Jason Flash
After winning the French Open, Novak Djokovic is on a path to the near-impossible, winning the Golden Slam. The feat is one of the rarest in any sport, but the top men’s tennis player has the best chance at accomplishing it since 1988. But can Djokovic keep winning? Find out in our Novak Djokovic prop betting picks on the Golden Slam.
What is the Golden Slam
While most consider winning all four Grand Slams in a single year the most remarkable feat in tennis (more on that later), winning the Golden Slam trumps it. For those who do not know, the Golden Slam is all four Grand Slams in a year plus a Gold Medal at the Summer Olympics. Since the Olympics happen once every four years, the opportunity at one is few and far between.
Only one player has completed a Golden Slam in a calendar year – Steffi Graf in 1988. If you want to expand to Men’s and Women’s Singles for the career Golden Slam (wins at all four Grand Slams and a Gold Medal in their career), the number is four.
- Steffi Graf
- Serena Williams
- Rafael Nadal
- Andre Agassi
Can Novak Djokovic Win the Golden Slam?
| To Win the Golden Slam |  |
| Yes | +900 |
If he can do it, he will be the first man to win the Golden Slam. Since he is the favourite to win Wimbledon and our top bet to win the event, we expect him to go into Tokyo – only needing a Gold Medal and a win at the US Open to complete the feat.
Djokovic has qualified for the Olympics as the highest-ranked Men’s Singles player on the ATP World Rankings. The Men’s Tournament will include 64 players playing in a single-elimination tournament.
Took this photo last year in Japan. I’m sad the @olympics are postponed, but I am sure it‘s the right decision for the collective health of everyone involved. Let’s look forward to Tokyo #Olympics 2021 🙏🏼🙌🏼🎾 pic.twitter.com/nba0qvcAGC
— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) March 25, 2020
As great as Djokovic has been in his career, the Olympics is one place he has yet to have a significant amount of success. Djokovic earned a Bronze Medal at the 2008 Olympics (his first Olympics), and he followed it up with a fourth-place at the 2012 Summer Games. That is where his success at the Summer Games ends. The 2016 Summer Games is one of the shocking defeats of Novak’s career.
Djokovic entered the tournament as the World No.1 and as one of the tennis betting favourites to win the Gold Medal. He matched up in the Round of 64 against Juan Martin del Potro – the man who beat him in the Bronze Medal match four years ago.
Djokovic Can Overcome His Shortfalls ar Previous Olympics
Yet it was Del Potro – extending his Olympic winning streak against Novak to four sets – who advanced in the tournament. Djokovic was visually upset after the loss – and his recent comments following the 2021 French Open shows he wants to win in Tokyo.
For him to accomplish the Golden Slam, he needs to win Wimbledon on July 11 and be in Tokyo and ready to complete by July 24. The turnaround sounds quick, but Djokovic announced he would play in the Mallorca inaugural tournament, which runs from June 20 to June 26. He has the stamina to pull it off.
He has also proven he can play through injury. When he won the 2021 Australian Open, he had an abdominal tear that required six weeks of recovery. If he plays through that injury and still wins a Grand Slam, it feels like the man can accomplish anything – including winning the Golden Slam.
Number of Grand Slam Wins for Djokovic in 2021
| Number of Grand Slams for Djokovic | |
| Exactly 2 | +185 |
| Exactly 4 | -110 |
| Exactly 4 | +350 |
If you are not a believer in Djokovic winning the Golden Slam because of his previous slip-ups at the Olympics, you can still bet on him winning all four Grand Slams in 2021.
Winning all four Grand Slams in a year is one of the most challenging feats in sports. Two men have accomplished it in a calendar year – Don Budge in 1938 and Ron Laver twice in 1962 and 1967. The increased demands of the schedule and physical toll on the body make it challenging to maintain Grand Slam calibre play from January through September.
But even hurt, Novak has been winning this year. He is also lucky enough to be in his prime as replacements for Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as top competition have yet to emerge seriously (no offence to Daniil Medvedev, but he is not at their level yet). Also, beating Nadal at the French Open semi-finals – arguably the dominant tennis player at any tournament was the biggest obstacle in his way of winning all four tournaments.
👑 @DjokerNole – The only male player in history to reach at least 6️⃣ finals at each Grand Slam.
📸 Getty • #rolandgarros #novakdjokovic #djokovic #nolefam #ausopen #tenis #tennis #Sportwalk pic.twitter.com/FgGuPOTQC8
— Tennis Sportwalk 🎾 (@TennisbySW) June 12, 2021
This could be the only chance at a player winning all four Grand Slams for the foreseeable future. He is the best player in the world and has overcome his most significant challenges of 2021 (injuries and Nadal at the French Open).
There is also a strategy to take him winning the remaining two Grand Slams at +350 that offers a better return than betting him individually to win each tournament – where he is the favourite at Wimbledon and the 2021 US Tennis Open.
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