Back in January, Novak Djokovic was a set down and suffering a physical breakdown in his favourite arena in the world, staring down the gauntlet of a predictable defeat to a member of the younger generation that had usurped his position as the leader of men’s tennis.
That was when the Serb reached into his vast arsenal of weapons, refined over two decades while establishing the greatest tennis resume of all time, and turned things around to seal a four-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.
As Djokovic, 38 and on the quest for a record-extending 25th Grand Slam singles title, meets Alcaraz in the semifinals of the US Open on Friday, he will rely on his wealth of experience and his total mastery of best-of-five-sets tennis, for he is the underdog once again.
After five draining matches, Djokovic has concerns about staying physically fit for the duration of the match. Alcaraz, fine-tuned and in the form of his life, may well make him suffer. Djokovic has not won a Major for two years, while Alcaraz has won three of the seven in this time.
Carlos Alcaraz, left, of Spain is congratulated by Novak Djokovic of Serbia after winning the men’s singles final at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
The Spaniard has been in formidable shape since the start of the summer. He has reached at least the final of each of his last seven tournaments and won five of them. His win-loss record in 2025 stands at 54-6 and includes six trophies. He has not dropped a set in his run to the semifinals in New York and has had his serve broken only once. This is some of the best tennis he has ever played on a hard court: the surface on which he is yet to beat the Serb.
Yet, this match will come as a test for the Spaniard. There was a ‘men-versus-boys’ vibe to his defeat to Djokovic in Melbourne. He had failed to deal with Djokovic’s changes and disruptions, betraying a bit of immaturity. Having built an aura of invincibility on the tour alongside Jannik Sinner, who will play the other semifinal against Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday, Alcaraz will be keen to set the record straight.
Gains on serve
Alcaraz has looked peerless over the past month. It is the result of peak fitness and confidence besides some technical changes; but there remains room for improvement. He has tweaked his backhand slightly to be able to hit it flatter with more control, helping to reduce errors. But the biggest change has been on the serve.
Story continues below this ad
He attempted the new service motion for the first time in Melbourne and has slowly ramped it up into a genuine weapon over the course of the year. At the US Open this year, he has won 84 percent of points behind his first serve, 67.2 percent behind his second serve, and has been broken only once. Add to that the 33 aces he has sent down.
But Djokovic’s relentless returns will put that improvement to a real test; in Melbourne, when Alcaraz was still getting used to the new motion, Djokovic got his chances and made him pay. The Serb’s return may not be of the searing quality of his peak but he remains formidable, not only putting balls back into play but finding the kind of angles and depth that can always surprise an opponent. If he can shrink Alcaraz’s margin for error on serve and push him to go for perfection, the Spaniard may crack.
Physical test
After failing the physical test in his last two Major semifinals, a sixth match in 11 days, after spending six weeks away from the game, will once again take a physical toll on the Serb. And even if fitness issues don’t rule him out of the contest, they manifest themselves during the match.
Djokovic 🆚 Alcaraz
The world awaits Friday. pic.twitter.com/IK7I763rZP
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2025
In the semifinal at Wimbledon, he was not 100 per cent and Sinner simply blew him away. The sheer weight of shots coming from Sinner’s side of the court, and the consistency with which he kept powering through the rallies, overwhelmed Djokovic. And Alcaraz may want to take a leaf out of his rival’s book.
When they met in Melbourne, it was not Alcaraz serving up the surprises – which he usually does to opponents with his variegated game – but the other way around. After Djokovic felt his injury, he decided to go for broke, taking big cuts on shots and shortening the rallies, which disrupted Alcaraz’s rhythm. The Spaniard duly panicked, and once he left the door open an inch, the Serb stormed through it.
Story continues below this ad
That may inform the baseline strategy on Friday. Alcaraz has been ruthlessly good from the baseline this tournament, and may want to maintain that by keeping the weight of shot high and trying to hit through the Serb by dragging him into longer rallies, a la Sinner.
Djokovic, in a role reversal, may look to shorten them by mixing up the speed and spin on his shots, and bring the backhand slice and drop shot more into play.
Whether it is by finding his best form or by using a specific tactical shake-up, Djokovic is aware that Friday’s match will require more from him than he has produced so far this year. And while it may be a tall order, he has already proved why the wily GOAT of men’s tennis, even in the twilight of his career, is not to be ruled out.
