Novak Djokovic had one major mission this season, to win the Olympic gold, which had evaded him for almost two decades. After achieving his goal, or even before that, the Serbian ace was selective about which tournaments he competed in. While some may point it towards his age being the issue or fitness. Whatever the reason, Djokovic just claimed one title. Which is even less than the ATP titles won by the World No.78, Denis Shapovalov. Djokovic fans quickly defended their GOAT as soon as this fact was brought to their attention.

In a triumphant return to form, Denis Shapovalov clinched his second ATP Tour title at the Belgrade Open. The Canadian defeated home-country favorite Hamad Medjedovic 6-4, 6-4, ending a five-year wait for another title. In a surprising appearance, the pride of Serbian tennis, Djokovic handed over the Belgrade trophy to Shapovalov, thus igniting a comparison between the two by the UK’s 2nd most followed tennis journalist who goes by X handle, Olly_Tennis:

On the other hand, as things stand as of now, if Daniil Medvedev fails to win the ATP Finals, then this would be the first time since 2017 that he would end the season title-less. However, it seems that the 24-time Grand Slam champion is content with his title collection as of now. But his fans were unable to digest the subtle comparison made. Consequently, came out in hoards to defend Novak Djokovic’s 2024 season.

Fans use Djokovic’s Olympics glory to defend him

The Serbian Ace took extreme steps to be ready for what he believed to be his last chance at the Olympics’ glory. He underwent the scalpel to heal his knee issues and made a speedy recovery in just 21 days and went on to play the Wimbledon Championships final. Though it ended up in a loss against Carlos Alcaraz, the Grass Slam was not the major goal. However, that isn’t the mission this season and Djokovic went on to win the Gold he was eager for. As this X user pointed out, the completion of Djokovic’s title collection.

They said, “The Olympic medal counts as a title though.” This claim of a fan found support in the X community as another Djokovic fan was quick to point out, “But ATP counts Novak’s gold medal as 99 ATP titles and 72 big titles.” While Djokovic has one less than a century titles, including 24 Grand Slams and 40 ATP Masters 1000 titles, Shapovalov has a total of 2 career titles only. First came at the Stockholm Open in 2019.

However, Shapovalov’s year was also filled with ups and downs. Shapovalov was disqualified from the Mubadala Citi DC Open during his match against Ben Shelton due to unsportsmanlike conduct. Shapovalov threw his racquet onto the court before yelling at a fan in the stands. Consequently, Shelton was given a walkover. Another fan was quick to point out the disqualification, as they said, “He also had more disqualifications than Medvedev and Djokovic”

However, it seems to fulfill this long-standing wish. Djokovic was very economical about his schedule throughout the season. He just played 12 tournaments this season, including the Olympics. With a persistent injury scare despite undergoing the surgery, the Serbian Ace was seen with knee sleeves ever since his knee surgery in early June. Hence, an X user preferred, “Really not necessary to drag Djokovic so much. We all know Novak had a serious injury this year that didn’t help his results. Congratulating Shapovalov without shading him and the other two would have been the decent way to go.”

Shapovalov faced early-round exits in various tournaments he played this season. However, Shapovalov, a qualifier, dominated his Belgrade match with 13 aces and a strong first-serve percentage, clinching the title in just 77 minutes. The 25-year-old, who missed the second half of last year due to injury, has been steadily regaining form this season. However, disappointed Djokovic fans thought to take it out on Shapovalov, “Flopavalov dropping to the floor winning his…2nd ATP 250 title after thinking he was a top player 🤣” 

Well, every win matters for a player, as they work hard just to stand on the court and give their best. And that’s what Shapovalov and Novak Djokovic did this season. They gave their best and enjoyed their respective wins!