“I wish for Novak Djokovic to have most Slams” – Billie Jean King picks Serb over Alcaraz & Sinner to win Wimbledon so he can overtake Margaret Court

Billie Jean King expressed her desire to see Novak Djokovic win one more Grand Slam title to eclipse Margaret Court. King, one of the most decorated players who was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, named Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz as the best in the new generation.

Novak Djokovic extended his Open Era men’s singles record of the highest career winning percentage and also finished as the top-ranked player for the eighth time in 2023. The following year, he achieved the most anticipated Career Golden Slam after winning the Olympic gold in Paris. Having broken multiple records in his illustrious career, the Serb has been vying for his 25th major title this year.

He entered Wimbledon with the same mindset, readying himself to face the most formidable players in the sport, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. Ahead of his third-round clash, the 38-year-old received support from Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, who named Sinner and Alcaraz as the frontrunners but expressed her desire to watch the only one among the Big Three to win another Slam.

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"I also think you have to go, Alcaraz and Sinner. I mean, they're the best right now. They're the new generation coming on. Sabalenka's the new generation. I've been through five or six generations, so I know. And now the big three guys, except for Djokovic, I'd like to see him win one more Slam. That'd be great. That could be a good bet. No, I don't know if it's a good bet or not, but I just would wish it for him so he has the most Slams." (off court interview)

Djokovic had a heartbreaking semifinal exit from the French Open after losing to Sinner in straight sets. He left the court teary-eyed and hinted at his absence from the clay next year.

Carlos Alcaraz revealed why his conversations with Novak Djokovic don't involve tennis

Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning French Open champion and one of the foremost players of the 2020s, recently shared that he had never talked tennis with Djokovic. Instead, the former likes to watch the legendary Serb's play from afar and learn from his game.

"I try to learn some things from his game, from the way he trains, from the way he sometimes plays in his matches, but always from an external perspective, not because I talk with him or ask him questions about tennis. I love watching him play tennis, I love every time I have trained with him, the way he moves, plays, and trains, but apart from that, I don't talk with him about tennis."

The Serb is the only player to have completed a Career Golden Masters and three Career Grand Slams. He has won all the Big Titles in his career, the only player in history to do so.

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About the author

Agnijeeta Majumder

Agnijeeta is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She holds a Master’s degree in English and has worked as a school teacher, a blogger, a content writer and a sports writer over the past 5 years. A lover of high-adrenaline track and field events, she was also a sprinter during her school days.

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone happens to be her favorite Olympian, and the athlete’s feat of breaking four records within 13 months inspires her, apart from the American's body language on and off the track. Grant Hackett swimming with a partially dysfunctional lung and winning gold in Athens is her all-time favorite Olympic moment.

Agnijeeta believes that deriving of unique angles from podcasts and interviews carried out by Olympics.com, along with hype-building of potential Olympic events on social media can help fill the coverage gap during the off season.

When not at her work desk, Agnijeeta likes to sing and paint. She also plays string instruments like guitar and ukulele and is an avid player of word puzzles.

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