Novak Djokovic has chased down all manner of records on his way to becoming one of the greatest tennis players ever. But he has never been on a tennis treasure hunt quite like this.
Win the U.S. Open, which begins Monday in New York, and he will break his tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal and take sole ownership of the record for men’s Grand Slam singles titles with 21. Win the U.S. Open, and he will also complete the Grand Slam by winning all four major tournaments in the same calendar year. No man has done it in singles since Rod Laver in 1969, including Djokovic’s career-long litmus tests of Federer and Nadal.