31 May,2016 12:34 PM IST | | AFP
World No 1 Novak Djokovic on the brink of smashing USD 100 million barrier as Serbian targets a berth in quarter-finals for 10th time at Roland Garros
Novak Djokovic celebrates after his third-round win against Britain's Aljaz Bedene at the French Open in Paris on Saturday
Paris: World No 1 Novak Djokovic is poised to become the first man to win $100 million in prize money when he targets a place in the French Open quarter-finals for the 10th time.
Novak Djokovic celebrates after his third-round win against Britain's Aljaz Bedene at the French Open in Paris on Saturday. Pic/AFP
Eye on career Slam
Djokovic, chasing a first Roland Garros title to complete a career Grand Slam, tackles Spain's 14th seed Roberto Bautista Agut. The Serb has a 4-0 career lead over the Bautista Agut.
Djokovic is also bidding to reach the quarters for the 28th straight Grand Slam and take sole occupancy of second place ahead of Jimmy Connors for the most consecutive last-eight appearances at the majors.
With $99,673,404 banked in prize money at the start of Roland Garros, Djokovic can cross the $100 million barrier by making the last-eight. A place in the quarters is worth 294,000 euros ($326,722) and that will just take the Serb into the $100,000,000 bracket.
Roger Federer is Djokovic's closest rival in the prize money stakes on $98,011,727 but the Swiss is sitting out Roland Garros through
"I know that the top four guys (himself, Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray) that have been dominating the tour and winning most of the major titles in the last ten years or so will not stay there forever," cautioned Djokovic.
Rise of Next-Gen
"New generations are coming up, and you can see already guys like Dominic Thiem, Borna Coric, Nick Kyrgios establishing themselves in the very top of the men's game.
"Can definitely expect to see those faces more in the future. How quick they can actually get to the top four of the world, it's a process. It's not like that's going to happen overnight or over two, three months.
"They need to play very well and consistently well and stay healthy throughout the entire year in order to challenge the top spots. Let's see if they can do that."
