The 24-time majors champion played elite tennis and still lost in straight sets


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Novak Djokovic chased down a deep corner smash from Carlos Alcaraz and laced a backhand down the line early in Friday's US Open semifinals, a signature shot that brought the crowd to its feet.

Djokovic's 92 MPH sliding two-handed wasn't even good enough to win the game as the Serbian lost in straight sets 6-4, 7-6, 6-2 during a masterful effort from one of the game's rising superstars in Alcaraz.

At 38 years old, Djokovic ran out of gas early in the third set, after losing a second-set tiebreaker and failing to find momentum against the No. 2 seed who hasn't lost a set throughout the tournament. Djokovic hinted at retirement earlier this year after losing to Jannik Sinner in the French Open and his words following his latest grand slam exit in New York mirrored those remarks.

"I'm happy with my level of tennis, but you know, it's just the physicality of it," Djokovic said Friday. "As I said after the quarterfinals, I said I'm going to do my very best to get my body in shape to sustain that level and grind for as many hours as needed, but it wasn't enough. That's something unfortunately at this point of my career I can't control. I can do only as much as I can do."

Djokovic leaped ahead 3-0 in the second set and acknowledged energy from fans inside Arthur Ashe Stadium after an early break before Alcaraz took his game to a level only seen from his counterpart at his peak.

Alcaraz got to every drop-shot attempt, hit a series of cross-court winners and left Djokovic gasping for energy with a number of saves and deep returns that extended points. This is what happens against a 22-year-old who's arguably the fastest player on tour and rarely tires.

"Yeah, it will be very difficult for me in the future to overcome the hurdle of Sinner or Alcaraz in a best-of-5 in a grand slam. I think I have a better chance best-of-3, but best-of-5 is tough. I'm not giving up on grand slams in that regard, having said that, I'm going to continue fighting and try to get to the finals and fight for a another trophy at least. But, you know, it's going to be a very difficult task."

Djokovic is 5-3 against Alcaraz in his career including a win in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open, but has struggled against Sinner, losing the last five matchups after winning four of his first five against him.

Since Djokovic's last major win ...

2025 Wimbledon Jannik Sinner

2025 French Open Carlos Alcaraz

2025 Australian Open Jannik Sinner

2024 US Open Jannik Sinner

2024 Wimbledon Carlos Alcaraz

2024 French Open Carlos Alcaraz

2024 Australian Open Jannik Sinner

2023 US Open Novak Djokovic

Since Djokovic's last major title in 2023 at the US Open, Alcaraz or Sinner have won the last seven majors. That numbers moves to eight if the top-seeded player in the tournament beats Canadian Félix Auger-Aliassime on Friday night as a heavy favorite.

"(That's) not to say I'm going to skip grand slams. I still want to play grand slams, a full grand slam season next year," Djokovic said. "Let's see if that's going to happen or not. They're the pillars of our sport and the most important tournaments we have. I do fancy my chance a bit more best-of-3, I guess one-week tournaments or, I guess, masters tournaments where you have quite a few days between matches. That could serve me better in the matchups (with) them."

Djokovic has been the third-best player in most grand slams during this stretch of victories from Sinner and Alcaraz, but as he pointed out after Friday's loss, he's no longer in his prime relative to age and the marathons of potential five-setters against these two is an uphill climb.

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Posted by SleekNews
Sat, September 06, 2025 4:20pm