shock to McEnroe, who said it’d be a ‘major surprise’ if Djokovic failed to win number 25 before he retired.

He claimed: “Djokovic is playing better than he has ever played.

“I think he will probably win at least four or five more, obviously depending on staying healthy.

“Djokovic has put himself so far out in front of everyone in terms of his ability to embrace what he is doing – in terms of creating history – and being able to execute under a lot of stress.

“You’re trying to break the all-time records – there is a lot of pressure. He’s able to play his best tennis at this point.

“You expect that to go on for another couple of years, unless someone steps up and realises how great they are.”

Little did he know that a certain Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner were just around the corner, ready to provide ample competition for these elite honours.

When is Novak Djokovic’s best chance of winning a 25th Grand Slam title?

Djokovic rather publicly admitted earlier this month that he saw Wimbledon as his ‘best chance’ at winning Grand Slam number 25.

Sadly, Sinner made sure that was not possible with a rather comprehensive battering in the semi-finals, before he went on to claim the title.

It was a humbling defeat which once again reinforced the gulf between the top two male players in the world and the rest of the tour; it must have been a truly sobering result for Djokovic.

Looking ahead, the US Open has been a successful tournament for him in the past, but it is also on Sinner’s favoured surface, effectively ending anyone’s chances.

The same can be said of the Australian Open too, despite Djokovic being the greatest champion in the event’s history.

That therefore leaves Roland Garros and Wimbledon, two of the more unpredictable events due to the contrasting surfaces. And yet, it’s Sinner and Alcaraz who competed in both finals this year, further reinforcing their dominance on every surface.

For Djokovic, looking ahead, it makes for rather bleak viewing when seeking to target where his next major title will come from.