From Novak Djokovic to Coco Gauff, one veteran sportswriter investigates the secret codes that let tennis’s greats find joy amid the sport’s cruelty

By Matthew Futterman

I’m in the player garden next to Arthur Ashe Stadium, at the after-party for Novak Djokovic’s victory in the 2023 U.S. Open against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev—the Serbian player’s 24th Grand Slam title.

The win puts him two ahead of Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam title race, and four ahead of the great Roger Federer. If there was any doubt about who the G.O.A.T. is now, it’s gone.

Djokovic has won three Grand Slam titles this season, during which he turned 36 years old. He’s outlasted the old lions and has beaten back the tide of the next generation, including its rising stars READ ON