Novak Djokovic provides update on his fitness levels ahead of his US Open semifinal with Carlos Alcaraz

Novak Djokovic has reached his 14th US Open semifinal after beating Taylor Fritz.

Djokovic has struggled at points during the US Open this year, but has still managed to win five consecutive matches to reach his fourth Grand Slam semifinal this year.

The Serbian has even managed to do this without playing any tournaments after Wimbledon, which Djokovic was told could be a problem for him at the US Open.

After Djokovic beat Fritz, 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-4, he revealed how he was feeling physically ahead of a blockbuster semifinal with Carlos Alcaraz.

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Djokovic has now reached four Grand Slam semifinals this year, but he has been unable to win his three previous.

There was a particular concern for the 38-year-old at Wimbledon, where world number one Jannik Sinner beat Djokovic in straight sets in a relatively lacklustre performance.

After this match, Djokovic was very open about the fact that his body struggles to compete against the top players in the latter stages of major tournaments at this stage of his career.

With that in mind, Djokovic was asked in his post-match press conference about how he was feeling physically following his nearly three-and-a-half hour win over Fritz.

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“Let’s see in two days’ time,” said Djokovic. “The good thing about the schedule is that I have two days without a match, so that helps a lot. I don’t feel very fresh at the moment but hopefully in two days it will be different.”

Although Djokovic was not feeling so fresh, he does have somewhat of bragging rights going into his semifinal with Alcaraz.

Djokovic’s last two Grand Slam semifinal defeats have come against Sinner, but he does have a winning head-to-head against Alcaraz.

This includes beating the Spaniard in both of their most recent encounters, with their latest meeting coming when Djokovic beat Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinals earlier this year.

Year Tournament Result 2022 Madrid Open (SF) Alcaraz beat Djokovic, 6(5)-7 7-5 7-6(5) 2023 Roland Garros (SF) Djokovic beat Alcaraz, 6-3 5-7 6-1 6-1 2023 Wimbledon (F) Alcaraz beat Djokovic, 1-6 7-6(6) 6-1 3-6 6-4 2023 Cincinnati Open (F) Djokovic beat Alcaraz, 5-7 7-6(7) 7-6(4) 2023 ATP Finals (SF) Djokovic beat Alcaraz, 6-3 6-2 2024 Wimbledon (F) Alcaraz beat Djokovic, 6-2 6-2 7-6(4) 2024 Paris Olympics (F) Djokovic beat Alcaraz, 7-6(3) 7-6(2) 2025 Australian Open (QF) Djokovic beat Alcaraz, 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4

Novak Djokovic looking to ‘mess up’ plans for a Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz US Open final

If Djokovic is going to win a 25th major title at the US Open this year, he may have to overcome two huge potential obstacles standing in his way.

Sinner and Alcaraz are the dominant forces on the ATP Tour at the moment, having collectively won the last seven consecutive Grand Slam titles.

After beating Fritz in four sets, Djokovic was asked about the top two players in the world and was full of praise for their level at the US Open this year.

However, Djokovic also sent a clear warning that he was looking to crash the party and stop a third consecutive major final between Sinner and Alcaraz.

“Well, I mean, we don’t need to spend words about the two of them,” said Djokovic. “We know that they are the two best players in the world.

“Everybody is probably expecting and anticipating the finals between the two of them. I’m going to try to mess up the plans of most of the people.

“Let’s see, Sinner still has to win a couple of matches to get to the finals, but they are definitely playing the best tennis of any player here. They’ve been a dominant force since the beginning of the tournament.”

Djokovic and Alcaraz will go head-to-head once again for a place in the US Open finals, with their semifinal match taking place on Friday, September 5.

While in the other half of the draw Sinner still needs to overcome his compatriot Lorenzo Musetti, before playing either Alex de Minaur or Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach the final.

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