NOVAK DJOKOVIC believes his selective tournament scheduling provides the optimal opportunity to capture a record 25th Grand Slam title at the US Open.
The 38-year-old Serbian has remained absent from competition since his comprehensive semi-final defeat by Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon last month.
He deliberately skipped both major US Open warm-up events in Toronto and Cincinnati to preserve his physical condition.
Djokovic briefly returned to court on Tuesday for the revamped mixed doubles event in New York alongside partner Olga Danilovic.
Their partnership lasted merely 43 minutes before crashing out in the opening round of the competition.
A four-time US Open champion experienced his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2017 when losing to Australia’s Alexei Popyrin in last year’s third round.
He captured his 100th ATP title in Geneva this May just before the French Open but found his path consistently blocked by Sinner at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
Djokovic has reached the final only once across the last seven majors since equalling Margaret Court’s record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles at the 2023 US Open.
Sinner with four titles and Carlos Alcaraz with three have combined to sweep every subsequent Grand Slam tournament.
This dominance has left Djokovic observing from the sidelines while time increasingly works against his historic ambitions.
“I think, regardless of the fact that I haven’t won a Grand Slam this year, or last year, I still feel like I continue to play my best tennis at Grand Slams,“ Djokovic said after his Wimbledon loss.
“Those are the tournaments that I care about at this stage of my career the most.”
The Serbian legend has twice been compromised by injury during Grand Slam semi-finals this season.
A hamstring tear forced his retirement against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open before hip and thigh issues hampered him in London.
“It’s just age, the wear and tear of the body. As much as I’m taking care of it, the reality hits me right now, last year and a half, like never before, to be honest,“ said Djokovic.
“It’s tough for me to accept that because I feel like when I’m fresh, when I’m fit, I can still play really good tennis. I’ve proven that this year.”
He specifically highlighted the physical challenges of best-of-five set matches which have become increasingly difficult.
“The longer the tournament goes the worse the condition gets. I reach the final stages, I reached the semis of every Slam this year, but I have to play Sinner or Alcaraz.”
Djokovic acknowledged the physical advantage held by his younger rivals who maintain superior fitness levels.
“These guys are fit, young, sharp. I feel like I’m going into the match with the tank half empty. It’s just not possible to win a match like that.”
His strategic rest period contrasts sharply with Sinner and Alcaraz who battled through intense heat and humidity in Cincinnati.
The Italian eventually retired from their final clash on Monday due to illness while Djokovic recharged away from competition.
This approach means almost five months will have passed since his last hard-court match when he begins his 19th US Open campaign.
That previous encounter resulted in a straight-sets loss to Jakub Mensik during the Miami final back in March.
Only tournament performance will determine whether this calculated gamble pays dividends for the former champion.
Djokovic previously claimed US Open titles in 2011, 2015 and 2018 while finishing as runner-up on six occasions.
His shot at a rare calendar Grand Slam four years ago was dramatically dashed by Daniil Medvedev in the final.
“I don’t know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career,“ Djokovic said earlier this year.
“You know, I’m going to keep on keeping on.”
The Serbian will likely need to overcome both Sinner and Alcaraz to secure another major championship victory. – AFP
