NEW YORK.- Novak Djokovic is back in the US Openwhere he won his last major title, with a unique opportunity to fulfill his greatest obsession: the 25th trophy of grand slam which would give him the absolute tennis record.
From Sunday, the Serbian giant will make a new attempt at New York to break the tie it maintains with the Australian Margaret Court, owner of 24 major trophies like Djokovic.
It will be the Balkan’s twentieth participation in the main draw of the US Open, the scene where he hunted Court in 2023, a season in which he devoured almost all the big trophies.
Only Carlos Alcaraz, that tipped him in a memorable final in Wimbledonprevented a full “Nole” in the four top tournaments.
In New York, Djokovic celebrated his victory in the final against the Russian Daniil Medvedev with a jacket on which the number 24 shined.
That night it seemed inevitable that he would cap his career with the all-time record, but three years later, jacket 25 is still sitting in the closet.
Djokovic, like the rest of the circuit, became a victim of the new dictatorship imposed by the Spanish Alcaraz and the Italian Jannik Sinner.
Indomitable spirit
True to his indomitable spirit, the Serbian has tried to rebel against the hegemony of the new “Big 2”, as he did in the beginning against the dominance of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Since 2024 he launched a record 11 rounds in which he only surrendered three times before the semifinals.
At the beginning of this year he was able to beat Sinner and reach the final of the Australian Open, but he took a knee against Alcaraz when he was two sets away from the coveted crown.
Although there is no shortage of doubts around him, the circumstances in New York could be more favorable than ever for the feat Djokovic is pursuing.
For the first time, injuries have attacked both circuit skippers at the same time: Sinner will be absent due to a knee injury and Alcaraz will be out for more than four months due to a wrist problem.
In Flushing Meadows There will be no shortage of applicants to take advantage of this opportunity, such as Alexander Zverev or the young Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils, but the biggest obstacle that Djokovic can encounter is his physique and the logic of time itself.
No player has so far won a Grand Slam with the Serbian being 39 years old.
The oldest champion is still the Australian Ken Rosewall who won the Australian Open in 1972 at the age of 37.
With him “there is always a possibility”
Djokovic’s preparation has not been as expected either. After their fall in the semifinals of Wimbledon against Sinner in July, “Nole” resigned from playing the Montreal Masters 1000 and suffered a defeat in his debut in Cincinnati against the Argentine Thiago Tirante in which he could not resist the suffocating heat.
“I don’t like early defeats, wherever, to be honest, but they gave me time to prepare for the US Open as adequately as possible. I had two weeks to really train and get my body and mind in the right condition and be ready for what’s coming,” Djokovic said on Saturday.
“I feel like I’m (ready), as much as I can be, but training is one thing and then getting on the court Arthur Ashe and playing five sets is another,” the Serbian recalled.
In summer New York, where he has triumphed four times, he will make his debut on Sunday against another Argentine, Mariano Navone.
For now, no one dares to rule out one last bite from the “Wolf of Belgrade”, especially those who have suffered it the most in their careers.
“I always think that as long as (Djokovic) is in the draw, there is a chance,” Federer said this week. “It’s also one of the reasons why he keeps playing, because he has to truly believe that he can still make it.”
Regarding his prolonged stay in the main draw, “Nole” recalled that he is not the only one. “I played against Gael Monfils (currently 39 years old), a five-set match, and here we are 20 years later, still fighting and representing the old generation.
