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Novak Djokovic came as close as ever to a 25th Grand Slam at the weekend after going one set up against Carlos Alcaraz in the Australian Open final. The Serb sadly lost the next three sets as 22-year-old Alcaraz completed the Career Slam with his first ever crown in Melbourne. Djokovic has been trying to overtake Margaret Court since winning the 2023 US Open and has now been denied by Alcaraz twice, having also lost the 2024 Wimbledon final to the Spaniard.

The 38-year-old is in the twilight of his career, but is the world No.3 and reached the semi-finals of all four Slams last year. After losing to Alcaraz, the veteran insisted he still remains hopeful of claiming another major after beating Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals in Australia. Sinner and Alcaraz swept up all four majors last year and remain significant obstacles in Djokovic's way. To deal with the heartbreak of another near miss, Djokovic says he will take some time away from tennis to be with his family: "For me, the best way to deal with anything after finishing a competition is to be with my family, so that's something I'm looking forward to. That's only thing I'm thinking about right now."

So will Djokovic ever get his hands on another major? Our Express Sport writers have their say...

Matthew Abbott - Yes. A lot changes in a fortnight, including my answer to this question. Djokovic showed at the Australian Open that he is still the world's third-best player. Alcaraz and Sinner also proved they are physically fallible despite their youth. Sunday felt like the best chance there will be at No. 25, because of back-to-back walkovers. However, when Alcaraz was cramping in his semi-final two days earlier, it appeared Alexander Zverev was final-bound. Djokovic would have certainly fancied his chances if that had been Sunday's final. There is still every chance that such an opportunity could present itself again to him.

Charlie Malam - It's a no from me, unfortunately. He's got a good chance at Wimbledon, don't get me wrong. But this was a great opportunity given the rest Djokovic got with a walkover and a retirement. The 16-year age difference is just so difficult to overcome against a player of Alcaraz's quality. Even when you're the GOAT. Father Time is an unforgiving man. For him to win any of the other three Grand Slams, in my opinion, he needs someone else to take out one of Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner for him. I think he can beat one in the semi-finals but beating both in best-of-five-set matches within a few days just seems to be too big an ask physically. If he lucks out and one of Alcaraz or Sinner lose early at Wimbledon, though... well there'd be no better place to get the 25th! And I really hope he does.

Yasmin Syed - Yes. But he has to do it in the next year. Djokovic is still by far the third-best player on the tour, especially at Majors - and he's now proven he can beat Jannik Sinner over five sets. If he gets some opportunities, like he did last week with the walkover and Lorenzo Musetti's retirement, he'll be fresh enough to try and take down Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the latter stages. Still, he's getting older, and he knows time is running out. Wimbledon 2026 and next year's Aussie Open seem like his best chances with the right preparation and no injuries.

Archie Griggs - No. Sadly, I think the days of Djokovic winning Grand Slam titles are over. Of course, you can never say never, but it's difficult to see him returning to that level before the end of his career. The veteran Serb will need a huge stroke of luck to win again and could get another chance if Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are dumped out in the early rounds or pick up injuries. However, that would be highly unlikely and as such, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Djokovic retire without securing that elusive 25th title.

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Jack McEachen - No. Such is their incredible consistency, Novak Djokovic needs to beat both Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner within a few days to win another Slam. That just isn't going to happen. He needed close to a week of rest before pipping Sinner in five sets in Melbourne, but the turnaround left him with little chance of competing with Alcaraz two days later. Barring injury to the top two, Djokovic will forever remain stuck on 24 Major wins. This Australian Open may well have even been his last final.

Amos Murphy - Yes. If Novak Djokovic is anything, it's determined. He's shown that time and time and time again throughout his illustrious career, that if he puts his mind to something, he'll achieve it. A couple of years ago, he basically put his career on hold to win gold at the 2024 Olympics. Sure, time is running out for Djokovic, but it's unlikely he'll give up on the dream of No.25 until it's abundantly clear it simply isn't possible. Until then, he'll stick around and when an opportunity presents itself, expect Djokovic to pounce.