It's not hard to root for Novak Djokovic as he seeks 5th U.S. Open crown, 25th Grand Slam title
Novak Djokovic hitting the ball back to Zachary Svajda during his second round match inside Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Credit: Errol Anderson
Remember when it was so easy to root against Novak Djokovic?
Remember when he was a clear-cut villain, the cocky and arrogant outsider who dared interrupt the iconic rivalry between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? Remember how fun it was to poke fun at his awkward impressions, his weird on-the-court outbursts and his clear frustration about not being able to fit in with the cool kids?
I do. And now, I kind of feel bad about it. Watching the 38-year-old Djokovic struggle early before winning his second-round match at the U.S. Open Wednesday against 22-year-old American qualifier Zachary Svajda, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-1, it suddenly dawned on me that there is something incredibly noble about what Djokovic is trying to do here.
Djokovic, ranked No. 7 in the world, is the last vestige of one of the greatest eras in men’s tennis. He alone is left to fight for every point against a talented new generation of players who inevitably will push him out of the game. While Djokovic has not announced anything, some longtime observers think that this could be his last tournament.
“Will he come back? Will he be back? . . . I have my doubts,” ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe said last week. “I don’t think he knows. But what I do know is he’s not going to continue to play if he doesn’t think he can win. Right now, time is running out for him to win.”
By win, McEnroe means add that elusive 25th Grand Slam title. Djokovic, who hasn’t played since Wimbledon, has freely admitted that adding one more Slam title is the major factor driving him at this point in his career. The Serbian’s 24 titles are more than any men’s player, but tied for first place with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam trophies.
Djokovic hasn’t won a Grand Slam tournament since winning the U.S. Open in 2023. Though he made it to the semifinals of both the French Open and Wimbledon this year, he lost both to top-ranked Jannik Sinner. Djokovic hasn’t played a tour event since he was beaten in straight sets by Sinner at Wimbledon.
Djokovic admitted Wednesday after his second-round win that he “isn’t feeling great” about the way he is playing so far at the U.S. Open.
In his first-round match, Djokovic battled through some leg trouble to beat American Learner Tien, 6-1, 7-6 (3), 6-2. In his second-round win over Svajda, he looked tired early. After splitting the first two sets and then falling behind 3-1 in the third, Djokovic finally took control of the match by winning eight straight games.
One veteran tennis writer asked Djokovic in his postgame interview if he wasn’t finding the same kind of joy out on the court that he had previously.
“It’s not a motivation thing. It’s just like me a bit frustrated with my game, you know,” Djokovic said. “It’s not like I’m not finding joy on the court competing. I enjoy competing, but I don’t enjoy not playing well. That’s why I put extra pressure on myself and my team to be better the next day, the next match. So, yeah, today was a little bit of a struggle to find that rhythm. That’s why maybe you haven’t seen me be so pumped after winning points and stuff. I’ll make sure I’ll fist-pump just for you.”
Odd as it seems, at this stage in his career Djokovic once again finds himself as the third man looking to break into another big two. Any path to a title at the U.S. Open would likely have to go through Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, the two best players in the game. Alcaraz is in Djokovic’s half of the draw, so he could end up playing him in the semifinals before running into Sinner again in the final.
Djokovic admitted this week on the Jay Shetty Podcast that he missed Federer, Nadal and Andy Murray, calling them his “greatest rivals.”
“I felt like a part of me left with them,” he said. “I thought it would be easy to shift my focus to new competitors, but it hasn’t been. I’ve seen the same faces across the net for nearly two decades, and now they are gone.”
They’re gone, and Djokovic is still here. Trying to make one last stand. It’s hard not to root for that.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
