Novak Djokovic will never have a better opportunity to achieve a historic calendar Grand Slam, which former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash says he should prioritise at all costs.
The Serbian won a sixth Wimbledon crown on Sunday, defeating Matteo Berrettini in four sets to achieve a final victory that moved him on to 20 grand slam titles.
With Australian Open and French Open successes also already achieved, glory at the US Open would see Djokovic become only the second men's player in Open Era history to win all four majors in the same year.
Cash thinks the stars have aligned for Djokovic, with issues for his main rivals leaving the 34-year-old primed to achieve the famous feat in 2021.
"The impossible dream really is there," Cash said to Stats Perform.
"For Novak this year it is a great opportunity for him to grab a bunch of grand slams and grab all the titles.
"Certainly Wimbledon – without disrespecting the other players – was one of the weaker men's side draws that I've seen in many, many years.
"And that's because we've got two of the big stars coming back from injuries – Andy Murray and Roger Federer – who played well but weren't at the peak of their career.
"The younger players are coming through but they're not quite there yet and Novak is just sitting on top of that mountain as the King of the Castle.
"His performance was exceptional at Wimbledon, there's no doubts about it.
"The slightly younger players are coming through – Berrettini obviously in the final really pushed him to just about the limit.
"Stefanos Tsitsipas in the French Open final up two sets to love. So, these guys are close, very close, and it won't be long before they catch up with Novak and the others.
"Obviously Rafa [Nadal] was out of this Wimbledon as well – I don't really think he's a serious threat on the grass anymore but he's still a great competitor.
"So these guys are catching up, Rafa is still there, maybe Murray will come back and Federer will come back and be in better shape in the next year – but this is the year that Novak can really grab."
Djokovic admitted this week he is still "50/50" over whether he will take part in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics due to coronavirus countermeasures in the Japanese capital.
Federer withdrew from the tournament on Tuesday and Cash insists Tokyo will not be the priority over glory in New York for Djokovic.
Cash added: "It's the Olympics, okay – maybe he wants to do that, but certainly his goal is now to try and win all four grand slams in the calendar year.
"He has done four in a row, but he hasn't done them in the same year, which is very, very tough to do.
"There is a reason why I think one person has done it in [men's] professional tennis – Rod Laver and it was in 1969, so it's not easy to do.
"But I really do think it's in his sights and that has got to be his priority.
"It's absolutely the absolute peak of our sport to win all four grand slams in one year."
With Djokovic now level with Federer and Nadal on 20 majors, Cash would not be surprised to see him build a big lead.
He added: "Look, it's very hard to say. We have all been proven wrong by the numbers.
"Though most of us thought that Rafa and Novak would get pretty close to Federer, we didn't really think they'd get there and beyond.
"I think Novak is likely to win another couple, but you know, it takes us one little injury [to derail him] so it is very hard to say.
"John McEnroe said 25 or so [for Djokovic] and that could be well within his reach at the moment.
"He's improving and that's frightening to think. He's won 19 grand slams before Wimbledon, and all of a sudden we've seen this guy come to the net, volley, add another string to his bow to become a better player.
"Yeah, age 34 and he is improving – that's pretty frightening."
