Rafael Nadal retires Novak Djokovic as the last gunslinger standing and almost certainly the greatest man to ever walk on a tennis court.
He's probably not the nicest guy you'll ever meet online. There has never been another with the grace, poise and killer instinct to match his. James Bond who owns Roger Federer.
Djokovic, however, is the only player to have won 24 Grand Slam men's singles tournaments while being No. 1 in the world for 428 weeks in 13 different years.
He can improve on that record by winning his 11th Australian Open in Melbourne at the turn of the year, and all signs point to him having just reached the final of the Shanghai Open.
But there's a problem, Nole will be 38 before the sun sets and most likely rains at the next English Championships at Wimbledon, and young guns like Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are steadily improving to the point where they're on the brink of making life unbearable for everyone's favorite Serb.
Sinner, who has the same marmite qualities as Djokovic, defeated the GOAT in the Shanghai final in straight sets, and while Novak may still be better than the vast majority, it's starting to look like Father Time has his numbers.
Each time he is beaten by a perceived underdog, he will be less shocking and the question is how many times he can muster the energy to win one of the four majors.
There is no doubt that willpower remains at an unfathomable level, but when the body begins to weaken, it can be a rapid process.
Melbourne is Djokovic's best chance to break the record he shares with Margaret Court for most Grand Slam wins, and he is 13/4 with Unibet, Bet UK and BetMGM to celebrate for the 11th time at Rod Laver Arena in January.
But he is only the third favorite in the market and the defending champion and current world No. 1. Sinner is a 5/2 favorite at bet365 after a season in which he won his first two majors.
Sorry, Novak, you've deposited a lot of money into our accounts, but there's a new boy at the top of the charts and your time is up. Time to join Rafa and Roger on the beach.
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