Is Novak Djokovic the Greatest 'Old' Athlete Ever?

Novak Djokovic is moving on to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the 15th time after a grueling five-set victory over Felix Auger Aliassime. With Jannik Sinner up next in the semifinal round, Djokovic has a chance to make even more history with another victory over the world's top player.

Djokovic never seems to let up, even though he just turned 39 years old. The Serbian star has won 24 major titles in his career, but he possesses an unsatiable thirst for more. Has there ever been a player more relevant in any sport at this age?

It's actually one of the best questions to argue over. We're living in a sports era in which athletes are playing until 40 years old or older quite frequently. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl at 43 years old. Lionel Messi is trying to win consecutive World Cups with Argentina at 39 years old. LeBron James is going to play a 24th NBA season and he'll turn 42 in December.

Despite all of these ageless wonders putting up an argument for why they're the best 'old' athlete in the world. Djokovic has the best case over all of them. Everybody else listed is playing a team sport. When they're having a bad day, they can turn to others on the team for mental and physical support.

Djokovic is a pearless wonder who continues usurping competition that are young enough to be his children. He must play at a high level every time he walks on the court, and sometimes those efforts require over five hours of performance. At nearly 40, this seems impossible, but Djokovic keeps coming through.

Is he likely to beat Sinner in the seminfinal and get a chance at a record-tying eighth Wimbledon? It's hard to say. He beat him at the Australian Open in January, but Sinner has gotten the best of him most times at the majors in the last few years. Even if he doesn't come out on top, the fact that Djokovic is in a position to beat the top players in the world is a marvel unlike any other.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jul 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

2026 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.

This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 6:33 PM.