Djokovic: “I'm not giving up on Grand Slams”

When Novak Djokovic attended a press conference following his straight-sets defeat in the US Open semifinals to Carlos Alcaraz, he was told that his record at the majors in 2025 “would be the envy of probably every player on the tour except two”.

“I think you’re right,” he replied to the journalist who proffered the analysis.

Djokovic, who turned 38 in May, reached the semifinals at all four Grand Slam tournaments this year, becoming the oldest player in the Open Era to achieve this feat.

And he did so with comparatively few matches under his belt; his past three tournaments were Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, with no ATP-level events in between.

The two players who stopped him – the same two to which the journalist referred – in those past three Slams were Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, something Djokovic seemed to calmly accept.

“They're just too good, you know, playing on a really high level,” said Djokovic, following his 6-4 7-6(4) 6-2 defeat to Alcaraz on Friday afternoon in New York.

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“Unfortunately, I ran out of gas after the second set. I think I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. That's kind of what I felt this year also with Jannik.

“I'm happy with my level of tennis, but it's just the physicality of it. I'm going to do my very best to get my body in shape to sustain that level and that rhythm for as many hours as it's needed, but [today] it wasn't enough. That's something I, unfortunately at this point in time in my career, can't control.

“It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner, Alcaraz, in the best-of-five on the Grand Slams. I think I have a better chance [in] best-of-three.

“I'm not giving up on Grand Slams in that regard, having said that. I'm going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy at least.

“But it's going to be a very difficult task.”

More specifically, Djokovic noted the difficulty of having to face Sinner or Alcaraz at this stage of a Slam, deep in the second week, after a succession of energy-sapping matches to arrive at that point.

Sinner and Alcaraz are the world’s top two players, and with Djokovic also in the top eight, it means he cannot meet the Italian or the Spaniard until at least the quarterfinals.

Still, Djokovic enjoyed his campaign in New York, where at points he produced brilliantly purposeful, first-strike tennis to storm into an all-time record 53rd major singles semifinal.

He pushed Alcaraz hard in the second set, racing to a 3-0 lead and forcing the No.2 seed to aim too close to the lines, or attempt overly-ambitious shots, and frequently miss.

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The packed crowd at Arthur Ashe Stadium were firmly behind the 24-time major champion, something that also helped boost his performance until Alcaraz clinched a crucial second-set tiebreak and ran away with the third.

“He was just a better player in the important moments. It's never fun losing a tennis match, but at the same time, if I'm to lose to someone, I would lose to these two guys,” Djokovic said. “I know that they are just better at the moment. You just have to hand it to them and say, 'Well done'.

“I still enjoy the thrill of competition. Today I received amazing support again on the court from the crowd. Very thankful for that.

“That's one of the biggest reasons why I keep on going. The love that I've been getting around the world has been amazing the last couple of years.”

So how long does he keep on going?

All Djokovic would confirm was that he was set to play the inaugural ATP event in Athens, a 250-level indoor hardcourt tournament scheduled for 2-8 November.

“Australia is far,” he laughed. “At least at this stage of my career, I mean, I'm not thinking that far [ahead], to be honest. Other than [Athens], it's really still a question mark where I'm going to go and what I'm going to do.

“I still want to play Grand Slams, [a] full Grand Slam season next year. Let's see whether that's going to happen or not, but you know, because Slams are Slams. They are just different from any other tournament.

“They are the pillars of our sport, the most important tournaments we have.”

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