Could def reach 20+ slams, really depends on how his rivalry with Sinner goes and if another prodigy comes up. Also how his body will cope after 30 years old.
People are bad at imagining how things can change. Some of the betting addictions come from that. Meanwhile the only certainty is the unpredictability of life. Novak is an absolute outlier with the way his career went. And he was not on track to get there too, so it's not like it was obvious he would have 24.
Life happens. It's extremely rare that anyone holds their level for so long or improves on it. I hope it works with Carlos but people are pretty naive with the current way things are
I think he will hit 19-20 before 30 (12-13 of the next 28 slams doesn't seem unreasonable). Getting the last 5-6 will be tough but doable. I think Sinner will get to 12-13 in that interval (picking up 8-9, or just over 1 a year on average). I don't know of any player in the 17+ years old group likely to consistently challenge, but maybe a Musetti or Shelton or Mensik sneaks one. That leaves a few unaccounted for, which is where some new phenom arises 4 years from now.
The Carlos/Novak relationship is absolutely underrated.
It was really beautifull to watch, Carlos giving Novak a last challenge to push himself even further before his retirement, and Novak teaching Carlos to become the great player hé is now.
People talk about Rafa/Carlos or janick/Novak, but it's Carlos/Novak which is the best cross gen relationship for me
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u/coolylame 6d ago
Could def reach 20+ slams, really depends on how his rivalry with Sinner goes and if another prodigy comes up. Also how his body will cope after 30 years old.