Novak Djokovic says he feels prepared for another bid
for Grand Slam glory as he gets set to make his 20th US Open appearance
and continue his pursuit of a record-extending 25th major title.
The 39-year-old Serbian will begin his campaign
against Argentina’s Mariano Navone at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Sunday, reaching a
milestone achieved by only three other men — Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and
Feliciano Lopez.
Djokovic said he was particularly proud of his
longevity, explaining that extending his career and remaining healthy enough to
compete at the highest level had always been among his ambitions.
“I’m very proud of that,” Djokovic said on Saturday.
“Longevity was always one of the goals when I was
younger, trying to have a long career, trying to have more shots at Grand
Slams, and stay healthy long enough so that I can perform for as many years as
possible.”
The Serbian enters this year’s tournament with a
potentially favourable draw after world number one Jannik Sinner withdrew
because of a knee injury, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz returns to
competition following a four-month injury lay-off.
Djokovic has already had 11 opportunities to surpass
Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles since matching her
mark. During that period, he has reached two major finals and six additional
semi-finals.
His 2026 season has included deep runs at the
Australian Open and Wimbledon. Djokovic defeated Sinner in a five-set
semi-final in Melbourne before losing to Alcaraz in the final. He later reached
the Wimbledon semi-finals, where he was beaten by eventual champion Sinner.
However, his preparation for the US Open has not been
entirely smooth.
After withdrawing from the Montreal Masters, Djokovic
suffered an early exit in Cincinnati, where he admitted that the intense heat
and humidity had aggravated the physical issues he was dealing with.
Despite the setback, he believes the early defeat gave
him valuable time to prepare for New York.
“I don’t like early losses anywhere, to be honest, but
it gave me time to be preparing for the US Open in a most adequate way,”
Djokovic said.
“I had two weeks to really train and get my body and
mind into the right state, prepared for what’s coming up.”
The fourth-seeded Djokovic acknowledged that practice
cannot fully replicate the demands of a Grand Slam match, particularly the
best-of-five format.
“If you ask me if I’m prepared, I feel like I am, as
best I can be,” he said. “But it’s different training and then getting out on
the Arthur Ashe Stadium and playing best-of-five.”
Djokovic will be a strong favourite against world
number 48 Navone, but he remains cautious about the opening rounds.
The Serbian is also chasing another piece of tennis
history: becoming the oldest man to win a Grand Slam singles title. That record
currently belongs to Australian legend Ken Rosewall, who was 37 when he won the
Australian Open in 1972.
“Let’s see how it goes,” Djokovic said. “The opening
matches are always for me, particularly in the last few years, quite
challenging. So hopefully I can overcome the first hurdle and build from
there.”
Comments:
Leave a Reply