Novak Djokovic suffered another heartbreaking Grand Slam exit as Carlos Alcaraz defeated him in straight sets in the US Open semifinal. At this stage of his career, the Serb is focusing mainly on Grand Slam events and has confirmed participation in just one tournament before the end of 2025.
On Friday, September 5, the Arthur Ashe Stadium witnessed the blockbuster semifinal between Djokovic and Alcaraz. The Serb had defeated Alcaraz in the Australian Open quarterfinal a few months ago and was hoping to pull off another such performance in order to continue his quest for Grand Slam No. 25.
However, the young Spaniard had no plans of letting slip another Major at the hands of the 38-year-old. Alcaraz pulled off an impressive 6-4, 7-6(4), 6-2 triumph to advance into the final.
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Djokovic, who has previously revealed that he does not plan on playing many events other than Grand Slams, was asked about his plans before the Australian swing at the beginning of 2026. During the post-match press conference, he said:
"That's far. Australia is far. I mean, I mean, at least at this stage of my career, I mean, I'm not thinking that far, to be honest. Um, I don't know. I'm planning to play Athens tournament, that's for sure. Uh, but other than that, it's really still a question mark where I'm going to go and what I'm going to do."
The 38-year-old, edging closer to retirement, has limited his schedule significantly. He has chosen to commit only to the ATP 250 event in Athens, a tournament that was previously held in his home country of Serbia.
Last year, after his third-round exit at the US Open, Djokovic played and reached the final of the Shanghai Masters. He refrained from playing any other event in 2024, withdrawing from the ATP Finals. He is in a comfortable position in the Race to Turin this year as well. It will be interesting to see if he has the year-end Championships in his plans.
Novak Djokovic on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz 'hurdle' at Grand Slam events
Speaking about his level of tennis, Novak Djokovic believes he lacks the physicality to take on the Top 2 of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in Grand Slam events.
"It will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner and Alcaraz in the best-of-five at the Grand Slams. I think I have a better chance in best-of-three," he said.
Still, the Serb is not one to give up. He knows it will be difficult, but hopes to win another trophy in the era of the two youngsters.
"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, you know, it’s going to be a very, very difficult task," he added.
Since winning his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023, Djokovic has reached one quarterfinal, five semifinals, and one final in eight main draw appearances at Majors. Five out of eight of those losses came against Sinner or Alcaraz.
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