Will Injuries Derail Novak Djokovic's Quest for 18 Grand Slam Titles?

Not even Novak Djokovic can win every major title. After more than four merciless hours in his U.S. Open championship loss to Stan Wawrinka, the world No. 1 marveled that he had made it that far.

"I struggled the first couple of days with practice and the first match and so forth, and then to get the finals, I mean, it's a big result," Djokovic said, per the ATP World Tour.

After all, Djokovic overcame long odds after battling a left wrist problem that forced him out of action preceding the U.S. Open. During the tournament, he struggled with muscle pain in his upper-right arm, which severely hampered his serve.

Despite a favorable road to the final with plenty of rest, due to three opponents who could not complete matches, he was spent in the final. He had medical timeouts for injured toes, and it appeared that he was cramping, most likely a result of not having played a match that long since the French Open final.

Ben Rothenberg for the New York Times tweeted out the prognosis from Djokovic's longtime coach, Marian Vajda:

Was this just a tough few months that had been the price for the most dominant year-and-a-half of tennis in the Open era? The Serbian superstar had looked nearly invincible after holding the Grand Slam from July 2015 to June 2016. Tennis fans have to go back to the 2014 French Open for the last time Djokovic had not won at least one of the previous two majors.

Anybody else would be ecstatic after winning the year's first two majors; that had not been done since Jim Courier turned the trick in 1992. But Wimbledon and the U.S. Open felt like an anticlimax, and with all due respect to Sam Querrey, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro, Wawrinka and others, Djokovic was a shell of himself—albeit a champion to the end with a lot of heart and class to credit the Swiss and his opponents.

He's going to win more than the 12 major titles he has won, but are the injuries of today a portent of tomorrow? Will he be able to recapture his health and dominance for another few years, or will injuries and age derail his chance to surpass Roger Federer's record 17 major titles?

Last of the Big Three

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Federer's last truly dominant era ended in February 2010 when he was 28 years old. The Swiss Maestro had racked up 16 major titles and at that time crossed the threshold of 850 career matches. The next seven years would yield only one major (2012 Wimbledon) along with back and knee injuries that especially sabotaged his efforts in 2013 and 2016.

Rafael Nadal put in his bid to be the greatest player of his generation, nabbing his 13th major at the 2013 U.S. Open and coming into the 2014 Australian Open as a heavy favorite over Wawrinka. Then his back gave out, and it was the beginning of the end, summoning up his last great effort to win the 2014 French Open and tie the great Pete Sampras with 14 career majors.

In covering Nadal's Australian Open loss,  I wrote the article "Will Injuries Derail Rafael Nadal's Quest to Be the Greatest of All Time?" Now it's a timely topic for Djokovic, who is facing similar concerns at a more advanced age and with more matches.

At his last major trophy ceremony at French Open 2014, Nadal had played 834 matches on battered knees and a history of injuries and comebacks. He has not been the same since, and it's hardly a coincidence that the Spaniard's final reign was the dawn of Djokovic's second and greatest era.

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The Serb was at his peak a few months ago following his French Open title. He's also logged 894 career matches through a more late-blooming career than his fellow Big Three rivals. He's done a lot of running and sliding on concrete with his marvelous stop-and-start defense, generated laudable power from his whip-like body and has been remarkably durable through championships and setbacks.

Now would be the time for him to heal from his wounds with the Asian tour, World Tour Finals and brief offseason before the Australian Open in four months. Would he sacrifice his No. 1 ranking and approximate 2,000-point lead over Murray when figuring the 2016 Race to London?

Then again, Djokovic has had a history of bouncing back quickly and throwing himself into his work with gusto. Except that he will be 30 next year, and there are fewer opportunities ahead than behind.

Will Djokovic have a renaissance or relapse in 2017? While Murray and Wawrinka fight to pick up some of the pieces, the Serb is the last of the Big Three with a chance to add a glut of major titles.

Chasing Roger Federer

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Never mind the coincidence of Wawrinka's first and third major victories coming against hobbled legendary contemporaries; that should not foreshadow the end of Djokovic's era the way it did with Nadal in 2014, right?

But the reality is that Djokovic's odds to surpass Federer and win his 18th career major have diminished because of the last three months. Like his more modest greatness from 2012-14 (winning "only" one major each year), those are opportunities that have passed away like yesterday's harvest. There are only a few more crops ahead and perhaps only a few more trophies to pluck away.

Could Djokovic average two major titles for each of the next three years and sew up the top spot in the record books before he is 33 years old?

Only Serena Williams in the WTA has been so dominant with a burst of majors in her early to mid-30s. It's unprecedented in the modern Open era in the ATP. Then again, winning 18 majors would be unprecedented, and Djokovic has recently created several original career masterpieces.

The hope and possibility for Djokovic to continue his dominance begins with his talent and work ethic. He's a complete player on offense and defense, able to match up with any opponent and target their weaknesses. He's also a resilient learner and mentally tough champion who has learned to flourish in the big moments. Finally, there are still no signs that a young player is ready to rise up anytime soon to become the kind of superstar who could push aside the world No. 1. Until it happens, Djokovic's window stays open.

We will know in the months ahead if Djokovic can get back to his 2015 form, at least for important major stretches. Time has its own way of booting best-sellers into the recycling bins—throwing out the old and setting up the new glamorous displays.

For now, Djokovic stands with 216 weeks at No. 1 and 12 majors—both marks that are just above two-thirds of the way to Federer's career marks. If he breaks one mark, there's a good chance the other will go hand-in-hand.

It's going to be a long time and many huge championship wins if he is to climb to the pinnacle on Mount Olympus. The clock is always ticking.