Djokovic ‘still believes’ – but how many Slams does he have left?

These days, whenever Novak Djokovic loses at a Grand Slam, one thought enters into your head.

Is this the last time we will see the 38-year-old play here?

It was a question asked of Djokovic after each of his major semi-finals defeats last year, and the answers were always woolly.

After losing 2-6 6-2 6-3 7-5 to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s Australian Open final, Djokovic made another comment that left everyone wondering what his future intentions are.

“I didn’t think I’d be standing at the closing ceremony of a Grand Slam once again,” the 24-time major champion told the crowd during his runner-up speech.

“Who knows what happens tomorrow, never mind the next six or 12 months, but it has been a great ride.”

As ever, Djokovic was gracious in defeat. But there is no doubt the loss will sting sharply.

He knows it may prove to have been his best opportunity to land the standalone record 25th Grand Slam title that continues to elude him.

“I have belief, and I always have confidence and vision to win a Slam anywhere – but I do not expect it. That’s different,” Djokovic said.

The Serb great, who plays little outside of the four majors these days, genuinely appears to be unsure how long his career will go on.

“Nobody knows what it’s like for a 38-year-old to be able to come out, play at this level and then recover,” BBC Radio 5 Live analyst Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, said.

“Are you supposed to play more matches or do you play fewer? Do you train less or more?

“If he can find that right balance – and really nobody knows what that is – he can continue to be a threat.”

As long as Djokovic proves to himself that he has enough in the tank to push 22-year-old Alcaraz and 24-year-old Jannik Sinner – the standout talents of the current crop – then he will keep going.

Beating Italian second seed Sinner in the Melbourne semi-finals on Friday was testament to his indefatigable spirit.

Seeing off Alcaraz two days later, however, was a bridge too far.

Having not got to bed until 6am after beating Sinner, and deciding not to practise on Saturday, Djokovic was outstanding in the first set against Alcaraz.

However, he was not able to maintain that level and, with Alcaraz improving, ultimately fell to a four-set defeat.

“I knew that I’d probably have to beat two of them on the way to the title,” said Djokovic, who is a record 10-time men’s champion at Melbourne Park.

“I beat one, which is great, so it’s further than I have gone in Grand Slams last year.

“It’s encouraging but not enough for me. Let’s see.

Over the past two years, Alcaraz and Sinner have created a duopoly that has left everyone wondering where the next Grand Slam champion will emerge from.

It is testament to Djokovic’s enduring quality that he remains the third best placed to challenge them.

But, given his record at Melbourne Park, there is also an inescapable feeling that he has not taken his best chance of toppling them.

An element of luck helped Djokovic this year – avoiding a third-round default after almost hitting a ball girl with a reckless swipe, his fourth-round opponent Jakub Mensik withdrawing injured before their match and then watching a stricken Lorenzo Musetti quit when the Italian led their quarter-final by two sets to love.

“You don’t have to always play the number one and number two – somebody can get knocked out,” added Cash.

“If he has a bit of luck, which he did in this tournament, he’s definitely a threat to the top two guys.”

Going into the Australian Open, Djokovic insisted it was not “make or break” time for moving clear of fellow 24-time major winner Margaret Court.

At the time it was unclear whether that was a honestly-held belief or a public comment designed to alleviate the pressure.

After losing to Alcaraz, Djokovic reiterated that he has “lowered expectations” in order to avoid being “overwhelmed by emotion”.