Novak Djokovic who was made to look mortal by Carlos Alcaraz in their one-sided clash in the US Open semifinal on Friday, reiterated after the match that he will continue fighting for the elusive 25th Grand Slam title. The Serb, an icon of the game, looked a shadow of his prime against a much younger Alcaraz who finished him off 6-4, 7-6 (4), 6-2 in straight sets in less than 2 and a half hours.
“I’m not giving up on Grand Slams. … I’m going to continue fighting and trying to get to the finals and fight for another trophy, at least. But, you know, it’s going to be a very difficult task,” he said after the match.
It was the fourth major semifinal for Djokovic this season — and fourth time his tournament ended at that stage. Three of those 2025 semifinal departures came against No. 1 Jannik Sinner, who is 24, or No. 2 Alcaraz, who is 22; one exit came when Djokovic quit after one set against Alexander Zverev at the Australian Open in January because of an injured hamstring.
“Unfortunately, I ran out of gas after the second set. I had enough energy to battle him and to keep up with his rhythm for two sets. After that I was gassed out, and he kept going,” he said on Friday’s match.
He said it’s just too much to ask to try to keep up with the much-younger men at the very top of the game right now in best-of-five-set matches late in the second week at a major. Djokovic described that as frustrating — but also something not surprising.
“It comes with time and with age,” he said. “I still enjoy the thrill of competition. Today I received amazing support again on the court from the crowd. Very thankful for that. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. That’s one of the biggest reasons why I keep on going. The love that I’ve been getting around the world has been amazing the last couple of years.”
(With agency inputs)
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