Early on Saturday, September 6, 24-time Grand Slam champion and a legend of the game, Novak Djokovic bowed out of the US Open 2025 after going down 4-6, 6-7 (4), 2-6 against World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz
at the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the Flushing Meadows in New York City. The Serb, who was eyeing his record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title, suffered a straight sets defeat in a battle which went on for two hours and 23 minutes.
After his defeat, rumours spread like wild fire of the Serbian's retirement with age coming on him. Although, the 38-year-old has time and again addressed these reports, after his defeat against Alcaraz, he was once again inquired of his future in tennis. Speaking at the post-match press conference, the Serbian brushed aside talks of retirement, while hinting on his future participations.
I still want to play a full Grand Slam season next year: Novak Djokovic
Although, the Olympic Games gold-medallist showed glimpses of his brilliance during his stay in the middle in the semi-final match, he later clarified on his intentions on playing the all four Grand Slams next year. The GOAT of tennis highlighted how shorter formats and Masters tournaments are best suited for him, but insisted on playing at the highest level.
"We’ll see. I have to address that with my team. After this Grand Slam season, the feeling is definitely there—not to say I’ll skip Grand Slams. I still want to play a full Grand Slam season next year, but whether that happens, we’ll see. Slams are special. They’re different from any other tournament, the pillars of our sport and the most important events we have,” Djokovic said in the post-match press conference.
Watch video of Novaj Djokovic highlighting on his future in tennis:
“That said, I do feel my chances are better in best-of-three matches—in one-week tournaments or at the Masters, where you have almost two weeks with more rest days between matches. That setup might serve me better in these matchups,” Djokovic added.
Notably, the loss for Djokovic also etched a forgettable record to his name as he became the first male player in tennis history to lose all four Grand Slam semi-finals in a season in Open Era. Ahead of him, Conchita Martinez lost all four semi-finals in 1995, but the Serb is the first to lose in the 21st century.
